LoRG 1 [puddles4263] (fb2) читать онлайн

Legend of Randidly Ghosthound

As the system initializes the world shifts Geography is rearranged and mixed and levels and stats are instituted across the globe On that night one young man was walking through an underground tun more As the system initializes the world shifts Geography is rearranged and mixed and levels and stats are instituted across the globe On that night one young man was walking through an underground tunnel his mind on the small problems of his easy life Because of his location during the shift he starts in a dungeon far above his level with no knowledge or teacher or Newbie Village to guide him Without a class he struggles simply to survive in this world changed by its new connection to the Nexus But struggle he will for he is Randidly Ghosthound and this is only how his legend begins

Author s Note This started as a way to destress and play with overly complicated stats systems and level systems and I just kept writing I don’t really take it very seriously but feel free to read and enjoy back

Chapter 1

Randidly Ghosthound was walking back to his dorm sighing when it happened

System initializing

Huh Randidly stopped looking around with a frown If he didn’t know better he would say that a god like entity had just spoken into his mind Or that he was suddenly in a videogame and received a system announcement What was

And then the world warped walls shifting and changing and with wide eyes Randidly turned to find an exit

It was about that time that Randidly was smashed aside by the 3 Horned Demon Ram that spawned next to him sending him sprawling into the wall Luckily it was only a glancing blow because the charging ram had spawned practically on top of him but the glancing touch of the rams powerful flank was enough that Randidly’s head was smashed into the wall and he quickly fell unconscious

When he woke it was to a headache and several floating screens

Welcome to New Earth Your world has be entered into Nexus and as such are now running on a new system to give you the tools and challenges to survive and live a fulfilling life Good Luck

Basic Stats Set

Randidly Ghosthound

Class

Level N/A

Health(/R per hour) 28 (16 5)

Mana(/R per hour) 17 (6 75)

Stam(/R per min) 16 (9)

Vitality 4

Endurance 2

Strength 2

Agility 3

Perception 2

Reaction 4

Resistance 4

Willpower 4

Inteligence 3

Wisdom 1

Control 1

Focus 2

For more information you can view your stats anytime by thinking Menu and then selecting Status

Congratulations The Newbie Path is open to you

Congratulations Due to being the first player in your world on the receiving end of damage the P Def Path is open to you

Congratulations Due to being the first player in your world to be mentally aware of monsters the M Support Path is open to you

Congratulations For reaching 1 health the Risk Taker Path is open to you

Warning Your health is extremely low Due to being under level 10 arrows will be formed on the ground guiding you to the nearest safe zone

Sitting up Randidly looked down to find that he appeared to have been passed out in a pool of his own blood For now it seemed best to assume that the notifications meant something and to head to a safe zone

Cradling his painful head Randidly stood and looked onto the ground for the red arrow

There was none

He blinked several times then came to a realization The pool of blood was likely blocking the arrow He took several steps forward and saw the blinking red arrow It was pointing directly backward between his legs Randidly turned around and looked up

A slightly glowing blue door was directly above the pool of blood He had probably cracked his head on it Feeling slightly foolish Randidly went into the room

You have entered a safe zone +200% to regeneration

Randidly found himself in a rather large room with a pond and a small tree Which was slightly off putting in a small stone room Randidly had been walking home in the underground pathway on Rawlands University campus and apparently whatever change had come over the world had changed things but had worked with what was already there

Honestly though the room was about half the size of a football field How could he possible believe this was natural

He was 90% sure this used to be a maintenance room not 5 minutes ago

But then he rubbed his head and realized that he honestly didn’t know how long he had been down there Sighing he sat down and brought up his status screen waiting for his health to regen

It took a little less than a half hour to rise from 5 health to Randidly’s max of 28 Feeling somewhat better Randidly decided to take a peek outside again to see what was going on

Carefully opening the door Randidly looked in both directions This wall looked relatively normal but beyond that they seemed to be in some sort of underground jungle Thick foliage obscured the far wall Turning left and right the tunnel also seemed to extend Most of the wall he was near was clear and it extended for quite a long way on either side

Not really seeing anything around Randidly started walking keeping along the wall trying to see what he could find

About 20 minutes later Randidly sprinted back to the safe room two Lvl 24 Howler Monkeys chasing after him having learned a lot of things

One that the area around him was incredibly large and it wasn’t as uninhabited as he thought

Two Randidly’s level of N/A was far from sufficient for fighting Level 24 enemies Not that he tried But the way the crossed the distance towards his position before he had even noticed them spoke of their strength

Luckily once the monkeys dropped from the tree their speed dropped to just slightly higher than his own allowing Randidly to escape by the skin of his teeth

Third and finally the system also had skills Perhaps the real reason that Randidly was able to escape was that he learned the Running skill as he fled and leveled it to 3 in the mad dash on the way back Each time it leveled from 1 to 2 and then from 2 to 3 he earned a PP

Still it had been a close thing By the time he had made it back to the safe room his stamina had been at 1 and the thought of continuing to move for even a second longer made his vision go dark

After sitting by the pond slurping down some water from the pond and catching his breath Randidly opened up his menu

There were four options in the menu Map Status Paths and Friends List

Both Maps and Friend List was greyed out and Randidly already knew what Status was so he clicked on paths

A new menu opened up that showed Randidly the 4 paths he had available as well as numbers next to them Newbie Path was currently 0/5 while P Def and M Supp were 0/10 Risk taker was 0/15 In the top right there was PP 2 which made Randidly believe that PP stood for path points or something

After a slight hesitation Randidly clicked on the Newbie path which then switched to 1/5

Congratulations You have earned 1 stat point

Sure enough when Randidly switched over to his status there was a plus next to all of his stats Which seemed rather simple but

He shook his head There were just too many stats Although they seemed self explanatory there was no real information available to him He would have to learn through trial and error Suddenly he felt a chill in his heart

Does that mean he could die

Shaking his head he put that thought to the side No use worrying over it now Instead he considered what to do with a stat point He was torn between something defensive like Vit or End and something more active like Agi which would let him run faster

Struck by an idea he went back to the Path screen and clicked on Newbie again And sure enough

Now with two he put 1 into Vit and one into Agi with a clear conscience Randidly also noticed that when he put the point into Vit his health went up by 2 while his Health regen per hour went up by 3 Stamina regen increased by 1 Which he supposed was pretty small in the grand scheme of things

Chapter 2

Randidly quickly stumbled upon a problem Originally he had just planned to happily grind up his skills while staying near the safe room increasing himself stat by stat He had even started out quite well earning himself Lvl 4 in Running and learning the skill Physical Fitness and swiftly leveling it to 2 just jogging around the safe room

But then Randidly realized he was getting hungry He stopped sweating lightly from the constant exertion He supposed a few hours had passed but still

Gritting his teeth Randidly faced the truth He knew where some food was While he was walking outside he had spotted strange fruits and berries in the jungle surrounding him But going out there

His stomach rumbled unpleasantly After much thought Randidly put his two more points for levels into the Newbie path and put both of those PPs into Agi The plan would be to go in and get out as fast as possible

Randidly hopped experimentally side to side and was pleased to find he certainly felt a little faster With that extra bit of confidence he walked to the door and opened it The indoor rainforest swayed softly almost invitingly and Randidly shivered but still crept out and tiptoed towards the treeline

When he reached the edge of the ferns which extended for several feet before the vine encrusted treeline And right beyond that treeline

Randidly hesitated He could continue to move slowly trying his best to remain quiet or he could simply dash in and grab some fruits and then leave But because he hadn’t seen any berry bushes in the area just a few scattered glimpses through the treeline he chose the conservative sneaking route

And as he began to walk quietly forward he learned Sneak Lvl 1 Although the first level of a skill didn’t give a path point it still boosted his confidence that he might be able to pull this off He wound his way slowly forward pressing aside the ferns and entering the trees He peaked around a particularly thick trunk eyes scanning No animals no movement But there was a bush that was heavy with dark purple berries 10 yards down from him still near the edge of the treeline

He began creeping down in that direction his breath sounding extremely heavy in his ears When he reached the berries he had another conundrum how would he carry them

Well first things first He tentatively bit into a berry which was a little bit larger than a grape It was sweet and ripe filling his mouth with a wonderful fruity taste He had to spit out some seeds but initially it seemed like they were good for eating Satisfied he pulled up his shirt and began filling it like a pouch

Around the time the pouch was full was when he realized he was being watched

A lime green frog around the size of a small dog sat on a low branch gazing at him Above it hovered the notification Lvl 27

Randidly stopped picking and backed slowly away The frog watched him go tilting his head to the side Receiving a notification that his Sneak skill was now Level 2 Randidly turned and ran back through the ferns into the safe zone

There he ate about half of his gathered berries spitting the seeds into the dirt by the small tree

Afterwards he collapsed on the ground looking up at the stone ceiling The fluorescent lights had apparently also been transformed because the light they produced felt a lot like warm sunlight on his skin

Sitting up Randidly went to his paths and put the point he had earned for Sneak 2 into the Newbie path getting an End stat As he watched the extra point in End Watching closely he saw that the End got him 5 points of health and 3 of stamina but only 25 health regen and no stamina regen So End was more base Vit focused on regeneration

When it came down to it Randidly supposed he would probably prefer to buffer up his Endurance then for now Increasing the maximum value of his health and stamina was more important than anything else

Laying back Randidly fell asleep half hoping that this was all a dream half hoping that tomorrow would be filled with even more grinding

It was strange that he felt so torn Although this was life or death there was always something about RPGs that he appreciated The simplicity the systems and the stats Like there was a secret way of playing that could allow him to break the game

In life there were no secrets Or at least no secrets that didn’t leave you feeling slimy So although his heart was pounding Randidly felt content

Chapter 3

When Randidly awoke it was to some very weird notifications As he opened his eyes he noticed that the lights above flickered on as if they had immediately shut off when he fell asleep Shaking his head he inspected the notifications

Overnight he had apparently reached Level 3 in farming Sitting up Randidly was stunned to find several sprouts coming up out of the spot that he had thrown the seeds from the berries Excited he got up and went over to inspect them Although they didn’t seem like much if they grew

But then Randidly shook his head Although it might be safe in here he didn’t plan on remaining here forever In fact even just staying in the room and grinding would become a chore after a while Still farming would be incredibly useful for decreasing the danger in the short term allowing him to gather sufficient strength before venturing out

I wonder how Ace and Sydney are doing Randidly muttered his eyes going unfocused But then he snapped back to the moment opening his Path screen with an excited expression putting the final two points into the Newbie Path

Congratulations You have earned 2 stat point

Congratulations You have completed the Newbie Path +1 to all stats +1 stat point per level +4 Health per level +2 Mana and +2 stamina per level You have learned the active skills Mana Bolt Lvl 1 and Heavy Blow Lvl 1

Continue using paths to explore this world Remember there will always be a path open to you

Randidly laughed out loud It seemed like completing a path certainly earned a lot of rewards Not only was the final point he inserted worth 2 stat points instead of 1 but completing the path also had a big reward

Then Randidly frowned Although a lot of it was tied to level gains And his level was still N/A

Did he miss something

Randidly did a once through on his menus but there was nothing that he missed Grimacing Randidly considered the option that he had hypothesized about but didn’t want to give voice to If this is like a game then there is likely a newbie area But since he was underground when the system initialized he just spawned right into a dungeon And in the newbie area

Randidly’s eyes went to the spot where there was a series of lines instead of class

In the newbie area you earn a class which allows you to level up And without a class

But then Randidly shook his head No need to worry about that right now He was improving slowly and that is enough He also had 3 stat points he could distribute And now he had two skills that he needed to figure out how to use

After eating the other half of yesterday’s harvest of berries Randidly decided to put 1 point into End 1 point into Agi and deciding to take a gamble another point into Per Increased perception would hopefully allow him to spot approaching enemies like the frog earlier If it had wanted to attack him at that time

Randidly shivered

After distributing his points Randidly looked at his status

Health(/R per hour) 47/47 (23 25)

Mana(/R per hour) 19/19 (8)

Stam(/R per min) 25/25 (11)

Vit 6

End 5

Str 3

Agi 8

Perception 4

Reaction 5

Resistance 5

Willpower 5

Inteligence 4

Wisdom 2

Control 2

Focus 3

Paths Newbie 7/7 P Def M Supp Risk Taker

Skills Running Lvl 4 Physical Fitness Lvl 2 Sneak Lvl 2 Farming Lvl 3 Mana Bolt Lvl 1 Heavy Blow Lvl 1

Putting several points into End had improved both his health and his Stamina which was important Survivability and his ability to escape were critical But for now

Randidly turned his attention to his two newly learned skills Feeling slightly foolish Randidly said Mana Bolt

Immediately a screen popped up in front of him

Mana Bolt Focusing your energy you fire a bolt of pure mana at your enemies Costs 10 mana Damage based on Intelligence and level of skill

Pleased he then said Heavy Blow

Heavy Blow Concentrate your force into one powerful attack Costs 5 stamina Damage based on Str and level of skill

He tried saying the rest of his skills but nothing happened Apparently it only worked with active skills Experimentally Randidly raised his hand and pointed focusing on his finger

Nothing happened

Feeling silly Randidly concentrated again and said Mana Bolt

Something inside of Randidly moved something that he hadn’t had before yesterday and hadn’t noticed because it never had been there before rising and rushing to his finger Surprised Randidly looked down towards below his stomach where the feeling was coming from

Blue energy condensed on his finger and shot forward or rather downward because the distracting feeling caused his arm to fall to his side

So the mana bolt shot downward and struck himself in the foot

Yelping and hopping Randidly glared at the hole in his shoe chiding himself for his idiocy Then he checked his status It had done 5 damage to him

So at least it’s just flat intelligence plus skill level huh ’

Randidly wanted to try again but due to the fact his maximum mana was only 19 he would need to wait a bit And with a mana regeneration of 8 even tripled to 24 in this room refilling his mana would take awhile

Making a mental note to figure out what the Wis and Int stats did to his status Randidly turned his attention to heavy blow Stamina recharged per minute so it seemed like this would be much easier to grind

Feeling like he was in a martial arts movie Randidly walked up to the small tree in the room spread his feet took a deep breath and punched it

To get it over with Randidly had punched rather hard and the small tree shook slightly Surprisingly there was a dull ache in his hand but no real pain worth mentioning Perhaps this was his stats of Vit and End paying dividends

This time when Randidly punched he said Heavy Blow

Another new force moved within Randidly this time originating from his heart And where the other was cool this was warm and vibrant filling his fist with destructive energy When this punch reached the tree it once again shook but noticeably more

Shaking his head Randidly admitted he had been expecting a bit more but it was probably enough to have this After all his skill was still level 1 and he only had a Str of 3 As time passed and his stats and skill level increased

But then Randidly shook his head ridding himself of the budding excitement Life or death stay focused

Chapter 4

After a few hours of grinding Randidly had improved his Physical Fitness to Lvl 3 Running to 5 and both Mana Bolt and Heavy Blow to 2

Surprisingly Mana Bolt had reached 2 first It seemed like the lower cost of Heavy Blow meant it took more to level it Although that just meant it had taken 5 Heavy Blows rather than the 2 Mana Bolts it had taken

With the earned PP Randidly had started down the P Def path His odd points the 1st and 3rd net him P Def stats that could only be used on Vit and End which suited him just fine The evens were regular stat points

Randidly put one in each of Vit and End and with the distributable ones he put one in Int and one in Wis Intelligence increases maximum mana by 2 and mana regen by 25 Wis increases maximum mana by 5 and regen by 1

Another thing that Randidly noticed was that he was rather inaccurate with Mana Bolts At around 10 feet it became luck to hit a certain large cinderblock on the wall

But he was out of berries and with a determined face Randidly once more left the room Once more he snuck down towards the treeline moving across the grass instead of inside the trees down to where the berries were But when he arrived he was stunned to find that the bush had been picked clean

With nervous eyes Randidly looked up and sure enough the lime green frog was still there but it was looking quite a bit fatter

It actually had the nerve to burp looking at Randidly with a dismissive glance Randidly glared back up at it And forgetting about his plan of remaining relatively calm in the face of danger he raised his hand and channeled mana into his palm preparing a mana bolt He had discovered that he didn’t actually need to say anything out loud to use it just channel the strange mana he found inside of himself

The bolt slowly formed taking almost 10 seconds to condense The casting time was a problem but it had already shortened a little bit so hopefully that would continue in the future

Surprisingly the bolt that shot forward in a mostly straight direction slamming into the frog’s bulging sides Almost immediately its eyes went wide and it seemed to be engaged in an internal struggle Finally after a few seconds it opened its mouth and vomited a cascade of half digested berries and yellow goop that splashed on the tree next to Randidly It then turned its eyes towards Randidly which began to glow red

But just as he noticed that he noticed that his hand was burning and looked down Several small drops of the vomit had splashed on him Then he heard a sizzling noise He looked up to find the tree was disappearing before his very eyes eaten by the strange vomit Then his hand began to burn

He turned and dashed away setting his hunger aside for the moment earning himself another level in running as he sprinted back towards a safe room But then next notifications were much more foreboding

Congratulations You have learned the skill Acid Resistance Lvl 1

Hearing a splash behind him as if the frog spat again Randidly redoubled his efforts tapping into that hot energy inside of his heart

Congratulations You have learned the active skill Sprinting Lvl 1

Congratulations Acid Resistance is now Lvl 2

Randidly broke out of the trees and crossed the ferns in a second He then leapt scrambling up the rest of the distance to the safe zone door

Congratulations Acid Resistance is now Lvl 3

Congratulations Sprinting is now Lvl 2

Warning Some of the acid has entered your bloodstream causing you to be poisoned

Congratulations You have learned the skill Poison Resistance Lvl 1

Randidly opened the door and scrambled through it ignoring the continuing notifications He was starting to get distinctly dizzy

Congratulations Acid Resistance is now Lvl 4

Congratulations Poison Resistance is now Lvl 2

Congratulations Poison Resistance is now Lvl 3

Warning Your health is extremely low Due to being under level 10 arrows will be on the ground guiding you to the nearest safe zone

Congratulations Poison Resistance is now Lvl 4

Not even stopping inside of the room Randidly sprinted downwards diving into the pool frantically wiping at his hand which now had a rather large hole eaten all the way through it As Randidly gazed at his bone his resolve wavered for a second Then he snapped back to focus His brow furrowing He checked his status and saw his health was at 10 and as he watched it ticked down to 9 and then 8 Frantically he opened up his Path screen dumped the 6 points he had gotten on the trip into P Def Before he could switch back he noticed another notification but he decided to ignore it

Then switched back to his status screen dumping all 6 points into End

Instantly his health rose by 30 (Wait why was it not 30 and 44 instead Not that he was complaining ) The health continued to tick down but it was obviously slowing It continued to slow as he rubbed at the wound and gulped down the cool water until it stabilized at 12 health Letting out a long breath Randidly slumped back and considered the notifications

He ignored the ones for getting points from the P Def path but looked at the final one

Congratulations You have completed the P Def Path +2 to all P Def stats +1 P Def point per level You have learned the skill Iron Skin Lvl 1

Congratulations Acid Resistance is now Lvl 5

Congratulations Poison Resistance is now Lvl 5

Congratulations Acid Resistance is now Lvl 6

The healing pool has cleansed your body You are no longer poisoned

Congratulations Acid Resistance is now Lvl 7

Sighing Randidly collapsed on the floor That was probably too close The worst part was that he had only been splashed by a tiny drop and it still ripped a hole in his hand and ate at his flesh eventually poisoning him If it wasn’t for this healing pool

Shivering Randidly once more realized how close he was to dying while he remained here But

He couldn’t help grinning slightly He had survived And as such he had benefited immensely Not only had he finished the P Def path but he now had 4 more PPs to spend on the next path As well as the skill Iron Skin Perhaps it would be helpful in defending against the acid But based on how quickly his Acid Resistance skill had leveled Randidly doubted that he was at the level where withstanding a direct blow from the acid would be possible

Randidly put the 4 PPs into the M Supp path As expected he received two distributable stats and two M Supp stats

He hesitated but put both into control hoping that it would increase the accuracy of his mana bolt For the distributable ones Randidly struggled He already experienced a huge boost in survivability with the End increase but he was beginning to believe that it was just a drop in the bucket A direct attack would kill him several times over

So instead one point went into Agi and one into Per Sighing Randidly looked again at his stats

Health(/R per hour) 12/98 (34 5)

Mana(/R per hour) 12/22 (9 25)

Stam(/R per min) 5/52 (14)

Vit 9

End 14

Agi 9

Perception 5

Inteligence 5

Wisdom 3

Control 4

Paths Newbie 7/7 P Def 10/10 M Supp 4/10 Risk Taker

Skills Running Lvl 5 Physical Fitness Lvl 3 Sneak Lvl 2 Farming Lvl 3 Mana Bolt Lvl 2 Heavy Blow Lvl 2 Acid Resistance Lvl 7 Poison Resistance Lvl 4 Sprinting Lvl 2 Iron Skin Lvl 1

Too close He muttered sitting down to recover His stomach grumbled but he ignored it His life was much more important than going without a meal for a few hours He was tired and needed to rest and steady his nerve before he returned to the outside world

Chapter 5

It took around an hour and half for his health to regenerate back to full even with the bonuses of this room It made Randidly realize about the different uses of End and Vit even more He resolved to put a few more points into Vit when he had the chance

But at the same time he needed to get his Agi and Per even higher and without more points in Int his magic was useless

But during that time he had been grinding his Stamina skills including Iron Skin

Iron Skin Concentrate on your skin increasing your defense Higher mastery means quicker activation and localized application Costs 10 stamina per second Defensive boost based on level of the skill

Although the cost meant it was more of a one time use thing in battle rather than a constant buff the quickness of the recovery still meant that Randidly could keep it on for 6 seconds wait two minutes for his stamina to recharge and then do it again

Through this method he already pushed Iron Skin to Lvl 3 allowing him to put another point in Control and one in Per This room really was designed to be an area that allowed one to grind stamina skills incredibly efficiently The regeneration tripling made Stamina fill up within minutes

But he was unable to rely on this for much longer The berry bushes inside the same room were growing and much faster than was natural but it wouldn’t be quick enough to save him from hunger

He needed to go out once more for food

As his hand gripped the doorknob it trembled and Randidly closed his eyes

But then he opened them I’m not just Randidly I’m also the Ghosthound And I will make these damn frogs pay ’

And with that thought he pushed his way outward

Much to his surprise he immediately saw frogs although they didn’t see him As he watched their movements in the trees it seemed as though as though they were searching Randidly felt another chill but this one was even more quickly smothered Instead he turned and crept away along the wall moving away from the frogs He even earned another point in Sneak raising it to 3

After moving some distance away Randidly quickly cut towards the treeline Much farther and he would reach the area of the Howler Monkeys which were also outside his ability to deal with When he moved past the ferns and into the trees he was disappointed to find no berry tries but there were several other trees within sight that seemed to have fruit or nuts But that would require going even deeper into the rainforest area

But he needed food so he headed towards a tall slender tree that was the closest around which was what appeared to be tan walnuts After peering carefully around he knocked one against the tree until it cracked and inspected the insides Seemed like a nut

He nibbled on it and was delighted to discover that it had a savory almost smoky flavor He quickly cracked open several others taking the edge off of his hunger Satisfied Randidly was preparing to gather more in his shirt to take back when he caught a whiff of death

Moving very carefully he looked through the treeline to a small clearing he saw earlier but had ruled out as too far in But still his eyes had been dragged there to what appeared to be glowing red crystals hanging in the tree

Now his eyes went to the ground where he saw a long scaly green body lying still in the clearing

His eyes flickered and then once more against his better judgement he approached letting his intuition guide him His Sneak increased to Lvl 4 as he quickly circled the area moving on light feet The entire area was silent and Randidly was finally able to see why

A strange creature with pointed ears was waist deep in the large snake’s mouth But at the same time that creature had managed to drive a blade through the top of the snake’s skull where apparently the snake had died either from brain damage or blood loss They were both caked in dried black blood

But Randidly couldn’t take his eyes away from the dagger the handle long and slender wrapped in leather with a simple amethyst set into the hilt

A weapon would certainly make this much easier

Deciding to go for the speedy route Randidly sprinted out into the clearing grabbing the dagger pulling and then turning to go

But then he lurched to a stop the dagger stuck fast in the skull Freezing Randidly waited for his impending doom Nothing happened

So slightly reassured Randidly began pressed back and forth beginning the laborious process of grinding the dagger outside of the snake’s skull Thankfully everything in the area seemed quite dead

The process took so long that at one point Randidly had to taken several minutes as a break and allow his stamina to recover

Eventually with a sickening pop the dagger came free and Randidly admired the slightly carved blade with a wickedly sharp edge The notification was even more interesting

Congratulations You have learned the active skill Equip Lvl 1

Equip Randidly said outloud curious

Equip Allows you to inspect and equip weapons and armor Skill level must be greater than or equal to weapon level to utilize the bonuses seen with equip Utilizing a Weapon of higher level will raise skill level

Inspect

Item Quality too high to inspect

Item Quality huh Randidly had expected not being able to utilize the dagger for its benefits which he suspected would be stat gains but the fact that item quality blocked him from even examining it was strange Still it still was an interesting mixture of disappointment and excitement Disappointment because he didn’t know what it was or how it could help him excitement because it was a rare weapon

Although if it suddenly revealed himself to him when was only Level 2 in Equip that would be its own disappointment But Randidly suspected it wouldn’t be that simple

Pleased with his haul Randidly gave the pointy eared fellow a once over before he spotted the satchel hanging over his shoulder It was pressed against the ground beneath his back Feeling slightly embarrassed to be stealing from the dead Randidly tried to be gentle but quickly realized that if he did this would take forever So he began wrestling with the dead body

Within minutes Randidly’s more irreverent approach had yielded the satchel which Randidly opened to reveal a swirling darkness Frowning he prodded it with the dagger which instantly vanished sucked into it Gasping he grabbed after it perhaps foolishly sticking his hand into the darkness

But as he did so a strange knowledge entered into his mind Inside the bag in a strange 1 cubic meter space floated several items Some dried rations it looked like A map Some weird coins a book in a language he couldn’t understand 15 empty vials A bedroll of some kind Some stuff that looked like campfire tools And the dagger

And with but a thought the dagger reappeared in his hand Randidly gazed at the bag in wonder

20 minutes later Randidly left the clearing With his newfound dagger and bag he cleaned out everything he could find The strange glowing red crystals in the giant tree as well as the blue ones that studded the roots All the nuts from the first tree Several green banana shaped fruits from nearby

He even used the dagger to carve out one of the snake’s long fangs which was as thick as Randidly’s wrist and was just about to start on the second when a rustling from the bushes spooked him sending him dashing back to the safe room His little series of sprints also raised the Sprinting level to 3

Upon arriving back at the room the first thing Randidly did was have a fine meal of nuts and banana things The glowing crystals he was a little wary of and decided to wait until later Afterwards he considered the area

Then using the dagger Randidly carved out nine holes spaced several feet apart in a line and buried three nuts three of the bananas and finally one of the red crystals one of the blue crystals and one with both of them together to see if he could grow a tree like the one outside

While he was doing so he even had the pleasing notification that his Equip skill increased to Lvl 2 Fortunately or unfortunately it was still unable to inspect the dagger

Satisfied Randidly lay down for a nap laying out his new bedroll the lights dimming on cue leaving the rest of it for after he had some rest

Chapter 6

More notifications awaited Randidly as he awoke once more

Congratulations Farming is now Lvl 4

Congratulations Farming is now Lvl 5

Congratulations Farming is now Lvl 6

Congratulations Farming is now Lvl 7

Congratulations Farming is now Lvl 8

Congratulations You have learned the skill Plant Breeding Lvl 1

Congratulations Plant Breeding is now Lvl 2

So many levels And Plant Breeding Randidly muttered rubbing his eyes His original berry bushes were now approaching a point where they would produce berries leafy and healthy looking There were thin sprouts from the first six of the holes the 3 nuts and 3 bananas But disappointingly the final three showed no change

Well anyway there was still a lot to do

First Randidly took stock of his supplies He had about a dozen of each color of the crystal 30 nuts 25 bananas and some weird bread and dried meat from the person who killed the snake That was probably enough to keep him going for a few days giving him time to spend all his effort on grinding out his skills to increase his chance of survival

Next he went to his path screen He currently had 9 PP and used 4 of them to finish off the M Supp Path As expected he received 2 M Supp Points and then 2 free stat points which he put into Control and Vitality respectively

Then he examined the completion notification

Congratulations You have completed the M Supp Path +2 to all M Supp stats +1 M Supp point per level You have learned the skill Meditation Lvl 1

Meditation Allows user to enter into focused state increasing regeneration by 1% per skill level May be knocked out of meditation by disturbances Increasing skill level allows more actions to be done while meditation

Small now but There is a lot of potential there I wonder if it stacks with the safe room bonus

Then Randidly put the remaining 5 into the Risk Taker path Much to his disappointment the first 4 PPs did nothing Only the 5th and final gave him hope

Congratulations You have earned +1 all stats

He figured it made sense that as he continued it would get harder to get individual stats But rewards every five and likely the completion reward would still be worth it

Randidly also got a better sense of some of the stats Perception really did make his eyes and ears more sensitive and the tiny boosts in reactions he received enabled him to respond more quickly to things

The boost to Int made his mana bolt slightly more bright and powerful and it also now seemed to travel farther before dissipating which Randidly suspected was the increase in his wisdom The large boost to M Supp he had received let him determine that while control made his accuracy with spells better Focus decreased the casting time It only took around 5 seconds to channel the energy for the spell now which was much shorter but also too long in terms of what it would require to use mid battle

So for the next two days Randidly threw himself into grinding

He planned it out well In the mornings he would jog sprint and do push ups interspersing that Mana Bolts Then he would take a meal and spend several hours grinding heavy blow practicing slashing the small tree which seemed to be growing rapidly with the dagger leaving long scratches

It even earned him the Dagger Mastery Skill

In the evening Randidly alternated between using Iron Skin and shooting Mana Bolts and Meditating

For two day this continued Randidly ignoring the notifications and instead just continuing to grind He realized he might miss out on some marginal benefits by turning in PPs for stats now but he ignored that Better to not let anything distract them

At the end of the second day while he ripped away at some of the dried jerky he had taken from the dead body Randidly considered his gains

Farming Lvl 8 had increased to Lvl 11

Running Lvl 5 had increased to Lvl 7

Sprinting Lvl 3 had increased to Lvl 6

Physical Fitness Lvl 3 had increased to Lvl 10

Mana Bolt Lvl 2 had increased to Lvl 7

Heavy Blow Lvl 2 had increased to Lvl 9

Iron Skin Lvl 3 had increased to Lvl 6

Dagger Mastery Lvl 1 had increased to Lvl 5

Meditation Lvl 1 had increased to Lvl 4

Equip Lvl 2 had increased to Lvl 7

All in all he had earned 42 PP which might have been more than the amount he had used to this point Initially he was intimidated by that number because he didn’t have enough paths but two things soothed his thoughts First when Physical Fitness Reached Lvl 10 he unlocked the Basic Fitness Path which would require 20 PP to finish

2nd the notification at the end of the path completion made him think there was some secret to paths

So Randidly first finished off the Risk Taker path getting another +1 to all stats at 10 and 15 respectively and then a completion notification

Congratulations You have completed the Risk Taker Path Not all risks are rewarded equally Received 1 Random Chest +1% experience per each level a defeated mob has over you

Congratulations You have obtained a Small Chest

And as Randidly watched a small chest the size of a tissue box appeared in front of him

After a brief hesitation Randidly opened the chest finding a pair of Leather Gloves He immediately put them on and inspected them

Fine Leather Gloves Lvl Vitality +1 Agility +3

Even though it was a failure apparently his Equip level was high enough to at least see that little bit of information Still he was left without knowing how long it would take to Equip the gloves for real

Satisfied Randidly then poured 20 PP into finishing off Basic Physical Fitness Like Risk Taker only every 5th one had a reward At 5 he received on P Attack (which he put into Agi) at 10 a P Def (which he put into Vit) and at 15 a P Supp (which he put into Perception) 20 was a free stat which Randidly put into Wis to raise his mana regeneration

Congratulations You have completed the Basic Physical Fitness Path +10 Health +5 Stamina +1 Stamina per level

Another health boost was always beneficial although it was probably less useful that straight stats But increasing level up gains would be useful for him Hopefully

Eventually

Randidly then went back to his path screen a sinking feeling in his chest But as he looked at all the greyed out selections a notification popped up before him

Continue using paths to explore this world Remember there will always be a path open to you Please select one of the paths below for your continued journey

Trainee Path 0/15

0/20

Randidly considered Although the second one was effectively random it seemed like a higher level path because it would take more PP It had the same amount as Basic Physical Fitness Still Trainee path seemed like the natural continuation of the Newbie path and that had granted him skills

Deciding to play it safe Randidly selected trainee pouring his remaining 12 PP into it To his surprise he received a bonus every level which made him quite happy But he was stopped after putting his 5th point in

Congratulations You have earned +3 to Health

Congratulations You have earned +2 to Mana

Congratulations You have earned +1 all Stamina

Congratulations You have earned +1 stat

Congratulations You have encountered a branching path Choose either +4 Stamina and the skill Mighty Leap or +10 Mana and the skill Entangling Roots Warning your choice will affect the remainder of this path

Frowning Randidly weighed his options Essentially he had to choose whether to proceed down a Mana or a Stamina build The obvious choice was Stamina but Randidly was pulled towards mana for two reasons First a Stamina build would require more direct confrontations which Randidly did not yet have much experience with Especially when he considered those acid spitting frogs it seemed like it would be a bad idea

2nd the associated skill was much more desirable Entangling Roots sounded like Crowd Control which could hopefully tie down the frogs or Howler Monkeys enabling him to escape

In addition Randidly was very tempted by the 10 mana bonus from learning the skill

With these things in mind he selected the Entangling Roots option

Entangling Roots Summon roots from the ground to tie down opponents Costs 35 mana Duration of roots depends on skill level Strength and size of roots depend on skill level and intelligence Accuracy of roots depends on control

Immediately he felt an intense regret 35 mana cost His total mana was only 42 And even with the bonus from the safe zone his mana regen per hour was just 42 It would take him almost an hour and a half to get enough mana to use it again

Sighing Randidly entered in the next 7 PPs emptying himself out But those notifications brought some measure of optimist back to his heart

Congratulations You have earned +1 to Mana Regeneration

Congratulations You have earned +1 Stat

Congratulations You have learned the active skill Mana Shield Lvl 1

Mana Shield Conjure a thin shield of mana Effective against both magical and physical attacks Will block 20 damage plus the skill level x 5 Costs 20 mana

After putting the two stat points he had earned from the Trainee Path into wisdom and boosting his mana regen Randidly felt much better His mana pool was now at 51 and his regeneration at 17 per hour In the room that was 51 just above the casting cost of Entangling roots Training it up 1 per hour alternating with Mana Bolts was just barely enough for him to stomach

Closing the menus Randidly considered his options What was the best method to ensure his survival here

Chapter 7

One of the items he obtained in the bag was a map and after touching it the map option in his menu screen became selectable Inside there was a general outline of the dungeon which was simply called The Underground Jungle

Ultimately what he saw made Randidly’s heart sink The dungeon he was in was simply too big He was situated in the safe room halfway across the southern wall It was equidistant from the entrance and the boss room

But that distance appeared to be something near 20 miles

More disturbingly while the bosses chambers appeared to be in the Southeastern Corner the entrance was in the Northwestern corner meaning Randidly would need to cross through at least some portion of the forest in order to get there

Sighing Randidly dismissed the menu He had a long way to go before having any confidence in crossing the forest Randidly looked at his stats one more time before laying down for a nap

Health(/R per hour) 138/138 (53 25)

Mana(/R per hour) 50/51 (17)

Stam(/R per min) 66/67 (20)

Vit 15

End 17

Str 6

Agi 13

Perception 10

Reaction 8

Resistance 8

Willpower 8

Inteligence 8

Wisdom 11

Control 12

Focus 8

Paths Newbie 7/7 P Def 10/10 M Supp 10/10 Risk Taker 15/15 Basic Physical Fitness 20/20 Trainee 12/15

Skills Running Lvl 7 Physical Fitness Lvl 10 Sneak Lvl 4 Farming Lvl 11 Mana Bolt Lvl 7 Heavy Blow Lvl 9 Acid Resistance Lvl 4 Poison Resistance Lvl 4 Sprinting Lvl 6 Iron Skin Lvl 6 Equip Lvl 7 Plant Breeding Lvl 2 Meditation Lvl 4 Dagger Mastery Lvl 5 Entangling Roots Lvl 1 Mana Shield

After careful consideration Randidly found himself sneaking back over towards the Howler Monkey area There were two reasons for this trip One was to stop by the nut banana and weird crystal trees and stock up on more food and the other

Was to actually engage the Howler Monkeys

Well hopefully to lure one away and then bind it with Entangling roots and then something

The more Randidly thought about it the worse the idea seemed but he also knew that grinding was done for the explicit purpose of going out after and getting some actual experience He needed to be able to use his skills

Additionally the Howler Monkeys had only been scary within the treeline Outside of it they were slow enough that even a Randidly without all of his skills and stats was only slightly slower He was now confident that his 13 Agility would be enough to outrun them

Unfortunately there were only 2 or 3 glowing crystals that had grown back but there was several dozen nuts and bananas he had missed the first time After filling his satchel he began creeping back towards the monkey area To his surprise he gained a level in both Sneaking and Equip

He was still unable to see the level of the dagger or the gloves but the two PP let him almost finish off the Trainee Class which Randidly did huddled up against a tree

The fact that the stat point went directly into Agi probably was evidence of Randidly’s nerves With that done he continued creeping forward aiming to the Howler Monkey’s area

As he approached Randidly noticed what he didn’t previously that in that area the trees changed their crowns stretching higher their trunks farther apart Also the area was thick with vines

Feeling slightly foolish Randidly came out of his crouching position in the ferns and walked boldly past

Randidly scratched his head Last time had been so much easier

A blur at the edge of his vision was all the warning he had Had it been the him of a few days ago it probably would have ended with him wounded But the threat of danger and stat increases had sharpened his senses As soon as he noticed the projectile he summoned a Mana Shield

It smashed against Randidly’s shield slowing it only briefly and a stone the size of an apple crashed into him sending Randidly staggering His head whipped around and he saw a monkey standing in the tree chittering with laughter as it hefted another stone Furious Randidly raised his hand and pointed a mana bolt shooting out

With Randidly’s improved control his attack flew true striking the Howler Monkey in the chest With a squawk it was dislodged from its position on the branch falling to the ground Howling it then rumbled up towards him

With not enough mana left to cast Entangling Roots Randidly fled returning to the safe room

As he unpacked and sorted the gathered food Randidly viewed the notifications he had with serious eyes First the stone had pierced through his mana shield with enough force to do a little over 30 damage That means the stone itself thrown by the monkey would be about 55

2nd Blocking that stone had increased Mana Shield skill to level 3 Which seemed like an awfully quick level up even though level 2 was usually quite easy

Finally hitting the Monkey in the chest with the mana bolt had increased it to Lvl 9 For a while Randidly had been wondering whether it was a common thing to hole up in a safe room where the regeneration is doubled and grinding up their skill level But he was beginning to suspect it wasn’t Because it seemed that actually using the skills in real battle was much more effective at leveling them

Sighing Randidly used a PP to finish off the Trainee Path

Congratulations You have earned +2 to M Stats

Congratulations You have completed the Trainee Path (Mage Branch) +10 Mana +1 Mana Regen +1 Mana per level

The two stats went into Control and Intelligence If I was going to start trying to grind outside of the safe room I needed a bigger mana pool It wouldn’t be feasible in the short term to try and raise my regeneration to the point where it could matter

When he went back to the path screen there was only one option the from before with 0/20 He clicked on it and the name shifted to Wandering Survivor

Seems relevant Randidly muttered and put his remaining 3 PPs into it And to his surprise he received something each time

Congratulations You have earned +2 to Health

Congratulations You have earned +2 to Stamina

Apparently it was a rather helpful path as well

Pleased Randidly wandered over to view his growing plants His initially planted berry bush was beginning to bud Fruit would come soon The others were growing to a good size except

Randidly frowned at the final banana plant which was around double the size of the others and about twice as tall Abruptly realizing something Randidly got out his dagger and began to dig After about 5 minutes he leaned back on his heels As he thought the red crystal that had been nearest in the ground to the banana was gone The lone blue crystal and the red and blue together with both still there

So the red crystal had been absorbed somehow by the plant And that was likely where the Plant Breeding skill had came from

Thinking this Randidly looked around abruptly realizing that the room seemed slightly larger than he remembered But he ignored it instead going to the side and digging 6 holes very far from one another 3 were bananas 3 were nuts He did the same line of crystals one red one blue and one both just to see the effects

Satisfied he laid out the bedroll from the satchel and prepared for a nap

Chapter 8

When Randidly awoke he realized that he honestly had no idea how long he was asleep and awake for so there was no way of knowing how much time had passed He believed it had been 4 or 5 days but it was hard to know for sure

But then he turned his attention to the notifications Farming had risen to 13 Plant Breeding had risen to 5

Expectantly Randidly threw those points into the Wandering Survivor Path

Congratulations You have earned +1 to Stat

Congratulations You have earned +1 to Perception and Reaction

Although not receiving a skill was somewhat of a letdown the extra stats also helped The extra stat he put into Intelligence committing entirely to his new grinding plan

The morning proceeded as usual with physical exertion interspaced with Iron Skin and Mana Bolt Even though it had reached the point that Mana Bolt could be cast every 15 minutes Randidly could tell that he was reaching the limit of what could be really grinded out here Mana Bolt only increased 1 Lvl Iron Skin increased two but that too was slowing Running and Physical Fitness didn’t go up but Sprint went up by 1

What was disappointing was that getting Mana Bolt to 10 didn’t unlock a path for it But Randidly supposed that it hadn’t worked that way with farming either Focusing on the now he threw his 4 PP into the Wandering Survivor

The nice surprise that Randidly did receive was that his Equip also leveled up while he was applying PP giving him enough to get the +2 Stamina boost from the Wandering Survivor Path again The stat point again went into intelligence

Next Randidly proceeded outside to start his new type of afternoon grinding having rocks thrown at him by the monkeys Although the rocks could do about 50 60 damage Randidly believed that the combination of an improved Mana Shield and Iron Skin he could shrug off most of the damage

Randidly also noticed that there were no longer patrols of frogs in the opposite direction which made him feel better That fat frog was welcome to the berries He was growing plenty of his own or would be soon

There were three Howler Monkeys waiting for Randidly this time which made him nervous but he figured he could handle it They hooted to each other pointing at him knowingly and the smallest ran to the ground to fetch some rocks When the small one returned the bigger two smacked it then took the rocks from its arms and started throwing them at Randidly

The first was a bit off in terms of the target namely him and simply glance off the shield But the second struck it squarely sending long cracks through the shield of mana But apparently it had leveled enough to handle a hit because it barely survived This seemed to annoy the first monkey and the second hooted its glee

Furious the first monkey grabbed another stone and whipped it as hard as it could Which it turned out was a lot harder than Randidly was ready for The shield broke and even with activating Iron Skin Randidly fell to his back He checked his stats and the stone had done 60 damage

But also both Mana Shield and Iron Skin leveled up from that one stone

This was of course ignoring the significant ache in Randidly’s chest but he ignored that slowly straightening Or he planned to slowly straighten but the viciously thrown rocks meant he hastily rolled to the side causing his throbbing chest to tighten

Congratulations You have gained the skill Dodge Lvl 1

Hopping side to side Randidly sighed Well at least he was still grinding a skill

He also raised his hands and shot a few mana bolts keeping the monkeys on their toes However even when they took them directly to their body it only seemed to annoy them causing them to throw stones faster

After 10 minutes which felt like an eternity one of the monkey’s finally hopped down lumbering towards Randidly and he took this chance to quickly check his mana It was unfortunately only 27 and that 8 would take forever to regenerate Frustrated Randidly blasted the monkey twice in its face with Mana Bolts and then turned to run

But as he did so a stone struck his leg sending him sprawling The monkey that was on the ground jumped forward aiming for Randidly’s scrambling form but he managed to get his feet out from under him and roll forward Then he started sprinting not stopping until he was safely back in the Safe Room

However as he entered he froze Sitting in the pond with his back turned to Randidly was an extremely tall and broad individual From the way his gaze was pointed it looked like he was looking at Randidly’s plants Based on the blood stains on the floor the figure was heavily wounded but he currently was healing

As quietly as he could Randidly closed the door behind him He even got another point in sneak

But still the figure turned His skin had a strange bluish tint and he was bald but other than that he was a rather typical looking fellow Except for the third eye in his forehead

He said something in another language and Randidly felt something happen in his head the sounds he made twisting in his mind and suddenly they snapped together

ah you had not met Travelers from other worlds before There now you can understand yes Hello little friend Are you the one who brought these things here

He pointed at the plants Randidly nodded wary

The man shook his head laughing slightly Do not worry friend we are both Travelers And you are from one of the newly acquired world yes For you to proceed into a Lvl 35 dungeon after such a short amount of time is truly a wonder

Randidly sat down sighing He had expected that the world had drastically changed due to the arrival of the system but this was all a little much wasn’t it

Chapter 9

In very general terms Randidly explained his situation spawning directly in the dungeon by the safe room and doing his best to hole up here these past few days Then 3 eyed man whose name was Shal seemed rather shocked

Extraordinary He muttered looking Randidly up and down So you do not have a class Or a level That would make things difficult Normally I would not mind helping you some secure some kills in the area so you can find your feet but

Then the man paused However I could do you the favor of escorting you to the entrance if you would bring me food while I recover here It will take several days and to rid myself of this curse I cannot leave the pool

That would be appreciated Randidly said slowly Satisfied with the exchange Shal turned back away sitting calmly in the pool

After meditating for about an hour Randidly took stock of himself Dodge had become Lvl 3 while Iron Skin and Mana Shield also increased by 1 Equip too went up The biggest gain was Mana Bolt once more gaining two levels With these 7 PPs Randidly could finish off Wandering Survivor

Congratulations You have earned +2 to Stat

Congratulations You have earned +1 to all Stats

Congratulations You have completed the Wandering Survivor Path +2 to all Regeneration

Randidly barely stifled a gasp While it wasn’t a per level up gain the increase in regeneration across the board was incredibly powerful Especially as he strengthened his Iron Skin further If his stamina regeneration was so high that he could maintain the skill almost constantly

Of the 3 Stats he got all of them went into Intelligence boosting that Mana pool just a little bit more Then he admired his new stats

Health(/R per hour) 138/153 (58 5)

Mana(/R per hour) 50/84 (23 5)

Stam(/R per min) 66/78 (23)

Vit 16

End 18

Str 7

Agi 15

Perception 14

Reaction 12

Resistance 9

Willpower 9

Inteligence 15

Wisdom 12

Control 14

Focus 9

Paths Newbie 7/7 P Def 10/10 M Supp 10/10 Risk Taker 15/15 Basic Physical Fitness 20/20 Trainee 15/15 Wandering Survivor 20/20

Skills Running Lvl 7 Physical Fitness Lvl 10 Sneak Lvl 4 Farming Lvl 13 Mana Bolt Lvl 12 Heavy Blow Lvl 9 Acid Resistance Lvl 4 Poison Resistance Lvl 4 Sprinting Lvl 7 Iron Skin Lvl 9 Equip Lvl 8 Plant Breeding Lvl 5 Meditation Lvl 5 Dagger Mastery Lvl 5 Entangling Roots Lvl 1 Mana Shield Lvl 4 Dodge Lvl 3

When he returned to the path screen he received another notification

0/5

Rolling his eyes Randidly selected the second option

You have selected the Pathless I Path

well at least it will be short

Feeling slightly awkward about the stranger sitting there in what Randidly had grown to consider his pond he went around behind the now medium sized tree and practiced Heavy Blow Dagger Mastery and Entangling Roots

Although he hadn’t put any points directly into Str the +1 all stats had started adding up and Randidly was beginning to cut chunks out of the tree with his blows When he was out of stamina and mana he would meditate then go check on his plants trying to investigate the differences between the different breeds

The berry bush was now heavy with fruit so Randidly ate several and took others to plant by the far wall By now he was sure this place was getting bigger he just wasn’t sure how

In this way most of the evening passed Randidly’s Entangling Roots finally making it to Lvl 2 Heavy Blow went up 1 and Dagger Mastery rose two Randidly was finally starting to feel comfortable swinging the weapon Randidly even got a level for farming out of the blue likely due to his ministrations on them

With that he had enough PP to finish off the path

Strangely he didn’t receive anything for any of the points even the 5th He only got a bonus with the completion notification

Congratulations You have completed the Pathless I Path +1 stat You have received 1 Random Chest

Congratulations You have received a Medium Chest ©

A white box the size of a microwave appeared in front of Randidly When he opened it he found a leather tunic And when Randidly inspected it it actually worked

Average Leather Tunic Lvl 5 Basic article of clothing +5% resistance to Physical Damage +2 Vit while Equipped

Putting it on Randidly didn’t feel that different but checking his stats sure enough the extra stat from the equipment was there Pleased he stopped training and went outside the safe room to fetch some more food just his planted fruit wouldn’t be enough to support them both

As he crept outward Randidly sighed resigned himself to another few days of fruits and nuts He really missed meat and cheese

Sneaking gained two levels as a strange monstrous spider scuttled past while Randidly was prying the crystals from the tree It was heading directly towards him but he quickly cast his first live Entangling Roots

It was only distracted for a split second before it ripped right through the bindings but that was enough for Randidly to stop what he was doing and throw himself off the tree sprinting away He heard a wet hiss and sensed more than saw something heading his way and leapt to the side A large wad of what could only be spider web smashing into the tree above him strands falling towards him

Scrambling forward he got out of the area of it and sprinted all the way back to the safe room

In that final scrum it seemed Entangling Roots Sprinting Running and Dodging had all leveled up Real experience really did do more than repetitive grinding

Feeling slightly giddy Randidly sat down and meditated deciding not to enter the room He very quickly entered into an introspective state and stayed there until he had regained all of his mana When he awoke to his surprise Meditation had gained two levels and was now Lvl 7 With this 7 PP Randidly turned to his path screen

There was once again two question mark options both costing only 5 Feeling lucky Randidly once more picked the second option

You have selected the Pathless II Path

Randidly speechlessly put 5 PP into it Once more the only reward was the final completion notification

Congratulations You have completed the Pathless II Path +2 stat You have received 1 Random Chest

Congratulations You have received a Tiny Chest ®

Oh Was this a rare tiny chest

Because Randidly hadn’t gotten any size duplicates he couldn’t tell if the chest sizes themselves had relative rarity or the items inside had that rarity Either way it was at least nice that this was a rare chest and the amount of stats he got had increased He put the two stats into Int and then opened the tiny chest

It wasn’t a piece of equipment which was a disappointment It was just a basic mortar and pestle Although when he inspected it he wasn’t able to see what it was so at least it was a decent level

Feeling as if he had tested his luck enough for one day Randidly returned to the Safe Room before he assigned his other two PP But Shal gestured to him before he had the chance

Come bring me some of your food Recovering has taken more strength than anticipated

Rather dutifully Randidly handed over bananas and nuts He had briefly considered demanding higher payment for his delivery but Randidly was growing increasingly desperate to know what was going on with his friends Especially Ace and Sydney

Randidly wasn’t very close to his family But he had found a new one here at college And if something happened to them while he was gone

Shaking his head Randidly turned to Shal Excuse me do you know what these are

Randidly put out a hand holding one of the red and blue glowing crystals

Shal spared the crystals a glance before returning to his regular sitting position Yes they are basic vigor crystals They can be refined into Health and Mana potions But although they are in a Lvl 35 dungeon they are just the basic kind put next to a safe room to help truly desperate individuals I would say even a master Alchemist could only create potions that restore 100 Health or Mana from them

Randidly just stared Mana potions

Ho how do you refine them

Shrugging Shal gestured dismissively Unrelated to my class I cannot learn this skill Give me some time I must heal

But even as Randidly walked slowly away his eyes were bright If he had mana and health potions even if they weren’t as efficient as Shal stated they would still be invaluable to training up his skills

And surviving he added to himself a bit belatedly

Chapter 10

6 hours later Randidly had it or at least thought he had it He had experimented with the red crystals first because what he really wanted was mana potions and he didn’t want to waste the materials for them After playing around with them and applying pressure he realized that they were quite brittle and crumbled quite easily

So being of a determined sort Randidly put some of the crystal dust into his mouth Instantly heat flooded his body and he began sweating But his poison resistance did climb a level so it wasn’t a useless attempt Also wasn’t it true that too much medicine is poison

The next several hours saw Randidly cutting off smaller and smaller bits of crystal and his poison resistance climbing another level

It was only after becoming dejected and rummaging through his satchel that he found the old vials from the original owner of the dagger Trembling with the possible simplicity of it Randidly added water to the vial then put some red powder from the crystal in it

Then he inspected it

Amateur’s Potion Lvl 1 Will restore 10 Health over 5 seconds

Congratulations You have gained the skill Potion Making Lvl 1

With an explosive sigh Randidly used the rest of his mana and then prepared for bed It had been a long day

Randidly woke up to another level in farming and after he had fed Shal he set to experimenting with potions He had only used a fraction of a single crystal to make his first Amateur potion and he had over 50 crystals of each color to play with

He started simply just trying to find the best potion he could make Randidly swiftly realized two things were the primary determinants of whether the potion would heal more That was the ratio of crystal to water and then the uniformity of the crystal grain size It didn’t appear to matter what size the grains were as long as they were uniform

But for some reason it also didn’t work to just drop a single chunk into the water It needed to be split into a certain number of pieces which was a high enough count that it was rather impossible to ensure uniformity

So then Randidly started grinding them up with the mortar and pestle and achieved a pretty even consistency

The ratio was even easier if slightly unscientific due to the lack of available equipment Eventually Randidly had his ultimate creation and a Lvl 5 Potion Making skill

Apprentice’s Potion A potion made by an inexperienced but serious apprentice Will restore 48 health over 3 seconds

Although it was a far cry from 100 48 health was still quite a bit and Randidly was pleased with himself He had even only used about a dozen ofthe red crystals and had made a fair amount of potions that could restore 30 some health But the problem was that he only had 15 vials to fill with health potion So 5 became health and then 8 he filled with mana Most of these were in the low 40s but Randidly did manage to make one that restored 61 mana He tucked that one away for emergency situations

For the final two Randidly experimented with different combinations of health and mana This was much more difficult because if they were either 50/50 or 75/25 the potion turned into a foaming grey mess that he quickly dumped out 75/25 with red in the majority was a stamina potion and it restored a staggering 80 stamina but Randidly suspected that was a rather poor result After all that would come back in 4 minutes anyway

50/50 was something that can only be described as a concentration potion Under it even the tiniest detail seemed to stick out While under its influence Randidly’s speed of potion making and accuracy of measurements skyrocketed He remixed most of the potions and soon everyone of his vials was filled with liquid that restored between 50 and 60

But when it wore off it left him with a staggering headache that lasted for about an hour He took that time to practice jogging sweating out the weird potion And although it was strange it certainly was useful in small doses so Randidly filled one of the vials with it

75/25 with blue in the majority created the following potion

Lesser Restore Lvl 7 Weakens the effects of foreign influences on the body Cures minor status ailments

That potion was not only the highest level he had yet made but it also pushed his potion making up to Lvl 12 Blinking Randidly couldn’t believe that he had persisted so long without noticing the passage of time Then he frowned

He also didn’t feel tired Did End or Vit also affect a person’s need for breaks Or even sleep

But still in the hopes of leaving the dungeon sooner Randidly approached Shal

Uh excuse me Will something like this help you recover Randidly hated how weak he sounded but he had to admit he really was in the weak position here And he was desperate to escape the dungeon

Shal spared him a glance then beckoned him closer Randidly tossed the potion which Shal deftly caught After sparing it a glance with his third eye Shal grunted and swallowed the contents then tossed the vial back

For several seconds Shal was quiet Then he said in a small way yes If you had 1000 of such things I would be cured almost immediately

Grimacing Randidly walked away It had seemed to help but it wasn’t enough Even though he had been expecting something similar to this reaction the rejection still felt rather fresh 1000 such vials Although possible it would be rather slow going 15 at a time And he would be forced to dump out his precious potions

Shaking his head Randidly refocused on the moment Better to do what he can do now and leave the worrying for later Bringing up his path screen Randidly noticed that he had two new options for the staggering 15 PP he had gathered while making potions

But seeing them gave a sense of foreboding

0/10

Why did both change Shouldn’t I still have access to the old one Unles

Resigning himself Randidly picked the first option

You have selected the Pathless III Path

Sighing Randidly instantly maxed out the path Quite surprising was that he earned 1 stat at 5 as well as 1 at 10 in addition to the completion bonus

Congratulations You have completed the Pathless III Path +2 stat You have realized that all paths are the same and all paths lead to the same place You have gained the skill Pathfinder Lvl 1

Pathfinder Lvl 1 It is very difficult for you to lose your sense of direction Landmarks and interesting locations that you pass will be automatically added to maps you possess

4 stats and a random skill wasn’t such a bad hall all things considered Without a thought Randidly dumped all the points in Int He needed his spells to be stronger Learning to fight and handle close combat was too distant a goal

And with that Randidly returned to the Path Screen Surprisingly the options weren’t mirrors of each other

0/15

Shrugging Randidly selected the 15 options

You have selected the Pathfinder Path

1 4 PP got Randidly nothing but 5 got him +1 to P Supp which was a nice boost With these improvements Randidly left the safe room heading towards the monkey area

By now dodging was relatively simple but he kept still for a while allowing the rocks to hit his shield leveling mana shield twice It was almost enough to withstand a full power throw from the monkeys Mana Bolt improved one level as he threw some back at the monkeys to keep them honest

It was when they finally dropped down that he finally began using the mana potions Randidly practically chugged them casting Entangling Roots over and over again It was still barely enough to stop them for a split second but it delayed them enough that he was never in any danger

And he also gained 3 levels in Entangling Roots

The only disappointment was whatever that spider was that had scared Randidly previously it had set up shop around the crystal tree covering the surrounding area with thick web that Randidly didn’t dare touch It even had taken over the banana tree

Making a mental note to venture a little farther for food next time Randidly returned to the Safe Room

Chapter 11

Back at the base Randidly once more checked on the plants The second generation plants mixed with the crystals had fully grown and now had fruit but he set that to the side for now It did mean that Farming and Plant Breeding both increased a level

With his 8 PP Randidly tossed the rest of it into the Pathfinder class At 10 he earned +1 all M Supp which was helpful for his spells Then he turned to the fruit He began with the bananas because he basically knew what to expect The red bananas were bigger and had a strange spicy savoriness that was a quite welcome switch from the regular sweetness

The straight blue crystal bananas were tingy and were strangely spongy almost like a cake But they certainly seemed like they kept longer without going bad

It was the mixed crystal bananas that were really peculiar When he touched most of the bananas hanging from the slender tree most of them turned to ash Except for one that seemed to pulse with light At the same time it was strangely dripping juices vibrant and alive And quite sticky Slightly nervous Randidly took that one and took a small nibble

Instantly warm waves of heat washed through his body He smiled and flexed his hand He felt powerful Acting purely on instinct Randidly produced the knife and made it dance across his fingers slashing left and right

Almost immediately he gained a level of Equip which just made him smile wider and soon he was leaping back and forth cutting invisible enemies to pieces Very quickly Randidly was filled with a strange confidence that he was wrong about hand to hand fighting Although he wasn’t experienced that didn’t necessarily mean that he couldn’t defeat a lousy monkey

He was quick he was strong he was smart he could spot the monkey’s weaknesses

An increase in the level of his Physical Fitness made his confidence swell He definitely felt stronger and more resilient and it wasn’t just the stats It was the lifestyle it was the diet His body was changing He was changing

Then Dagger Mastery gained a level and he was so sure in that moment He could do this

Hell if he wasn’t babysitting this dumbass Shal

Then all at once the confidence departed a empty coolness suffusing his body Randidly shivered What What was that

Trembling he breathed in and then breathed out The previous few minutes were a heady blur

Perhaps the most disturbing thing about the whole situation was the confidence that buoyed him after he took the small nibble And the fact he had gained 3 skill levels in about 5 minutes Although it might have been a coincidence it didn’t feel like one

Being careful not to breath any stray fumes from the banana Randidly peered closely at the banana trying to figure out why it had such a profound effect on him

Congratulations You have learned the active skill Analyze Lvl 1

Analyze Closely examine materials and rare items Works primarily to determine the crafting potential of base materials Can also give some insight into completed projects

Congratulations Analyze Lvl 1 has risen to Analyze Lvl 2

Lesser Origin Banana Made from a tree that grows rich in both yin and yang energies only one Origin Banana blooms per tree The concentrated energy within it has great potential to increase the efficacy of most effects

It even could increase the efficiency of training But more than that it doesn’t explain that monstrous confidence that appeared so quickly

Still another skill and skill level were useful and Randidly tucked the banana away for safekeeping Meanwhile he walked over to the middle of the nut trees having high hopes for another origin food

Unfortunately his luck was not that good When he pulled off a nut and unpleasant scent wafted up from it

Warped Halnut Strange energies have warped this Halnut Can be refined into a poison with unpredictable effects

Unpredictable wasn’t exactly what Randidly was looking for so he turned to the blue Halnuts Popping one off of the tree he cracked one open and gazed inside Although it was oddly cool it was otherwise quite normal It was also more oily the flesh on the inside shifting when he pressed it Analyzed hit the level going up once again

Cool Halnut A variant of the Halnut with a unique taste It’s core is useful for crafting

Randidly nibbled on the edge To his surprise it tasted oddly mintly He took a bigger bite enjoying the strange peanut butter like consistency combined with the minty flavor He took another bite his teeth smashing against what could only be the core

A thread of cold energy got into his mouth numbing him and Randidly spat out the whole thing

After the numb sensation went away Randidly carefully cleared away the flesh revealing a small blue bead

Blue Energy Bead A refined version of a blue energy shard Not edible

Ignoring the strange insult from the description Randidly pulled out one of the glowing blue crystal he had harvested from the tree

Blue Energy Shard Basic low grade material Can be refined into various potions

With glittering eyes Randidly turned to the red Halnut bush

4 hours later having gained two more levels in Analyze and two in Potion Making Randidly returned to the pool

Shal I think this might be more powerful Randidly’s voice was carefully controlled because whatever it was that he had created it had leveled him twice in potion making in one go And when he tried to analyze it he had failed

Instead of regular red and blue energy shards Randidly had used the beads And he had used water with a few drops of the Origin Bananas juice as a base He had failed 3 times getting the ratios just slightly off It seemed that as the level of the potion increased the requirements were even more exact But on the 4th try

Once more Shal beckoned and Randidly threw him the potion This time when his third eye gazed at it his entire gaze sharpened his two normal eyes opening

This even I do not recognize it But After a few moments of hesitation Shal threw it back Immediately he huddled lower in the pond submerging even his head

For several seconds nothing happened Then the water began to bubble and boil around him Randidly cautiously backed away Which turned out to be a wise decision because a giant black bat made of a black mist erupted upwards from Shal It screeched and gazed around its ethereal eyes finally finding Randidly With a roar it charged

But before it had moved an inch a spear shot up and skewered it With a weird explosion the bat deflated and disappeared With a huge grin Shal leaped out of the pool laughing

Wonderful wonderful You have saved me many days in this terrible room I shall repay you immediately are you ready to leave the dungeon

The trip to the entrance was surreal Randidly barely had time to harvest all his plants until he was dragged out Shal explained that you passively lost experience while in a safe room which is why no one in there right mind would stay there

And also why me being there didn’t matter ’ Randidly thought

Most of the way Shal carried Randidly leaping large distances through the forest Shal explained that the enemies around here were below 30 mostly meant to grind down weaklings’ resources It was only in the area right after Randidly’s safe room where the forest gave way to plains that the dungeon became difficult It was there that Shal was cursed by a Orc Shaman Mini Boss after sustaining serious injuries leaving him in such a wounded state that he was forced to take shelter in the safe room

Then Shal sighed However it is hard The mental attacks of the Shaman are too confusing I might need to spend a few months leveling to get my Willpower high enough to withstand them

For the rest of the journey Shal was silent

It only took about 5 hours with Randidly riding on Shal’s back To distract himself Randidly had been meditating and even got a skill level

Then they arrived at a set of huge iron doors

Here friend just press your hand against the doors and click yes Shal smiled good naturedly at Randidly Honestly Shal’s whole outlook had changed since Randidly had given him that potion

After a small hesitation as Randidly wondered how to thank this strange alien man This action of bringing him to the entrance of the dungeon likely had saved his life If he had been left to his own devices in here

Randidly just nodded He wasn’t really a sappy sort

But when he pressed his hand to the door the notification made the blood drain from his face

You are unable to enter the dungeon Please choose a class and reach level 10 before proceeding (There is no further level requirement but please see Dungeon Level for a guideline of the necessary strength)

but Randidly said aloud I’m trying to leave

Chapter 12

It seems Shal said slowly That this turn of events was never considered You must be level 10 to use the door to a dungeon But while you are in here you cannot gain a class and therefore cannot level

Randidly just stared at the floor Was he really stuck here It had been over a week since the change had happened He wasn’t sure what was happening outside of the dungeon but it couldn’t be good Although the monsters out there in a normal area might be lower level They were still monsters Monsters that tried to kill you

For Shal he felt slightly awkward He didn’t want to abandon this little friend who had helped him but he also didn’t want to babysit him Sighing Shal considered his own troubles Leveling wasn’t so difficult but he was a physical focused class so getting enough points into Willpower to survive would be slightly difficult Shal only got 2 free points per level and Paths required skills to increase and most of his were above Lvl 50 and almost impossible

But then Shal froze his eyes going wide

No class

Kid what are your skills Shal asked abruptly

Randidly opened his mouth then closed it He knew he had no reason not to trust Shal but revealing something like that so freely

But Shal was already waving his hand No no that is not it you misunderstand How many skill do you have

After a quick count Randidly answered 19

Shal burst out laughing his face once more suffused with a grin Let me tell you a secret kid When you receive a class you are given a skill cap That it the maximum number of skills you can learn You can keep the skills you have from before but it limits what you can learn afterwards with the system My cap is 12 and my class is rather rare Yet you having 19 skills already

Then Shal began to do some mental map in his head Honestly It seemed too easy

With a wide grin Shal turned to Randidly There is of course another way to get out if you are interested

Perking up Randidly asked There is another entrance I didn’t see it on my map

No no no Shal said waving his hand There are no more avenues of retreat But you can always move forward

Shal extended his hand Help me defeat the boss of this Dungeon the Acid Salamander and I will carry you out of this place

Defeat the boss Randidly just looked at him

Well you won’t be doing anything as grand as that Before the boss there are those Orc Shamans that so grievously wounded me in the past you shall help me get past them It shouldn’t be that difficult if we concentrate and get your Willpower up to 50 it will be a simple task Ah I had forgotten You can learn as many skills as you need A measly Willpower of 35 will be sufficient if you learn mental attack resistance and train it up some

A Willpower of 35 How will we

Shal patted Randidly’s back a strange twinkle in his eyes Now now don’t worry about the details But we must hurry The sooner we begin the sooner we get out yes

Within the day Randidly had been carried rapidly back to the safe room Shal seemed to be an immensely good mood and it made Randidly hesitate Although he was happy to have a thread of hope for escaping this dungeon he couldn’t help but wonder whether it would really be as easy as Shal said

After dropping him on the ground in front of the safe room Shal said How many more PP do you need to finish off your current Path

Randidly checked 2 and I have enough to do it now

Then finish it but then don’t select another path

For 14 Randidly received nothing but 15 gave him +2 stat and +2 Perception and Reaction as well as the skill Mapmaking Lvl 1 Feeling slightly swayed by Shal Randidly put the two points into Willpower

Health(/R per hour) 157/153 (+4) (58 5 (+6

Mana(/R per hour) 50/96 (25)

Stam(/R per min) 66/78 (23 (+2

Vit 16 (+2)

Perception 17

Reaction 15

Willpower 11

Inteligence 21

Control 15

Focus 10

Alright now what Randidly asked

Shal reached out and put his hand on Randidly’s head Now we enter into a bargain If I do this you must promise to assist me in defeating the Shaman’s and all other troubles I encounter in the dungeon If we escape I shall consider your debt paid

But more than that Shal continued You must consent to the training I will give you It will not be easy It will hurt but you need this strength Both the strength to persist through the pain and to use the skills I will give you To this do you agree

Randidly looked up at this strange alien his mind quiet and cool And then one thought unbidden rose to the surface

I want to be strong ’

Randidly nodded

Then go to your Path menu and select the option to be my disciple

Opening the menu Randidly did so looking at the strange option

Disciple of Shal 0/X

it goes to X

Shal nodded Yes it will continue to my level Currently I am 36 When you catch up you will receive a skill and the path will end Depending on your performance it might be a skill I have or a superior evolved version or even a partial simplified version

Randidly clicked on it and dumped his points into it What was shocking was that each level gave a distributable stat point At 5 he received a stat point and 1 point in End and Agi Immediately impressed Randidly threw all the earned points into Willpower pushing it up to 19

Alright now what Randidly said

Shal just smiled

Shal had given Randidly a spear told him to play around with it while he made some preparations Randidly had done so learned the skill Spear Mastery Lvl 1 and even leveled it up 3 Perhaps even more pleasing than these developments was that his equip skill rose to 10

When it did so Randidly was finally able to Equip and received the bonus from the leather gloves he had gotten from the small chest

Gloves of Quickness Gloves made from the leather of a Wind Deer Adds speed to the wearer Vit +1 Agi +3

Although the boost couldn’t be considered significant it was still a big bump at the level of his stats More than that the 3 PP he earned pushed him up to 11 which allowed him to get 3 more stats into Willpower and at 10 He received +2 Agi +1 Str and +1 React as well as the skill Phantom Thrust

Becoming a disciple is definitely a good thing ’ Randidly thought trying out the skill It cost 15 Stamina but the training spear Shal had given him moved so fast that Randidly couldn’t even control it The stabs went wide more often than not But they were undoubtedly powerful

That was around when Shal returned and the training changed

Chapter 13

Let us begin the training There was something very different about Shal’s tone of voice now but Randidly didn’t notice too excited about his new skill He was about to show Shal but there was a coldness in his eyes that stopped him

Put down the spear Shal said coolly holding a box in his arms

Randidly did so but slowly When he had finished Shal beckoned him over You must do something for me Stay still

There was iron in that voice and the hairs on the back of Randidly’s neck sensed something was coming that he wouldn’t like but he was still taken by surprise when Shal dumped green goop on Randidly’s leg and his flesh began to flake and sizzle

Randidly screamed all hopes for the future and pride forgotten He fell to the ground and clutched his leg the pain overwhelming him

Shal kicked him Stand This is nothing

Hah hah and as the shock wore off Randidly realized that it wasn’t so bad just a jarring burning sensation at the edge of his consciousness

Frantically he checked his health to find that it was rapidly decreasing With wide eyes he looked at Shal My health

You have health potions do you not And you have the materials and ability to make more Stay here and survive

Randidly’s Acid Resistance rose a level and abruptly he remembered why he was here It raise his skill levels to train Although it was slightly barbaric it seemed it might be effective

Hurrying Randidly fixed a health potion and drank it satisfied even though it was only 37 health it was still pretty good for wildly shaking hands The acid continued to rip away at his focus with daggers of pain but the rate at which his health decreased was slowing giving him some hope He still had 60 some health and he drank another 40 potion getting him back over 100

Randidly gained another point in Acid Resistance and cashed both PPs in getting 2 more points of Willpower Instantly he felt slightly steadier able to control the pain It seemed like Willpower was a pretty useful

Another splash of Acid hit him catching him in the chest and face Some of it got into Randidly’s mouth and he began coughing up blood

Acid has reached your blood stream You have poisoned Poison Resistance has increased to Lvl 6

You better hurry It was slightly infuriating how calm Shal’s voice was If you do not work quickly acid and poison shall kill you before you can brew more potions

Gagging on his own blood and bile Randidly forced himself to drink two potions to restore his health to safe levels Even so the acid and poison ate at him pushing his health back below 80 and then 50

He gained a point in Acid Resistance

With shaking hands Randidly tried to mix another health potion He succeeded and his potion mixing went up but it was only for 29 health barely above a failure but he still drank it as quickly as possible and began work on the next one his hands steadying

With a sigh Shal grabbed Randidly and dragged him into the safe room Since it is your first day and you are weak I will be merciful But you will regret forcing me to do this

Even though the movement jarred Randidly’s healing skin it was still relieving to be back within the safe room where regeneration was doubled His regeneration rose now barely letting the poison take away any health at all and Randidly made another potion this time for 50 which he immediately drank

Just as his hands began to work on the second one another wave of acid hit him but Randidly gritted his teeth and did his best to ignore it Just when it ended he began moving again but then another wave of acid hit basically covering every inch of him The pain was an incessant buzzing grinding away at his focus His hands could barely move he wanted to vomit

Shivering it was the best Randidly could do to simply continue to exist

Three things affect how quickly you earn skill levels Shal said simply setting his box down and giving Randidly a long look First repetition More is better That is simple Second The theoretical difficulty The more difficult it should be to accomplish the more of your effort goes towards raising the skill level

Finally And Shal punctuated this with another wave of acid that splashed across Randidly The actual difficulty

His chest heaving his eyes bloodshot Randidly began to slowly move carefully mixing the amounts of ground crystal Although every second was agony he did his best to focus He wanted to live He needed to live Sydney

Ace

There is some disagreement on why it is so Some say that the world knows your true plight not just the theoretical one Others say that the more an individual wants it needs it the more the world responds You warp the world with your wish

Randidly mixed almost ignoring the pain Then a drop of goop slid down his face and dripped into his eye It began to burn like a thin rod of iron was shoved into the soft flesh at the edge of the eye

Even though it was twitching Randidly kept it open He gained the skill Pain Resistance Lvl 1 but ignored it

Both Acid Resistance and Poison Resistance rose a level

I believe that is what it is The want The need Do you want it What did you call yourself Ghosthound Do you really want to get out enough to push through this Do you crave that strength

Randidly was on fire inside and out It hurt and burned and deep down he hated Why the fuck was he doing this Why did he need to go through this Was was every moment longer than the previous one What would be at the end of this road Would he get a rest after this

No it never end Shal answered as if he could read his thoughts If you start walking you continue to accelerate or you die Do you have that strength

Randidly finished the potion The result floated in front of him taunting It would restore 71 health points after drinking it He had gained a level in potion making too

Randidly silently drank it stoically choking down his screams as he was splashed with more acid this dose seemingly more concentrated and vicious than the previous

His pain resistance and acid resistance went up as he brought out more supplies to make the next health potion

Belatedly his poison resistance went up

Randidly wasn’t sure if he had that strength now

He furrowed his brow focusing

But he would find it

Randidly settled in a routine

The morning was acid and agony and potions He would make and make attempting to keep up with the veritable vats of acid that Shal would bring back each a strange painful variation Some days he wouldn’t be allowed to make potions simply meditating Focusing on that hair thin bonus it granted him

Several times it was very close to killing him But Shal somehow knew the edges of his willpower his sanity and endurance even as he pushed him

His health would often drop down to something like 8 and then level off as Randidly trembled and tried his best to ignore the tears in the corners of his eyes

His health would be plummeting below 20 crashing towards 0 and Randidly would finally manage to successfully finish a potion healing 40 health buying himself a brief respite Half of those times he could use that time to recover his mental state

As days passed though more and more that would be when more acid was splashed on him and he frantically would need to brew additional potions

The afternoons were Randidly’s favorite It was spell practice with Shal as the target A target who moved like a ghost dodging Randidly’s Entangling Roots and mana bolts effortlessly closing the distance and brutally knocking the wind out of Randidly or throwing him into the forest where Randidly would be forced to jump up with a yelp and rush back out fearful of the monsters there

This would continue until Randidly had run out of mana and had meditated back to full too many times for Shal’s taste and then would come the third and final training period of the day

And the one that was the worst Spear training

The Spear Shal had explained giving Randidly a simple light weapon that he had been able to identify as being Lvl 10 Is the greatest weapon It is versatile It can be quick it can be powerful It can stab it can sweep But most of all it is wielded by a spearman the most powerful warrior of all

You are weak you have no hope of being a spearman But like my master still dutifully tried to drill the moves into me I shall ravage your body until it knows the moves

So that is how you become a spearman Randidly asked uncertainly This day had largely numbed his fear of pain but still the entrancing grace of Shal handling his spear gave him pause

Shal chuckled No But it is a way that non spearman can slowly come to know the spear Even I am not yet even close to being spearman I am a man with a spear But to you

His spear blurred and Randidly felt his left arm which was lightly holding onto the spear shatter from the impact But to you such concerns are too far in the future For now do you best to survive

And through mana shields and Iron Skin Randidly did his best

Chapter 14

Time had lost meaning There was only opening of his eyes in the morning the training and closing the eyes at night

Randidly wondered about whether even that was an accurate way to tell time As time passed as one week of the hellish training turned to two the time they spent training grew And yet night never came before Randidly laid his head down on the ground There was a strange magic in the place that the day would continue for as long as necessary for it to be filled

Which made him realize that time meant increasingly little and that the span of time he spent inside this dungeon was growing much faster than could be anticipated

But even as his worries mounted Randidly did not try and rush things nor ask Shal It was all that Randidly could do it survive the exponential increase in difficulty His skills grew at a prodigious rate under the large strain Each day Shal had found some new way to torture him to push his limits

Randidly swiftly gained the skills Fighting Proficiency First Aid and Block And Shal seemed to know and to change up his strategies to isolate those new skills forcing them upwards

It only took a week and a half for Randidly to gather enough PP to finish off the Shal’s disciple path Shal had recommended that he refrain from putting the PP in until all at once so he could experience how the stat changes affected him by feeling it all at once rather than gradually So Randidly had putting the last 24 PP in all at once

So starting with 14 it was

Congratulations +3 End +2 Agi

Congratulations +1 Vit +1 Agi +1 Int +2 Reaction You have learned the skill Spear Phantom’s Footwork Lvl 1

Congratulations +4 Agi +1 Per

Congratulations +1 Agi You have Eyes of the Spear Phantom Lvl 1

Congratulations You have earned 5 stat point

Congratulations You have completed the Disciple of Shal Path You have learned Phantom Half Step Lvl 1

It was 24 distributable points in total and upon Shal’s urging Randidly chose to put it all into Willpower Immediately he felt his mind sharp and clear There was a focus that he hadn’t possessed before Although focus isn’t such a good word for it due to the stat labeled focus

With firm eyes he met Shal’s gaze

Shal grinned Good Finally some spunk What skills did you learn

At the end Shal grunted Your luck is pretty good Those are all core skills Now show me this half step It appears to be an inferior version of the Step of the Spear Phantom’

Randidly did so It was a skill that needed a target so Randidly targeted Shal Immediately Randidly felt something strange He could use it in two ways away or towards Deciding to do towards Randidly stepped

He immediately appeared halfway between his original position and Shal He tried again stepping backwards But unfortunately the skill took 80 stamina and he barely had enough to use it once

But Shal didn’t require anymore demonstrations and grim faced began the training

The great weakness of the Step of the Spear Phantom is the lack of utility It can cross vast gulfs to appear before an opponent but the distance is such that you must immediately attack or risk the opponent getting within you guard But this Half Step of his Although it is clearly a strange mutation Its potential is limitless ’

Although Randidly’s Willpower had reached the level Shal desired the training continued focusing on the new skills that Randidly had learned If anything it intensified

It was brutal and every day the training ended not because of weariness but that Randidly’s injuries had reached the point where he couldn’t continue

There was a small part of Randidly’s heart that was unsatisfied at the continued trainings but one day as if sensing this Shal allowed Randidly to fight against a howler monkey

The experience quickly dispelled any lingering doubts in Randidly’s heart he remained weak Although he had mana skills the howler monkey’s vastly superior health let it force health trades that Randidly could not keep up with Very soon Randidly was out of mana and only Mana Shield and Entangling Roots allowed Randidly to escape fleeing back to Shal who watched on with cool eyes

Why did you lose Shal spared the monkey a glance and it was enough to send it stumbling backwards unwilling but intimidated by the obvious power of Shal

The difference in stats Randidly finally said unwillingly

Nodding slowly Shal finally said and it will continue as such until you leave this place and find a Guide to give you a class So what will you do

Clenching his fist Randidly said Raise my skill level to the point that stats become meaningless

Shall simply laughed

Chapter 15

Randidly began ripping through paths as his skill level shot up He began with Pathless IV which gave him 1 stat point at 5 and 10

Congratulations You have completed the Pathless IV Path +3 stat You have realized that all paths are the same and all paths lead to the same place

In a rare conversation between them during training Randidly asked Shal whether he had any further recommendations about stat distribution Shall just snorted and spun his spear the spearhead ripping through the muscle of Randidly’s shoulder

So after careful consideration Randidly decided to return to his initial plans of raising his skills at mage craft So 3 of the stats went into Int 1 into Control and Focus

But Randidly didn’t stop there The training had had truly unfathomable results Randidly had more than enough PP to complete Pathless V Pathless VI and Pathless VII

Altogether they gave 25 stats 10 went into Int and 5 to Control Focus and End End was due to the fact that as Randidly’s skills expanded he began to use an increasing amount of stamina just to fight The brief skirmish with the howler monkey had disturbed him

The day after Randidly unleashed his magic with wild abandon throwing out Mana Bolts as fast as he could None of them landed but their strength definitely caught Shal’s eye And the boost in power was enough to give Shal pause

That day Randidly’s mana based training shifted and the Howler Monkey’s became his new training partners It was less of an exercise in him overcoming but more of him surviving Entangling Roots and Mana Shield underwent a baptism of constant use their skill level rising quickly

Mana Bolt became Randidly’s bread and butter the increase in his Int was enough that a direct hit to the face of a Howler Monkey would stun them giving him time to escape

Struggling in this new environment Randidly completed Pathless VIII which netted him 11 stat points to distribute These all went into Control Shal began forcing Randidly deeper and deeper into the forest and now it was a common occurrence for 7 8 monkeys to be chasing him down He couldn’t afford to miss That would mean being caught And being caught led to one thing

Death

There was only one time that this was close to happening The combined rock throws and a tackle by a monkey had broken through his mana shield and brought him to the ground

The monkey had a rock in hand and brought it smashing down towards Randidly’s head He reflexively activated Iron Skin but he still felt something crack when the rock struck him

Although Randidly was dizzy he still instantly produced the dagger he had found inside the snake but the monkey reacted quickly using his free arm to catch Randidly’s wrist Because it was so unexpected Randidly did nothing for several seconds he just laid there gaping

The howler monkey screaming its glee raised its stone and brought it down again

Again Randidly activated Iron Skin but the pain in his head grew only larger the vision in his left eye fading to black

For a split second Randidly wondered whether this would be the point that he died He felt somehow instinctively that Shal would not save him

So as the monkey lifted the rock up Randidly used his free hand to withdraw the snake tooth he had taken from the dead snake and stuffed it into the eye of the Howler Monkey’s eye

Immediately it began screaming and Randidly shoved it off him and scrambled to his feet Gritting his teeth to resist the nausea Randidly glanced at Shal who watched him coolly in the distance and used the Phantom Half Step to cross half the distance Immediately he turned to the right using his good eye to land a couple Entangling Roots on those monkeys close enough to be a threat

Then he stumbled the rest of the way passed Shal and back to the safe room where he meditated for several hours to recover

When he opened his eyes Shal was standing there

You were not going to save me Randidly said slowly watching for a reaction from Shal Shal simply shrugged

If you had died it was only because you are too weak

So the training continued At around 2 and a half weeks a few days after the monkey incident Randidly reached the point that he could meditate while doing most actions Using active skills broke it but otherwise he could maintain the passive bonus while generally sparing with Shal

Sparring was a strong word for it honestly mostly it was just Randidly blocking and dodging but still He could now survive a lot longer against the onslaught of attacks from Shal

The next big change came when Randidly got his mana bolt skill to 20 unlocking the mana bolt path Still Randidly continued to go the the pathless paths feeling strangely connected to them now after grinding his way to here

Pathless IX was 25 and earned Randidly 14 stat points After some thought he ended up throwing all of the points in wisdom which provided a pretty significant boost to his mana regeneration

Pathless X jumped all the way up to 50 and it filled Randidly with a thread of excitement He threw himself into training working his way through the different spear moves focusing on the Spear Phantom’s footwork and Phantom thrust That combined with marginal improvements in the level of Physical Fitness and Meditation was enough to finish the Path

Congratulations You have completed the Pathless X Path +2 Health/Mana/Stamina per level +1 Stat per level You have realized that all paths are the same and all paths lead to the same place And that the path continues ever onward

Randidly allowed himself a wry grin So he still had more to go

Inside his path screen he saw that he now had access to the path Pathless without a roman numeral and it had 100 next to it He had a few spare PP after finishing it but

But then he just laughed out loud If he would get it it would only be by going all the way one step at a time No reason to hold back now

He put 3 PP into Pathless and followed Shal deeper into the forest to find more monkeys

Chapter 16

Shal gave Randidly a long look then finally sighed I suppose it is time You now have enough strength not to embarrass me Let us leave this place

It had reached the point that Randidly was about to fight against several Howler Monkeys and win His mana bolts sizzled their flesh and stunned them his phantom thrusts and heavy blows slowly whittling down their health

Randidly glanced at his status screen

Health(/R per hour) 206/200 (+6) (63 75 (+9

Mana(/R per hour) 139/139 (43 5)

Stam(/R per min) 105/105 (24 (+3

Vit 17 (+3)

End 27

Str 8

Agi 26 (+3)

Perception 18

Reaction 23

Willpower 50

Inteligence 39

Wisdom 26

Control 21

Focus 16

Equipment Average Leather Tunic Lvl 5 (+2 Vit) Gloves of Quickness (Vit +1 Agi +3)

Paths Newbie 7/7 P Def 10/10 M Supp 10/10 Risk Taker 15/15 Basic Physical Fitness 20/20 Trainee 15/15 Wandering Survivor 20/20 Pathless I 5/5 Pathless II 5/5 Pathless III 10/10 Pathfinder 15/15 Disciple of Shal 37/37 Pathless IV 10/10 Pathless V 15/15 Pathless VI 15/15 Pathless VII 20/20 Pathless VIII 20/20 Pathless IX 25/25 Pathless X 50/50 Pathless 79/100

Skills Running Lvl 9 Physical Fitness Lvl 17 Sneak Lvl 6 Farming Lvl 17 Mana Bolt Lvl 20 Heavy Blow Lvl 14 Acid Resistance Lvl 13 Poison Resistance Lvl 9 Sprinting Lvl 11 Iron Skin Lvl 19 Equip Lvl 12 Plant Breeding Lvl 9 Meditation Lvl 23 Dagger Mastery Lvl 8 Entangling Roots Lvl 21 Mana Shield Lvl 16 Dodge Lvl 22 Potion Making Lvl 18 Analyze Lvl 7 Pathfinding Lvl 3 Mapmaker Lvl 1 Spear Mastery Lvl 33 Phantom Thrust Lvl 27 Pain Resistance Lvl 9 Fighting Proficiency Lvl 19 First Aid Lvl 13 Block Lvl 23 Spear Phantom’s Footwork Lvl 19 Eyes of the Spear Phantom Lvl 9 Phantom Half Step Lvl 3

He was getting close to finishing the Pathless path but the rate of improvement was definitely slowing It had been almost 2 months since the training had began and whether it was physique mindset or work ethic Randidly was incomparable to the way he was before

Gathering his things Randidly followed Shal away from the safe room To his surprise they went towards the webbing covered area where the strange giant spider had set up shop As they passed through the groves of trees wrapped in webs Randidly reflexively activated the skill Eyes of the Spear Phantom burning a small amount of stamina but sharpening his vision to a degree he would have believed impossible before the strange system descended over the world

But things had changed He had changed

So when the first spiderling leapt out from the brush Randidly had seen it coming a mile away and speared it cleanly through the chest killing it instantly The small things were only Lvl 12 and Randidly wasn’t sure how much status point one gained while leveling up but his skill levels made this sort of enemy just too simple

Shal didn’t even look up calmly striding forward while the spiderlings began leaping out in twos or threes But he did calmly remark Although if one touches even the hem of my cloak perhaps we can revisit the sufficiency of your current pain tolerance training

Had he been the same Randidly as he had been two extremely long months ago he might have paled If he had been the Randidly a few weeks after that as the training started he might have gasped

The current Randidly just narrowed his eyes and got to work his spear blurring to intercept all comers

As they stepped over the corpses of dozens of spiderlings to reach the inner sanctum of the spider the tree that had grown the source of Randidly’s potions Shal stopped

You are running low on resources for your potion yes Fetch some And bring me the head of the guardian

There was a demand in Shal’s voice but Randidly just nodded and walked forward slowly His sharpened eyes immediately picked out the camouflaged form of the giant spider hiding in the canopy of the largest tree The fearsome Lvl 37 hovered above its head in Randidly’s vision as well as a strange purple coloring to its name

Clearly this type of enemy was unusual

As if sensing his thoughts Shal spoke from the edge of the clearing The coloring is something you will come to know White Green Blue Purple Red Orange Common Uncommon Rare Ancient Runic Legendary It describes items as well enemies There is also pink which is unique but that is reserved for extremely rare spawns and the Dungeon Boss The fact that an Ancient enemy is here in a level 35 dungeon well It must have wandered in from somewhere else Somewhere much more dangerous Good luck

Randidly stepped forward without hesitation raising his spear After training with Shal’s merciless attacks he couldn’t even help himself As he walked closer the spider first hissed and then began to slowly climb down spiderlings skittering out of the surrounding trees to rush towards Randidly

Without batting an eye 5 mana bolts shot forward slamming into the giant spider It howled in annoyance the speed of its descent increasing Randidly calmly dispatched any approaching spiderlings always advancing Shal’s voice whispering into the back of his mind

He who stops dies ’

Then the spiderlings were all dead and the spider reared up and spat acid towards Randidly He stepped to the side employing the foot work taught to him by Shal and then stepped closer Although some splashed on him and stung slightly his acid resistance was high enough that he could almost completely ignored non direct contact with that substance The spider spun its body and lashed out with its legs but Randidly just ducked under and calmly executed a phantom thrust the spider’s carapace cracking slightly It hissed and lashed out again

An hour later the spider’s armor was covered in dents and cracks its moves sluggish as it slowly tired out Randidly was also tired mentally but his controlled movements kept his stamina high enough for him to continuously perform Dodge dodge approach thrust Dodge Dodge approach thrust And while each hit was negligible the damage continued to accumulate

This time when Randidly struck he punctured forward enough that a strange green fluid began dripping out of the hole in the spider’s carapace

Three hours later there was a large hole in the armor that Randidly began to target to inflict more damage

An hour after that the spider had began keeping the legs on that side close together protecting the wound

By the time another half hour had passed the reduced mobility on the spider’s part due to its leg strategy meant there were two fresh holes in its armor

Filled with fury the spider spat acid everywhere Randidly felt his health start to fall but he ignored the pain and coldly calculated the damage and came to a single conclusion He would survive Ignoring the vicious acid that would give most others pause he continued to chip away

Fully 9 hours later with a sigh the spider collapsed

Randidly instinctively leaped backwards his mind dull but his responses drilled into him But when the spider did not move he blinked and straightened

Good A little over 15 hours is embarrassing but it is better to have a worthless pupil than a dead one Rest we depart in 5 hours

Boneless Randidly fell to the ground But in his mind he felt a hint of glee

It is possible ’ he thought to himself To make up the difference in power with just skill ’

Chapter 17

When Shal kicked him awake Randidly was happy to see that he had some impressive gains during the fight Physical fitness rose 3 levels to 20 Heavy Blow rose 1 Dodge rose 2 to 24 Spear Mastery rose 1 to 34 and Phantom Thrust rose 3 to 30

Throwing all these points into his path earned him two stat points which he put into Intelligence to increase his maximum mana

Then he followed Shal through the forest and out onto the plains

This area was dominated by orcs who wielded stone axes and road a strange ram creature the size of a small car which Randidly abruptly realized must have been what had hit him to start this adventure

Shal ripped through these enemies with ease calmly speaking over his shoulder

Unlike that spider resistances cannot save you from these enemies You may shoot your magic if you wish but try not to catch their attention I will not save you

At first Randidly dutifully stood around and did nothing But then a strange itch began to take hold of him He wanted to fight

Finally he spotted an enemy that had been heavily wounded by Shal’s thrust but was staggering to his feet Randidly cast Entangling Roots which gratefully leveled up Then with a combination of Mana Bolts Heavy Blows and Phantom Thrusts Randidly killed the orc watching as the light in its eyes dimmed

Inwardly he felt nothing and that disturbed him somehow Unlike the howler monkeys or the spiders this creature was obviously intelligent and yet he took its life But then Randidly shook his head These were just spawns He couldn’t look any more deeply than that They would kill him otherwise

Pupil prepare it is time to show your usefulness And just like that Randidly looked up to see an enemy named Orc Shaman with a blue name throwing a skull made of smoke at Shal

Feeling dubious Randidly stepped forward and blocked it with his spear but it passed right through Immediately afterwards Randidly froze as strange thoughts flooded his brain

Kill ’

kill now’

Worthless’

kill self’

Dead worthless’

Kill now blood ’

Randidly stared at the blade of his own spear fascinated

Maybe

But then a slap on his back woke him from his stupor Good you did not succumb I was worried You have the same Willpower as me yet you are so puny and weak Let us continue

Feeling more than a little disturbed Randidly followed woodenly after Shal noticing that he had learned both the skills Mental Strength and Curse Resistance Mental strength had even increased to 2

As it happened this got him to 90 in Pathless X giving him another stat point which Randidly surreptitiously placed into Willpower

Better safe than sorry He muttered

Time passed strangely the sunlight until you drop climate throwing off Randidly’s perception He supposed that was part of the point to keep you pushing if you could go further To extend your boundaries and make you forget about your former limits

Feeling strangely observed Randidly glanced around then continued on after Shal

They continued to plow through groups of orcs at a rapid rate It didn’t seem like any of the wandering groups had shamans but after you killed three groups a group lead by a shaman would show up and Randidly would offer his body to their strange curse

Do to the exposure Mental Strength increased to 7 while Curse Resistance rose to 3 Mana Bolt increased a level and running did as well as Randidly struggled to keep up with Shal’s long strides leaving him only one point away from completing this path

In a good mood Randidly didn’t even really pay attention to the orcs that Shal was fighting and instead was doing some quick calculations in his head Based on the map if they continued to mow through the orcs at this rate

Oy worthless student

Randidly looked up finding Shal surrounded by three new arrivals named Elite Orc Guards their names green Beyond them two Orc Shamans chuckled evilly muttering to themselves and spreading a thick purple smoke on the ground around them

Get over here and stop them I can overcome these three but not if my legs melt off Shal complained jumping up onto a large stone slightly raised off the ground Immediately the three elite guards circled around him grinning evilly but they were taken completely by surprise when Randidly cast Grasping Roots holding one down for a few seconds and hit the middle one in the side of the face with a mana bolt The two hit with his spells turned to glare at him but Shal had already cut off the arm of the last remaining elite that paid attention to him and then turned to the two regarding Randidly

Unfortunately the purple mist reached the legs of the one just as it was ripping away the roots Randidly had conjured He was fast and strong but not fast enough The mist reached him and his flesh began to boil With a scream he fell face first into the knee high mist but quickly fell silent

Randidly felt some sweat drip down his back

Bah he has no poison resistance worthless apprentice You do Go stop those two stick bags and I will crush them

Randidly raised his hand and shot a mana bolt narrowly missing the Shamans who hissed at him One raised his staff and shot a grey skull at Randidly which took him in the chest It only took up a second but he quickly banished the strange violent voices earning him another point in mental strength Although he wanted to complete his Pathless it was rather foolish to do it now

Unfortunately it was clear that he wasn’t accurate enough at this range to simply snipe his opponents So with gritted teeth he stepped into the creeping purple mist

His pants soon disintegrated to nothing and then his shoes He had to grind his teeth to withstand the pain

Poison Resistance and Pain Resistance both rose a level but Randidly simply trudged forward throwing back a health potion to stay above the damage

As Randidly grew closer the thickness of the mist increased as did the height leading to increased pain By the time it reached mid thigh Randidly stopped sweating If it went any higher

Praying silently he raised his hand and shot off a mana bolt It struck the Shaman in the chest disrupting the spell and making him take a step back The Other Shaman was shocked and glared at Randidly furiously But as Randidly raised his hand for the second shot the Shaman had already completed whatever strange incantation it was doing and the purple smoke began to rush backwards towards it forming a huge skull the size of a fast food restaurant Its mouth opening soundlessly its rushed forward losing its shape but becoming a wide flood of purple energy as tall as a man

Even Shal paled swearing colorfully

The wave hit Randidly first submerging him completely The pain was horrendous enough to make him sway barely holding onto consciousness He opened his eyes and immediately regretted it the strange poison eating away at his eyes But still he kept them open using Phantom’s Eyes to stare at Shal waiting for something

Shal frowned and then started running towards the oncoming rush of purple smoke At the last moment he thrust his spear into the ground vaulting up and over the skull

The monstrous thing turned and howled soundlessly and then collapsed

But then Randidly’s bloodshot eyes widened as it reformed growing from the middle of the purple smoke area rising up to devour Shal

With a worried expression Shal considered his options

Gritting his teeth Randidly raised his hand and pointed invoking mana

As Shal descended to the wide open mouth of this poison mist skull he saw something A weak and sickly series of vines quickly rotting wrapping up forming a foothold Shal softly landed and kicked off leaping again over the smoke even as the vines collapsed from his weight

It had been enough and the Shamans were both killed before they could do more than stare stupidly at the descending god of death wielding a spear

Chapter 18

Randidly woke up with a start Then realizing Shal stood only a little ways away cooking stew he calmed himself and immediately began meditating To his surprise it increased a level But more than that Randidly was shocked to see that Entangling Roots had gained a level and he had a new skill Root Manipulation

Root Manipulation Lvl 1 Control roots in the surrounding area by sensing them and infusing them with mana Duration of control and distance increases mana expenditure By using more mana you can increase the size and strength of the roots you control

Before looking at his path screen Randidly took a few minutes to experiment with this new skill earning himself another level in it increasing it to two

Although there was only grass in the immediate area on this strange plain Randidly could still sense several larger roots deeper in the earth But moving them basically emptied his mana pool immediately

Shifting his attention the smaller grass roots he marveled at his ability to control every single one causing them to reach up out of the ground and grip tightly at the toes of his bare feet

Ruefully he shook his head This was basically useless currently The mana expenditure was much higher than Entangling Roots and the power wouldn’t stop anything But at the same time

Randidly shrugged inwardly He kinda liked it that way It was versatile and would only get stronger as he trained it

Then with a rapidly beating heart Randidly returned to the path screen and placed the last point into Pathless

Congratulations You have completed the Pathless Path You have realized that all paths are the same and all paths lead to the same place

But after this utterly worthless notification came up another one appeared

Although all paths lead to the same place you have realized that different feet traverse them and as different footsteps echo the whole world shifts You have unlocked the Soul Path Skill Green Spear Mastery Lvl 1 A Soul Path Skill will gain a skill level anytime you consume a PP moving forward on another path PP cannot be used to advance a Soul Path Skill Remember that as the path extends before you ever onward ever changing sometimes you will change too

Warning At any point you may only have one Soul Skill Gaining another will cause you to lose the previous skill as well as all associated gains

Curious Randidly brought up his stat screen Sure enough he had a new skill although it appeared slightly different underlined on his screen

Green Spear Mastery Utilize insights into the spear to understand the earth and insight into the natural world to advance with your spear Success at crafting with materials from the natural world increases with skill level High skill levels makes it marginally easier to learn spear crafting earth and life related skills

Just a passive buff Although it would grow naturally Randidly was still somewhat disappointed At first he thought it was something similar to a class but now it just seemed like an affinity skill

Still like his new Root Manipulation it would grow to be extremely strong (he hoped) after a short while so no use complaining

Soon Randidly’s attention returned to the rest of the path screen and his plethora of options

Physical Fitness Path 0/25 Mana Bolt Path 0/25 Evasion Path 0/35 Phantom Thrust Path 0/40 Spear Mastery I Path 0/50 0/

All of theses had paths except the last one had been unlocked when he reached certain levels in his current skills The question was which he wanted to do first

Immediately he eliminated the mystery path and Spear Mastery I The former because it was probably more pathless stuff and Randidly was tired of that The latter because it would cost so much PP

For the same reason Randidly hesitantly set aside Evasion and Phantom Thrust even though those were his bread and butter The real reason that Randidly was leaning towards these smaller paths was the possibility he entertained that they would reward him with a skill Because Mana Bolt seemed more likely to do so and would likely give him mana Randidly decided on that one

Immediately he put 5 PP into it earning him 1 mana on levels 1 4 then +1 of any M stat on 5 Randidly put that into Intelligence

But what was really surprising was the notification that had followed

Green Spear Mastery has reached Lvl 5 +5 Mana Spear Affinity Increased

So it was a skill that behaved like a path And it would level every time he used PP

Feeling oddly pleased with himself and peaceful Randidly looked again at his status screen

Mana(/R per hour) 139/159 (44 25)

Willpower 52

Inteligence 42

PP

Paths Newbie 7/7 P Def 10/10 M Supp 10/10 Risk Taker 15/15 Basic Physical Fitness 20/20 Trainee 15/15 Wandering Survivor 20/20 Pathless I 5/5 Pathless II 5/5 Pathless III 10/10 Pathfinder 15/15 Disciple of Shal 37/37 Pathless IV 10/10 Pathless V 15/15 Pathless VI 15/15 Pathless VII 20/20 Pathless VIII 20/20 Pathless IX 25/25 Pathless X 50/50 Pathless 100/100 Mana Bolt Path 5/25

Skills Running Lvl 10 Physical Fitness Lvl 20 Sneak Lvl 6 Farming Lvl 17 Mana Bolt Lvl 21 Heavy Blow Lvl 15 Acid Resistance Lvl 13 Poison Resistance Lvl 10 Sprinting Lvl 11 Iron Skin Lvl 19 Equip Lvl 12 Plant Breeding Lvl 9 Meditation Lvl 24 Dagger Mastery Lvl 8 Entangling Roots Lvl 23 Mana Shield Lvl 16 Dodge Lvl 24 Potion Making Lvl 18 Analyze Lvl 7 Pathfinding Lvl 3 Mapmaker Lvl 1 Spear Mastery Lvl 34 Phantom Thrust Lvl 30 Pain Resistance Lvl 10 Fighting Proficiency Lvl 19 First Aid Lvl 13 Block Lvl 23 Spear Phantom’s Footwork Lvl 19 Eyes of the Spear Phantom Lvl 9 Phantom Half Step Lvl 3 Mental Strength Lvl 8 Curse Resistance Lvl 3 Root Manipulation Lvl 2 Green Spear Mastery Lvl 5

His Intelligence and Willpower seemed pretty respectable even if his physical stats especially strength had fallen by the wayside What was really impressive was his long list of skills

Randidly walked over to Shal Now what

Shal gave him a dismissive look Obviously we continue until every enemy in front of us is dead

Chapter 19

The dungeon boss a Poisonous Salamander oddly reminiscent of one of the first creatures that Randidly had encountered lay dead behind them A glowing yellow portal floated before Randidly

7 Months had passed since Randidly had started training under Shal The end part of the plains had been a grind pushing through increasing numbers of Elite Guards and Shamans and then the Orc Chieftain had left them stumped for a month before Shal gained two levels and worked on his skills finally allowing him to take on several of the guards at once

Beyond were the swamps filled with frogs and pythons where Randidly had finished the Mana Bolt and Physical Fitness paths earning him the skills Arcane Orb and Haste

The Arcane Orb was finally a powerful attack spell and Haste doubled normal stamina consumption to slightly increase speed Combined with his resistances Randidly led the way through the swamp slowly wandering through taking another 3 months

But the final month and a half was repeated attempts at the boss Salamander

Randidly had gained a lot of skill levels improving himself and methodically completing the paths available to him But what was more delightful was that Green Spear Mastery Every 5 levels he would gain something on a 20 point rotation First was 5 mana then a point in Vitality then 5 stamina then two freely distributable stats

Still even then against that final boss he was nothing but a meat shield for Shal rapidly mopping up

Randidly shook his head No point in thinking of that now He turned to Shal feeling strangely reluctant Thank you for everything You allowed me to collect all the plant samples and rare crafting materials and you taught me how to protect myself If it wasn’t for you I

It was nothing It is every spear user’s duty to tell the tale of the spearman Shal said simply Then he cocked his head Why do you hesitate now You are free Did you not worry for your friends

Randidly pictured Sydney and Ace but only smiled ruefully shaking his head It has been more than 7 months If they still live a few more minutes

Ah Shal said patting his shoulder as he did when he noticed something This makes sense I was foolish and didn’t connect the dots Of course you would not know Time in Dungeons is strange It is accelerated so it is almost impossible for one to find an emptied dungeon when entering it and impossible to enter at the same time as someone else I believe they are roughly 1000x faster than normal speed The time that occurred outside is but a fraction of what you experienced here

Randidly’s jaw dropped Then with his now much higher intelligence he began doing some mental math

some of the days are long but if it really is around 7 months Only 5 hours has passed in the outside

For several seconds Randidly just stared at the ground Then he leapt through the portal without a backwards glance

Shal laughed at his disciple’s impulsive actions then tensed up before looking at the portal with a guilty glance Ah I should have told him about the system

Well it is no matter Shal concluded his eyes burning as he looked at the portal He has a spear The problems will sort themselves out

With a slight feeling of nausea Randidly found himself standing on a road

The first thing he noticed was the noise Car alarms were blaring and he could hear screams from several directions around him Below that a lower hum was the sound of mechanical engines and the roars of beasts

Then he felt the heat and he turned to find the building behind him was consumed by flames

Randidly’s mouth formed a grim line It seemed like the system’s arrival had hit hard outside of the dungeons too Then he noticed a series of notifications that popped up

You are currently within an area of Newbie Zone in side of Earth’s Zone 32 Original geography within this Zone 32 has been scrambled Within the Newbie Zone only monsters under level 20 will appear To survive slay rare monsters to obtain golden coins which can be used to found a Newbie Village At the Newbie Village you can obtain a class which will allow you to grow and obtain power

Warning founding a Newbie Village will automatically cause the Newbie Zone in the surrounding area to degrade within 7 days Grow strong quickly or you will die Monsters will invade Newbie Villages periodically threatening its survival

Fallen Newbie Villages will become infested by Monsters and turn into dungeons Dungeons house great treasure but also great peril so enter at your own risk If a village formed dungeon is not cleared within a month of its formation a vast wave of monsters will spill out and attack nearby areas It is advised that you pacify dungeons as quickly as possible

Randidly scanned the notifications then raised a Mana Shield blocking a fireball from a small imp like thing wearing a red robe A sizzling mana bolt shot back towards the creature hitting it in the chest and smashing it into the wall

Randidly smiled It was oddly satisfying finally facing enemies that he was supposed to be facing Although he didn’t want to assume he was grossly overpowered right now if these enemies were supposed to be survivable with starting stats

On reflex Randidly went over to the body and scoured its pockets and was pleased to find several small red crystal shards in the pockets of the thing A shocking amount But Randidly supposed that most people wouldn’t realize they were worth anything unless they were flooded with things

Right now Randidly had a few goals The main one was to find Sydney and Ace The second was to find his parents and brother Finally he wanted to kill one of the rare monsters which he suspected shouldn’t be too hard and finally obtain a class Unfortunately

Original geography had been scrambled

For a moment Randidly was stumped as he looked around and truthfully based on the place where he thought he was the mountains should be looming above them not far to the east

But he was NOT near the University like he should have been Was this a side effect of entering the dungeon But then Randidly had an idea He walked around the block covering a fair amount of ground

The block itself was extremely strange The place Randidly had come out of the dungeon was in the middle of the street in front of an apartment building on the one side and a flaming storefront on the other But apparently wherever the apartment building had teleported from nothing else had come So beside it was only grass That whole side of the street was grass aside from the one extremely tall apartment building

Meanwhile the other side of the street appeared to have been taken from a small sleepy town Strangely named restaurants and antique shops were the only buildings As Randidly walked around he saw the source of the screaming Several wolverine looking animals were slowly dragging a woman across the street while she bled slowly out and reached for a stroller

Immediately Randidly leapt forward activating Haste and appearing next to the enemies his spear ripping holes in their bodies As soon as their claws fell out of the woman she scrambled forward crying

My baby My baby

But before she could cross the 8 feet to the stroller something inside of her gave out and she collapsed Coughing up blood With dull eyes she rolled onto her back and died

Solemn Randidly walked up to the stroller then grimaced

Inside was a silent bloody mass of gore

Turning away Randidly’s attention was grabbed by gunshots that sounded reasonably near on the other sideof the small town But he was hesitant to proceed deeper without checking something So Randidly walked to the end of the street and opened his menu selecting maps

As he had hoped his map maker skill was active pushing away the fog on the map marking things down coincidentally how he named them But as he zoomed out he frowned and then swore mightily

The newbie zone was huge Too huge Based on what he could tell it was at least a 200 mile by 200 mile area

Perhaps if it had been a Randidly fresh from the apocalypse he would have hesitated lost for a while But this Randidly had been tempered for 7 months with death hanging over him He had been trained by Shal He had stood against enemies far more powerful than this

Guess we are just going to go out of order He muttered to himself hefting his spear and activating Eyes of the Spear Phantom his enhanced gaze scanning the area

It was not a good day to be a Rare Monster in this area of the Newbie Zone

Chapter 20

Several gunshots made Randidly pause considering his options Although he had gone solo thus far he had to admit that was mostly out of necessity If he could obtain some assistance it would likely make searching the surrounding areas much easier At the same time

Randidly wondered what he would say to people to explain to them what to do Should he teach them the spear Would anybody listen to him

Suddenly feeling a bit leary Randidly turned away from the gunshots and spared the stroller a glance The gore there reminded him that this wasn’t a nice world With a hardened heart he walked away from from the town and headed into the wilderness

Randidly settled down on his haunches rubbing his chin and surveying the area He picked a spot around two miles outside of town to set up Having searched for a few hours and seen no sign of the rare bosses he had decided to start a small base Eventually he had chosen this spot for several reasons

First there were no people in the area The valley that Randidly was looking at had a small cabin but it appeared to have been abandoned rather hastily when the strange wolverine creatures moved into the area Randidly mopped the wolverines up without a thought Most people seemed to have the crazy idea that fleeing to the city was the right answer so the wild places like this were completely devoid of other souls

Second this was around the spot that 4 different types of enemies intersected The wolverines were the big presence here but Randidly had killed dozens of them without finding any rare mobs Also present were strange komodo dragon sized lizards that belched thunder and those imps that Randidly had encountered when he had arrived And while Randidly was searching he noticed small sharp goblin eyes watching him from the brush All enemies were confounded by his Mana Shield and fled from his Mana Bolts so the exploration nearby had gone smoothly

Third the cabin and nearby farm If he was going to spend some time here Randidly wanted to experiment First to see if plants would grow as quickly as they did inside the dungeon but also to try experimenting with different combinations of farming Randidly had found some strange plants deeper in the dungeon and was itching to see what they could do

So Randidly began taking stock of the area clearing out wolverine bodies Randidly found a relatively clear track of land and looked at the supplies he had brought in his satchel Some were poisonous that he wanted to experiment with in making potions but Randidly had brought several food stuffs

The first two were the banana style fruit and the Halnuts In addition he had seeds for Stal Berry Bushes Much more interesting was a plant that grew up almost like bamboo but where the stock could be eaten and tasted like radishes His ultimate find were tiny red potatoes

Randidly supposed he would need to learn how to clean and dress an animal maybe even these wolverines for meat although they looked quite stringy For now he planted his five crops in the areas around the wooden cabin and then sat and meditated while practicing his control with Root Manipulation

His progress from where he started was impressive because he could now transform tiny grass roots into knobbly things the size of caterpillars by flooding them with his mana They extended upwards waving softly at him and Randidly’s mouth curved in a grin

Then the sound of someone approaching made him look up Slowly Randidly stood keeping his spear within his satchel Briefly he considered hiding but he was sitting in the middle of the field between his precious plants

An extremely skinny looking teenager stumbled out of the woods glancing warily around He had small beady eyes and thin brown hair Randidly’s eyes narrowed when he noticed that the kid was using what looked like gloves with claws attached which he had seen drop from some of the wolverines he had killed But after inspecting it it was only a level 1 equipment that simply gave +1 Strength so Randidly hadn’t bothered to collect them

But he supposed that to a person who started with 2 or 3 strength +1 was quite a lot

The kid gave him a surprisingly frank look then narrowed his eyes Oy you think you can move in on my spot while I’m away

Randidly was honestly taken aback Was this really the right time to quibble about a spot Wasn’t the human race in jeopardy

Swaggering aggressively forward the kid gave him a dismissive look Weakling If you must you can hang around and do odd jobs for me but get in my way don’t be surprised if I hmph hmph well

The kid was interrupted twice by screeches coming from the nearby forest covered hill Stumbling forward the kid ran to Randidly’s side

Haha as my f first o o order investigate that noise

Sighing Randidly was considering what to do when he heard a high human yelp of pain Picturing that eviscerated hunk of flesh in the stroller Randidly slowly walked forward removing his spear from his satchel Although he didn’t want to purposefully seek strangers out that didn’t mean he was willing to just let them suffer right in front of him

In a second he had accelerated forward into the treeline leaving the stunned kid behind

At the very least hopefully he would keep wolverines away from digging up the seeds that Randidly had planted

As he raced through the trees the sounds of combat grew more loud Deciding that timing was more important than stealth Randidly burst out through a bush onto a mountain road Immediately he saw that a truck had been forced to swerve to avoid a falling tree and was now swarmed by goblins Several hooded figures huddled in the bed of the truck were the source of the screams batting at the approaching goblins while a man near the front of the pickup truck was swinging a wood cutting axe A shotgun and empty casings lay at his feet as well as several moaning bodies of wounded goblins

Still there were at least 4 dozen of the goblins still living and only 4 or 5 turned to face Randidly as he arrived His lip curled upward in derision

He immediately activated the skill he had learned when he had maxed out the Phantom Thrust Path Phantom Onslaught Instantly his spear blurred dozens of lightning quick stabs ripping forward goring the goblins that noticed him to pieces and plowing through several of the ones that weren’t paying close enough attention

As they all slowly turned to him Randidly raised his hand and poured mana into his palm launching a large Arcane orb which slid forward into the thickest concentration of goblins and exploded with a wave of concussive force

Those nearest were torn to pieces while the remainder fell back stunned

And Randidly wielding a spear like a god of death reaping lives moved among them

After he had dispatched most of them Randidly noticed that the man wielding the axe who Randidly now noticed had short grey hair and seemed about 50 years old had taken the opportunity to kill several of the nearby goblins his axe crushing their smaller bodies But several more crept up behind him stone weapons in hand

Grasping Roots

Instantly huge roots sprung from the ground slithering up the goblins and gripping their necks Then they squeezed shattering their spines

Looking around at the mangled body and the few scared survivors even Randidly was slightly surprised at his own strength He supposed that these enemies really were designed for it to be possible to overcome by the average person but still

As the old man chased away the last goblin he turned and met Randidly’s eyes Both were silent for several seconds

And then several more

Randidly’s eyes flicked to the side and he noticed that the figures in the bed of the pickup truck had pressed themselves down out of sight His eyes slid back to the old man who had noticed the shift in Randidly’s attention and had narrowed his own eyes

As the old man opened his mouth to finally speak Randidly threw something at him and he reflexively raised his hand to catch it When he looked at it the old man was surprised to find a small bottle filled with red liquid

Health Potion Randidly said shortly And then after a second of thought added The world is like a game now That will help you heal faster

I’m uninjured The man growled

Randidly looked at the truck bed and the shrugged tired of the conversation Honestly this was too much of a hassle then in case of future injuries I’m leaving

Wait

Randidly paused his back to the old man his senses sharpening

But the old man just sighed and asked where are you staying The town Is there anywhere safe Did you get a class at one of those Newbie Towns Is that why you are so strong

Randidly turned back around his tongue feeling abruptly thick What to say I’m staying in a cabin in a nearby valley I have avoided the town but I doubt it’s safe I don’t have a class I was just lucky

It made Randidly want to laugh calling what happened to him luck 7 months of agony and strife But he supposed it paid dividends Then seeing the old man’s thoughtful face Randidly fled returning to the cabin and his planted seeds

Chapter 21

To Randidly’s dismay when he returned to the cabin and the field the punk kid was not alone He was facing off against an asian girl who looked to be around 17 and a chubby looking teen standing next to her Those two were both glowering at the punk

Back off Tera The punk spat This is me and my buddy’s spot We will kick your ass if you hang around

Tera the girl snorted Oh please I saw you steal that claw off a dead wolverine You probably haven’t even figured out skill levels and path points yet huh You little pussy

Fucking bitch The punk said spitting at the ground and getting red faced

At around that moment the three teens noticed Randidly standing there He supposed from the way their eyes widened he struck quite a figure standing with a spear in his hand looking completely pristine

But his weapon was soaked in blood

Randidly coughed quietly and walked past the group sitting back in the spot among his fields The punk kid hurried over pleased but Randidly hissed at him noticing his path

Wait Randidly said and then got up and drew lines in the ground with the butt of his spear around the spots where his seeds were planted The punk kid stumbled back out of the way Don’t walk here

Then he placed his spear back into his bag and sat down in his spot Only then did he noticed the shocked looks they were giving him Ah the satchel

He studiously closed his eyes and ignored them Tera and her follower were engaged in a heated whisper discussion and the punk kid was loitering around Randidly looking unbelievably smug for someone who had just gotten yelled at for walking

Sighing Randidly slipped back into meditation and root manipulation while simultaneously activating Iron Skin Raising skill he had discovered was about difficulty and the stress but it was also about familiarity and control Even if the skill level didn’t necessarily improve just increasing the usage efficiency would

Hey

The girl spoke interrupting Randidly’s train of thought He opened his eyes and glared at her which caused her to stumble as she approached but then her mouth firmed into a line and she walked forward

Hey you You are strong How did you do it

Randidly inwardly sighed but the punk answered for him

Heh you want to talk to one of my minions You will need to go through me first And make sure you don’t walk on our spots The punk kid puffed up self importantly gesturing to the areas Randidly had outlined on the ground

Tera just gave him a look You must be joking You are saying that YOU are in charge You pissed your bed until you were

No he is Talk to him Randidly said feeling suddenly inspired Leaving now would be annoying because it would waste all of his seeds But continually interacting with people who came to him would also be tiring Having this punk stay here and hold the base while Randidly searched for rare mobs would kill two birds with one stone

At Randidly’s words the punk kid chuckled coolly As I said I Dusk am the boss around here

Tera rolled her eyes What the fuck is that Dusk shit Donny Anyways why is he so strong

Donny turned to Randidly You heard her why are you so strong

A vein in Randidly’s temple began to throb

Randidly briefly explained skill points PP and paths to them as well as that obtaining a class would make them more powerful Then he informed them that they couldn’t get a class until they founded a Newbie Town and the only way to do that was to defeat certain monsters

In this regard Randidly finally was rewarded with good news The chubby teen imaginatively named Chubbs said he had seen a huge group of goblins farther east away from the city a little bit north from where they were now

Donny then imperiously told Randidly to go get the item for the town the next morning so he could discover what great class he was meant to have

What was annoying was that was exactly Randidly’s plan so he remained silent Pleased Donny called dibs on the cabin and went inside to sleep while Tera and Chubbs brought out a backpack and produced a small tent and sleeping bags from inside The sun was yet to set but they all seemed so dead tired that it didn’t matter

But before she laid down Tera came over to Randidly Should we take turns keeping watch or something like in the movies

Randidly considered this Then shook his head No for tonight I will be sufficient

Giving him a weird look Tera walked away And honestly Randidly thought it would definitely be fine He had apparently grossly underestimated the time passage of time in the dungeon He had come out several hours later than he had calculated and the only way to make up that time was to assume that days were longer than he believed Almost double as long Staying up a night or two would cause him no trouble

Just as the sun was setting another event occurred a familiar looking pickup truck drove down the dirt track to near their position After turning off the engine the old man got out of the truck and walked over to Randidly

They stood there for a few minutes just looking at the nearby fields Chubbs who had been kicked out of the tent by Tera looked on curiously

Not many monsters to be seen on the way over The man commented

Randidly nodded his mouth curling up in a grin If they want to die let them come

Seemingly satisfied the man turned and headed back to his truck

Chapter 22

And come they did in the dead of night a column of goblins and wolverines seemingly working together What was most interesting was that a goblin with a green name to lead them Lvl 7 Goblin Warband Leader

It wasn’t what he needed to found the Newbie Town but it at least proved that higher level monsters among the goblins existed

The darkness was nothing for his Eyes of the Spear Phantom and when they had come within range he abruptly stood shooting 20 mana bolts off in quick succession In the cloudy night the bolts burned like lightning across the goblins retinas and those not struck and killed screeched in confusion blinded

Randidly rapidly downed three mana potions and strode forward as the goblins gathered more tightly together rushing towards him

With a grin he raised a hand and shot an arcane orb towards the group which exploded in a mass of gore And apparently the sound had finally awoken the people behind Randidly who began to come out confused and blinded by the dark

Strangely the green named goblin barked something in its language and most of the goblins turned and fled Incensed the wolverines still rushed forward their eyes covered in a haze of bloodlust and Randidly moved forward calmly ripping the remaining monsters to pieces Haste enabled to give him a small extra edge

By the end of the night Randidly was delighted to discover that he had gained points in Spear Mastery Mana Bolt and Haste Using the 3 pp raised the level of Green Spear Mastery to 170 granting him another point in Vitality

Randidly took a quick glance at his status

Health(/R per hour) 206/255 (+6) (102 75 (+9

Mana(/R per hour) 139/228 (50 25)

Stam(/R per min) 105/186 (37 (+3

Vit 30 (+3)

Str 16

Agi 40 (+3)

Perception 22

Reaction 24

Inteligence 50

Wisdom 30

Paths Newbie 7/7 P Def 10/10 M Supp 10/10 Risk Taker 15/15 Basic Physical Fitness 20/20 Trainee 15/15 Wandering Survivor 20/20 Pathless I 5/5 Pathless II 5/5 Pathless III 10/10 Pathfinder 15/15 Disciple of Shal 37/37 Pathless IV 10/10 Pathless V 15/15 Pathless VI 15/15 Pathless VII 20/20 Pathless VIII 20/20 Pathless IX 25/25 Pathless X 50/50 Pathless 100/100 Mana Bolt Path 25/25 Phys Fitness 25/25 Evasion 35/35 Phantom Thrust Path 40/40 Spear Mastery I 48/50

Skills Running Lvl 16 Physical Fitness Lvl 23 Sneak Lvl 19 Farming Lvl 17 Mana Bolt Lvl 28 Heavy Blow Lvl 19 Acid Resistance Lvl 22 Poison Resistance Lvl 14 Sprinting Lvl 13 Iron Skin Lvl 24 Equip Lvl 15 Plant Breeding Lvl 9 Meditation Lvl 26 Dagger Mastery Lvl 8 Entangling Roots Lvl 26 Mana Shield Lvl 21 Dodge Lvl 25 Potion Making Lvl 19 Analyze Lvl 24 Pathfinding Lvl 6 Mapmaker Lvl 3 Spear Mastery Lvl 38 Phantom Thrust Lvl 37 Pain Resistance Lvl 11 Fighting Proficiency Lvl 27 First Aid Lvl 12 Block Lvl 24 Spear Phantom’s Footwork Lvl 21 Eyes of the Spear Phantom Lvl 14 Phantom Half Step Lvl 4 Mental Strength Lvl 8 Curse Resistance Lvl 3 Root Manipulation Lvl 19 Green Spear Mastery Lvl 170 Arcane Orb Lvl 14 Haste Lvl 10 Phantom Onslaught Lvl 9

Even without a class the addition of Green Spear Mastery giving him bonuses every 5 PP used had begun to add up in terms of stats And with all his skills

Still feeling the fire in his blood from battle Randidly settled back moving slowly through the spear forms taught to him by Shal The point he reached now was good but it wasn’t enough He needed strength Strength to find Sydney and Ace out here in this huge area And that would only come by squeezing as much benefit out of the down time as possible

Roots began to wiggle underneath his feet pleased to feel the flow of his mana

Randidly made a mental note to ask about glass containers for potions later

The greatest pleasure of the morning was that moment when he got a notification that his farming had increased to 18 Grinning he looked over at his farming area to see that several sprouts had come up

The rest of the people who were staying in the area were also up and awake and Tera Donny and Chubbs were looking with open mouths at the piles of bodies The old man just folded his arms his reaction to be even more inscrutable

Randidly nodded in satisfaction I’m going to go find the goblin boss

Uh before you go Donny said his voice rather high pitched Can you give us some pointers on Skill Levels I know you said practice but To get that strong

Simply practice Raise Skill Levels Randidly answered reflexively

But Donny kept pushing Well what sort of skills are there

After a bit of hesitation Randidly answered I believe they can be anything I have skills for using the spear and for casting spells but also strange things Farming Running Physical Fitness

Woodcutting Cooking Cleaning anything The old man said noncommittally spitting over to the side

Then he nodded towards Randidly I’d like to speak with you when you return

He turned and walked away and Randidly left the three teens with their thoughts

Covered in gore in possession of several more items than he had departed with and very pleased about the whole trip Randidly returned to the valley to find some very dramatic changes had happened in a short amount of time

Someone had constructed a short wooden fence around most of the area that Randidly had planted his seeds in which were now visibly sprouting and growing leaving small openings to enter the tiny fields There was also a raised platform made from cut wood in the center of the field area which would provide a good view of the surroundings The surrounding area was now strew with large logs and piles of firewood Someone had dug out a fire pit and lined it with stones and now a wolverine was spitted over it roasting slowly

Most interest was that a second smaller dwelling or at least the bones of one had gone up next to the cabin Tera Chubs and Donny were furiously dragging smaller cut saplings over to stack serving as the walls

Their constant bickering could be heard from far away but Randidly ignored it heading to the fire pit where the old man stood

The old man grunted in acknowledgement as Randidly arrived Wood Cutting Lvl 4 Wood Working Lvl 5 Construction Level 3 Animal Skinning Level 4 Hunting Lvl 2 Axe Mastery Lvl 4 I currently have 16 PP I haven’t spent any of them Any recommendations

Randidly frowned casting his memory back you have the Newbie path available

The old man nodded As well as Woodsman and something with question marks

Nodding Randidly said Finish off the Newbie path it should only take 7 pp Then you will get mana bolt and heavy blow two active skills that you can use while you raise your passive skills From there you will just need to continue to practice

And for the stats The old man asked

Randidly briefly explained his understanding on what the stats affected Then he asked Is this what you wanted to talk about

No but The old man removed the skinned wolverine and checked it Perhaps it won’t matter Did you find whatever you were looking for

Randidly smiled and produced a glowing golden coin

You have 1 Gold Nexus coin Use Y/N

Without thinking about it too much Randidly selected yes

Chapter 23

Instantly a smartly dressed man appeared in front of him He smiled serenely at Randidly

Hello I am your guide Nul Congratulations you now have the qualifications to found a Newbie village To do so you simply need to receive your class As the first person to receive a class from me you will receive the Soul Skill Village Chieftain which will help you survive in this world Are you ready to proceed

Randidly’s eyes were practically sparkling as he nodded With a class he could finally level And then

Another notification popped up

You are about to be taken to the class screen Once you enter the class screen you cannot leave without picking a class You will have the option of choosing from three classes The first will be a general class based on the system’s initial impression of your skills and personality when the system first initialized The second will be a random class The third will be a class generated based on your current natural gifts and disposition Do you wish to proceed Y/N

Randidly frowned turning to Nul When it says current gifts what does that mean

Nul gave him an innocent smile Different individuals are naturally blessed At the time of the class selection the system will examine you and recommend a class based on that

Do your natural blessings include skill levels Current stat levels

Nul only continued to smile ignoring the question Randidly sighed and selected no So it was that sort of system

If Randidly did select a class it likely wouldn’t be the first choice because that class would be based on the him from several months ago Or at least that’s how it would seem to him A 23 year old who hadn’t ever had to struggle in his life Similarly the 2nd random option seemed unreliable and not a real choice at all

So the third option would be what he was betting on a current scan of his Natural Blessings Anyone else fighting for their lives wouldn’t think anything of that phrasing but Randidly had noticed it immediately If it scanned them now perhaps scant days after the scan for the first choice what was it scanning for Natural blessings

No that would have been caught on the system initialization recommendation If by natural blessings they meant stats and skills bestowed by the system In addition it would likely take most people more time than Randidly to strengthen themselves and work up the nerve to found a Newbie Village In this time they would be relying solely on paths to grow stronger

And also hanging over Randidly’s head was Shal’s statement that you can only learn a set number of skills once you have a class

Although likely less detailed it seemed the old man’s thoughts were on a similar track So it’s a game of chicken huh Are you gonna gamble on learning new skills so you get a better class or are you going to take the class to grow strong

Nul turned from Randidly to the old man Since he has rejected this opportunity I know offer it to you Remember gaining the first class from me would mean that you also gain the Soul Skill Village Chieftain

The old man just snorted and spat Not interested

Hey who is that Chubbs asked wandering over with a bickering Tera and Donny in tow

Nul instantly beamed at the new arrivals Which of you would like to be Village Chiefta

For the second time his pitch was interrupted but this time by Donny’s yell Mee

Donny immediately rushed forward to a bowing Nul

Do you choose to select a class no

I do Donny said practically salivating Randidly and the old man exchanged glances

Do you know anything about what a class gets you The old man asked in a quiet voice Randidly shook his head slightly They both looked at Donny

Since Randidly was already letting him be the one who dealt with people he saw no reason to stop him from being the Village Chieftain Although Nul was talking it up the slimy way they almost explicitly refused to indicate methods to get better classes made Randidly rather skeptical

And if it did turn out to be a good thing it’s not like it would be that hard to kill another rare mob once he found one

Nul gestured and suddenly they all could see a giant floating screen On it were three choices

The first choice is Nul began to explain but Donny just waved his hand ignoring him

No need He said imperiously I choose the second option I am Dusk Knight No wait Knight of the Dusk

Randidly had a hard time suppressing his smile based on the first and third options But he supposed it was a good thing the random class ended up being so official and gamey sounding like the rest of the world Hopefully the level up gains would give them an idea of what a class could provide

Instantly motes of gold flew from Nul’s hand to Donny and as the group watched a short sword and shield appeared in Donny’s hands Grinning from ear to ear Donny began to swing them around but promptly underestimated the weight and fell on his face

What did the class give you Tera asked jealousy clear in her voice

Even sitting on his butt his face covered in dirt still Donny was glowing and he waggled his fingers at Nul Show them the same notification you showed me so they can stand and be awed in my brilliance

Shrugging Nul complied Randidly looked closely at the notification that appeared

Congratulations You have received the class of Knight You have gained the Skill Ride Lvl 1 You have received the skill Honorable Charge Lvl 1 You have received the skill Stalwart Defense Lvl 1 You may learn 7 additional skills to these and those you already possess Skills may be forgotten to learn new skills +12 Health per Level +1 Mana Per Level +7 Stamina per level +2 Vit End or Str per level (these points may be distributed between 2) +1 Resist per level

The old man blinked then shook his head looking at Randidly Those numbers just make my eyes water How good is that It seems like a hell of a lot

Randidly nodded slowly Once he completes the Newbie path and gets that bonus that’s 16 health 3 mana and 9 stamina plus 4 stat points per level 2 Among Vit End and Str 1 to Resist one freely distributed Hard to gauge how much the stats mean but all that extra health and stamina will add up Do a lot to keep him alive After 15 levels he will have comparable health and stamina to me and that’s not even counting the bonuses he would get putting it into Vit and End

Frowning the old man nodded So it really is hard to tell how useful it is Well I’ll try the skill level route for a while and then revisit the issue

You must hurry Nul said with a smile looking at Randidly and the old man Remember the Newbie Zone protection will wear off on this area in 7 days and stronger monsters will come You should select your class immediately

When he saw that neither of them really cared Nul turned back to Donny smile attached So where would you like your village to be

Chapter 24

Because Nul begrudgingly admitted that the village would take up a fair amount of space and have an indeterminate effect on the previous geography within its zone Donny proudly marched about half a mile along the valley up from their original spot with the cabin

Curious Randidly and the old man followed When Donny finally indicated a spot a blinding light immediately robbed them of their vision Acting on instinct built on months of struggle Randidly dropped into a crouch and drew his spear his senses sharpening But when no attacks came and after several seconds the light slowly faded resolving itself into a clearing with several buildings

Perhaps the strangest feature was the pillar of light that rose from the center of the village But as Randidly saw the notification that had appeared in front of him and everyone elses based on their expression his visage darkened

Congratulations A Newbie Village has been founded near your location A pillar of light has been placed there and will remain there for 7 days so it may be conveniently found Due to the founding of a Newbie Village the starter protections in the surrounding area will disperse in exactly 7 days At that time monsters Level 20 and over will begin to appear It is recommended that you proceed to the Newbie Village and acquire a class as fast as possible

But it seemed the implications of this notification did not worry Donny instead he was laughing

Haha This is so cool Because I was the first one to found a Newbie Village I get an extra 500 Soul Points towards upgrading it I’m fucking first This is so awesome

Soul points Tera asked looking at Donny But he just continued to giggle to himself Instead Nul stepped forward his bland smile in place

Yes Soul Points which are used to strengthen and upgrade your Newbie Village Besides turning in other golden coins for 500 Soul Points you gain Soul Points for your village anytime you level up And eventually the Newbie Village too can expand giving greater benefits for the people who choose to have their class based here

How much would it take to upgrade a Newbie Village into a Randidly hesitated then went with his gut a Trainee Village

10 000 Soul Points Nul gave Randidly a strange glance There was something there It was not fear but Almost annoyance But then the bland smile returned more blanketing and numbing than ever However a Trainee Village possesses the possibility of allowing you to reclass increasing your growth rates monstrously with the stats and skills you have gained by leveling

And instantly he shifts what he is saying trying to sway me to get a class Well I will be thinking this over very carefully ’ Randidly thought nodding calmly and walking away towards the treeline

Casually he looked over his shoulder and said You all should rest now and prepare I suspect that we shall have a lot of company soon Donny you are going to need to decide about who you want to let into your village

Then Randidly walked away wanting a bit of insurance for later

Almost exactly three hours later Randidly returned having gained quite a few things The first was a skill point in Running and a skill point in Pathfinding which was enough to finish off Spear Mastery netting him two new skills Sweep and Spear Deflect Sweep was a powerful area of effect attack a wide swing of the spear while Spear Deflect was effectively spinning the spear in front of oneself knocking away smaller projectiles and reducing the strength of magical attacks

Both skills had Randidly excited First for their utility but also for their ability to be leveled The higher a skill got the harder it would be to level which had become especially clear since he had left the dungeon and came here where monsters were quite weak in comparison to himself

Even just a few minutes previously when he had searched and found the Mother Wolverine which was level 13 it had been able to withstand several of Randidly’s attacks but was ultimately killed rather simply

As Randidly walked back to the cabin area and the nearby obnoxious pillar of light he considered his path situation He had used all of the paths he had gotten by leveling skills and was now left with two similar options

0/

One included the zero but they were essentially the same Rather than over think what was happening Randidly just chose the one with the 0 showing

Monster Slayer I 0/1

But the 1 point that Randidly had put into it was enough to instantly finish it off

Congratulations You have completed the Monster Hunter I Path +1 stat Sometimes the path you walk is stained by the blood of those who would stand against you

Immediately Randidly went back and checked the path screen again even though there was no more PP to spend at the moment and sure enough waiting for him

Monster Slayer II 0/3 Watcher 0/

Looks like Monster Slayer would be another chain series of paths and cheap ones too What was interesting was that he now also had the Watcher path in addition to the question mark option

Shaking his head Randidly walked out of the tree line and towards the cabin

The second group of things he had brought back were various fruits and vegetables that he had been able to find wild in the area There wasn’t anything exceedingly strange but he had found a new variety of nut and a mushroom that he was quite sure was poisonous Still growing it under the influence of the mana crystals would hopefully result in new species with interesting effects

Included in that group was a large quantity of Red and Blue energy shards that he had found in the local area often guarded by more comically weak imps or wolverines

As Randidly continued to think be brought out a large stick he had found and began to crudely till the surrounding area by his first fields which were beginning to grow upwards at a shocking pace He wanted to get all of his seeds down and growing as soon as possible

What was slightly disturbing is that goblins had all but vanished from the surrounding area and wolverines were also currently in the decline The lizards and imps were growing stronger both in numbers and in levels and were able to force Randidly to be wary of large groups

Not needlessly so but he now paid attention to his surroundings where his guard had begun to drop previously After all as far as he could tell he was the strongest thing for quite a few miles and honestly Randidly could get used to this feeling

But at the same time he never forgot it The edge of death that he had danced next to in the dungeon Nul’s bland smile and subtle directions

Frowning Randidly looked up towards the pillar of light This Newbie Town was not what he had hoped it would be

Chapter 25

Raised voices eventually distracted Randidly from his farming and he looked up with a frown As he trudged up towards the Newbie Village Randidly used the 2 PP he had earned from Farming levels and the 1 Root Manipulation skill levels to open and instantly complete Monster Slayer II

Congratulations You have completed the Monster Hunter II Path +2 stat +1 to Health Mana and Stamina Sometimes the path you walk is stained by the blood of those who would stand against you but you cannot hesitate

Snorting at the tiny gains Randidly threw the points into agility and walked towards the source of the commotion

To Randidly’s surprise there actually hadn’t been that many people who turned up at the pillar of light seeking the ability to get a class But perhaps he had underestimated and overestimated humanity simultaneously

First underestimated how much of a pack animal they really were If there was a large group it was sufficient to send a small group to investigate

Second overestimated humanity’s ability to cope with huge changes in their situation and appreciate how necessary the thing called Classes would be Or at least their potential

There were several gaunt eyed and bloody people standing in the outskirts looking on warily These were likely the lone wolves who had killed the monsters before and came to seek more power But they were not the source of the noise

The Newbie Village couldn’t really be called a village it was simply a large building seeming to be an Inn next to a statue In a slightly disturbing twist that statue was Donny hefting his sword and shield looking quite a lot more mature and capable than he really was

Standing in front of the statue was Donny who glared at a tall well muscled dark skinned man

That man also happened to have an assault rifle strapped to his back

I’m just saying what do you expect The man said with a shrug Sure son what you did was very admirable and we are all very curious about what having a class means for the world but didn’t you also recognize the danger If in a week bigger and stronger monsters come you

Will kill them effortlessly I’m going to level up before then and handle it And if you want to get a class from my village you need to agree that I am your boss beforehand That’s all I’m saying Donny added pompously continuing to glare at the man

Look kid The man said finally losing his patience and stepping forward I’ve tried being nice And I know a lot has happened in the past few days so I’m willing to look the other way on some things But don’t be unreasonable The Shellton Police Department has the situation controlled inside the town Now we are looking into ways to protect the citizens It seems like gaining a class is an effective one So I’ll ask you again will you let me see this class thing without any of your stupid

Donny just turned away Hmph you’ll be back

Scowling the well muscled man turned and walked away Several of the more even looking loners around the Newbie Village hurried over to him and began to speak with him as he left

He’s right about one thing The old man muttered He had walked quietly over to Randidly when he had come up They certainly will be back Especially as that 7 day window closes

Randidly grunted warily eyeing the rest of the loners There was one in particular that caught his eye and as he examined him that one was walking forward with a small smile on his face He was an almost skeletally skinny man with greasy red hair From his shirt he worked in a fast food chain before the system changed things

Excuse me are you the guy who founded the first Newbie Village His voice came out high and nasally but Donny visibly puffed up in front of his attentions

Hahaha yes I am I’m actually looking for capable subordinates to handle some of the lesser matters if you think you have what it takes Donny grinned

The greasy man gave him a cheesy smile back Oh I’ll do anything if it means working with you boss

Clapping him on the back with a happy laugh Donny took the man over towards Nul As he did so several of the seedier looking men who were standing around the outside of the clearing exchanged glances and then trailed after them towards the central building

Randidly had a strange feeling about the group but set it aside for now Instead he turned to the old man a question at the tip of his tongue But then he paused and asked a different one What’s your name

Sam The old man answered simply Randidly nodded

What do you plan on doing then Sam Choosing the class or waiting I cannot give any guidance on whether any advantages you can get by waiting will be worth it

Sam grunted and then spat to the side at any rate for now I can afford to take my time Raise some skill levels Sound out the surrounding area Those police types will be back and honestly we might need it A certain type of person thrives in this sort of environment and Makes it more difficult for others

Silently Randidly remembered the 3 hooded figures he had seen in the back of Sam’s truck

Are you just going to let them go like that Sam asked tilting his head towards the gaggle of hungry and violent looking men that were around Donny

Randidly shrugged He deals with them so I don’t have to If he can’t handle it I’ll find someone else

Sam gave Randidly a long look Some would say that’s a very cold view to take

Again Randidly shrugged Some people are welcome not to take it

As night fell Randidly began to move Although he hadn’t necessarily been slacking being around other normal people who bothered to sit and rest had made Randidly stop training so frantically That stopped tonight

Randidly had a spear in one hand spinning his spear around in Spear Deflect while his other hand punched against a tree utilizing Heavy Blow His eyes constantly sharpened with Eyes of the Spear Phantom During all of this due to his high level of meditation he continued to meditate increasing the rate of Stamina regeneration by 26%

Meanwhile Randidly alternated between Arcane Orbs and Mana bolts shooting his projectiles high up into the sky in order to keep the noise to a minimum

When his mana or stamina ran low he would pause and work his way through the forms taught to him by Shal depicting the moves of a true spearman

While he was training Randidly pondered whether saving up and waiting for a class really was worth it Sure best case scenario he would have the points from his large skill list while reaching a high level and it would give him a definite advantage when it came to fighting someone of a similar level but what about the people who had been leveling while he was training up his foundation

It really depended what kind of RPG game the system was based on and how high the level cap was His experience with Shal raised more questions than it answered Based on the difference in results Shal had stats much higher than Randidly’s current physical stats Especially in Agility and Vitality It was awe inspiring how quickly that man could have worked his spear and how serious of injuries he could recover from faster than should be possible

But that also might have been exacerbated by the difference in skill levels His current Spear Mastery Lvl 38 demonstrated nowhere near his finesse with the spear

And that clearly wasn’t something that could be made up with class levels

Sighing Randidly switched from Spear Deflect to practicing Sweep It was comically easy for him to exert himself all night carefully studying these different moves and improving them It was now becoming evident to Randidly that it wasn’t just knowledge and capability that raised skill level and skill level raising capability It was a little of both And him training now with some skill in the spear made these spear based skills increase by leaps and bounds

An hour before dawn Randidly’s eyes snapped open

He had gained 1 skill point in Mana Shield 2 in Arcane Orb 1 in Root Manipulation 1 in Meditation 2 in Eyes of the Spear Phantom 3 in Heavy Blow 1 in Physical Fitness 4 in Spear Deflect and 6 in Sweep

But Randidly just put those PP on reserve for now and stood glowering at the darkness

Monsters were coming And there were a lot of them

Chapter 26

Randidly coolly removed some empty potion bottles and brewed 3 mana potions while sitting and meditating The monsters appeared to be massing on one of the ridges above them some distance away Inwardly Randidly made another mental note to ask about glass containers

After he finished he looked to his left and right frowning

Ultimately though he turned to the right and padded quietly up towards the Newbie Village It seemed as if that was the monsters target and Randidly trusted Sam not to get himself ambushed much more than he trusted Donny

When he approached the village the remnants of a fire had burnt low and several men lay sprawled around beer bottles rolling between them Randidly stepped over them and headed to the main building Neither Donny Tera Chubbs nor the red haired man was among the prone forms on the ground

As he approached the main building Randidly saw that Chubbs was asleep his back against the main door Snorting at the quality of the watch Randidly just hopped up to a nearby window and pushed it open dropping to the floor in a dark room

Two forms lay entwined in the darkness and Randidly felt a small pang of embarrassment for interrupting them In the darkness he saw very clearly one pair of eyes flicker open as he landed quietly

Their gazes locked

Then the figure stood his emaciated limbs and red hair clear even in the darkness

I wanted to meet you You have such a great smell about you You were the one who found and beat the boss to get the golden coin weren’t you Are you strong Donny is just there as a front eh

Randidly ignored the man and spared a glance to the other person Tera rolled sideways yawning and blinked upward in the darkness frowning towards the man Decklan wha

What is your class Randidly asked looking back up towards the man Although he gave him a distasteful feeling his curiosity got the better of him

Randidly could see the flash of yellowed teeth even in the darkness See This is why I liked you before I even knew you What will you give me for that knowledge

After a thoughtful moment Randidly removed the dagger he had found stuffed into the head of the giant snake all those months ago Even now with an equip level of 15 he was unable to receive the bonus from it As such

Will this suffice Randidly flicked his fingers and threw the curved dagger lazily and the man snatched it out of the air Clear to Randidly’s gaze in the darkness the man took the dagger and drew it along his forearm drawing a thin line of blood

The man’s body shuddered in the darkness Oh yes this is perfect Hahaha My class is Killer Only a +3 to Stamina boost per level but I steal the growth rates of the strongest thing I’ve killed since I last leveled up everytime Hahaha what a fun class right

In a way it made sense and it was certainly versatile especially if he could find powerful enemies to kill Although he wasn’t quite disturbed by the class as much as he thought he would be Randidly’s eyes sharpened taking in every inch of this man Then he walked past him

Donny is a buffer I don’t have time for most of these problems I am the Ghosthound And prepare that dagger plenty of enemies to test it out on are coming

Decklan began to laugh and Randidly left and searched through the rooms until he found Donny shaking him awake

Up and at’em village chieftain Randidly said grimly We have company

As the rather drunk rabble that had taken an oath to call Donny boss roused themselves Randidly slipped back past the cabin into the small camp area that Sam had set up by his truck For a moment Randidly slowed as he approached but he figured that whoever those figures were they would be sleeping within the wooden shelter Sam had made

The spot that would grant the watcher the most visibility was the bed of the truck so Randidly walked there As he approached he saw movement in the truck bed but the figure that sat up was small and covered in a camo rain coat

For several seconds the two regarded each other

As Randidly opened his mouth to ask after Sam the other figure spoke the voice feminine and lyrical it looked like fireworks

Huh

Fireworks You were doing magic earlier right The girl said her voice a strange combination of eager and wistful Mine don’t look like that at all

As if it was the most natural thing in the world she raised her hand and a thin bolt of energy shot forward sliding over the grass until it hit a tree with a dull thump leaving a small scorch mark Randidly tilted his head to the side

Your skill level is just low As you raise it and your Intelligence it will get stronger and brighter

The hooded figure nodded as if that was profound wisdom I’m working on it You want Mr Hoss

Dubiously assuming Sam was Mr Hoss Randidly nodded The figure hopped down off the truck and walked away leaving Randidly to wonder about this masked girl She definitely seemed a teenager Maybe 15 But why was she and the two others kept hidden

Sam hurried out moments later with his mouth open to say something but Randidly just shook his head Now’s not the time Something’s coming I don’t think Nul has properly explained all of the rules about Newbie Villages to us

Chapter 27

Several hours later Decklan picked blood out from under his nails waiting for his hands to stop trembling Tera sat huddled up next to him dull eyed and unfocused her blood stained daggers laying next to her

Although she was cute enough Decklan was already tiring of her flimsy bravado and her excitable personality Still if he would be forced to wake up to a horde of monsters every morning he definitely needed someone to vent his nervous energy on

Not that Decklan minded looking at delight at his status screen

Decklan Hyde

Class Killer

Level 7

Health(/R per hour) 9/80 (44)

Mana(/R per hour) 22/33 (8 5)

Stam(/R per min) 14/50 (16)

Vit 11

End 4

Str 9

Agi 18

Perception 7

Reaction 9

Willpower 2

Wisdom 6

Control 7

Skills Sneak Lvl 5 Slash Lvl 7 Dagger Mastery Lvl 5 Backstab Lvl 12 Feint Lvl 1 Dual Wielding Mastery Lvl 4

Most of his stat points he had put directly into agility and that had let him move freely among the three dozen or so wolverines that had streamed out of the woods coming for the Newbie Village 11 People had gotten Classes the previous day and those 11 men had generally gotten rather bland classes like Minuteman or Subordinate Thug Still they all gathered nervous and excited at the prospect of strengthening themselves

Of those 11 Decklan and Donny made it out alright staying close to each other As much as the little shit was annoying he could slow several down with his shield work and handle the attacks of several at once

A few of the other people who had obtained classes had broken and ran quickly hamstrung and eviscerated by the wolverines Decklan had been considering fleeing himself when that Ghosthound had come out of the hills

With a wave of his hand blasts of energy accurately smashed several Wolverines to the side Even more frustratingly the guy moved like a ghost his spear lashing outwards leaving only dead bodies in its wake He cleared out the bulk of their forces and then left them to thin out the stragglers

By that time only 6 of the 11 Classed individuals were still breathing

After they had killed the rest Decklan had walked to the forest curious where the Ghosthound had come from What he saw had even left the man with the class Killer nauseous It looked like less than half of the wolverines had made it passed the Ghosthound reaching the rest of them The bodies were caking the forest floor headless blasted burnt impaled on thorns

Some of them appeared to have been splashed with acid most of their bodies melting away

And so now Decklan sat trying to contain his rising excitement barely keeping his hands from trembling The Ghosthound was talking with the old man he was often with who was carrying a bloody axe They seemed to be talking about using the wolverine bodies for something

I’ve decided Tera said next to him looking up at him I’m going to get a class Even if I could get a better class by getting stronger first I need strength now

Decklan nodded lightly watching the Ghosthound As the Ghosthound waved his hand roots sprouted out of the ground and began slowly gathering the bodies of the wolverines into a pile

His face splitting into a wide grin Decklan turned to Tera Good Do it as quickly as possible and we will go hunting immediately

Her face brightened Really Can Chubbs come

Sure sure whatever Decklan said already turning back towards the Ghosthound who seemed completely uninjured

That level of strength He would do anything to have it

You want to skin them Randidly asked hesitantly looking at the impressive pile of bodies And then his eyes shifted to the spear holes ripping through most of their pelts and he shifted slightly uncomfortably

Sam nodded Both for the skins and for the meat I suspect we can get something akin to a Tannery skill which will be useful Also the rations we brought are starting to run low Are your plants safe to eat

Yea the first batch will probably be done later today Randidly answered the hairs on the back of his neck prickling upwards Glancing over his shoulder he saw that Decklan was staring at him again Resolving to ignore it Randidly turned back forward to see Sam making an uncomfortable expression

Hmm Then perhaps you could come to my uh camp for dinner We could have discussions Sam finished with atypical awkwardness

Shrugging in confirmation Randidly switched the subject I did a rough count of the amount of wolverines that were here while I was fighting them About 80 or 90 How many did you get by you

Sam grimaced Quite a few Nowhere near what you had up here just some stragglers Maybe two dozen Lucky you warned me in time I was able to set up enough traps to stall them while I got to work with my axe

Randidly said nothing about the numerous arrows that he had seen sticking out of the wolverines down by Sam’s camp If that puts it right about 100 just a theory but I suspect there were 110

Glancing at him Sam’s eyes suddenly sharpened as he made the connection 10 for each of the 11 people who obtained classes

I already asked Nul and he said that we would be forced to discover the rules as we went along But if this gets worse or if more people come for classes

Or if you hadn’t been here Sam muttered his eyes glittering The village would probably have been wiped out before it even got off the ground

Well Randidly said with a nasty glint in his eye Hopefully most people wouldn’t have gotten drunk immediately after obtaining a class If they had leveled a few times

Enough to fight off 10 wolverines each All at once

Sam’s statement hung in the air and the shared a long glance

Then I guess it’s back to work so it doesn’t happen to us next Randidly said raising his hand to block the rays of the rising sun coming up over the horizon

Chapter 28

In addition to the 21 PP he had from earlier he had also gained 2 more levels in Sweep and 1 in Entangling Roots as he repulsed most of the wolverines in the pre dawn fight putting him at 24 in total

Monster Hunter III would take 6 PP but when he went to the path screen another option caught his eye He had unlocked the Heavy Blow Path 0/20 at Lvl 20 of the skill and there was a high chance of him receiving another skill if he completed it

After a slight hesitation he put 20 PP into it finishing it instantly netting him 2 Str and 10 Stamina as well as the following notification

Congratulations You have completed the Heavy Blow Path +1 stat +20 Stamina You have learned the skill Empower Lvl 1 You have learned the skill Calculated Blow Lvl 1

Empower Lvl 1 Cost 30 Stamina Infuse any physical movement with effort very slightly increasing its speed and power Effectiveness improves with skill level

Calculated Blow Lvl 1 Passively begin to see weaknesses of creatures after fighting them Their weaknesses become visible to you Hitting those weaknesses slightly increases the damage dealt Effectiveness improves with skill level

Randidly was rather pleased with his previous decision Not only had it net him a fair bit of strength and stamina but it also gave him two skills The passive would slowly add up especially now while he was absolutely ripping through large groups of enemies But Randidly was far more interested in the first skill that would let him empower any moves

He experimented with it for a few minutes empowering strikes and leaps Even the few attempts he did pushed it up to Lvl 3 of the skill Although it was nowhere near enough to equal the extra strength that was added to an attack by heavy blow it was just enough to give him an edge

Randidly grinned And combined with Haste The sudden shift in speed was enough to leave most enemies he would encounter dazed he was willing to bet

Randidly then used the remaining 6 PP he had to start and finish Monster Slayer III

Congratulations You have completed the Monster Hunter III Path +3 stat +3 to Health Mana and Stamina Sometimes the path you walk is stained by the blood of those who would stand against you but you must continue

Having a sudden thought Randidly turned back and regarded the Newbie Village He had seen Decklan Tera and a few of the survivors going off together into the woods but Donny had remained behind

Donny had been rather unpredictable thus far and it worried Randidly He wanted the village to prosper generally but specifically he wanted them to grow so he could learn more information about classes and villages As it currently was Donny didn’t appear to appreciate either the gift that Randidly had given him or the danger of the world even now that he had a class

It was time to change that

Although it would be a hassle taking Donny hunting was the smart long term play the kid needed to survive Honestly with the gains he probably made last night and a few more levels today his increase in health would be enough to sustain him as long as he didn’t do anything stupid

as long as he didn’t do anything stupid

Sighing Randidly walked over towards Donny who was standing with Chubbs

Ahaha Well Donny was saying but then his eyes brightened as Randidly approached Ah Here let Randidly handle this I’m just off hunting

Randidly grabbed him by his dirty t shirt before he could skulk away Perfect I was just thinking the same thing Let’s hunt for a few hours

As Donny nodded uncertainly Randidly turned to Chubbs What is it

Oh I got a class and my first class ended up being Quartermaster The stat gains are pretty small but I got the skill Insight that let’s me intuit things based on the amount of information I have So I was wondering if Boss Donny had any ideas on what

Randidly interrupted him Track down everyone with a class and interview them Find out classes and stat gains Also ask them about weird Skills they gained and what skills level up the fastest Then ask about Paths and skills gained from those Then ask about class specific paths Then ask after habits of enemies Then local flora and fauna that have changed since the system appeared Understood Good I will speak to you later

Randidly pivoted on his heel and walked away Donny trailing along behind him

Donny stabbed his sword into the neck of another lizard its struggles against the roots binding it completely useless

A small ding notified him he had leveled up again and he brought up his status screen

Donny Parke

Class Knight

Level 6

Health(/R per hour) 100/122 (22 25)

Mana(/R per hour) 25/25 (3)

Stam(/R per min) 11/70 (9)

Str 15

Agi 4

Resistance 11

Willpower 3

Inteligence 2

Skills Hiding Lvl 7 Running Lvl 5 Grappling Lvl 3 Club Wielding Lvl 2 Wood Working Lvl 2 Construction Lvl 3 Labor Lvl 5 Heavy Blow Lvl 3 Mana Bolt Lvl 1 Ride Lvl 1 Honorable Charge Lvl 2 Stalwart Defense Lvl 5 (1) Sword Master Lvl 3 (2) Shield Mastery Lvl 6

Even though Randidly had told him to keep his Vit and End high for survivability Donny had decided that what a true leader needed was not the ability to Endure but the Strength to do something about problems

Still this sort of hunting was very unsatisfying for Donny and seemed to be so too for Randidly Earlier Randidly had asked whether Donny wanted this to be hard or easy Donny had naturally chosen easy and this had followed for a boring 45 minutes

Looking at his double digit strength Donny hefted his shield and bumped it lightly against a nearby tree enjoying the way the trunk shook He turned to look at Randidly who as always was in a constant state of motion

Whether to it was practicing with the spear mixing weird chemicals shooting off spells or striking trees he always maintained constant motion Inwardly Donny was slightly worried about Randidly’s mental health but was pleased he had such a dedicated subordinate

But then the Randidly of last night flashed before Donny’s eyes a man soaked in gore and moving like wind and he couldn’t help but shiver

Shaking his head Donny said I uh changed my mind This is too easy Can we do this faster The hard way maybe

Shockingly Randidly stopped and turned to Donny his gaze placid Perhaps But once you choose the hard way you won’t be able to stop it halfway It might take a few hours

Ha that’s fine Donny said scratching the back of his head The longer I am away from that creepy Village guy the better

Randidly gave Donny a small smile Nul I also find him rather creepy Follow me

Randidly practically disappeared even though he had been right in front of Donny not seconds ago Donny hurried through the brush kicking it aside and cursing trying to keep up Uh Randidly So why are you helping us You seem so strong already And you don’t want a class

As if by magic Randidly stepped out from behind a tree to Donny’s left causing him to jump How had he

I am looking for my friends But I do not know where to start This Section’ as the announcement called it It’s too big Trying to find two people Randidly shook his head

So you are giving up Donny asked mouth gaping Randidly gave him a sharp look

Of course not But if I cannot find them alone I have few options One of them is to grow the village so much that it attracts them Another is to recruit people to help me in my search Randidly hesitated then said Or I wait long enough that most of the population is concentrated and then search those locations After all the Newbie Village mechanic will drive people to gather around an area they can receive classes Only waiting that long worries me

Then Randidly blinked and grinned turning and looking deeper into the forest

Ah here is the first batch Let the hard way begin

Chapter 29

Uh minion Shouldn’t we

No we continue

Ah but my Health is low and my regeneration

I told you to invest in vitality did I not When you level next do so You need the regeneration

Well just for now GACK YOU KICKED ME

You would not advance Raise your shield the imps are coming

Ahh THEY ARE THROWING FIRE

If nothing else your class gives you resistance which should weaken the effect of magic

Ahh

enough for you to survive this Don’t worry 10 more seconds and I will intervene

WHAT YOU ARE STILL JUST STANDING THERE

how else would you learn how to defend yourself Careful they are aiming for your legs

Just barely passable You survived for the 10 seconds but you passed out immediately afterwards Drink this and then we continue

Noo oo just let me die

Did I hear you correctly You want the difficulty to be raised Although your performance is shit your attitude can be considered barely deserving of a compliment Let us go then

Put Me Down

Ah good here is a large group Careful of the lizard bites their teeth are very sharp Hum perhaps we should gather some and take them back to Sam

Do you really want to kill me

Obviously not But let me ask you a question

SHiiITT ITS BITING Mee

You want to be a knight yes The Dusk Knight To have the strength to be the Village Chieftain and lead us

Haa Haa DIE YOU FUCKING SHIT

With your level of strength anything other than defense is inadvisable You are like a turtle Even now you can only knock them backwards with your shield and wait for my help

BECAUSE YOU BRING 20 OF THEM AT ONCE

But can you deny that they are weak They have no weapons they have no skills they are common fodder Yet you struggle Is this what you want To struggle against these forever

Ha ha ha haah

What I’m saying is this we have a relationship I have strength but no ability or willingness to deal with people You have little strength right now but you can handle people Well handle might be a strong word but

Fuck It hurts so bad

However that was just in the old world When that police officer came from town he did not back down after you refused them He postured with force For sure he will return seeking what he wants And what will you as village chieftain do

fuck

What will you do

What will you do Donny

Damnit

What will you DO

I’ll fight if I have to I’ll stare down a gun I’ll throw him back until he agrees to call me boss

Aside from the boss comment Good But you remain too weak for me to believe you I’ll kill most but these last 5 I shall leave for you After you finish them we shall immediately continue

Haah Is this Really necessary

Did you think it was easy Finding strength I mean You must sweat for every ounce of it

Ugh

Don’t worry that Decklan character seems promising If you die he will just be the figurehead of my new Newbie Village

Ha ha That prick

He seems charming enough Did you know that Tera has taken to sleeping with him

WHAT HOW DID THAT GaaH

That’s what you get for letting your attention wander Focus ahead I’ve brought more monsters

Although Donny was sure he was going to die he couldn’t deny that the training was effective

Level 9

Health(/R per hour) 100/217 (52 25)

Mana(/R per hour) 25/45 (3)

Stam(/R per min) 11/120 (19)

Str 18

Perception 6

Resistance 16

Skills Hiding Lvl 7 Running Lvl 5 Grappling Lvl 5 Club Wielding Lvl 2 WoodWorking Lvl 2 Construction Lvl 3 Labor Lvl 6 Heavy Blow Lvl 5 Mana Bolt Lvl 1 Ride Lvl 1 Honorable Charge Lvl 2 Stalwart Defense Lvl 9 (1) Sword Master Lvl 5 (2) Shield Mastery Lvl 11 (3) Shield Bash Lvl 3 (4) Aegis Lvl 1

After looking at his status screen for a long minute Donny turned to Randidly What level are you

Randidly stopped moving through the spear forms and turned to him shrugging I do not have a level

Then Donny looked at him with wide eyes Your strength

Randidly just smiled and said Skill Now let’s head back You need to rest before the people from town return

Chapter 30

Randidly didn’t gain anything for 4 hours aside from the profound satisfaction for finally getting to experience the perverse joy of forcing someone to go through the torment Shal had subjected him to It was also nice to reassure himself that Donny wasn’t just a sack of shit and also possessed some backbone but really the profound joy from stepping into Shal’s brutal shoes was the true reward at the end of the day

That and of course some skill levels

He had decided to put more effort into increasing the utility of his Root Manipulation skill and had begun allocating stat points into control to increase its usefulness This also seemed to have a very small effect on the mana expenditure using the roots although once more Randidly was confused whether his control made him more efficient or his higher control made the mana use more efficient

He was quite pleased with the 2 skill levels he had earned in 4 hours on that front Calculated Blow had risen to 4 and Randidly was beginning to sense the weak points of the imps and lizards that he fought Not that he really needed them

In addition Empower had increased to level 6 and Randidly was swiftly learning that although the stamina cost was pretty debilitative in an extended fight it was oppresively powerful He planned to practice using it while performing spear forms and spear footwork If he could master it

But Randidly knew that the real way to grow was not training here And to that end after dropping off a sobbing Donny onto Chubbs lapRandidly headed due east away from the town towards what used to be a lake

Now there was only sloping hills that gave way to a cracked plateau noticeably devoid of people Randidly suspected there must be an edge to the safe zone He didn’t think the entire map was really a safe zone just that many probably sprung up around people giving them a chance at life

But beyond that in this wide area

Randidly gained a point in Pathfinding and Mapmaking as he reached the edge of what the map was telling him was a place that was safe to be Beyond that point the map was tinged red

Grinning Randidly stepped over the line and began to creep forward falling into habits he had picked up in the dungeon Spear out Eyes of the Spear Phantom constantly activated scanning the surrounding ground

And it was a good thing that he was prepared because when the enemy came it came fast

It was a bolt of fur and snarls rushing at Randidly’s blindspot He spun quickly Mana shield activating instantly but the creature smashed through the shield within a second

Randidly’s eyes narrowed his blood roaring in his ears But all he felt was elation

Yes it was always like this wasn’t it

His spear shot forward utilizing Heavy Blow and Phantom Thrust the attack almost impossible to see with the naked eye but the black bolt simply flowed around it a flash of light on its claws the only signal that an attack was coming

Entangling Roots activated huge roots rushing upwards to grip the slippery thing But it hopped to the side its momentum almost completely maintained as it rushed forward

But this time Randidly was ready As the creature made its leap to the side Randidly attacked again throwing everything he had at the monster Phantom Onslaught Haste Empower A dozen stabs ripped forward towards the ever so slightly off balance creature and although it was slippery several long gashes were left on the creature’s body slowing it

Although Entangling Roots made roots and grasped with them they slowly stiffened after the spell was cast until the mana supporting them disappeared But as he wounded the creature Randidly activated Root Manipulation causing the roots from the previous spell to grow forward and slam down on top of the creature

Somehow Randidly had again underestimated its speed as it slashed at his throat before the roots could arrive aiming for the kill Only a Empowered Spear Phantom’s Footwork enabled Randidly to dodge and even then a long gash was left in his shoulder his health dropping a good 30%

The roots smashed against the creature and it seemed to sway concentrated on speed rather than strength and it was able to twist so it was facing forward to slash at these new foes The creature hissed in pain as its movements caused blood to pump out of the long scratches Randidly had left on its torso and that was all the change Randidly needed

While its head was turned only half a meter from this speedy death machine Randidly raised his hand and activated Arcane Orb at close range

He could feel his finger break from the force of the explosion but when the smoke cleared it had apparently also been enough to shatter the spine of the thing finally killing it

Randidly had around 60% of his health remaining but 20% and 5% of mana and stamina And when the second two ran out the first would be swiftly devoured by another weird creature like this He swiftly picked up the body which only seemed to weigh around 80 lbs and the small necklace it had dropped while dying and returned to an area not marked red

Licking his lips Randidly couldn’t suppress the strange emotions running through him The thrill of a fight when his life was on the line The fear of death The responsibility he had towards the strange Newbie Town he had created

The need to find Ace and Sydney and the slowly growing anxiety as no easy way to do so presented itself

He sat down to meditate setting aside the body for now Although the battle was short it was incredibly fruitful Not only did he sharpen the little bit of an edge he had lost since coming here he had gained a skill level in Physical Fitness Iron Skin Entangling Roots Mana Shield Dodge Phantom Thrust Spear Phantom’s Footwork Root Manipulation Arcane Orb Phantom Onslaught and Empower

All in all that was 11 PP in 23 or so seconds Randidly’s face split into a grin but then he grimaced Although this was good improvement the problem was the risks associated with it He wanted to continue to go out and farm in this zone but

If he encountered a second one at the same time

But then he remembered one of the last pieces of advice Shal had given him right before they had made their final successful attack on the boss

A spear can only go forward and thus a spearman must hold tight to the shaft and support it or he will lose it and become just a man Shortly afterward he will undoubtedly die

Chuckling to himself Randidly looked out towards the cracked plateau with its strange cat creatures with excited eyes

Chapter 31

During the course of recovering he had gained another point in meditation which was always a pleasant surprise Every point in that increased the effectiveness of his regeneration especially while training As he stood preparing to head into the plateau again his stomach rumbled

Annoyed Randidly looked at the horizon It was a few hours passed noon and he had not bothered to take a break after training Donny to eat And he had not thought to bring food with him

His stomach rumbled again

Grumbling Randidly turned away making a promise to himself that he would return tomorrow But there were several reasons he wanted to return early to the camp

One was to witness Donny’s resolve and the other was hold up his end of the bargain if it was a contest of strength Randidly was not yet willing to let the Newbie Village be on the losing end of it If it was to grow into something that would be a useful platform for him it needed to survive these earlier encounters

Randidly opened up his Path screen as he walked He had already put a few points into Monster Slayer IV and the amount he currently had enabled him to finish it

Congratulations You have completed the Monster Slayer IV Path +4 stat + 5 to Health Regen Mana Regen and Stamina Regen Sometimes the path forward leads through blood and gore

Randidly’s eyes immediately sharpened as he examined this notification An increase in regeneration Although the costs for the Monster Slayer path were getting higher these increases The stat was small but he had never gotten regeneration before

Interested he poured the rest into Monster Slayer V raising it to 7/25 Then he took out the necklace that the monster had dropped It had simply been a common level 33 enemy apparently on par with what Randidly faced in the dungeon but its speed was so overwhelming that it seemed more powerful than that Although that was compensated by having a relatively weak body A single direct spell from Randidly was able to kill it

It was to a weak point and his intelligence had increased since the beginning of his journey but it still wasn’t oppressively high enough to one hit most monsters of that level Or any of them to Randidly’s knowledge Considering this Randidly looked at the item

Necklace of the Shadow Cat Lvl 20 ® Vitality +1 Strength +2 Agility +7

Randidly was still quite a few levels away from being able to equip the item and take advantage of the stat boosts but the possibility tantalized him Just the boost to agility alone Then he grimaced and shook his head

Frustrated Randidly wondered how you could ever obtain items you could use by fighting monsters Shaking his head he jogged back towards the Newbie Village

Luckily it seemed he had arrived before anything had happened The sun still remained high in the sky Randidly estimated it to be around 4 pm Quickly he went to check on his plants

He harvested the ripe ones and replanted them checked on his second series of fields then started opening a 3rd field where he began to place stranger combinations of plants next to each other Although he didn’t have much hope that he would find more recipes for potions it didn’t hurt to try

While munching on some Halnuts Randidly considered his stats

Health(/R per hour) 206/262 (+6) (109 25 (+9

Mana(/R per hour) 139/249 (51 75)

Stam(/R per min) 105/233 (39 5 (+3

Vit 32 (+3)

Agi 42 (+3)

Inteligence 54

Control 31

Focus 17

Equipment Average Leather Tunic Lvl 5 (+2 Vit) Gloves of Quickness (Vit +1 Agi +3) Necklace of the Shadow Cat Lvl 20 ® (Locked)

Skills Running Lvl 17 Physical Fitness Lvl 25 Sneak Lvl 19 Farming Lvl 20 Mana Bolt Lvl 28 Heavy Blow Lvl 22 Acid Resistance Lvl 22 Poison Resistance Lvl 14 Sprinting Lvl 13 Iron Skin Lvl 25 Equip Lvl 16 Plant Breeding Lvl 9 Meditation Lvl 27 Dagger Mastery Lvl 8 Entangling Roots Lvl 28 Mana Shield Lvl 23 Dodge Lvl 26 Potion Making Lvl 19 Analyze Lvl 24 Pathfinding Lvl 8 Mapmaker Lvl 4 Spear Mastery Lvl 38 Phantom Thrust Lvl 38 Pain Resistance Lvl 11 Fighting Proficiency Lvl 27 First Aid Lvl 12 Block Lvl 24 Spear Phantom’s Footwork Lvl 22 Eyes of the Spear Phantom Lvl 16 Phantom Half Step Lvl 4 Mental Strength Lvl 8 Curse Resistance Lvl 3 Root Manipulation Lvl 24 Green Spear Mastery Lvl 224 Arcane Orb Lvl 17 Haste Lvl 10 Phantom Onslaught Lvl 10 Sweep Lvl 9 Spear Deflect Lvl 5 Empower Lvl 7 Calculated Blow Lvl 4

Randidly knew he had grown stronger and it was due to a variety of things The sheer quantity of skills he knew gave him a natural advantage over most others when it came to paths and that was one that he would never lose He could always level these skills And based on what he had heard from Shal he could forget them to learn others

It made him wonder whether it would be worth it to take the time to learn a bunch of skills and keep them at low level It probably wouldn’t be hard to ask around especially to Chubbs now that he had put him to work and find some that wouldn’t be too hard The question was simply whether it was worth the time spent and right now he wasn’t sure It was only just now coming up on 2 days since he had left the dungeon

The other big help had been the addition of Green Spear Mastery It basically leveled when anything else leveled And every 5 levels he would get one of four rotating things 5 mana 1 Vitality 5 Stamina and finally 2 distributable stat points Which meant that as his skill was now past 200 hundred

10 Vitality 50 mana 50 stamina and 20 stats to anything Mostly Intelligence Agility and most recently Control Although it was slight Randidly was really beginning to appreciate what Control could do for his Root Manipulation Especially after that fight with the cat Speaking of the cat

Randidly made a mental note to take the body to Sam later

Then his mind drifted back to his status screen Although his current build made him strong now he was slightly worried that if he attempted to keep this up it would ultimately lead to weakness He couldn’t stay good at everything And the choice of what to specialize in

Shaking his head Randidly took a rare break leaning back against the ground feeling the warmth of the sun and hearing the movement of the trees

Men were shouting good naturedly up around the Newbie Village where Randidly believed they were play fighting trying to relieve stress and get a handle on the new determinative factor in their lives strength

Randidly heard the steps before the body had approached him but Randidly didn’t move Chubbs sat down next to him and it was easy to sense the apprehension that the kid felt

Speak Randidly said simply

Chubbs nodded and opened his mouth Um I did as you requested and asked around about

Anything unexpected or interesting Any powerful seeming classes

Uh Chubbs hesitated Well no Donny’s is the best but I think Decklan’s might even be better if

Anything else Randidly didn’t really mean for his tone to come off as sharply as it did but he couldn’t deny that hearing the mundane details wasn’t something he wanted

But finally delightedly Chubbs surprised him actually Yes I wanted to talk about the growth of the Newbie Village

Growth Randidly asked sitting up and turning towards the other man

Chubbs nodded Yes Nul Doesn’t like you I think because you didn’t get a class from him and I have some theories as to why that is but I also believe that due to that same fact he has no need to be honest or forthright with you But when I asked him things alone he was more than happy to assist me

You see Chubbs continued It’s like a currency system Donny as the boss gains points when people he gave classes to level up and when they kill monsters Those points can be spent on buying buildings for the Newbie Village or buy upgrading the village which I believe is basically upgrading Nul He’s like the spirit of the village Which is why he doesn’t like you Your strength does nothing to bring Soul Points to the village

Randidly nodded slowly buying buildings for the village

Oh yes That’s what I wanted to talk to you about We have gathered around 500 Soul Points and that’s enough to buy one of the basic shops Weapons Armor Accessories Potions or the Marketplace I wanted to know well Donny says he’s going to save up for the upgrade but I think it might be better

What’s your name Randidly asked looking at Chubbs directly for the first time Although he was heavy for his age he was still tall and strong looking His hair was light brown and his eyes were the same mild color

He blinked at the question Ah Daniel

Daniel what currency would we spend at these shops

Daniel opened his mouth then closed it Then he got up and hurried up the hill

Shaking his head Randidly walked back over and continued to expand his fields planting more food He had a feeling that soon they would need it if he was going to support all these mooches for much longer

Chapter 32

As Randidly had expected the police officer returned What he hadn’t really anticipated was that the group of them would drive over in a police van and hop out in full swat gear They strutted forward heading once more towards the main building where Donny stood his arms crossed and looking petulant

Slipping closer Randidly wondered idly how much health a bullet would deplete Probably not a large amount especially if you had some endurance to toughen you up A human started with something like 20 health and were pretty easily killed by bullets But it wasn’t even the impact it was the internal damage the bleeding

So maybe vitality would be more useful for surviving a bullet

Decklan lounged on one of the wooden chairs that Sam would trade for a certain number of wolverine or lizard carcasses considering the approaching police force Based on their stature and stance the first 3 or so were well trained but the rest

Well they were likely newly deputized Their hands kept jumping to their guns and their helmeted heads flicked back and forth scanning the rather sizable crowd

Decklan was extremely disappointed that he had missed the chance to be trained by Randidly like Donny had but he had made himself useful in other ways Him Tera and some of the other survivors from last night had made rounds through some of the nearby valleys looking for small hamlets that used to be there Some were there some weren’t

Sometimes the ones that were there were covered in gore but others had survivors either looking up at the pillar of light from the Newbie Village with suspicious eyes or cowering in their cellars Either way when Decklan arrived he gave them a greasy smile and gave them something they hadn’t had in a while the chance for human interaction

They managed to gather 20 odd people during the day and about the same amount had drifted in seeking the light

What was most pleasing was that their group now numbered 8 women not including Tera More disappointing was the fact that none were as young and fresh as Tera looked except for one that was firmly under the arm of a rather special individual who called himself Dozer

Dozer was built like a linebacker and had a forehead that could crack granite What was more annoying was that he obtained the class Brute which apparently gave +2 Str per level +1 Stat and +4 health/mana/stamina

The flat strength bonus was a lot less useful than Donny’s split among three stats but even if Dozer wouldn’t grow up to be tough he could hit hard

Right now Decklan Dozer and about a dozen other sat in chairs watching the police approach lounging lazily like the group that knew they were effectively the strongest of people who were here currently

Decklan and the other survivors hadn’t joined in the sparring but Dozer had Decklan had no doubt that he had put everything he could into strength with the way he had thrown another man like a rag doll taking his chair as spoils and joining Decklan’s circle his raven haired female friend under his arm

But that event did have a positive consequence one of the newer individuals who wandered up a thin man with glasses revealed himself to have the class Disciple and possess the skill healing palm mending the wound making a recovery that should take weeks only take hours

That man Ptolemy also sat in the circle of chairs albeit nervously

One of the newcomers shifted uneasily as the police stopped in front of Donny who stood alone by the Village Chieftain’s House

Think uh think we should go help The man asked uncertainly

They have guns just sit down it will sort itself out Another hissed

Decklan just chuckled It’s fine Nothing will happen as long as the Ghosthound is watching

The four individuals who had taken classes to fight and survived last night nodded fervently having witnessed his strength

Dozer grunted and tilted his head

Who is The Ghosthound The girl under his arm asked her voice slightly petulant

Closing his eyes Decklan ignored the question and the talking ceased as the head police officer removed his helmet revealing his dark skin and serious face

Kid I’m only going to ask you once

And I’m going to say this once Donny interrupted his voice nasally but lower and more controlled than Decklan had been expecting If you refuse to come under my flag why should I help you The more people who take classes from here the more monsters assault us every night

The group around Decklan started muttering shocked at this news but Decklan saw Dozer open his mouth in a tiny little tooth smile To Decklan’s surprise Donny continued to speak wiping away any positive goodwill he had built for his calm demeanor

We could barely make it through last night alive It’s too much of a risk to allow more people to get classes

The answer is simple The policeman responded Move into the city We have set up a defensive perimeter The monsters will be easily slaughtered

But Donny was shaking his head already The Village needs to be defended If the monsters make it to the center and destroy it it becomes

Then we will give you that protection Police Officers will be stationed out here You might have classes but we have guns Why are you being so stubborn We are trying to help

Donny just stared him down You might have guns but you are not strong If you were you would just kill a blue monster yourself and obtain a coin to found your own Newbie Village Do you think you can hide and still benefit from those of us who risk our lives

You fucking little The head policeman stepped forward but his instincts stopped him dead

There is another option The voice was mild but the fact that the 20 something man in front of him had appeared there without any warning cooled the police officer’s temper

was this ’ He wondered The power of a class ’

Decklan leaned forward and waved his hand lazily his eyes glued onto the action enters the Ghosthound

Dozer frowned and squinted at the figure Decklan admitted he wasn’t anything much Tall but not too tall Athletic looking but in a wiry way with the long arms of a swimmer Short dark hair Cold eyes the color sunlight on grass a vivid warm green that strangely filled you with a deep fear

His trademark spear was nowhere to be seen but Decklan had seen it appear from thin air before He was wearing tan shorts and a brown shirt with a satchel over his shoulder His feet were bare and dirty and it looked like he had been bleeding because his left shoulder was stained red

Another Way The policeman repeated eyeing the figure in front of him His initial instincts from 10 years on the force told him that he wasn’t a threat but something deeper more primal made him cautious And the possibility of a class gave him pause

But then the man did something the policeman hadn’t expected He flourished his hand and produced a golden coin

Most of the watcher’s eyes went wide as saucers

I was worried that you would press so I had insurance There should be 4 blue bosses in the area I’ve taken the goblin and the wolverines The imps possess magic and you are too fearful of the lizards underground dens to challenge them right You were at a loss right

The police officer’s fist tightened Randidly tilted his head to the side and looked at them You can have it All I want in exchange is glassware

Glassware The policeman repeated in a disbelieving tone Randidly nodded

Beakers vials jars That sort of thing Anything glass and sealable Plastic will not work Deal

The police officer stood still towering a good 5 inches above Randidly But Decklan had watched people all his life and the police man was the one who stank of fear

what is your name The policeman finally asked

Ghosthound The word was soft but Decklan felt himself and several others mimic the word saying it silently feeling it out with their mouth echoing it so it hit the Police officer again in a soundless wave

Ghosthound

Fine Ghosthound you have a deal

And with that Randidly flipped the coin to the police officer and walked away heading towards Donny After an unwilling few seconds as the Police Officer struggled over the fact he had been clearly dismissed he turned and walked away the rest of his group following

Decklan watched it all with sparkling eyes Humans were complex and simple at the same time

They had 1000 motivations 1000 justifications 1000 reasons They struggled and fought for all of them or none of them

But sometimes it only took one powerful ideal one object one symbol for all the complexity to fall into line It didn’t seem likely that anyone in the village would act out too much with this powerful figure lurking in the shadows

Decklan found his lips moving again almost against his will

Chapter 33

Randidly walked towards Donny annoyed that he stepped forward and was forced to deal with the cop but glad that it had turned out simply He was slightly worried about making sure that the town honored the deal and brought him glassware but if they dragged their feet he started actively taking it and they wouldn’t be able to say anything about it

Mostly Randidly just wished the system included some skills that helped with interpersonal skills at this point it was halfway between something he didn’t want to deal with and half something he didn’t know how to deal with He had been a quiet gamer before the system came He wasn’t equipped for this

Still once he had all those containers he could really up his potion production which would benefit the whole village

But for now Randidly went to speak with Donny who appeared to be still glaring after the police and Daniel who had walked out of the Chieftain’s House and was speaking rapidly Awkwardly rubbing his neck Randidly approached After today he was done interacting with people

After a short discussion Randidly believed he had made himself clear

The first building they would buy was the Recycler building which would buy certain parts from the corpses of monsters in exchange for currency they could spend at other Shops This would build excitement for the eventual shops to come and give the people an immediate goal which would keep them satisfied

These justifications were Daniel’s and Randidly agreed He in fact agreed so much that he directed Donny to concentrate solely on leadership leaving Daniel to make the bland decisions about construction

When framed as construction Donny seemed to agree whimsically smiling as he recounted his heroic stand against the police to himself

The final order of business Daniel wished to discuss was food Specifically they had meat but were any of Randidly’s crops able to be eaten

Annoyed Randidly dumped most of his first haul onto the ground the non potion making items and returned to his fields and watch stand exhausted mentally

But just as he settled down into his spot to train he saw the corpse of the cat he had killed in the cracked plateau and groaned at the memory of one more discussion he had to have before he could focus on training

Grumbling he walked over towards Sam’s campsite the cat laying across his shoulders He thought about the three crouching bodies of who he assumed were Sam’s daughters Unbidden the words of the teenager rose to his mind

It looked like fireworks ’

Randidly looked down at his hands as he crossed the clearing He hadn’t even stopped to consider the beauty of his magic just its utility He had come into this world with the system an inch away from death It was hard to see these skills as anything but tools of survival and survival meant killing others for strength

But his strength remained insufficient Outside of the safe zone he was once more an inch from death This small cat was enough to force him to go all out

Sydney Ace

Randidly’s hands tightened into fists It was hard to realistically think that he could find them before they were forced into a situation where they would die Without Randidly here the group probably wouldn’t have had a village for several days or a week tops The police probably would have made a concerted effort to hunt down the goblins at some point

If they were out there now without classes But there was no way to find them in the huge area of the map It was better to operate on the assumption that they would survive They both were strong Far stronger than Randidly had been prior to his experience in the dungeon They would live

The logical conclusion was that they would group up with people to survive So his best bet would be to find other Newbie Villages looking for rumor of them

Randidly stopped

Honestly he hadn’t even thought to ask around here or in the area the policeman controlled They might even be there

Feeling a small flame of hope for the first time in a while Randidly walked into the area of Sam’s fire As he did so a glowing blue butterfly floated up towards him

Instinct took over and Randidly’s spear appeared in his hand a Phantom Thrust ripping through the thing dispersing it into glimmering motes of light

Told you it was a bad idea Sam stood over the fire slowly rotating some wolverine meat Next to him stood two figures To Randidly’s surprise neither were cloaked nor hooded but instead wore strange dresses made from stitched together wolverine pelts

How was I supposed to know he would freak out and attack it What was up with that anyway The smaller figure spoke tilting her head to the side and regarding Randidly She had medium length blonde hair pulled up into a ponytail Her cheekbones were sharp and her lips were expressive She was honestly one of the most beautiful women Randidly had ever seen in a girl next door kinda way And it did seem like she was the same figure who spoke to him last night

What was more intriguing was that it seemed like she had created that strange butterfly it was a construct of mana But what sort of skill could it have been Perhaps some sort of scouting

Randidly put his spear away still regarding the girl thoughtfully She was starting to glare at him and Sam looked up from the meat and was also regarding Randidly coolly Randidly opened his mouth to speak

What sort of skill was that

Like what you see The second figure spoke tartly and then froze hearing Randidly’s words

Randidly turned to regard the second woman who stood six inches taller than the first almost as tall as Randidly himself Full figured with golden skin that looked like honey this woman was also beautiful Her heart shaped face was of the style that modern culture found most attractive where the other girl’s features were too sharp and impish Even as she blushed she looked incredibly attractive

Turning to Sam Randidly said I assume you made these clothes to ugly them up a bit Really great effort But I can see why they would prefer not to just walk around

Sam gave Randidly a wry smile and Randidly turned back towards the first woman The skill

Oh this She said shyly raising her hand producing a glowing orb It instantly sputtered and disappeared and she shook her head in annoyance Fuck shit out of mana It’s just called Mana Manipulation I can basically do anything if I have enough mana Cool right

Mana Manipulation Was mana something that was really that easy to manipulate Randidly basically just focused on the skill and it would occur He couldn’t tell without looking at his status what his mana was at there was no sensation of loss just a weird sensation of inward movement Even when his mana pool was empty he didn’t really feel it just noticed based on the ease of skill use

Setting that information aside for now Randidly just nodded and placed the cat at Sam’s feet You’ve been working on making clothes right Make me something with this It should be much higher quality than the wolverines

Sam grunted and then said Alright I’ll work on it for tomorrow For now did you bring any food You don’t eat for free around here

Helpless Randidly produced more of his farmed fruits and nuts making a mental note to make a 4th field

Chapter 34

During the meal some rudimentary introductions were made

This is Lyra Sam said gesturing the blonde girl who was ripping chunks off of her meat She flicked her hand dismissively at them and then continued to eat Then Sam pointed to the other woman That’s Ellaine The other two won’t join us tonight We were all traveling together in the truck when the system came online I hit a wolverine and got the skill Driving Lvl 1 I knew something had changed

Ellaine voraciously ripped through Randidly’s fruits seemingly glad to eat something aside from meat Besides that the meal was relatively quiet all three of them giving Randidly strange glances He ignored it preferring to wait for them to just say what they were thinking But considering their complexions it didn’t seem like they were his daughters Then who were they

After the meal Sam gestured him over to talk about equipment They walked behind the truck to an area where several small wooden tables had been erected On them were various garments made of Wolverine pelt Most of them appeared to be shoulder pads

It’s surprisingly difficult to work to make armor from these creatures body parts Part of it is the difficulty in manipulating the fur and scales but the other part is my own body I need points in strength just to handle it I’ve worked out a pretty good system for making them and made a few discoveries

Before that try this Randidly reached down to the cat he was carrying and held it up by a paw Then he pulled ripping out one of the claws After brushing off the gore covered tendon he offered it to Sam

Sam took it with a frown and then pressed the claw one of the shoulder pads he had made It passed through it like it was nothing

Higher quality eh Sam grunted shaking his head Then he said Well thank you Anyway I made some discoveries You have the Equip skill right I got it too Still I can see all the stats of the equipment because I’m the creator Take a look at it

Randidly took the shoulder pad and examined it

Poorly Made Shoulder Pad Lvl 11 An amateur’s work +2 Health

Randidly frowned Much worse than receiving a single point in vitality And its level was so high

But then I did some experiments I can’t get the bonus because my equip level is too low but the girls can without the Equip skill It gives you vision but it also limits you Not that the PP isn’t useful but that most people should just not learn it and trust the sellers for the information about it More importantly though once I told the girls that none of them learned it even though I’ve had them wear all that stuff for hours Do you get what that means

For the first time ever there was a hint of excitement in Sam’s voice It means that we influence what we can and can’t learn By our beliefs

Randidly nodded slowly that skill of Lyra’s Mana Manipulation I’ve thought about it a bit and I don’t know if I could learn it I’ve thought of this like a game an rpg You learn skills and use mana to cast them that’s it I can’t sense mana Just finding her own understanding made her discover her own skill Makes you wonder about the usefulness of trying to help others at all

Exactly Which is why I think we should keep the information we share with each other general if we do it at all Sam said I have an idea for what I want to do And if it works out

A woman’s hiss and hurried footsteps interrupted their discussion All the excitement disappeared from Sam’s face and he sprang into motion rushing back towards the fire Randidly followed closely his eyes narrowing but they only found a nervous looking Daniel who was staring at the two women

Luckily it looked like they had gotten their hoods up in time because Daniel turned back to Randidly rather quickly

Ghosthound There’s been we unlocked Well follow me I’ll show you

The Killer Decklan was standing smugly in the middle of a circle of people when Randidly approached His eyes flitted across the surrounding men almost 50 of them Their group had really grown today They all parted as he approached and he walked forward finding Donny standing with Decklan and a mean looking brute with dull expressionless eyes

What’s all this for Randidly asked directly

Nul stepped forward with a happy expression Finally one of the villagers has reached Level 10 As such I can now provide a new function for the Newbie Village and Other guests He said giving Randidly a distasteful look

But at least he was now willing to talk to Randidly so having some people here getting classes and leveling must put him in a good mood

Players may use me to transport themselves into far off parts of the Nexus competing in what are called Skill challenges The Prizes are self evident Skills

Randidly straightened his eyes narrowing at Nul you can earn skills

Nul nodded But of course the usefulness depends on how many skill slots your class provides in that way production focused classes have a definite edge In addition your options are limited by what Tier you are in

Tiers Daniel sounded like he was salivating at the thought

Yes Nul continued No doubt you have noticed that there are certain main’ paths that unlock naturally based on total stat value For example you start with Newbie Path and Trainee Path unlocks at 100 Apprentice is 400 Journeyman 750 So although the Skill challenges provide breadth of skills they won’t give anyone a skill more powerful than they are

Nul made a strange gesture with his hand and a notification appeared before Randidly He instantly clicked skill challenges

Newbie Running 5 SP Jumping 5 SP Dogding 5 SP

Trainee Slash 10 SP Endure 10 SP Roundhouse Kick 10 SP Sneak 10 SP Magic Missile 15 SP Healing Palm 25 SP

Apprentice (Locked)

Randidly did some quick math His current total stats were 358 not including items which Randidly suspected did not count That meant he needed less than 50 to unlock the Apprentice Path But for now

Of the available skills some Randidly already had Others like Jumping Slash and Endure seemed like they would be easy for some levels but he ultimately wouldn’t use them On the other hands Roundhouse Kick Magic Missile and Healing Palm intrigued him The first for some variance in his fighting style the second for another spell and the third for the utility it could bring should he ever be injured while alone

How do you get SP Randidly asked shortly turning to Nul

Nul’s lips pursed in distaste Normally you would earn it passively by gaining levels and killing a certain number of enemies You will need to trade in especially rare items in order to gather it

Will this suffice Randidly produced a third gold coin this one taken by killing the rare boss of the lizards Nul’s eyes widened and he nodded happily accepting it

Yes this is good for 500 SP Randidly’s eyes narrowed at the amount but he didn’t ask for the coin back If Nul was so willing to part with SP it was probably a treasure

But Randidly knew nothing about the system so it was hard to gauge Still the smug grin on Nul’s face did not sit well in Randidly’s stomach

How does it work Daniel inquired Most of the other nearby people had turned away uninterested After all although the skills would give them variety they would take up a valuable skill spot As their class advanced they would naturally unlock paths relating to that class giving them skills As such this was a cost they weren’t willing to pay

Simple just select the skill and the trial begins Time will flow differently there so if you pass others will think it took you but a moment But of course if you fail Nul snorted giving Randidly a glance

But Randidly flashed him a grim smile and selected the Roundhouse Kick skill

Chapter 35

The world around Randidly warped and he suddenly found himself in an archaic stone room lit by torches A notification hovered in front of him

Defeat the Guardian and gain power But be careful it will not be easy

A dark figure stood in front of Randidly regarding him coolly As Randidly dismissed the notification the figure exploded into motion rushing towards him

Or at least the figure exploded as much as he could with his seemingly low stats Randidly stepped to the side avoided the roundhouse kick the figure aimed at him and lashed out his hand slashing at the opponent’s throat

When the blow landed the dark figure shattered turning into a black mist that flowed into Randidly’s body

Congratulations You have learned the skill Roundhouse Kick Lvl 1

And just like that Randidly found himself back in the dark clearing the group of people slowly dispersing Daniel was giving him an uneasy look

Perhaps you should go first He said his brown eyes nervous If there is danger

Randidly snorted I’ve already returned from the Roundhouse kick challenge If you are prepared and have at least 10 in Strength and Agility the Trainee challenges shouldn’t pose a serious problem to anyone here

To demonstrate Randidly performed a slow and controlled roundhouse kick Then he accelerated enjoying the explosive power He might need to increase his flexibility a bit to use this effectively but otherwise it seemed incredibly useful

After a few strikes the skill increased to Level 2 and Randidly ceased kicking the eyes of the watchers wide from the speed of the strikes

Randidly glanced around Even if the skill level was low his agility of 42 probably was a level higher than any present here were used to They obviously hadn’t seen Shal’s casual grace or the vicious speed of the orcs Even the cat beyond the safe zone was an impossibly powerful existence for them

Sighing to himself Randidly wondered if it really was possible for Sydney and Ace to still be alive If they were at this level of strength But then he quieted that thought and turned back to Nul

After obtaining both the Fireball and Healing Palm skills and raising them both to level 2 Randidly decided to take a quick nap The fireball skill produced a ball of flame that would explode on contact Although the explosion was small now the heat was already impressive Randidly was curious how much more powerful the explosion would get

Magic Missile cost the same amount as mana bolt and was slightly weaker but the dart like like missiles could be controlled somewhat causing them to avoid shields defenses or terrain and home in on the enemy

Still even though Randidly wanted to train these useful skills he decided to nap If the enemies would come at the same time as the previous day they wouldn’t come for 6 or so more hours anyway which would give him time to rest

Although it was clear that Randidly didn’t require nearly as much sleep as an average person there was undoubtedly a limit to that and as he planned on once more to go beyond the edge of the safe zone tomorrow he didn’t want to encounter that limit

So he slept

When he awoke it was to a long slow stretch and to a familiar sensation of danger it appeared the horde was coming Randidly stood and moved smoothly out from his cabin drawing his spear Activating Eyes of the Spear Phantom he scanned the edges of the valley

His frown deepened Although he had expected it it was still somewhat intimidating to feel the movements of almost 500 enemies beyond his vision It seemed like the enemies were still gathering so Randidly spared a glance for the forces of the village

Sam had been busy today and it looked like he had help because they managed to set up a fence around the entirety of the village and dig a trench outside that There was a wide gate area but the rest would serve as a way to funnel the enemies into a place where they could be slaughtered

Or at least that was the plan

Turning away Randidly sat and filled his empty potion vials making as concentrated a mana potion as he could His greatest success was a potion that would restore 91 mana but he had several others that would restore 80 at a time Pleasingly his Potion Making skill improved another level the first time in a while

Not today because he wanted to go out beyond the boundary but tomorrow Randidly made a mental note to visit the village of the Policeman and make sure he held up his end of the bargain providing glassware to hold more potions With those Randidly could afford to be much more free with his spells making hordes of low leveled enemies like this dead meat

Rising with glittering eyes Randidly smiled in the darkness

Well it wasn’t like they would be much challenge anyway

As the sun dawned Randidly surveyed the battlefield The fence had certainly bought time during the beginning of the fight but the sheer numbers of monsters had eventually overrun it making it useless and the villagers as they had taken to themselves had been swamped by all sides

Surprisingly they didn’t break Donny’s skills made him a great force for locking down large numbers and focusing their attention Decklan came and went freely wolverines and goblins and lizards falling to the side dead Dozer wielded a huge club smashing at least two or three enemies with every strike

Randidly had started the fight by taking it to them throwing out Arcane Orbs and drinking mana potions like water rocking the enemy lines Of the 500 some probably only 200 made it past him to assault the village But that was still 200 enemies rushing against 50

Casualties had been prevented somewhat by Daniel and a slight man named Ptolemy who gained the Healing Palm skill naturally from his class

But then something happened to the defenders or at least most of them they ran out of stamina

Most of them chose either of Decklan’s or Dozer’s paths focusing on strength or speed Very few chose to invest a heavy amount of their points into Vitality or Endurance resulting in a steep drop off in their skill usage after a few minutes of hectic battle And although they would only need about 2 minutes to recover their stamina fully there was no time for that with a wolverine slashing at your throat

All in all 13 people died their total number of individuals with classes falling to sit at 41

With the sun at his back Randidly stood before the exhausted individuals covered in blood and grime looking at the ground

I’m sure you all noticed it Randidly said speaking softly But most people looked up at him The limits of what you can do without a true tank What you do is your business but you need to be strong enough to defend the village

Inwardly something clicked and Randidly offered a rare smile I will not be present for tomorrow’s horde I hope you manage to survive in my absence

Donny’s face twisted in horror and there was shock and worry on most faces Randidly simply shrugged turning away As he departed he turned and spoke once more over his shoulder Perhaps you should consider forming divisions underneath Donny Decklan and Dozer Specialize but cover all your bases And become familiar with fighting together If you don’t have sufficient individual strength at least come up with a plan Good luck

Randidly knew this would seem like an impossible challenge to them but a day’s worth of leveling especially with some points going into Vitality or Endurance could do a lot And without this prodding they might grow too reliant on him leaving them useless in the future

Chapter 36

As for himself Randidly was quite pleased with the night’s haul although he was slightly perturbed by his lack of reaction to death But he supposed that was just the world they were currently living in

Dodge Fighting Proficiency Spear Phantom’s Footwork and Haste had all improved by 1 level In addition Arcane Orb Empower and Sweep had improved by 2 The biggest gains however were in Roundhouse Kick Healing Palm and Calculated Blow which improved by 4 3 and a staggering 7 respectively

Apparently killing large amounts of low leveled opponents did a lot for Calculated Blow As it was currently it was almost effortless for Randidly to see the weaknesses of the 4 enemies that populated the area

The skill gains were enough for Randidly to finish off Monster Slayer V

Congratulations You have completed the Monster Slayer V Path +5 stat +1 to Health Regen Mana Regen and Stamina Regen Sometimes the path forward leads through blood and gore and sometimes the path is long But you cannot hesitate

But the completion of the path left Randidly with several choices He had unlocked The Monster Slayer Path which would take 50 PP and also still had the Watcher Path but he had also earned Potion Making I Path after getting the skill to lvl 20 It cost 25 but Randidly hesitated because of the real possibility that a skill lay at the end of it

Ultimately the lure of that skill was too great and Randidly chose to pour his remaining 14 PP into Potion Making I As he did so he was delighted to find that after putting 5 in he got a point in Focus and 10 gave him a stat in control It was a nice surprise after the Monster Slayer paths that only gave a completion bonus

After Randidly put the 12 of his 14 PP into Potion Making I path something else happened that gave him pause

Congratulations Your Soul Path Green Spear Mastery has reached level 250 You have followed this path for a long time yet now it forks On your left lays the Waning Rafflesia and on your right lays the Blooming Hydrangea Choose where you wish to Walk

Randidly wasn’t overly familiar flowers but he understood Waning and Blooming as adjectives He briefly considered trying to perhaps consult Sam on what exactly the flowers were but they didn’t seem very important Instead Randidly went with his gut

Waning Rafflesia The other path seemed to be the softer sides of plants growth and healing But Randidly knew that to possess the strength he desired to protect the village to find his friends he needed the strength of rot and death

You have chosen the path of the stinking corpse lily Green Spear Mastery has become Spear of Rot Mastery Skill level has reset to 1 You retain all the benefits of Green Spear Mastery

You have learned the skill Pollen of the Rafflesia Lvl 1 You have learned the skill Edge of Decay Lvl 1 You have learned the skill Summon Pestilence Lvl 1

Pollen of the Rafflesia Release pollen from your spear spreading the scent of spiciness and rot Enemies caught inhaling your pollen will experience drowsiness nausea and minor hallucinations Costs 50 mana Effectiveness depends on Intelligence and skill level

Edge of Decay Passive ability Wounds you inflect contain a hint of Rafflesia’s Rot often leading to increased infection and necrosis of the wounds Frequency of rot and speed of rot depend on skill level

Summon Pestilence The Rafflesia has a strong relationship with hungry insects Summon a group of those hungry insects to unleash upon your enemies Number of insects depends on Intelligence and Skill Level Concentration of Insects depends on Focus Wisdom and Skill Level Control over insects depends on Control and Skill Level

Randidly smiled reflexively then shook his head sorrowfully There were just so many skills he had to grind now There simply wasn’t enough time in the day for them But still

Randidly adjusted his plans and looked South towards the area that the fireball casting imps came from Perhaps he should try out these new skills before anything else

After sneaking past their patrols and earning himself another skill point for sneak Randidly stood in a ruined building that served as their base While he had been getting in position another pillar of light had risen up into the sky and a notification about the Policeman’s Newbie Village had appeared before Randidly but he dismissed it focusing on the task at hand

As he stood hidden he activated Pollen of the Rafflesia and could sense rather than see a cloud of something the pollen spreading out around him

Randidly’s eyes narrowed as two imps walked forward or rather floated right into the pollen At first nothing happened and Randidly was slightly disappointed But then he noticed some strange movements and activated Eyes of the Spear Phantom his vision instantly sharpening

The left Imp still seemed fine but the right imp was twitching And as Randidly watched it seemed to be talking to itself As it walked deeper into the cloud of pollen the twitching got progressively worse

Two more imps who had been out of Randidly’s vision around the corner appeared heading in the opposite direction of the first two and the twitching imps response made Randidly gasp

It raised its hand and blasted its compatriots in the face with a fireball They fell back shrieking but it just aggressively rushed forward and blasted more

Randidly’s Pollen of the Rafflesia improved to Lvl 2

The right imp finally responding to the horror grasped at the other imp back but missed and fell to the ground where it vomited up the contents of its stomach The one imp continued to roast the other two imps but Randidly was impressed His Intelligence stat probably made up for the lower skill level and was pretty effective against the imps when they didn’t know what was happening

Randidly flexed his hand summoning pestilence a swarm of buzzing insects the size of his fist appearing above his hand They instantly began to fly everywhere and Randidly frowned pressing down with his will and they unwillingly gathered back up

While doing so the skill improved immediately to Lvl 4 It seemed that his control was helping him gain levels more quickly Randidly then pointed and the pestilence surged forward albeit haphazardly hitting the imp that was vomiting on the ground The flies and wasps instantly dug their greedy mouths into the Imp’s flesh causing it to roll around screeching Within seconds half of its head was missing eaten away by the pestilence

The Imp who was flaming the two other imps turned its eyes dull and confused Randidly reached out and pressed and the pestilence rose up off the first imp and attacked this second imp or at least most of the insects did Some admittedly stayed gnawing on the imp on the ground It even earned Randidly another skill level

After watching them for several minutes Randidly concluded that it was a useful skill but currently not deadly Although they could eat a lot of the imps flesh it was mostly just superficial wounds He suspected that the skill would fare slightly better now that it was Lvl 5 but not enough to make a difference

Still it would be excellent at distracting enemies and reaching hard to catch enemies like the cat With Magic Missile and Summon Pestilence Randidly felt much more confident about facing the enemies beyond the edge of the boundary

Chapter 37

Sweat dripped down Randidly’s brow as he faced the enemies in front of him he had made a terrible mistake

If he had encountered a singular cat there was no doubt in Randidly’s mind that he would have been able to handle it easily And indeed there was only a single cat in front of him

But of course there were also two lizardmen wielding scimitars Randidly had stumbled across the lizardmen and decided to risk a fight But coincidentally Randidly and the cat appeared at almost the same moment ambushing the lizardmen and had both frozen Now an uneasy and aggressive truce existed between the three parties

However it seemed that the lizardmen and the cat had both come to the same conclusion and turned their eyes towards Randidly He was the weaker party They advanced quickly rushing towards him the cat turning into a blur of sharp claws and death

After a half second of hesitation Randidly gritted his teeth and removed something he had hoped to never use again the strange invigorating juice of the origin banana It would leave him extremely weak but

The only path for a spear is forward A man holding onto a spear cannot hesitate ’

Randidly gulped it down and almost immediately relaxed a smile spreading across his face Why had he even been worried

The cat screeched closer its claws ripping towards him followed by the grim eyed lizardmen

Spinning his spear Randidly yawned casually And then he stepped activating the Phantom Half Step closing half the distance to the furthest back Lizardman phasing entirely through the cat and appearing next to the closest lizard man

Phantom Half Step gained a skill level Randidly made a pleased noise this one was very hard to raise

The lizard man’s eyes widened then narrowed but Randidly had already delivered a kick to the side of its knee sending it stumbling

Randidly harrumphed his spear stabbing forward catching it in the shoulder Although the lizardman was knocked backwards there was only a small amount of blood from the wound It seemed like the scales were tougher than Randidly had anticipated But Phantom Thrust had gained a skill level so he didn’t concern himself overmuch with the lack of damage

He glanced casually to the side his left hand twisting and summoning Pestilence the insects then exploding towards the eyes of the 2nd lizard man who was rushing forward his scimitar raised The insects sank into the soft flesh of its eyes and nose causing it to open its mouth and roar and then the remainder of the insects ripped into the soft flesh of its mouth and throat

It fell back senseless

All in all Randidly gained 5 levels for Summon Pestilence controlling the insects so acutely Raising a mana potion to his lips Randidly turned to regard the vicious blur that was almost upon him

He instantly activated Spear Phantom’s Footwork and Haste throwing himself to the side almost amused by the cat whizzing past Strangely and disturbingly the cat changed directions midair rushing towards Randidly’s face

Frowning he summoned Entangling Roots completely filling the space between himself and the cat But the cat just slashed with its claws easily ripping a hole in the roots

Fortunately Randidly had anticipated this and an empowered Phantom Onslaught rumbled forward towards the newly made hole the dozens of stabs ripping small gashes in the cat But still its preternatural grace overwhelmed the opposition and it just slid cleanly through

Only to be smashed to the side by the Magic Missile Randidly had summoned and left hidden behind the entangling roots The cat hit the ground for the first time off balance and Root Manipulation exploded upwards grasping its limbs and holding it down

For safety Randidly hit it with two Arcane Orbs basically emptying his mana pool Then he strolled forward ignoring the Lizardman that had gotten up and was hurrying to his friends side trying to figure out why it was screaming

Randidly deftly cut off one of the cats claws and raised it to the sky admiringly Then he turned to face the two lizardmen who were staring daggers at him Apparently the shock had passed or the Lizardman’s vitality was more impressive than Randidly had thought because his connection to the pestilence had been cut He considered summoning some more than laughed aloud Ah his mana was all gone

Instead he spun his spear and smiled at the approaching lizardmen They spread out to surround him but Randidly rushed forward towards the left one that he had stabbed previously with his spear lashing out with a Phantom Thrust

The lizardman took it on the chest and pressed forward swinging his huge scimitar But Randidly calmly deflected the attack then stepping to the side with Spear Phantom’s Footwork positioning himself so that the lizardmen couldn’t attack him at the same time Then he continued to attack and dodge and block weaving his way between the two with Spear Phantom’s Footwork

It was strange this focus this confidence This was probably what Shal felt all the time Randidly thought his smile widening This is what he needed this strength

They continued to fight Randidly’s stamina decreasing but his smile never wavering until one of the Lizardman took a huge gulp of air and spat poison splashing it all over Randidly’s arm

The lizardman’s eyes curved upward in gleeful anticipation of victory but Randidly simply laughed ignoring the poison and the lost health and instead stepping closer too close so close that both the scimitar and the spear were useless

The 2nd lizardman circled around trying to assist his friend but the first just hissed in a gloating fashion dropping its scimitar and reaching forward with its scaly hands confident in its strength And it was right to be Randidly reflected the strength of the lizardman was undoubtedly higher than his

But Randidly simply reached out and drew a smile across the lizardman’s neck with the claw of the cat the scales parting slightly unwillingly but cleanly Looking down at the blood spewing from its own neck the lizardman stilled then fell forward

Randidly slipped out of the way and cast Entangling Roots on the other lizard man his mana finally restored to a small amount after the long few minutes of scuffling with the lizardmen

It hissed and almost instantly ripped the roots out of the ground with brute strength surging forward Randidly shook his head sorrowfully there was no rest for the wicked he supposed Relying on the distracting explosion Randidly used the rest of his mana to hit the lizardman in the face with a fireball

The flash of light smoke and heat caused it to stumble and Randidly rained empowered Phantom Thrusts upon it ripping hole after hole after hole in its skin

After several desperate swipes it finally gave up on Randidly as prey and turned and ran abandoning the body of its comrade Randidly watched it go admiring how much health it must have for it to shrug off all of those attacks

The timing was good too because the last few Phantom Thrusts were just for show Randidly’s whole body was trembling and he could hardly stand The banana serum had run off Inwardly Randidly resolved himself to never use it again It could become like a drug if he relied on it too heavily

More than that he wanted the strength to succeed on his own not strength by relying on a strange potion

Still the results were pretty compelling

Aside from the skill levels he had noticed at the beginning of the fight he had also gained 1 Level of Haste 3 of Spear Phantom’s Footwork 1 of Physical Fitness 2 of Dagger Mastery 1 of Phantom Thrust 1 Arcane Orb 1 Entangling Roots 3 of Magic Missile 1 Fireball and 2 for Edge of Decay

Randidly considered his status screen

Health(/R per hour) 206/279 (+6) (114 (+9

Mana(/R per hour) 139/273 (53 25)

Stam(/R per min) 105/247 (41 5 (+3

Vit 33 (+3)

End 30

Perception 23

Inteligence 56

Control 36

Focus 19

PP 21

Skills Running Lvl 17 Physical Fitness Lvl 26 Sneak Lvl 20 Farming Lvl 20 Mana Bolt Lvl 28 Heavy Blow Lvl 22 Acid Resistance Lvl 22 Poison Resistance Lvl 14 Sprinting Lvl 13 Iron Skin Lvl 25 Equip Lvl 16 Plant Breeding Lvl 9 Meditation Lvl 27 Dagger Mastery Lvl 10 Entangling Roots Lvl 29 Mana Shield Lvl 23 Dodge Lvl 27 Potion Making Lvl 20 Analyze Lvl 24 Pathfinding Lvl 8 Mapmaker Lvl 4 Spear Mastery Lvl 38 Phantom Thrust Lvl 40 Pain Resistance Lvl 11 Fighting Proficiency Lvl 28 First Aid Lvl 12 Block Lvl 24 Spear Phantom’s Footwork Lvl 26 Eyes of the Spear Phantom Lvl 16 Phantom Half Step Lvl 5 Mental Strength Lvl 8 Curse Resistance Lvl 3 Root Manipulation Lvl 24 Spear of Rot Mastery Lvl 11 Arcane Orb Lvl 20 Haste Lvl 12 Phantom Onslaught Lvl 10 Sweep Lvl 11 Spear Deflect Lvl 5 Empower Lvl 9 Calculated Blow Lvl 11 Roundhouse Kick Lvl 6 Fireball Lvl 3 Magic Missile Lvl 4 Healing Palm Lvl 5 Pollen of the Rafflesia Lvl 2 Edge of Decay Lvl 3 Summon Pestilence Lvl 10

Randidly certainly had a lot of skills now And some PP saved up But first things first he picked up the cat body and the lizard man grunting at the surprising weight and began to trudge back towards the boundary

Chapter 38

After meditating back up to full health mana and stamina Randidly distributed his PP finishing the Potion Making I Path As he had suspected he earned a skill Refine which let him use mana to refine materials to more purified versions of themselves

Immediately Randidly tried it making more concentrated versions of the potion ingredients and producing a mana potion that would restore 130 mana in a single drink Over the course of it Refine increased by 2 levels and Potion making by 1

Now he was really looking forward to obtaining more containers to hold potions

Randidly then started on The Monster Slayer Path which would take 100 PP He was leery about it but the fact that the previous rewards were regeneration rates made him commit to it

He put the rest of his PP in but was pleasantly surprised to find he also got 1 stat every 10 pp

Even more pleasantly surprising was the gains from Spear of Rot Mastery Like Green Spear Mastery it gave out benefits every 5 But the rotation had changed to 10 mana +1 Vitality and Control +10 Stamina +2 stats Basically the only thing that hadn’t changed was the 2 stats everything else had doubled in effectiveness Randidly once more pulled up his status screen and this time focused on his stats

Health(/R per hour) 206/283 (+6) (120 (+9

Mana(/R per hour) 139/291 (54 25)

Stam(/R per min) 105/267 (43 5 (+3

Vit 35 (+3)

Inteligence 60

Control 37

His current stat total was now at 378 which put him very close to gaining access to the Apprentice Path and the related skills What he needed to do now was focus or at least make a decision in regards to how he wanted to distribute his stats from now on

Recently he had been putting points into Intelligence to keep the power of his spells high and to raise his mana pool In addition Spear of Rot Mastery would passively give him an acceptable amount of Vitality and Control What was increasingly becoming clear was that the benefits of not having a class would become more and more evident as he gained more and more skills and could accomplish more paths

It was frustrating that it seemed like most of the higher level paths gave out fewer rewards In addition unlike an individual with a few skills that they would polish repeatedly Randidly spread his attention across a wide variety of things His skills would be weaker even if his bag of tricks was larger

Sighing Randidly settled back leaning against a tree That probably wouldn’t be true until the end game but it was good to be aware of the drawback now He needed to choose his direction

Randidly spent a few minutes reorganizing his skills sorting them into categories Then he examined them again

Skills (Soul Skill) Spear of Rot Mastery Lvl 35

Combat Spear Mastery Lvl 38 Phantom Thrust Lvl 40 Spear Phantom’s Footwork Lvl 26 Eyes of the Spear Phantom Lvl 16 Phantom Half Step Lvl 5 Heavy Blow Lvl 22 Dagger Mastery Lvl 10 Iron Skin Lvl 25 Dodge Lvl 27 Fighting Proficiency Lvl 28 Block Lvl 24 Haste Lvl 12 Phantom Onslaught Lvl 10 Sweep Lvl 11 Spear Deflect Lvl 5 Empower Lvl 9 Calculated Blow Lvl 11 Roundhouse Kick Lvl 6 Edge of Decay Lvl 3

Spells Entangling Roots Lvl 29 Mana Bolt Lvl 28 Mana Shield Lvl 23 Root Manipulation Lvl 24 Arcane Orb Lvl 20 Fireball Lvl 3 Magic Missile Lvl 4 Healing Palm Lvl 5 Pollen of the Rafflesia Lvl 3 Summon Pestilence Lvl 10

Crafting Potion Making Lvl 21 Farming Lvl 20 Plant Breeding Lvl 9 Mapmaker Lvl 4 Analyze Lvl 24 Refine Lvl 3

Auxiliary Physical Fitness Lvl 26 Meditation Lvl 27 Running Lvl 17 Sprinting Lvl 13 Sneak Lvl 20 Acid Resistance Lvl 22 Poison Resistance Lvl 14 Pain Resistance Lvl 11 First Aid Lvl 12 Equip Lvl 16 Pathfinding Lvl 8 Mental Strength Lvl 8 Curse Resistance Lvl 3

All in all he currently had a lot of combat skills which meant that would be a good area to focus At the same time he recognized the utility that being a mage gave him especially for now No one else aside from that girl Lyra with Sam could use spells It gave him a power that no one else had

Also like Randidly had discovered previously it wasn’t difficult to practice Mana and Stamina things at the same time The issue would be to integrate them well

From the combat type skills he would continue to focus on the spear and the Spear Phantom Skills In addition working on Haste and Empower would yield benefits all around

Crafting was a separate category and when he had spare time he would work on farming plant breeding and potion making to provide utility for the rest of his skills

The other decision would be what he would focus on for spells Randidly really enjoyed his new spells and suspected that they would level up to become increasingly powerful In addition Entangling Roots and Root Manipulation were the things that lead him down this path and he would continue to work on those

What it really came down to was which of the offensive spells would Randidly focus

After quite a bit of thought he chose fireball even though it didn’t make sense No perhaps he chose it exactly because it didn’t make sense A green mage spearman who also wielded fire That was almost counter productive

Randidly smiled to himself It also seemed really cool And he supposed after all of his hard work he could choose to be willful at a time like this

With those in mind he would concentrate his stats on Agility Intelligence and Control He would harass and dominate with skill levels of spear skills and follow it up with restrictive spells Finally he would have a high intelligence to unleash powerful flame spells to crack enemies with tough defenses

Randidly nodded to himself satisfied Looking at the sky it still seemed like it was before noon Inwardly he wavered but then his eyes narrowed He could not run from danger He would go back beyond the boundary seeking more challenges That was the only way he could grow

Randidly returned to the camp at around 4 PM hungry and exhausted

Within him he had two cat bodies two lizardmen and a strange scorpion the size of a large dog Of them all the scorpion had been the most dangerous it had stung Randidly before he had even seen it and a creeping paralysis came up his leg Luckily his poison resistance was so high to begin with because he was barely able to crack the scorpion’s shell and burn its brain with a fireball before he had become almost rigid from the poison

The paralysis had lasted several minutes and had put an end to the adventure beyond the boundary After that Randidly was ready for some rest

He had gained 2 levels in poison resistance 1 in Running Entangling Roots Summon Pestilence and Meditation and another 6 in Fireball He had focused on fireball using it to secure most of his kills

When Randidly returned to his cabin he was surprised to find several men tending his fields After watching them for several minutes determining they weren’t doing that badly of a job Randidly retired to his cabin

Strangely it was already occupied

Lyra sat on the pallet that Randidly used as a bed in those rare moments he actually rested moving multicolored balls of mana in strange patterns He coughed lightly to get her attention and she sat up and gave him a withering look

Get mugged on the way home You look like you lost a fight with a homeless man

Randidly ignored her dumping the bodies in the corner of the cabin They would probably smell eventually but for now

Actually would they rot faster because of his edge of decay skill That was slightly worrisome for providing good materials for Sam to craft But Sam had mentioned something about a way to preserve the bodies so

She gave the bodies a glance and hopped up flouncing past him Sam wants to talk to you And Donny And Daniel And Decklan has been making eyes at your cabin Is it nice being popular And with that she left

Sighing Randidly rubbed his head and grabbed a glass for water

He had noticed that there were a lot more people hanging around the village seemingly almost 100 Although he wasn’t sure why this was if they all got a class and tried to hold off against a wave of over 1000 enemies

Shaking his head he picked the bodies back up and went towards Sam One thing at atime

Chapter 39

Randidly was glad that he went to Sam first because he had good news He had created boots from the cat fur and claws Randidly had given him previously and they seemed to be of decent quality

Unfortunately his Equip level still was too low to take advantage of the bonuses For now he didn’t even bother looking at them refusing to allow himself to be excited over nothing

He put them on and left Sam with the bodies heading back up towards the village As he walked passed his cabin he once more gave the men tending his fields long looks But ultimately they seemed to mean well as they at least had a basic grasp of harvesting the fruit without destroying the plant so he once more held his tongue

In the area between the cabin and the village around a dozen lean tos of a much lower quality than Sam’s had sprung up Much more official looking was the wall that was being erected around the village At this point it was made of stacked logs and mud chest height Apparently one of the new arrivals had some ideas about construction because there was also a shoddy looking gate

There were even a few people hanging around the gate as if they were guards making this seem like a much more official village They all hurried out of Randidly’s way however as he approached

Even he wasn’t prepared for what was awaiting him within the wall His initial guess had put the people around the village at 100 but there were more than 300 people sitting around crouched in groups whispering to each other

Daniel who was talking to a large group of people saw Randidly arrive and hurried over to him Thank god you are here Big news Bad news apparently the mayor over at the town went crazy after obtaining his class and is driving a bunch of people away Donny is just letting everyone get a class if they wish but

Daniel looked at the ground and then finally said are you really not going to help at all tonight

No I’m not Randidly confirmed eyeing the people around him critically So there had been some sort of shift in power over at the nearby base huh Going tomorrow to investigate and see about the glass containers was even more important

But for now

Randidly turned back to Daniel I didn’t want to do this but talk to Donny and get him to purchase the miscellaneous shop and buy vials for potions I won’t participate but that doesn’t mean I won’t help prepare you

Decklan narrowed his eyes looking at the tide of monsters rushing towards the village There were a lot of people dead weight in Decklan’s opinion who didn’t choose to take a class and attempt to grow stronger These people were just here for a place to rest so the final count of individuals with classes was 77 There were even several newcomers with rather interesting classes

But Decklan didn’t give them much attention even the pretty girls who came over After all without the Ghousthound this would be a long night It was hard to tell how many of the 77 would remain in the morning A monster wouldn’t check how pretty you were before it ripped your face off and munched on your organs

As instructed by the Ghosthound they had spent most of today sorting themselves into groups based on how they would build The results were skewed 34 most of which were people who survived the earlier days were going a strength build and were under Dozer’s lead They were a rough looking group but honestly everyone was after several days of killing monsters without showers

Decklan had 27 men under him focusing on speed scouting hiding and of course killing It wasn’t true that stats had to follow body type so it was slightly surprising how many huge men had chosen to build speed their bodies now rushing around with an unnatural grace

10 had chosen or been pressured into the roles of damage soaks most of their points going into Vitality and Endurance They followed Donny and were standing rather nervously with their shields made by Sam standing behind the gate

The remaining 6 were Mage types with a rare useful individual who had a rare Blue Mage class She was a woman in her 40’s that had apparently been a rather avid Dungeons and Dragons player at the local library and had surprisingly embraced the new world quite quickly chopping at the bit to get herself a class Two of the other mages were Ptolemy and an individual who got the class Herbalist which meant they would mostly focus on healing

Ultimately their long range fire power amounted to three dunces throwing Mana Bolts and the Blue Mage tossing icicles It was a far cry from the devastation that the Ghosthound could cause

The one bright spot was that the Ghosthound had provided potions A lot of them Decklan reached down and felt the 10 at his belt 5 stamina 4 health 1 mana

But then someone on the wall began beating a drum signalling that they were coming

First group to the front Donny shouted leading a group of 8 people including Dozer to the front These were the veterans who could take the brunt of the damage while the 20 or so people behind them would rotate in to give the village’s ringers a breather

Behind them the rest of the class individuals waited in reserve with Daniel in case monsters scaled the walls The NCCs or non class characters as they had been jokingly referred to huddled around the central building and the two strange shops that Donny had purchased

But Decklan shook his head and gave a hand signal to the 20 men with him As a unit they scaled the wall which was rather easy from the inside and crouched low on the outside of the wall waiting Once the fighting started Decklan’s job was to sweep the stragglers who couldn’t make it to the fighting at the gate ones that tried to surround the village

Although the term used was stragglers Decklan was under no impressions that his job would be easy If anything it would be the hardest But he just grinned That’s how he wanted it

He heard it the moment that fighting started There was a slam and defiant shouts from the defenders and growls and hisses from the monsters

A golden glow exploded from the gate Donny using his skill Aegis to boost the health and stamina of those around him Decklan didn’t like the punk but had to admit that his class was incredibly useful Especially in larger fights like this

After a few minutes Decklan heard the sounds of approaching monsters Smiling slightly he drew his daggers and gestured to his subordinates They had work to do

Donny couldn’t breathe and hadn’t been able to for a long time He also didn’t have time to check his status he just kept his shield up with one arm downing mana potions with the other and activating Aegis

Three wolverines and a lizard rushed into the man to Donny’s left sending him stumbling back

I can’t ’ Donny thought to himself just wanting to drop and let it all go but instead he found himself stepping forward The step was unwilling and he could practically feel Randidly’s foot against his back shoving him forward And the question that had kept Donny up these past two days rang incessantly in the back of his mind

What will you do Donny ’

His shield bash took the lizard in the side of the head stunning it his sword whipping out to stab into its shoulder Stab and retreat sidestepping and stabbing again The man behind the guy who was knocked back had been blocked by the displaced person but the individual behind Donny had not

Grecko had been one of the first people to get a class and was a grizzled man just south of forty When Donny shifted over to the left Grecko shifted up his huge axe smashing down towards an unsuspecting Wolverine

It was Daniel’s idea originally Following a front line strategy similar to roman legions No one had been an expert in history but they had muddled their way through to a working concept And it had been working well enough for the first 20 minutes or so But now everyone was losing their edge as the battle dragged on longer than they had anticipated

Donny felt three taps on his back and stepped back gratefully two people moving forward to take his place After about 10 feet Donny felt confident enough to turn around looking at the resting warriors Dozer was there his chest heaving throwing back two stamina potions at once

Seeing him do so Donny blinked then considered his own status screen

Level 15

Health(/R per hour) 92/358 (63 25)

Mana(/R per hour) 8/75 (3)

Stam(/R per min) 11/211 (22)

Vit 19

End 13

Str 20

Agi 11

Perception 9

Reaction 11

Resistance 22

Skills Newbie Village Chieftain Lvl 84 Hiding Lvl 7 Running Lvl 9 Grappling Lvl 7 Club Wielding Lvl 2 WoodWorking Lvl 2 Construction Lvl 3 Labor Lvl 11 Heavy Blow Lvl 15 Mana Bolt Lvl 1 Ride Lvl 1 Honorable Charge Lvl 5 Stalwart Defense Lvl 13 (1) Sword Master Lvl 8 (2) Shield Mastery Lvl 16 (3) Shield Bash Lvl 9 (4) Aegis Lvl 9 (5) Legion Thrust Lvl 4 (6) Sidestep Lvl 5

Donny blinked slowly looking at his status No wonder he felt completely wiped he had almost used up all of his stamina He slowly removed his last three stamina potions and drank them all Ptolemy trotted up to thim and looked at him in askance but Donny just waved him away One of the new recruits was vomitting off to the side

Everyone’s eyes looked dead The way Donny felt on the inside

But still for some strange reason he found his feet moving and he was walking over towards Dozer A notification popped up but Donny largely ignored it aside from an annoyed grunt that another one of his skill slots was taken

Congratulations You have learned the passive skill Leadership Lvl 1

It’s either this or death And I refuse to die a virgin Donny said awkwardly patting Dozer on the back Dozer’s body stilled The other veterans barely catching their breath without the aid of the huge supply of stamina potions Donny and Dozer had been given stilled

Then they all began to laugh

Your skill Leadership has grown to Lvl 2

Do not worry I’ll have my girl personally suck your dick if we live through the night Dozer said slapping his knee and guffawing The surrounding men chuckled Even the few women seemed slightly amused

Uh Donny said wondering if it really worked like that Would girlfriends suck the dick of other people if their boyfriend asked them to

Then he shook his head and accepted a non cracked shield from another NCC who was hanging around as well as a health and stamina potion

This is the last of it The NCC said his expression nervous But Donny just smiled and turned to Dozer

Ready to get back to work

Randidly returned to camp with a heavy heart heedless of the wanton celebration around them From what he gathered the Newbie Village had done well with less than 10 people dying For a system enhanced world that was worthy of celebration People were already cutting down more trees and carrying bodies away even though it was barely dawn

But Randidly ignored them Over the course of the night he had gained two levels in Equip a level in Sneak and Eyes of the Spear Phantom and 3 in Pollen of the Rafflesia He had stood among the monster horde heading towards the nearby town letting his pollen passively fall curious on how the nearby town would handle the monster wave Based on the number of monsters they had let at least 180 people get classes

But they didn’t use their people They used guns

They had two heavy mounted machine guns blasting the entire time Although it seemed reasonable based on Sam getting the Driving skill there were probably shooting skills But guns required bullets Unless something very weird happened with the geography there shouldn’t be a facility to produce more bullets near here

But still Randidly supposed that was a possibility So they either had bases very near a person who could mass produce bullets or

A person who didn’t care that they would soon run out

Either way it was a worrisome sign for the future Randidly returned to his cabin but once again was stopped before he could retire for his night training

A tall man stood in front of his cabin leaning on the door He was wearing one of Sam’s sewed together cloaks but it looked like this one was of much higher quality than most Randidly could tell that some of the cat fur he had brought back had been used around the throat

Perhaps the most distinctive feature about the man was his face He had deep brooding eyes and a chiseled jawline He also seemed oddly familiar but Randidly set that aside for now

Yes Randidly asked annoyed

The man chuckled and it was a warm and attractive sound Inwardly Randidly’s dislike grew Maybe it’s my vanity but I’m surprised well nevermind The world really has changed I’m Kal Drake I was wondering if you could do me a favor

A small lightbulb went on in Randidly’s head at the name He dimly remembered that Kal Drake was a rather famous action star in

there definitely was a movie

Seeing Randidly’s confused expression Kal smiled helplessly Seems that doesn’t mean anything to you Well that’s fine It’s simple Sam seems to like staying with your group but the rest of us aren’t so comfortable I would like for you to take us to the other village in the morning

After Kal had left Randidly sat down for meditation and pondered it in the dark So this famous action star was one of the hooded figures that Randidly had seen It also explained why both Lyra and Ellaine were so attractive they were probably all actresses

And the fact that he came himself without using Sam probably meant they were leaving without telling Sam

Should Randidly let it happen like this

His meditation skill level increased distracting him and he sighed

The whole point of letting Donny be Village Chieftain was to avoid dumb problems like this How did it end up happening anyway

Why did people not just leave him alone

In a few hours the 4th day would dawn Over halfway towards the end of the Newbie Zone Although he would likely be able to survive he had less hopes for the rest of the group Perhaps this village was doomed to fail Perhaps this whole world was a death trap

Chapter 40

Randidly only had around an hour before the sun fully dawned but it was enough to level up Empower and Summon Pestilence He stood slowly considering Kal’s request It’s not that he minded fulfilling it but the real question

His eyes sharpened as someone walked up to his cabin Randidly exited finding Sam

Sam simply grunted Based on your face Kal came and saw you right And you were wondering whether to tell me

He spat off to the side As if I give a shit about that primadona The real problem is he is insisting that the rest go with him so they don’t get so separated from the real world that they start to think this is what life is like

Randidly chuckled What does he think is out there A place where monsters don’t exist A place where the weak don’t die

Yea honestly

They stood in silence for several seconds Randidly rubbed his neck uncomfortably Well I’m going to the town to get those potion containers The 50 we got for last night were helpful but a surprising amount were just dropped on the ground after use If they want to come I’ll take them there But there is something strange about that town

You believe the rumors that the mayor has gone crazy Sam asked

Randidly shrugged I guess I’ll find out today

The group that went with Randidly to the nearby town ended up being Kal Ellaine the 4th still cloaked woman and Decklan who caught them as they were leaving It seemed to be a sore subject that Lyra wasn’t coming based on the grim line of Kal’s mouth but Randidly made no effort to talk with the group anyway and let it slide

He was slightly more perturbed by Decklan who followed him closely with his eyes the entire route Any enemies they encountered Randidly dispatched quickly with a powerful mana bolt Perhaps no one noticed but Decklan but his intelligence and skill level were combining to make the mana bolts instantly deadly One struck a lizard and smashed it into the tree behind it cracking the tree The group watched the tree slowly topple and then continued on in silence

Randidly knew that the town itself was back towards the location that he exited the dungeon and didn’t have any better idea on where to approach to enter it so he walked back towards the area with the machine gun nests The rest followed Honestly it was something of an oversight that they hadn’t at least sent someone out to scout the nearby Newbie Village

Nul’s attitude towards the other village seemed to indicate that there was some kind of competition between the the villages but it was hard to tell anything with him He still didn’t act the same around Randidly as he did for the rest

Nul was also completely tight lipped about his own origins although Randidly didn’t doubt that Daniel interrogated him on the subject at every chance he got And if Daniel couldn’t drag the answer out of him

They crossed through the forest with only one small incident A group of imps had been lurking below a hill hidden from Randidly’s sight When they walked over the crest of the hill the imps rushed outward with gleeful shrieks

There were 7 and 2 were close enough that Randidly moved instantly to them his spear flashing out before they could even attack 4 more were instantly crushed by Mana Bolts

Only 1 had enough time to get off an attack in this doomed ambush a blast of fire that missed Randidly completely rendering his peremptory Mana Shield useless Instead the fire rushed towards the still cloaked figure

At that moment Decklan stepped forward and used his small buckler shield to take the brunt of the force grunting and getting slightly burned but surviving Within a second the offending imp was dead

The issue arose when the surprise of having a ball of fire thrown at her caused the cloaked figure to shriek and fall backwards her cloak unraveling around her head revealing long blonde hair and a beautiful face

Decklan turned with disdain towards the weakling he had been forced to save and then froze as he saw her face

You aren’t you Vivian Plath

Randidly scratched his head awkwardly unsure of what was happening It seemed like she was famous too but he had never been one to pay too close attention to actors And what with the system taking over their lives

Kal stepped forward Yes but now’s probably not the time for this Let’s continue to safety

Oh yea I’m just such a huge fan of your work Decklan said lamely still staring at Vivian She kept her eyes on the ground as she stood pulling her hood back up over her face Decklan’s gaze followed her as they began to move again heading deeper into the town

Randidly had gained a level in Pathfinding by the time they reached the area he had spawned and they wordlessly followed the weird half street in the woods to a cross street letting them head deeper into the town

Bodies of monsters just littered the streets rotting a testament to the town’s victory last night over the monster horde The group was oddly silent even Decklan’s fixation on Vivian swayed as they stepped over the rotting flesh

Annoyed Randidly waved his hand and used Root Manipulation to lift bodies out of the center of the road clearing a path They walked down the road for about 300 meters before they came to a bus parked sideways effectively blocking the road The area around the bus had boards nailed up It likely wouldn’t withstand an actual assault by monsters but an intimidating mounted machine gun sat on top of bus a hefty warning to any who wanted to approach

When they were about 20 meters away the guard who had been sitting at the gun straightened his eyes widening as the bodies in the road shifted pressed to the side by Randidly’s roots

Stop right there

Decklan was bored The guard had hailed them to stop then sent for someone higher up on the food chain to deal with them As it was they were simply standing in the street stinking of rot

Decklan glanced at Vivian again his heart thundering in his ears Never in his wildest dreams would he have imagined that the weirdos that hung out with Sam were famous actresses and actors And of all people Vivian Plath

Movement on top of the bus brought Decklan’s attention back around The tall black police officer looked over their group

You shouldn’t have come He said simply a small hint of something in his voice It wasn’t fear it was more like dread

And it seemed like the Ghosthound had heard it too because when he spoke his voice was sharp Some of our camp preferred yours And also we had a deal

That is true but The police officer hesitated He opened his mouth to speak but another voice overrode him

Hahaha we have guests Well well well

An average looking man stepped forward His face was unoffensive but also not very attractive There were only two distinct features of his countenance

The first was his sneer The second was the huge tacky crown he wore

Almost unwilling the police officer stepped to the side and the crowned man stepped forward We get a lot of refugees coming to my town what makes you different Why should you be allowed entry

Decklan wrinkled his nose at the arrogance and it seemed like it didn’t sit well with Kal either The Ghosthound seemed rather bored his eyes scanning the nearby rooftops But Vivian wasn’t dissuaded stepping forward and removing her hood

Please there’s no civilization out there We just need a place to stay that’s all we ask And afterwards Vivian smiled Decklan didn’t know how she did it in the post makeup and showers world but she looked stunning

The crowned man seemed similarly taken with her Oh wow you’re beautiful Hey aren’t you that actress

A satisfied smile spread across Vivian’s face Haha those were different times It’s honestly embarrassing I’m not sure what to do when the world is like this

Oh no worries The crowned man’s smile was huge now You and your friends are more than welcome Come in all of you

Eager Kal and Ellaine walked forward following Vivian Even Decklan felt a strange regret a weird compulsion to follow He shook his head ruefully Vivian had apparently really done a number on his head

Ellaine The Ghosthound spoke shortly as the tall honey skinned woman passed him She stopped almost unwilling a hint of disgust turning the corners of her mouth down

Yes

I have two friends Sydney Harp and Ace Ridge While you are inside Ask around to see if anyone knows anything about them Please

Ellaine blinked and then laughed her eyes crinkling up at the corners You honestly every time I assume something about you you end up proving me wrong I’ll look for your friends but you protect Lyra alright I can’t tell if she’s spoiled or playing the fool but she really has no self preservation instincts with the world like this

I will The Ghosthound responded and Ellaine turned to follow Kal and Vivian The Ghosthound turned and gestured to Decklan who followed behind him as they began the long walk back through the streets filled with rotting flesh

Oy where are you two going The voice was cold enough to make the hairs on the back of Decklan’s neck prickle Glancing over his shoulder dismissively Decklan saw the crowned man was still leering at them The Ghosthound didn’t even bother to respond

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA I give you a personal invitation and you blow me off Interesting Interesting How about you kneel and beg for my clemency

Decklan stopped abruptly and dropped to his knees as if his legs had lost all of their strength

He blinked slowly looking down at his legs which refused to move

What what was going on

Interesting

Decklan looked up to find the Ghosthound still standing turning and measuring the crowned man with his eyes I assume you would be the mayor I’ve heard rumors about you

The man bared his teeth Call me Constance And I am the King So KNEEL before royalty peasant

Chapter 41

Congratulations Your skill Mental Strength has increased 1 Lvl

The notification took Randidly by surprised He had a weird pressure in his head but hadn’t imagined that he would encounter an enemy that could use mental attacks And this enemy was the leader of the nearby Newbie Village

Due to the presence of a bunch of random people including the eccentric seeming leader Randidly wanted to leave for now and come back later to confront the Police Officer It wasn’t worth the hassle of dealing with this many people to resolve this Not when he could simply sneak in and steal what he wanted But if the other wanted to be an asshole

Interesting Randidly said turning to look back towards the ridiculous man wearing the crown who he assumed was the source There had certainly had been something strange about the way he spoke but without the notification Randidly probably wouldn’t have noticed it was a skill The combination of his high Willpower and the Mental Strength skill made most things like that useless

I assume you would be the mayor I’ve heard rumors about you Although his tone was light Randidly was inwardly pondering how to handle this situation If the mayor’s skill was enough to control basically everyone else having a base next to them would certainly make things difficult On the other hand he certainly could use his influence to obtain what Randidly wanted quickly Was it worth the risk

Perhaps killing him was the best option

Randidly frowned No it definitely was the best option But there was a certain part of him the remnants of the person he had been before who was repulsed by the thought of killing another man in cold blood In self defense perhaps but an anticipatory killing

Although it was pretty obvious this guy was deranged

A slight tremor went through Randidly’s body and then he laughed aloud amused at the fact he had gained another skill level in mental strength and by Constance’s words

Did you seriously call yourself king I suppose the world has a definite fantasy cast these days but I wouldn’t have imagined someone would be willing to take it so far so quickly

Randidly supposed he should be happy that so many people were willing to fight against monsters so quickly after the world changed Admittedly the presence of rabid wolverines and fire throwing imps helped but still

Constance was just looking at him in shock seemingly lost Something in Randidly’s mind abruptly clicked

Oh your random class it literally ended up being King That explains your strange skills but not your behavior Randidly remarked shocking himself with how chatty he was today He supposed he was just in a good mood from gaining two skill levels so quickly

A king has three burdens and three tools Constance said slowly his eyes malicious The first is the Will of the People In my hand I hold their Hammer By their will you will Kneel

Randidly snorted shrugging off the mental pressure almost instantly You can only throw as much of that will as you can handle and I guarantee you can handle less than I can I was raised for this

Grinding his teeth Constance stepped forward to the edge of the bus and pointed at him The King’s second burden the second tool The Weight of their Country On my shoulders I bear its mantle It will Crush you

This time Randidly staggered taken slightly a back by the immense physical pressure that fell on him Ultimately it didn’t seem to be so immense at it felt initially but the fact it was able to catch him off balance was impressive

Although his Strength was only 18 so perhaps it wasn’t so surprising

And now you die Guards gun them down Constance remarked coldly and two guards stepped forward with submachine guns The guard at the mounted gun pulled its barrel around aiming towards Randidly and Decklan The three individuals heading into the embrace of Constance had thrown themselves into the piles of body lining the road terrified Randidly’s eyes flashed

Roots ripped up through the bus and grabbed the ankles of the two sub machine gunners twisting and throwing them to the ground The roots also rose up and gripped the mounted gun ripping out the bullet belt and forcing the barrel to point towards the sky

You Constance’s voice was furious but Randidly’s eyes were already cold and determined he had made his decision

No second chances

Randidly produced an Arcane Orb in each hand and pressed them together the combination sputtering and twisting violently and the collision of energy shot itself towards the bus It was difficult to maintain the projectile the energies wanting to violently explode on any contact even with each other But Randidly forced his will on the object as it shot forward

He ignored the two skill levels he received for this action and closed his eyes

The explosion rocked the road turning most nearby corpses to mush The bus was thrown backward ripping the boards off from their hastily made nailings ending up about 5 m further away a huge hole in the middle of it

With a grinding noise the bus rocked backwards and stilled

Through it Randidly could see the crumpled form of Constance who had been thrown off the bus and onto the ground The weight lifted from his shoulders Randidly wasted no time in rushing forward The King would die this day

As he burst through the hole in the bus he was met with a hail of gunfire as the nearby guards had enough presence of mind to pull out their small caliber weapons and fire Randidly’s mana shield took most of the bullets breaking after 10 or 12 and by then he was already through the choke point and rushing towards Constance

Randidly saw the head police officer off to the side scrambling to his feet but he wouldn’t make it in time

But in a move that surprised Randidly immensely Constance sprung up to his feet whirling around and grabbed Randidly’s hand

The Final Burden The Final Tool The Mandate of God Geas On my head I wear their crown You belong to ME

This time Randidly shook a huge mental attack slamming against him Grunting Randidly tried to withdraw his hand but the flesh of his and Constance’s seemed to have been bonded

For several seconds he futility struggled attempting to pull his hand away But whatever it was this skill was somehow preventing it And Randidly was beginning to feel that the mental attacks were growing stronger originating from that hand contact

His Mental Strength improved once more but still the attacks came Narrowing his eyes Randidly focused and poured all his mana funneling it all into Summon Pestilence creating a huge humming cloud of flesh hungry insects

He directed them towards their stuck hands and told them devour

Constance began screaming as the bugs attacked both of their hands but still the bugs were deaf to his cries a powerful Willpower pressing them onwards Even as he maintained his will Randidly swayed unsteadily But then he gritted his teeth and marshalled himself enduring the next wave of mental attacks

The insects ripped and tore digging their pincers into the flesh to rip it away bit by bit Bite by bite they feasted

And then their hands finally parted Constance’s hand having been picked clean of any scraps of flesh leaving only bone The insects hadn’t let them alone either and they all sported visible tiny teeth marks and scratches

Randidly directed the insects to continue attacking Constance and looked at his hand steadying himself

There were some small marks but the difference in their Endurance made Randidly’s hand a much more difficult meal for the insects and thus they opted for the soft flesh of Constance’s body

Wait You must stop

The policeman shouted running forward Randidly regarded him coolly his head still pounding from whatever skill Constance had tried to use on him Constance continued to scream clawing at his mouth and nose as bugs burrowed their way into them directed by Randidly’s will All in all it was quite satisfying He pressed them onward aiming to devour his tongue completely

He even got a skill level in Summon Pestilence

Please You must let him live He is the only thing holding this town together If it falls really want the burden of all these refugees on your shoulders

The bugs continued to buzz ripping small pieces of Constance’s flesh away

You want the glassware right That is only possible with him If he dies things will be too fractured for you to get your glassware

Randidly thought about it for a bit but did not call off the insects The screams from within the buzzing cloud grew louder and louder

The police officer stared on helplessly but a new voice cut across Let the man live and I will give you this

A strange man appeared with a serious expression offering Randidly a large black coin There was something familiar

But then Randidly stilled This was the same emblem that was on the golden coins used to found Newbie Villages Except the design on this coin was larger and more complex

A black Nexus coin

And as Randidly studied the figure he realized why he looked familiar Even though this figure had different mild features their was the same vacuous smile on his face the same empty eyes This was the village

How will that help me

The screams now grew hoarse the volume dropping precipitously to rasping moans

The Village Spirit paled but shook his head I I cannot Please You must understand we can only walk on the paths in front of us To tell you is not my path I am but one half of a whole But if this man dies

Something cracked on the Spirit’s face and his whole form shimmered then refocused There were no tears in his eyes but his eyes were empty Please

The only noise that Randidly could hear now was the buzzing of insects

But then to his own surprise Randidly sighed and then snapped his fingers He didn’t know why really Part of it was the lack of threat and part of it was the glassware and part of it was some sliver of him that hesitated in taking another’s life

But a bigger part of it there was something about this Spirit a sadness over its own fate that swayed him

Even still Randidly rumbled taking the coin You owe me

This Nul’s eyes widened looking at the black coin Randidly regretted taking it because Constance would undoubtedly become a problem in the future If his skill was already at a point that it could threaten him

Randidly’s eyes narrowed But he would not make the same mistakes twice Next time the King would die before he could activate his strange abilities

I hope its worth the trouble that asshole is going to be Decklan mumbled his arms folded across his chest

Of course it is Nul insisted his eyes glittering This will let us found the Town’s Dungeon an entire tier early With this our future is assured You must give it to me

Chapter 42

Answers first Randidly said firmly tightly gripping the coin It was around 10 am and they had successfully made it back to their village after his light assault of their nextdoor neighbors Hopefully that demonstration was enough to cow Constance but Randidly wouldn’t bet on it Although in the short term his revenge was not likely to be forthcoming he would want to grow much stronger before he dared reveal himself in front of Randidly again

Maybe his eviscerated tongue and vocal cords would give him pause however

Nul nodded rapidly his excited palpable Yes yes Each Village may form its own kept’ Dungeon typically in the Trainee Tier

No Randidly shook his head slowly his gaze never leaving Nul’s eyes Bigger answers How could their guide have this coin

Nul stilled his expression instantly becoming bland and noncommittal I don’t know what you mean

I think you do Randidly saw Daniel gasp making the same realization he did He held up the coin I haven’t seen one of these And not to be arrogant but if I haven’t been able to find whatever is making these and kill it I doubt anyone over there has either And if it didn’t come from the any of the people here

Nul looked troubled This is not something I can speak of I promise you I am bound But suffice to say Your suspicions are not unfounded All guides are not created equal Which brings me to the perfect opportunity to bring you the good news I too have a gift and it has just been unlocked as your Village Chieftain got his Soul Skill up to Lvl 100

Nul’s smile did nothing to dispel Randidly’s suspicions If it didn’t come from the people it came from there guide All guides weren’t created equally He was bound

But Randidly supposed it would end up being worth it if the dungeon warped time like the dungeon he had been stuck in So what is your gift Is it as valuable as this

Perhaps you should be the judge of that you seem rather intelligent Nul said smartly smirking at him It is something called Class Inheritance Very simply due to my influence there is an item you can purchase from the Accessory Shop called a Mentor stone Using that will force a connection giving an individual a path Disciple of the Individual who used the stone When that path is complete if you bring them to me and the mentor was from my village I can make sure they can obtain a similar class

Randidly stilled This was obviously a similar method to what Shal had used with him If it were true and they could reproduce classes with more powerful growth rates

But the fact that Shal could do it made Randidly’s eyes narrow with suspicion Was it really something due to Nul or was it something that every village unlocked at a certain level

What do you mean by similar Daniel asked

Nul shrugged mysteriously It is hard to say But there is some potential for change The higher ranked the class the higher the possibility is that the class might degrade into a less powerful subset But conversely the lower tiered classes might evolve

So Nul asked turning to Randidly Will this gift of mine be useful

Do you have nothing else Randidly asked his voice light

Nul’s face soured and for a long time he said nothing And then he finally said There is a path you may take were balance is ended and one half may feed off the other to grow stronger If you do so and afterwards I am still alive I will be able to answer your questions

At the end of this small speech Nul’s face was red and his whole body trembled Randidly suspected it was a ruse bu in a way there were similarities to what the other spirit had said about being one half of a whole Thoughtfully Randidly handed over the large black coin

The easiest way is to just give the different ranks tiers of equipment but I simply don’t have enough high quality materials Sam said unhappily

Randidly rubbed his chin He had planned on training for longer beyond the boundary today but it seemed like he needed to go on a more harvest focused mission Sam required supplies to test his new theories about preserving bodies Brooding he turned only to find that Decklan was still following him

A perfect packmule

After assuring Sam he would handle it and requesting Decklan’s aid Randidly left the village glad to be away Their village had grown again swelling to around 600 people and based on the talk more would be coming The most recently arrived said that they were in a moderately sized city to the south when the system arrived and had largely hid within their homes When the first pillar of light appeared with the notification they were the brave souls that ventured forth wanting to survive

They believed that more would follow when they saw the second pillar appear and the monsters only growing more frequent

That meant there were more varieties of monsters and golden coins just 4 days travel south Randidly grinned 4 days for an average person

The other strange part about the influx of people was that the entire valley around his house was being slowly cleared and a NCC (non class character) village springing up near his cabin They relied on the skill system for strength but were scared away from getting a class based on the responsibility to the town involved

Some people didn’t have the guts to fight off a horde of monsters every morning That might change as Daniel figured out the logistics of the Class Inheritance method that Nul talked about but that would take some time

In addition there were about a dozen full time farmers who had completely taken care of nurturing and harvesting Randidly’s plants He felt a pang in his heart at the missed opportunities for skill levels but he supposed that he had other skills which were more necessary to train Survival came first Besides Farming was rather boring activity

They were doing a good job too the fields were currently 5x the size of Randidly’s original 4 fields a huge sea of rapidly rising food

As they left the village an annoyed voice stopped the duo Someone else beat me to it huh Well whatever Wherever we are going take me with you I’m ready I think

Lyra stepped out from behind a tree her hair pulled up into a practical ponytail

Decklan gaped at her Lyra Silver

She gave him a dismissive look and then held up a hand to Randidly silencing him even before he spoke I know what you are thinking But look

And just like that Lyra teleported 5 meters to the right her body instantaneous switching positions

My mana pool is big enough to do it twice as long as I’m casting basically nothing else I can control the direction and distance although this is about my limit Should be enough to stall long enough for you to protect me right So lead on leader Lyra said with a smile

Her smile was sharp sweet and sour like a knife just used to cut out the core of a fruit

Randidly opened his mouth to say something but he saw something in Lyra’s eyes as he did so a fear of rejection Almost helpless Randidly turned away and walked forward ignoring her

She laughed quietly and followed Decklan still staring and following her

Watch out for her ’ Ellaine had said

So of course the first thing Randidly was doing was taking her to the most dangerous place he knew of currently He scratched the back of his neck feeling slightly guilty

Chapter 43

Ultimately Randidly decided to skirt the edges of the boundary and head towards the area he knew was controlled by the lizardmen Although they were strong and resilient they didn’t possess the oppressive speed of the cats

Randidly spared his followers a glance Hopefully that would keep the mortality rate to under 33% He gave them both a max strength antidote too in case they encountered one of the scorpions But Randidly wondered if either of them would have time to drink it if it was a strong enough poison to paralyze him for several minutes

But then some of Shal’s callous acceptance settled over him and he stopped fussing they would either grow stronger or die He wasn’t so capable that he could afford to worry overmuch about anyone other than himself

We are out here looking for lizardmen The couple I encountered used scimitars which we should gather and carry back Mostly we want their scales Incredibly hard to penetrate great for cushioning blows too Other than that we might see scorpions which we should avoid I was stung once and it isn’t fun The other monster I’ve encountered here are hyper quick cats They are fast Way too fast Honestly

Randidly hesitated then said If we encounter them just run

Then he narrowed his eyes activating Eyes of the Spear Phantom and began to search

They found a pair of lizardmen rather quickly Randidly rushed forward and distracted them while Decklan danced around and slashed at them with two small knives made from the claws of cats Randidly had killed Even with Decklan’s low strength they were enough to leave shallow cuts which was a testament to the sharpness of the claws

Perhaps he would have to come back later and harvest more cats for that reason

Lyra was also surprising in her usefulness She created realistic bird of mana that flitted around the heads of the lizardmen distracting them

Randidly kept them mostly at bay with spear movements but when the would lapse there guard he would blast them in the face with a fireball leaving them snarling

After 5 minutes of tussle they had managed to kill them both Randidly had even let Decklan finish one off which let him gain stats from killing the stronger enemy The growth rates weren’t that much higher than the lowered leveled enemies but they were still something

So now what Head back with the bodies Decklan asked panting

Randidly snorted and gathered the bodies into his satchel Then he began walking

Mana potion Lyra said holding out her hand Randidly gave her an annoyed look but handed several over

Decklan gritted his teeth wiped the sweat from his brow and followed

Such a well mannered delivery service Lyra said wiping her mouth and returning the empty vial with a smile

Randidly sighed He could already tell that it was going to be a very long day

Daniel considered his options Donny spent most of his time training with the recruits and left all of the decisions up to him Nul somehow sensed this and let Daniel have access to all of the Village Chieftain functions without having to receive constant permission

They currently were at a staggering 2400 Spirit Points which were gained whenever a person who had received a class leveled whenever they killed a monster or when they brought back certain items to trade

It didn’t really seem like items were dropping that they could trade in but Nul assured Daniel they existed He also informed him that stronger enemies gave more points but your average enemy at this level was only 1

The problem was how to spend the Spirit Points 10 000 would upgrade them to a Trainee Village but Daniel was the type to build a solid foundation rather than rushing up towards the upgrade

The most attractive choice were the Mentor Stones which would cost 100 SP a pop but they would allow more people to inherit Donny’s class of Knight There were other valuable options like Ptolemy’s Disciple or Clarissa’s Weather Witch but most of the men clamoring for classes wanted to take a more physical role

Nodding to himself he walked over to the Shop and purchased 4 before he could second guess himself they needed the bulk at the front lines He had already talked to Donny about it and he had identified likely candidates 3 men and 1 woman tall and grim steadfast even in the face of danger They had been some of the first to move their families up from Franksburg to the South

Which left 2000 Sam had spoken with Daniel earlier recommending they finally purchase the weapon shop Although he was getting pretty confident shaping armor making weapons required a forge which they weren’t currently equipped for The Basic Weapon Shop would cost 500 SP

Sighing Daniel wandered around looking at their bustling village The Outer wall had been raised to 2 meters giving additional protection to those within the village They even had several places where there was a mini rampart that defenders could stand on to attack invaders

An archery range had been set up in the far side at the urging of Sam and those who were willing to wait a bit and level skill before getting a class attempted to gain archery skills Even if they didn’t end up having a class related to archery having the skill would still mean they would keep that and continue growing

Daniel really wanted someone to unlock and finish the Archery I path based on his talks with Randidly about what paths did but it was a little much to ask for absolute beginners It would be much easier if someone with experience arrived

Most of the NCCs had moved down to the farming area lower in the valley but groups of them were walking around with One Shoulder Pad Warriors as work groups It was how the NCCs could earn themselves food while staying here

Daniel made a mental note to talk with the man they put in charge of farming to see their yields Sure the crops grew fast but Daniel wanted to save up some food for when the Newbie Zone dropped around them in case monsters wouldn’t just attack the village He already had consulted a few people about where to set up a defensible perimeter around the NCC area

A group of Two Shoulder Pad warriors walked past heaving huge logs like it was nothing laughing all the while The current class system in the village was simple but he already spoke with Dozer and Donny about raising the criteria now that there were so many people showing up There was effectively a two day waiting period provided you were seen participating in the nightly defense

If you lived through your first night you got the first shoulder pad You lived through the second and either Dozer Decklan Donny or Daniel himself noticed you you received a 2nd shoulder pad Above that there was the tooth necklace level group that was currently only Decklan Donny Dozer and Sam But there were plans in the works to make that the level of the squad leaders

So one shoulder pads could be trusted two shoulder pads were as close as they had to veterans Necklace wearers had some authority and Daniel sighed

Randidly didn’t really fit into any of the typical classification systems

It was a rather loose hierarchy but it worked Daniel couldn’t help but wonder how long that would last He already voiced his worries to Sam that someone would start stealing the items to signify higher status but Sam just snorted

Maybe that would have worked a week ago but now without the strength to back it up they would get seen through instantly And it’s a mark of pride earning it Don’t treat it like just an item

There had been a growing number of thefts but the community reacted strangely to it rather than getting angry they just shrugged and stole whatever else they found unattended It was an open secret that basically everyone would take something of yours if you left it alone And it worked currently because no one really had anything worth getting upset over

But that would change Daniel rubbed his eyes They currently just exchanged things by bartering which was another vote for getting the Basic Weapon Shop most people had traded excess bodies into the Accessory shop earning small amounts of bronze and silver coins that they were currently casual about But once they could be used to purchase weapons

The economy would come alive Which would drive up crime which is why they should really create a firmer hierarchy

Looking up at the glowing pillar of light that broadcast their position to the world Daniel sighed again

Daniel went over to Nul and bought the Basic Weapon Shop and then wandered past the group training area to a jutting pillar of stone that had sprung up next to the statue of Donny In it was a large wooden door covered in runes

Their kept’ dungeon

Time was so accelerated for the people within that it basically didn’t pass 10 people could go in at a time however they would get kicked out after 24 hours if they didn’t complete the dungeon before that time Completing the dungeon would earn a number of points equal to the level of the dungeon for the town It was currently level 1 and Randidly had recommended raising it to 12 before leaving

Daniel grimaced Raising it to Lvl 2 cost 200 Sp then Lvl 3 would be 300 Sp

But Daniel supposed he wasn’t doing anything else with the SP He directly raised the dungeon Lvl to 5 spending 1400 SP Then Daniel went over to Dozer who was throwing large boulders gathered by his crew to raise the skill Herculean Strength

The Dungeon is up Level 5 Don’t take anyone near that level in with you alright No casualties If there is danger just wait out the 24 hours

Dozer snorted and gestured and 8 of his subordinates swaggered forward heading towards the dungeon Surprisingly the 10th was Clarissa the Weather Witch Daniel supposed that Dozer wasn’t as dumb as he looked

The whole party disappeared walking through the door into a glowing portal of light

But as soon as the door closed it opened back up the group trotting smartly out They were all there the only difference that Daniel could see was that Dozer was holding a large wooden club Caressing it even

Loot Daniel asked excitedly and Dozer nodded

Pah Clarissa spat God it smelled in there Got some silver coins too No wands though Or Staffs Or crystal balls

I’ve got a pair of meaty balls right here if you need them A man muttered and the rest guffawed Clarissa pointed at the speaker’s feet freezing them to the ground then walked coolly away The men around the guy laughed even louder as he struggled to break the ice

We have the weapon shop now so the money has its uses Although the cheapest weapons looked to be 30 silver Daniel said but Dozer just grunted and went back to the dungeon pillar touching the door

Bah 24 hour cooldown Alright rest up you lot Next big thing is the horde Dozer said wandering away His men dispersed a few wandering towards the weapon shop but most heading out to gather wood and build themselves some sort of houses Sam had a few assistants with Architecture and construction background and they were getting pretty effective at throwing shacks up

But it would cost you something whether it was labor or money or monsters

Daniel looked down at the NCC village which was mostly tents and looked like it could blow over any moment He wondered whether in a month there would be something like an aristocracy here Technically based on merit Daniel supposed but still The world was changing

But that didn’t mean there wasn’t work to do Donny had informed him earlier that they had two interesting classes come up earlier Brawler and Ranger and Daniel wanted to ask them about their stat gains and skills

Chapter 44

After killing their 9th lizardman for the day Randidly was rather pleased Almost enough to return back to camp Most of the bodies were intact and they hadn’t encountered anything but lizardmen Although there had been a couple times that they had to flee taking the freshly killed bodies as patrols passed by

But it had been fruitful for him 2 Levels in Spear Mastery 1 in Phantom Thrust 1 in Footwork of the Spear Phantom 2 in Eyes of the Spear Phantom 1 in Fighting Proficiency 3 in Block 1 in Haste 1 in Sweep 3 in Roundhouse Kick 2 in Edge of Decay and 4 in Empower

Entangling Roots Root Manipulation and Mana Shield Rose 1 level while Fireball rose 5

Meditation Equip and First Aid each increased a level but the big gainer for the day was Pathfinding which rose 7 levels

Randidly supposed they covered a lot of ground but this was a bit ridiculous Still he wasn’t complaining

Ghosthound what is your agility at Decklan asked timidly Randidly saw Lyra roll her eyes at the term and felt slightly awkward It wasn’t his fault he had inherited a weird last name from his father’s family

Randidly considered lying but decided it wasn’t worth it 46 plus a few bonuses Why

Decklan shook his head wonderingly My agility reached 39 with that last level But it’s basically my only stat that high above 20 Still you seem quick Impossibly quick Those few points sure mean a lot

No I suspect it’s not that Randidly said simply

Decklan frowned Then what is

Ugh It’s the skills obviously Lyra interjected Doggy you have a skill to speed up your movements right

A vein in Randidly’s forehead twitched are you talking to me

Of course I am Now answer I’m making a point about how beautiful and farsighted you are

Slightly confused by her statement Randidly said yes actually two of them

Uh huh and you have other passive physical skills right Physical fitness Probably spear mastery

And what level are those

Randidly paused considering Around 30

Lyra nodded sagely now pointing at Decklan No one else is as advanced as the doggy not even Sam so it’s hard to tell but this is where skills really start to shine Taking a class gives you fast growth but he has top end utility Your stats might be similar but he will have 4 skills enhancing his stats at all times The conversion isn’t clear but it adds up

Decklan nodded thoughtful and Lyra extended a hand towards Randidly saying the words he was beginning to dread Mana Potion

Sighing Randidly sat down on the ground gathering the material and crafting more potions He went for enhanced versions so he got another skill level in Potion Making and Enhance

You aren’t wrong Decklan said slowly But we also receive class related skills every 10 levels We have tried a couple times already and it doesn’t look like these are skills you can learn through practice You can get variants sure

Randidly continued t make potions tuning the two of them out Academically he was interested in Classes but for now he wanted to find out how long he could survive without one Even if he waited too long he wouldn’t have a chance to regret it he would simply die

But halfway through the 7th mana potion he froze It had been a good thing that he had sat on the ground for this Otherwise he wouldn’t have felt it coming

Randidly instantly activated Haste and Empower pushing Decklan to the side and wrapping his arm around Lyra’s waist leaping across the dune

The sand underneath where Randidly had been sitting exploded a huge centipede rippling outward its legs making a vicious chittering grinding noise that set your teeth on edge It screeched and shot towards Decklan

Excuse me but the first dance is mine

Roots burst out the ground wrapping around the Centipede’s trunk but it just ripped through them after a slight struggle But that moment was enough for Randidly to cover the distance to the centipede and hit it with an Empowered Phantom Assault

Randidly’s brow furrowed as most of his blows skittered off its chitinous shell and even the direct attacks barely cracked it He would need a few direct hits to get through The centipede spun its body smashing outwards and Randidly easily dodged it landing on its back Its head twisted and smashed towards him but was met by a fireball in the face

While it was hissing in pain Randidly looked at Decklan Aim for the legs When it’s looking at me get close and try and cut them off Watch out for when its body spins

It’s legs Decklan’s eyes were confused But there are so many Cutting off a few

I’m not talking about a few Randidly said grimly dodging out of the way of another diving bite Then the head twisted and spat acid at him He spun his spear in a Spear Deflect and knocked away most of it but some still landed on him Randidly grimaced

Why always acid

I’m talking about them all Randidly finished grimly It’s gonna take a while to wear down its health And I feel like this will finally shut up Sam about his needing new materials And you

He spared Lyra a glance She just smiled cheerily and waved at him well don’t do anything stupid

The centipede screeched and attacked Randidly spread his hands wide roots springing out of the ground to seal its movements fire in his hands to cause it pain A small smile played across his lips

This was what he lived for now this thrill

Carefully keeping an eye on his stamina and mana levels Randidly rushed forward dodging closer The centipede could spit acid and writhe its powerful body but it couldn’t do much else

Decklan stayed to the side and would rush in severing one or two legs with his blades then hurry away If the centipede noticed this Randidly hit in the mouth with a blast of fire earning its ire

The battle dragged on minutes crawling passed Minutes clumped together until the total time they were fighting neared an hour and a half Randidly continued to swallow potion after potion maintaining a reasonable condition

Every few minutes Decklan would stop and take a break his chest heaving Only after his stamina recovered did he rejoin the battle

There were several large holes on the Centipede’s torso now ichor oozing out It’s hisses became more and more wrathful however as fury at its attackers overwhelmed any self preservation instincts

Eventually after a battle so long that even Randidly was reaching the end of his potion fueled stamina the creature swayed and fell one of Lyra’s birds perched on its head

Randidly collapsed 2 whole levels of Physical Fitness 1 of Spear Deflect another 2 in Fireball 2 in Haste and Empower 1 in Running

Just enough PP to finally finish off The Monster Slayer Path

Congratulations You have completed the The Monster Slayer Path +10 stat +5 to Health Regen Mana Regen and Stamina Regen + 5 Health Mana and Stamina Regen per level Although the path before you is long you cannot stop You can only drink the blood and bath in the gore You may emerge changed but you at least you will be alive

A growth rate that includes regen stats Although this wouldn’t help him currently the other bonuses were enough of a boost to his current abilities that he didn’t mind It was a good haul Randidly slowly got to his feet and grimaced looking at the huge body

Annoyingly it looked like most of these points would go into Strength just so he could bring the thing back

It started as a low noise pretty similar to the usual bustle of activity at the Newbie Village which people had begun calling Donnyton a grunting and dragging But it had a strange way of spreading As if everything nearby the source of the noise went quiet

All in all it was extremely annoying to Daniel who was working out schedules for the Dungeon They had split their now almost 200 strong Classers into 20 person groups putting veterans with some fresh blood sending them into the Dungeon for tempering as most of the nearby monsters had been pushed back by their expansion

There had been a few casualties which made Daniel regretful but it was hard to take it too much to heart so many people had died since the System came to this world and more would die tomorrow That was just the way the world worked

And why this was necessary they needed to gain strength to survive

Now though Daniel was stuck with the annoying task of scheduling it all Theoretically they could have it in use almost constantly except for the 24 hour cooldown But they would need more people for that So for now

Daniel looked up Finally the strange dragging reached the front of the village and everything else seemed to have fallen completely silent Annoyed he walked out to see what all the lack of fuss was about

The sight made Daniel just as speechless as the rest of them

Randidly walked forward a veritable Atlas carrying a huge centipede body on its shoulders He appeared to have looped it several times around himself so he could carry a larger portion The body of it was thicker than most men’s torsos and stretched for 30 meters The tail dragged on for about 20 of those the rest on Randidly’s shoulders a exhausted Decklan pushing from the back

A lovely girl with blonde hair appeared to be napping on the middle section of that thing’s back heedless

Randidly looked at them all and grunted Dozer give me a hand Decklan isn’t pulling his weight

The joke earned a few nervous chuckles from the crowd and Dozer walked forward gesturing for several people to follow Dozer went to the middle of the body and lifted Immediately his expression changed He shifted his stance and picked up again taking the weight onto his shoulders Two of Dozer’s men nervously approached the lovely girl unsure of whether to help or leave her alone but her eyes snapped open and she snorted

Hopping off the Centipede she blew a kiss at Randidly It’s been fun Let’s play again Doggy You take me the most interesting places Then she walked away

As Dozer’s men came to the centipede Decklan collapsed grateful

Randidly grunted again and began walking Taking this to Sam’s Let’s see him complain about materials after I drop this on his fucking doorstep

Almost all of Dozer’s men holding the Centipede gulped and began to sweat

It wasn’t a far walk but

But more importantly how the hell far did you bring this thing all by yourself

Daniel could hear it too The whispers

Ghosthound Ghosthound

That’s the Ghosthound

Slowly those individuals who were new to the town looked on with bright awestruck eyes

Chapter 45

Sam didn’t even bat an eye he just scratched his ear noncommittally

You’re gonna have to take it around back Can’t work on it here Sam commented Dozer stay for a bit too Gonna need you to smash the joints so we can work on it one segment at time

Scowling and more drained than he had ever felt Randidly left He could have at least been a little surprised But at the same time Randidly had gotten his own reward on the way back

Congratulations You have learned the skill Mana Strengthening Lvl 1

Mana Strengthening Channel mana through your body to slightly increase physical attributes Effect increases with Skill Level and Intelligence Mana cost decreases with Skill Level

Just on the walk home chugging mana potions he had gotten the skill to Level 7 It was the only way he had managed to drag that huge body back to the Newbie Village

It also made Randidly excited for the future When he had both Haste Empower and Mana Strengthening going his consumption of Mana and Stamina would be prodigious but he abilities would also be impressive

After returning to his hut avoiding the wondering and slightly fearful gazes of the people he collapsed finally alone He rubbed his eyes incredibly weary Slowly but surely he was finding strength He raised his hand still laying on the ground reaching for the ceiling

More people were pouring in every day More and more chances to find Ace and Sydney

And beyond that Once I find them what will I do What am I looking for ’ Randidly thought to himself And the answer rose unbidden

Strength

The answer was simple it was an answer learned from 7 long months of struggle Randidly shook his head a rueful smile forming Then he opened his path screen and froze

Watcher 0/ Entangling Roots 0/40 Meditation 0/35 Heretic I 0/ Oathbreaker 0/25 Apprentice Path 0/50

The Watcher and the path were there before but Randidly had earned every other path since he had started the 100 PP Monster Slayer path Entangling Roots and Meditation came from skill level Randidly guessed And Apprentice was unlocked when his stat total got to 400 But Heretic and Oathbreaker

Randidly grimaced Once more he would wait on the first two And the ones with an unknown source probably weren’t worth the PP investment at this point while he had so many options That narrowed his choices down to Entangling Roots Meditation and Apprentice

All three had their strong points Apprentice would likely give skills but was the most expensive Meditation would likely further improve his regeneration abilities which he needed but probably wouldn’t result in a skill and might not give many bonuses until the completion

Meanwhile Entangling Roots was Randidly’s go to skill when encountering a new opponent slowing and tying down the enemy while he repositioned Any improvement in that skill or availability of a similar more powerful skill would be worth it

But he could only pick one And all were significant investments the lowest being Meditation at 35 PP

Well let’s look ahead a bit What would he be doing tomorrow He would participate in the monster horde later After that should he return to the other Newbie Village for the glassware Perhaps not so soon give them time to gather and to forget he attacked their boss

Instead might be better to head back to the boundary head in a different direction Take a tankier group with him and fight cats

No the cats would probably kill most people instantly aside from Donny Even Randidly felt chills as those claws ripped towards him Back to the lizardmen then That was fine he had gained a lot of levels fighting against them Perhaps rely more on his spells and let some people practice tanking

Then if he wanted to focus on his spells

Ultimately Randidly set the Apprentice Path aside Better to focus on improving his current skills either by Meditation or Entangling Roots than learning new skills RIght now he needed to see immediate improvements in his strength if he wanted to survive for longer beyond the boundary

For several long seconds Randidly teetered between the two options But he finally settled on the Entangling Roots Path His immediate concerns were increasing his strength and harvesting more materials to keep the rest of the people in what they were now calling Donnyton alive So Randidly put his 6 leftover PP into the Entangling Roots Path

At 5 he earned himself 1 in Control and Focus so at least the Path was going to be a rewarding one He then looked at his full status screen

Health(/R per hour) 206/291 (+6) (137 (+9

Mana(/R per hour) 139/347 (60 75)

Stam(/R per min) 105/307 (53 (+3

Vit 39 (+3)

Str 27

Agi 47 (+3)

Reaction 26

Willpower 55

Intelligence 68

Control 43

Focus 20

Skills (Soul Skill) Spear of Rot Mastery Lvl 120

Combat Spear Mastery Lvl 40 Phantom Thrust Lvl 41 Spear Phantom’s Footwork Lvl 27 Eyes of the Spear Phantom Lvl 19 Phantom Half Step Lvl 5 Heavy Blow Lvl 22 Dagger Mastery Lvl 10 Iron Skin Lvl 25 Dodge Lvl 27 Fighting Proficiency Lvl 29 Block Lvl 27 Haste Lvl 15 Phantom Onslaught Lvl 10 Sweep Lvl 12 Spear Deflect Lvl 6 Empower Lvl 16 Calculated Blow Lvl 11 Roundhouse Kick Lvl 9 Edge of Decay Lvl 5

SpellsEntangling Roots Lvl 31 Mana Bolt Lvl 28 Mana Shield Lvl 24 Root Manipulation Lvl 25 Arcane Orb Lvl 22 Fireball Lvl 15 Magic Missile Lvl 4 Healing Palm Lvl 5 Pollen of the Rafflesia Lvl 6 Summon Pestilence Lvl 13 Mana Strengthening Lvl 7

Crafting Potion Making Lvl 22 Farming Lvl 20 Plant Breeding Lvl 9 Mapmaker Lvl 4 Analyze Lvl 24 Refine Lvl 4

Auxiliary Physical Fitness Lvl 28 Meditation Lvl 30 Running Lvl 19 Sprinting Lvl 13 Sneak Lvl 21 Acid Resistance Lvl 22 Poison Resistance Lvl 16 Pain Resistance Lvl 11 First Aid Lvl 13 Equip Lvl 19 Pathfinding Lvl 16 Mental Strength Lvl 11 Curse Resistance Lvl 3

His Intelligence was already impressively high making his spells hurt Perhaps it was time to funnel some points into his other stats keeping his physical capabilities high In the fight with the centipede if he hadn’t been as fast as he had the overwhelming power of that large body would have killed him

Randidly got up and walked outside finally grounded and with a sense of direction Now it was time to train To his annoyance people scurried around like diligent worker ants near his cabin making preparations for the night The farmer’s continued their grim eyed vigil nurturing the plants even now And everyone gave Randidly a wide berth

Sighing Randidly slipped away into the darkness through the trees following a path up the nearby mountain When he found a relatively clear area he began a new type of training even though it made him nervous blasting himself in the chest with a fire ball

The first explosion sent him stumbling a large chunk of his health gone and with a burn status inflicted Touching the wound Randidly used Healing Palm twice restoring the health and removing the burn status but the skin still stung lightly

He did the same thing again

After around 10 repetitions Randidly was forced to take a break to hit up all of the places where blue energy shards grew He had marked them previously on his map for ease of gathering After mopping up the monsters that inevitably cropped up around them he returned to the clearing

Fireball

Healing Palm Healing Palm

Healing Palm

Potion Making

Some Empowered Spear Phantom’s Footwork to break up the monotony and burn through his stamina

Although Randidly had already gotten 2 points in Fireball and 3 in Healing Palm now was when he got the notification that made him smile the widest

Congratulations You have learned the skill Fire Resistance Lvl 1

Chuckling Randidly continued with the rotation his eyes firmed

Strength For everything he needed strength He could not slack off now

Chapter 46

Annie blinked her eyes prettily pretending to just wake up as Dozer leaned forward holding his forehead Although Dozer had started to fall asleep quite earlier the pervious night mostly due to Annie’s intimate ministrations he still found getting up so early for the beast horde to be difficult

But still he stood strapping on his leather and furs lowering his necklace of teeth over his head

This is how Annie liked her men Big brooding and direct She admitted to herself this made them quite a bit easier to control but that wasn’t the reason she liked men with those certain traits

Although it was a nice side effect

Yawning for effect she allowed part of the blanket to slide off her left nipple poking out from behind the blanket She liked the way his eyes followed it for several seconds before grunting and turning away scratching his groin and reaching for the huge club he had found within the dungeon

Not that she would have let him take her right before he needed to fight against the horde But she liked to make him want it

Stay here He intoned seriously giving her a look over his shoulder as he left Wait for me

Annie nodded her eyes bright

As soon as he left she snorted kicking off the blankets and finding some of the spandex she had scrounged up since the system came Not that furs weren’t great for the whole tribal vibe but she felt next to naked without her leggings

Tying her hair up in a practical ponytail Annie walked out of the hut and around to the small space in the walls where she had stored her bow She didn’t like to brag but she was probably obviously the best archer in the village right now Sometimes other people got lucky and hit the target but she could loose an arrow and hit a target at

She scratched her head then shrugged Basically further than anyone else

She had even started getting skills for it Archery Mastery Hawkeye Snipe Power Shot

For now though she hurried out and towards the wall she had somewhere to be As if she would just stay in and let her Dozer handle a problem himself

And after several awkward bouts of flirting with Daniel he had finally succumbed and allowed her to be up on the new ramparts shooting arrows She was the best archer after all They just both mutually agreed not to tell Dozer He was surprisingly sensitive about some things

Annie arrived at the area near the gate where groups of Classers stood faces grim

Sam was shouting around passing out new shields that he had managed to make from the giant bug the Ghosthound had brought back It was honestly kinda cute the way so many crowded around and jostled to get a piece of dead bug skin

Largely ignored in the milling crowd of warriors Annie gathered some arrows from Sam’s people and then climbed up the side of the ramparts by the gate lifting herself up onto the vantage point To her surprise there was already someone up there

It was the older magician lady who had gone into the Dungeon with Dozer and his men Annie smiled sweetly at her but said nothing Clarissa just nodded at her then turned back to look out over the valley In the NCC village below the fires and lights were being snuffed out one by one so as not to attract the monster’s attention

Alright First Squad to the front Second Squad ready to switch Donny shoulded sporting a new shiny black bug shield and a mean looking iron sword that he probably got from the new weapon shop Then he turned to the milling group behind those first 10 squads The rest of you listen to Daniel He will set you up in squads We will do one full rotation with the regulars then work in the fresh meat every other squad alright

Daniel nodded and Donny turned back to the front squads grinning Most people had to stand on tiptoes straining to see his gangly teenage form But then he lifted the huge shield almost 3/4th of the size of a door like it was nothing revealing his power

So now He drawled slowly walking to the front You regulars The final count is 260 classers here Honestly we might have bad news for the fresh blood Who knows if there is even going to be any monsters left by the time we get through a full rotation right boys

They all howled and hooted men and women young and old pounding their chests Even Dozer his adorable smile stretching wide as he pounded the ground with his club

Annie shook her head slightly If he had enough ambition Dozer could be double the leader that the little dweeb Donny was But honestly he was happy now so it was fine And if they ever wanted to take out Donny

Narrowing her eyes Annie could just make out a figure strolling up from the NCC village his spear spinning as relaxed and casual as can be The Ghosthound To her surprise he kept to the shadows walking calmly up If someone didn’t have a vision skill like Annie had

Then she blinked shocked Suddenly there was another person with him a lithe girl her blonde hair pulled up into a bun The Ghosthound gave her a look but just turned back

The two were quick too Within 10 seconds they had crossed the distance from the village to the wall and scaled it silently hopping up onto the area further down the ramparts from where Annie and Clarissa stood Calmly the Ghosthound walked over his eyes flicking past Annie and Clarissa and scanning the waiting classers

As they walked closer the noise attracted Clarissa’s attention and she turned and hopped slightly shocked by the two individual’s sudden appearance

Ah oh it’s you You You’re the Ghosthound right Clarissa said nervously fear and wonder and excitement warring across her face I’m uh Clarissa The Weather Witch

She extended her hand but the blonde girl stepped in front of the Ghosthound taking it for him

Can’t you see he’s in prime brooding mode Let’s wait until he acknowledges us before we get too friendly shall we The girl said brightly flashing a cheeky smile

This was the first time Annie had seen the Ghosthound up close He was tall but not too much so He obviously was athletic but was not overly muscular But there was something She could feel it Maybe it was the way his eyes swept over her registering her and then dismissing her instantly Maybe it was the unnatural stillness about him like he was asleep or dead until he moved with an unnatural speed

Maybe it was the piercing green of his eyes Like they could rip through your soul and rifle through your thoughts at will When the Ghosthound finally turned away from her Annie released a breath she hadn’t realized she had been holding The blonde girl gave her a knowing smile

All I’m saying is if you are going to ask me for mana potions all night just take them now The Ghosthound said his voice amused looking at the blonde girl

She shook her head vehemently But where would be the fun in that Imagine how epic a moment it would be for you to pass me the mana potion right when I need it and then I cast the best spell ever and save the world Try and think a little bit about someone other than yourself Doggy

Besides The blonde girl added her smile turning wicked I obviously have mana potions of my own I’m not an idiot I’m just giving you the chance to feel involved in my life Aren’t I generous

This time Annie was the one to flash the blonde girl a knowing smile and for a second their eyes met

This girl talked a big game and played the part of arrogant princess pretty well but Annie could tell rather easily how much she wanted the Ghosthound’s attention No matter how skilled an actor or whatever she was she was still young

Scratching his head The Ghosthound nodded to Clarissa to acknowledge that he heard her but then stepped forward to the edge of the ramparts

Donny Daniel Dozer It was in his voice too a low baritone that resonated in your chest The crowd fell silent looking up at the figure who appeared above them holding a plain looking spear and looking down towards them with serious eyes

The three men walked forward frowning

Randidly Daniel said Are you fighting

Just as artillery The Ghosthound replied with a smirk Annie blinked It was the first time that she had heard his real name She should have known Ghosthound was fake but

It just fit him

No but there’s something else The enemy is bringing air support I suspect we won’t be able to keep them outside the wall as much as we have previously Handle it

Daniel’s eyes went wide his panic clear but the Ghosthound had already turned away and Donny and Dozer were both nodding their eyes firm

What Annie didn’t expect was that Randidly would immediately turn and look her straight in the eyes You are an archer

A little nervous Annie nodded I don’t have a class but

He just shrugged his emerald gaze turning back towards the darkness That’s fine But when I point it out I’d like you to make the shots Prepare your bow

He glanced at her and then added They are coming

Sure enough when Annie looked out a veritable sea of monsters were rushing forward And above them smaller swooping forms could be seen and larger colossal shadows

Those Annie muttered

Looks like giant condors right They are pretty tough too Doggy’s Mana Bolts don’t take them down in one shot and those things have some juice The blonde girl said enthusiastically

The Ghosthound was already looking at Clarissa Use your mana sparingly on the ground the warriors below can handle it Take out the air support If you need more mana let me know

And then the Ghosthound pointed a bright flash of fire shooting forward to the approaching mob When it hit the monster’s line it exploded outwards in a blast of flame knocking everything in a 3 meter area the monsters in the epicenter burnt to a crisp

It really looked like artillery had struck

Then he pointed again and again and again and the front line charging towards them was ragged and scattered Donny sighed theatrically Welp let’s pack up boys looks like this is going to be an easy one

There were a few chuckles and the tension was largely out of the first few squads but they weren’t relaxed They were stretching muscles and tightening shield straps squeezing the shafts of their axes and adjusting their fur and snakeskin armor These were the men that had survived at least two nights

Although they hadn’t been at this for long they knew their business If they didn’t they would be dead already

The front runners of the monsters had slowed scared but the second wave surged forward running past screaming their fury Again and again the Ghosthound pointed his finger the harbinger of death

But there was a 3rd wave of monsters and a 4th and 5th and the Ghosthound drank a mana potion and broke them all

10 more surged forward Grim eyed he reached up and cracked his neck Above a bird screeched and a strange winged creature with a woman’s head and torso dove towards them talons flashing

Clarissa

Oh doggy The blonde girl interrupted batting her eyelashes How about you let me go first

A strange glowing hawk condensed on the girl’s outstretched arm and threw itself up wings beating Then it streaked upwards meeting the harpy creature midair The screeching was abruptly cut off and the harpy fell down in two pieces The hawk swooped around ripping through some of the approaching harpies but there were dozens

The Ghosthound rolled his eyes looking surprisingly human as he grinned at the blonde girl If that’s all Clarissa

Would it be that uncomfortable to give a compliment every once and awhile The stoic type is cool and attractive but a lot of people are drawn to the gap too The blonde girl muttered But then she stamped her foot and waved her arms and suddenly a crow a hummingbird a goldfinch and an eagle sprung into existence all made of that strange glowing energy and flew up joining the hawk

Each of them seemed to be more weapon than natural creature ripping holes through the harpies just by flying into them Harpy bodies fell like rain The bird bodies sizzled and flickered but they silently screamed their fury and slaughtered their way through the harpies

But as soon as they appeared they faded the blonde girl collapsing in a sweating heap

I suppose that’s my cue Clarissa said stepping forward and summoning icicles which she began to throw expertly spearing a flying harpy

You too The Ghosthound rumbled and Annie started Her

He wanted her to hit wildly flying birds

At night While they swooped down and tried to kill her

Admittedly the Ghosthound shot any down that came too near all the while throwing fireballs at the ground army leaving wide gaps in the flood of monsters

Gritting her teeth Annie knocked an arrow and raised her bow taking aim But as she tried to track the Harpies her vision just blurred their movements too confusing

So she just closed her eyes and loosed hoping for the best

She was rewarded with a screech She opened her eyes shocked to find an arrow through the eye of a harpy the body crumpling and falling to the ground She gained a level in Archery Mastery

Feeling giddy she quickly knocked another arrow and shot it That one ripped the throat out of one harpy and ricocheted away taking another in the chest

She gained another level in Archery Mastery

The Ghosthound gave her a long look

Nice shots

But then he was turning away glaring towards the sky Still too far away He muttered

Aegis The call came a golden light suffusing the first squad as they ripped easily through the first wave of enemies and then the second But as more came they came more thickly Wolverines and Lizards and Imps

At this point the people in the first squad were all above level 10 and could take several of each enemy on at once But if there were 100

They weapons slashed forward in short brutal strikes Admittedly they were still pretty clumsy but they were getting the hang of roman legion style fighting

Annie killed another harpy and shook her head sadly That was another reason why her Dozer wasn’t in charge his fighting style didn’t match the strategy

Finally the Ghosthound said looking up towards the sky Here they come

Chapter 47

Randidly gathered fire and released it aiming upwards He didn’t bother with calculating wind or speed but just reached up and adjusted the flight path slightly with his extremely high control stat backed by his willpower

His fireball struck the wing of the first huge condor the bird screaming and sliding sideways losing its ability to glide with a huge chunk of its wing blown off But dozens more cruised lower aiming for the base

First Squad switch Donny called his squad sliding back one individual at a time a member of the second squad It was a smart ploy Having the first squad at the back to deal with what came would be smart

Randidly threw several more fireballs upwards The first condor crashed into ground its fully 30 meter wingspan smashing dozens of monsters on the ground It didn’t appear to have a high level or any offensive weapons but it was able to carry around 30 monsters on its back while gliding Randidly had seen them hoping off the mountain looming Donnyton them to get up speed and slowly gliding down here

It was annoying but the condors themselves weren’t too big of a problem it was what they represented that was scary Randidly activated his Eyes of the Spear Phantom and looked the back of the horde But low leveled monsters rushed out unendingly

Not yet huh

Randidly drank a mana potion and tossed a dozen more fireballs up into the air ripping holes in wings and blowing heads entirely off bodies Most crashed into the monster mass sowing chaos but there were far too many of the condors Several times the condor crashed on their side of the wall around two dozen groggy monsters staggered off the condor met by the newer squads backed by the 1st squad

The only problem occured when a condor crashed onto the wall splintering the wood and giving the monsters hand holds to crawl over the tall walls

Luckily Decklan’s group appeared like ghosts ripping through the distracted monsters while Sam gleefully had his men drag the condor over the wall Shaking his head Randidly admitted to himself that Sam’s pursuits were getting decidedly strange Randidly saw Sam just a small gash and his head and rub blood on the body before looking at it with greedy eyes

The way he looked at a fresh monster body he had never seen before it wasn’t moral

Randidly continued to rain fire down on the attacking monsters his skill level increasing the explosion getting marginally larger inch by inch

The squads rotated smoothly the fresh recruits stumbling but surviving Ptolemy was there healing scratches bandaging wounds replacing any wooden shields that broke

Randidly spared a glance for the Weather Witch and the Archer Both possessed a surprising amount of mettle standing tall while harpies attacked the group of them up here Not that he would let any get close enough to matter but still Both were accurate Both were practical Both were blessedly silent

Mana potion Lyra chirped playfully poking Randidly’s side Shaking his head he tossed her a mana potion As annoying as he thought he should find it it was hard to be too put off when every time she summoned those glowing birds of hers she ripped through a dozen enemies clearly demonstrating her skill It was almost nice Randidly admitted to himself to have someone who didn’t look at him with fear and awe She treated him like a person

The fact that she was a lovely teenager who managed to master skills that Randidly hadn’t managed to imititate didn’t hurt her appeal either

After dealing with Lyra he turned back and scanned the battelfield a long slow smile forming

Looming at the back crouched down but abundantly clear was a large wolverine Too large And Randidly could clearly see it’s name and Level glowing blue

Godmother Wolverine Lvl 19

Randidly prepared to go meet it then thought better of it Instead he turned towards the forces below Half of which were grunting and fighting half of which were bent over and panting

Dozer time to live up to your namesake Clear a path directly forward into the enemy Donny get your most durable people and follow him We have our first boss

Dozer’s squad wearily got to their feet hefting their shields and drawing their short swords Randidly chuckled then shook his head slowly

No no leave those twigs here I said clear a PATH not thread a needle Give Donny a hole large enough to stumble through

The whole group stilled Dozer shifted looking up at Randidly Then his ugly flat face split into a huge grin He dropped his short sword and shield and drew the huge club that he had obtained in the dungeon All around him men shed armor and small arms drawing axes clubs halberds and spear Huge weighty weapons that were meant more to bash and slaughter

Dozer strode forward his 10 man squad following him The 4th squad was currently at the front holding back the monster horde

SQUADS 6 through 10 Dozer belowed PART

Confused they shuffled to the side revealing Squad 5 who nervously glanced backwards while the 4th squad struggled with grim expressions Donny formed up a group of 25 or so people hurrying after Dozer

Dozer and his group began to run

Randidly threw down handfuls of fire not at the area near the gate but in a line directly forward thinning enemies in the way

His huge thighs bulging Dozer crouched behind the 5th squad their eyes wide and then leapt his huge 2 meter club held high overhead His squad loyally followed roaring Their huge muscled forms reached the apex of their leap then fallin weapons swinging

Most nearby monsters were meat paste before they understood what was happening Dozer rumbled forward his huge club swinging 4 or 5 monsters crushed or smashed backwards with every blow His men charged after him swinging like mad themselves and the monster horde was quickly bulldozed before them

Donny followed the golden glow of Aegis suffusing his group as they walked forward mopping up the mess left by Dozer Feeling that the time was right Randidly bombarded the area around the Godmother Wolverine with flames killing the weaker monsters and antagonizing the boss

It roared and stood on its hind legs shouting its challenge towards the sky Then it lowered itself again and charged forward heedless of its minions it crushed Within seconds Dozer had caught sight of the charging wolverine and laughed wildly raising his club

The two forces met with a huge boom Dozer staggering back several steps but the Godmother Wolverine stopped dead Its face was confused and then furious and it reared up again but suddenly Donny was there shield blazing with golden light and Shield Bashed it directly in the face Stunned the thing stumbled and Decklan was there sweeping in his knives leaving long scratches on its flank

Their squads spread out around them knocking the monsters back and forming a loose defensive circle letting the powerhouses meet

Randidly felt slightly disappointed that he wasn’t a part of the struggle but he sensed that this enemy was not one that would get his blood flowing Although it was as high of level as the things beyond the boundary it just had a prodigious amount of health It was enough for the three of them to defeat it And also they would be further reassured of their ability to survive without him That was very important for the future

Instead Randidly drew his spear and hopped off the wall Now was time for him to play

Randidly had a satisfied expression as he watched the sun rise For one there were only 3 deaths this morning and 1 of them was an NCC who got too curious and wandered too close to the horde

In addition Randidly experienced an enjoyable amount of level gains Spear Mastery increased by 2 Phantom Thrust by 1 Spear Phantom’s footwork by 3 Heavy Blow and Fighting Proficiency by 1 Haste by 2 Sweep by 4 Empower by 3 Calculated Blow by 8 Roundhouse Kick and Edge of Decay by 4

Fireball also increased by 3 with Root Manipulation going up by 1 Pollen of the Rafflesia and Summon Pestilence both by 2 and Mana Strengthening by 3

And the ever important Equip went up putting it at 20 and giving Randidly a nice surprise He was finally able to identify and equip the necklace he had gotten from the first cat he had killed

Necklace of the Shadow Cat Lvl 20 ® (Vitality +1 Strength +2 Agility +7)

He certainly savored that Agility boost after wearing it without any effect for long Then Randidly’s eyes widened as he wondered if the habit of teeth necklaces denoting authority came from imitating him He shook his head ruefully

There was no way that was the case right

Chapter 48

He certainly had earned quite a lot of PP in the battle but he supposed that was understandable Part of it was the huge library of skills he currently possessed Odds were one or two would level up constantly

Additionally no matter how strong you were being surrounded added a lot of mental pressure raising the stakes In addition his higher recovery rates combined with his constant potions meant that he could continue far longer than others out grinding skills levels with the sheer amount of time spent fighting

Still the rewards this time were large and the completion notification for Entangling Roots was a welcome sight followed by a flood of additional notifications

Congratulations You have completed the The Entangling Roots Path +3 Int Wis Control and Focus +25 Mana Where you walk the earth comes alive heeding your beck and call You have learned the skill Wall of Thorns Lvl 1 You have learned the skill Soul Seed Lvl ®

Wall of Thorns Produces a bristling wall of thorns Size and sharpness of thorns based on Intelligence and skill level Shape of the wall and distance away based on Wisdom and Skill level

Soul Seed A rare skill that will not level Nurture the seed with the essence of your other skills and different plants will grow Effects of the plants will be determined by the level of skills used to nurture them Plants grown from Soul Seeds will have intelligence and level and will be capable of growth

Congratulations As the first member of your race to unlock a rare skill you have received the reward path Frontrunner 0/100 Use this path to lead your race to salvation

For finishing the Entangling Roots path your Skill has evolved Synchronicity with Soul Skill Spear of Rot Mastery detected Calculating mutations

3 mutations found Forking Path Choose which skill Entangling Roots shall take on characteristics of Pollen of the Rafflesia Edge of Decay or Spear Mastery

Randidly looked at the notifications and blinked The new skills both intrigued him Looking at Wall of Thorns he was excited to go cat hunting today trying to find and kill the annoying things Soul Seed was a little more nebulous

His confidence was also boosted by the reward’ path he received although he was a little leery about another 100 PP path right now

But for the moment his attention was on the ways that Entangling Roots could evolve He hesitated for a half second but really he knew immediately as he saw the options what he would choose

Congratulations You have chosen Spear Mastery Your skill has evolved into Spearing Roots Level has been reset but benefits from the previous skill’s skill level have been retained

Immediately Randidly walked out into the forest and tried it The sight of dozen of sharpened roots shooting upward boring holes in the wood of an unlucky tree set him laughing Although he would now need to rely on root manipulation for his control the increased strength and power of the stabbing roots were more than enough to make up for it

Anyways he had been using root manipulation to touch up on the accuracy of Entangling Roots anyways And now for the big control he had Wall of Thorns

Curious Randidly used that and a short waist high hedge of sharpened thorns springing up Randidly pressed his finger against a thorn and pulled back impressed If it was sharp enough to get through his endurance most low leveled monsters would tear themselves to pieces on it

Finally Randidly looked at his hand concentrating and summoned a Soul Seed A small wizened looking nut appeared in his hand weirdly maroonish in color A small bar hovered over the seed

Soul Seed 0% Nurtured

Randidly scratched his chin Nurtured was it The notification had said I nurture it with skills so do I just

As he focused on the nut he felt a strange connection forming He knew instinctively that while he had the seed on his person it would grow based on any skill he activated So for now he put the seed away and turned back to his spare PP He immediately poured it into the Meditation path and was rewarded at 5 with 15 mana and at 10 with +2 Wisdom

Yawning Randidly rubbed his stomach Today was a good day And every good day deserved a good meal to start it off

Leaving by a side path Randidly escaped from Donnyton without any more questions from Daniel or any strange followers

Lyra was beautiful sure And useful Her spells were powerful too And she was a non classer like him so they had that in common

Randidly froze And she was here

He spun around expecting to see her standing there her mana birds fluttering around her But there was nothing the path was deserted Randidly frowned then chuckled nervously shaking his head

Even if he had grown definitively stronger he wasn’t so strong that he could just have his head in the clouds while searching for these cats And today was the 5th day

Looking at the sun Randidly wondered again what would happen once the Newbie Zone walls fell and the monsters from beyond the boundary roved towards the village

Clenching his fist he turned and began to walk He would meet whatever came with strength

And so for now he would work on sharpening that strength

Daniel glanced up at the nervous man annoyed

What is it He snapped

Uh S sam wants to speak with you sir The man stuttered and then hurried away

Sighing Daniel wiggled his fingers at his assistants who tiredly took the paperwork from him as he stood to leave Despite what the rest of the people here seemed to think a society required bureaucracy to function You couldn’t just steal whatever you needed from wherever you wanted That wasn’t a sustainable economy

However

As he walked towards Sam’s settlement down by the farming area Daniel rubbed his temples It was becoming increasingly difficult to find a way to actually base their economy on something They had no real production besides food and animal pelts and the slightly more sophisticated armors that Sam would produce but still

Gold was becoming increasingly popular as a currency but none of the Classers even took it seriously they gambled it away on dumb ridiculous bets like arm wrestling contests or who could cut down more trees with a single swing They were like children and their increased physical prowess was their shiny new toy

Sir Daniel A woman said hurrying next to him struggling to keep pace with his long strides Although Daniel hadn’t really gained very many levels he had gained quite a few skills during his duties As such he had seen it prudent to put some into physical attributes So the woman who was one of the designated NCC representatives was struggling to keep up

He had to admit being call Sir Daniel certainly was better than Chubbs’

What is it Daniel said lengthening his stride

We would like permission to extend the current farming plat Probably by double Moving further south down the valley A recent arrival brought coffee seeds and

Fine fine Daniel said waving his hands Draw up a new map and send it over for approval

Yes sir The woman said peeling away gratefully She began shouting to the nearby Classers offering food bribes for labor A lot of single shoulder pad classers having nothing better to do agreed and began to follow her

Daniel arrived at Sam’s area shocked at the changes that had occurred The ground had been flattened and around a dozen wooden tables were covered with monster parts Some tables were covered in monsters being skinned others were skins drying others were stacks of sorted bones still others had men stitching away creating armor and clothing from the furs of monsters

A lot of people had taken to wearing it especially the Classers but Daniel still preferred the feel of processed cotton

Sam and Dozer stood over to the side surrounded by several of Dozer’s brutish henchmen as Dozer hefted what looked like the giant skull of the Wolverine he had killed last night As Daniel watched Dozer lifted the object and placed it onto his head

Narrowing his eyes Daniel walked closer Although it was definitely a wolverine skull there was no way it should fit his head so regularly with the eye holes wide and spaced so it’s easy to see out from within

Heh as expected you can see immediately Sam said positively glowing as he regarded it He jerked a thumb at the skull covered Dozer That’s the work of my new skill Bone Shaping Can’t do much of anything impressive with it yet but if I keep working at it we will have whole suits of armor soon Imagine

Dozer grunted happily clearly excited but Daniel just rolled his eyes So how quickly can things like that be made

Well Sam hemmed It’s not like it takes too long but it’s not short either And it needs to be personalized by me

Shaking his head Daniel reached into his spatial backpack which had been purchased with 50 SP and removed a pile of folders I look forward to seeing them in widespread use In the meantime I took the liberty of drawing up some evaluation forms for you two and Decklan to handle

Evaluation Dozer muttered staring uncomprehendingly at the tiny words covering the pages handed to him

Yes Evaluation I know you are tired of me harping on the ranking stratification and I am too I made a rubric for you to grade each Classer by Strength Utility Teamwork Leadership etc Just fill all the columns in and add them up and you will have a number between 1 and 100 Obviously we will just being going by the 10s digit for the specific rank but specificity is always preferable Daniel explained with a smile Then he turned and walked away leaving the piles of paper with the two men

But then he turned and called over his shoulder Oh and I expect it done by the end of today Until it gets done I’ll probably be too busy to work out the schedule for the dungeon

The cat quickly sidestepped avoiding the wall of thorns but the Spearing Roots shot upward leaving several scrapes across its body

And in that moment it stumbled

A Phantom Thrust ripped into its neck spraying its blood over the ground After a few wobbly steps it collapsed spent

Pleased Randidly sat too beginning to refine Blue Energy stones to make higher tiered mana potions He had been hunting cats for around two hours and had caught 6 The Wall of Thorns really helped but even more important were the points that he had started putting into strength Where as before he could leave small scratches now his blows actually would send the cats stumbling with the force In addition the extra Agility from the necklace had done a lot to even out their difference in speeds

Honestly it was mostly perception and reaction that was holding him back now He was slowly beginning to realize that his body was faster than he could handle Ruefully Randidly put that on the list of things that needed to be worked on as he progressed

So far today he had gained 3 Levels in Wall of Thorns but only 2 in Spearing Roots even though he used it much much more Apparently in addition to the skill level bonuses carrying over the difficulty in leveling also increased Haste also went up by 1 and Refine by 2

Randidly also noticed that although evolving the skill had increased the mana cost to 45 his mana pool of 450 still meant he could cast it 10 times before he needed to break for mana potions The rate at which he could improve spells was improved enormously by the larger mana pool

As he began to move forward through the strange wasteland he wondered if he had gotten to a level of strength that he would get an impressive class Probably something related to his Spear of Rot Mastery

But he still wanted to push his fire magic forward to a higher level before trying it The combination would be deadly in a class But currently he was leery about using fire magic so that would take a back seat

Randidly removed the Soul Seed from his pocket

Soul Seed 22% Nurtured Strongest Influences 1 Spearing Roots 2 Wall of Thorns 3 Haste 4 Refine

Randidly wasn’t sure what to make of the strongest influences information but he supposed it was still interesting More interesting was that it had gotten to 22% in 2 hours so it would roughly take 8 more hours to be nurtured

And after that

He would plant it

Chapter 49

Movement caught Randidly’s eye and he saw for the first time two cats streaking across the wasteland together He supposed they had to breed somehow so it wasn’t surprising It was honestly more surprising that he hadn’t seen it before

Monsters did breed That’s why some of the Classers had captured some Wolverines and Lizards and were starting a farm for meat They even apparently accepted domestication well enough as long as someone with a level over 10 was there or equivalent strength They had some intuition about who could kill them

But the two together made his hunting more dangerous but also doubly as efficient

They hadn’t appeared to have noticed him so Randidly crept forward hiding in the shady side of a large crack in the earth As he moved into position he received a level in Sneak which made him chuckle it certainly had been awhile since he used this skill

As they came hurtling past a Wall of Thorns sprang up which the first one plowed right into setting off a series of long yowls Spearing Roots rushed up silencing it quickly

The other dodged to the side narrowly avoiding the thorns and was caught in the back leg by a Spearing Roots Already the next Spearing Roots was rushing towards its hobbled form but this cat did something that Randidly had never seen before

It swayed its upper body receiving some scratches but largely dodging the attack Then also contrary to form it leapt away streaking back from whence it came leaving a trail of blood

Strange usually they would attack him on sight regardless of their injuries

Randidly collected the body of the first cat and squinted at the fleeing one Shrugging he decided to follow it Although it would be increasingly dangerous if it returned to a den or warren of the things it would also speed up his hunting quite a bit

A smile tugging at the corners of his mouth Randidly loped silently after it

Dozer Donny and Decklan glanced fearfully at each other and then down at the stack of papers in front of them The immaculately scaled and designed forms were soggy and wet from coffee

When the man who wanted to grow coffee had arrived he had sweetened the deal by offering some of his already roasted beans Naturally those bribes slowly percolated up the chain of command until they arrived at Donny

Only 16 years of age and not such a coffee drinker he had turned to Decklan and Dozer for their expertise on the subject All and all the two had assured him it was an excellent strain

Unfortunately they had knocked over the pot spilling all of the remaining coffee

Unfortunately the sheets they were supposed to rank all the classers with had been ruined

I mean What can he really do I’m the village chieftain Donny said uncertainly

Good you take the blame Decklan said crossing himself

He distributes the food Dozer mumbled He controls who gets weapons from the shop with SP rather than having to save up gold themselves Wood that comes up from the NCCs He controls that You wanted to start to build a house didn’t you Donny

The three considered the issue solemnly picturing Daniel’s pudgy face contorted in fury It was honestly difficult to imagine It really couldn’t be that bad right

Well Dozer said uncertainly He did mention that all he really needed was a 1 10 ranking we could just

Rank everyone Today Decklan snapped

But then Donny blinked then laughed

Yes That’s exactly what we do With the most efficient method for determining strength

The other two looked at him He smiled widely and spread his hands With a Tournament

The three of them straightened their worried looks turning into flinty evaluative ones

A tournament Decklan said calmly making a knife dance across this hands

A tournament Dozer agreed his chest heaving his eyes bright

I’ll go tell the squads and grab Sam I’m sure we can assemble a stadium or something by the time we get to the top 16 People who lose in the preliminaries need to build Donny said picturing himself being crowned champion

Ah Dozer said blinking Will the Ghosthound be participating

They mulled this question over for several seconds

Let’s not bother him with this Donny said After all it is purely administrative work It is being done to rank the Classers nothing more

Nothing more The other two echoed eyeing each other

Randidly had followed the trail to the edge of a small path leading downwards into a ravine before he hesitated the hair on the back of his neck tingling There was something strange here Something wrong

But the trail of blood led forward and Randidly felt a familiar thrill growing Against his better judgement he walked down into the gorge around twisting turns through meandering paths until finally deep within the gorge Randidly arrived at a large cave

The trail of blood had long since disappeared so Randidly was expecting an ambush Eyes of the Spear Phantom were activated and scanning around but when he finally spotted the enemy it wasn’t one that he needed to be using any extra skills to see

It was large as large as a short bus Body of a lion head of a woman wings of an eagle Its eyes slowly opened its amber eyes drifting over towards him It lounged in front of the entrance to the cave plain as day

The floating text above its head dominated Randidly’s focus freezing him solid In a bright yellow text that Randidly didn’t recognize he immediately recognized that he might be facing his own doom

The Hungry Tribulation Ep Tal Lvl 30

My my my The creature murmured getting to its feet It seems the sheep have wandered quite far from the shepherd And what soft wool you have Haven’t even received a class yet Well well well

What Are you Your name is yellow

Ah ah ah The creature said seeming pleased It sat on its haunches regarding him with a glimmer of interest So the sheep does know some things Yes I do not fit into the normal hierarchy of enemies you face I am special I am the tribulation that waits outside the edge of the Newbie Zone for freshly formed villages A desolation but perhaps also a blessing The Hungry Hungry Hungry Tribulation

The sphinx flashed its teeth

Randidly remembered now the fear he had learned first in the Dungeon surrounded by enemies much more powerful than himself Although this enemy wasn’t as high as the level of the Boss of the Dungeon the suffocating aura was 10x as great and there was no Shal here to take the brunt of the damage The feeling came wet and raw and fresh The old dread of a predator looming above him His hands were shaking but his smile was growing wider and wider his eyes bright

He might die here But he definitely felt alive here too

In a smooth motion he drew his spear and leveled it towards the sphinx Aren’t you supposed to tell me a riddle or something

Its smile widened and it lowered its stance into a crouch No no no But we shall enjoy our time playing together To a wandering lost sheep there are a few lessons that I am willing to teach teach teach

It leapt forward and Randidly dodged to the side activating Haste Empower Footwork of the Spear Phantom and Mana Strengthening His eyes narrowed sensing rather than seeing that he wouldn’t make it in time

He instantly used Phantom Half Step creating some distance weighing his options

But whereas the cats had been annoyingly fast this creature was mind bogglingly fast and already crossed the distance to him its huge paw swiping sideways

His spear got up in time and he activated Mana Shield and Iron Skin At the same time he used Spearing Roots aiming for its underside while it was distracted attacking him

It laughed as it sidestepped so fast it vanished avoiding the roots and belched fire at him

Randidly felt sweat on his brow as he raised his hand simultaneously channeling Root Manipulation and shooting a fireball to intercept the fireball spat by the sphinx Randidly didn’t doubt that he wouldn’t be able to take many of those fireballs due to his low Resistance

The fireballs met in a huge explosion of roaring flame and Randidly could tell that his was slightly weaker But he leapt over the smoke using the cover to pull out and down a stamina and mana potion Then he narrowed his eyes scanning for the sphinx

Here here here It cooed from behind him its paw smashing into his back

The impact was brutal even with iron skin Randidly could feel that several of his bones had broken and some of his organs were failing He simply pressed his hands to his chest and activated healing palm barely keeping his health afloat Staggering to his feet he drank two health potions feeling his body snap back into place quite painfully but otherwise without any repercussions

Randidly had also come to a realization It wasn’t that the Sphinx was fast it simply used the same skill that Lyra did

It could literally teleport anywhere around him Snickering he felt it move

Rather than trying to track it with his eyes Randidly raised his spear and prepared to receive its attacks If Lyra had taught him anything in the past few days it’s that the things she did came at great cost it was not a move that could be used indefinitely

And when it ran out of mana that was his chance He simply had to survive that long

Chapter 50

Glendel watched the city feeling slightly annoyed

On behalf of the leader of his group he had been sent to investigate the two newbie villages that had sprung up so close together here In the winding 50 mile trek up here their group hadn’t seen a single pillar of light Imagine their surprise when they arrived and found two

Something was different here and their leader was cautiously pessimistic And thus Glendel was planning on making contact with both But when he had originally approached the first village the more civilized seeming one he had been told to turn around and leave or they would shoot As he tried to explain himself they had fired off warning shots sending him scampering back

Although he had put some points into End and Vit from finishing paths he didn’t think he could do something as ridiculous as survive bullets

Just as he was about to give up disgusted something strange happened The bus that acted as a gate to the city pulled to the side and a truck drove out carefully driving in the small thin path free of monster bodies

As it pulled off the road and went around on a path Glendel walked out cautiously waving his arms This was different maybe they had sent someone out to talk with him

But the truck was ready to pull right passed him and only stopped when he shouted Hey

Still it did stop so Glendel walked to the side looking into the driver’s seat A tall athletic looking black man sat there dressed in a police uniform Next to him was a beautiful woman with honey colored skin that looked oddly familiar

Glendel offered a nervous smile Hey uh again I was just wondering how do you get into the city

The two exchanged a heavy glance

The officer turned back to Glendel Unfortunately we aren’t accepting any more refugees at this time If you want shelter we recommend you head to Donnyton Actually we are heading there now if you need a ride

Glendel nodded uncertainly then got into the back of the cab The truck pulled away driving around the hill in a long loop while the two up front talked in tones too low for Glendel to hear Instead he turned and looked at the cargo

It was Glass

Randidly’s left arm hung useless at his side 4 large furrows in his flesh keeping him from being able to move it And the slashes from the Sphinx came faster and faster With only one arm he blocked as well as he could dispersing the force

But the Sphinx just teleported behind him and attacked from a different angle Gritting his teeth Randidly used Spearing Roots starting them behind him so that the sharp attacks rushed towards his back hidden from the Sphinx’s vision As the huge paw descended towards him Randidly raised his spear with his good arm simultaneously guiding those roots around his body hugging him as closely as they could the attacks rushing forward

Because of that the Sphinx’s attack hit him almost square on the training spear given to him by Shal bending dangerously

But at the same time several of the spearing roots landed on the its paw digging into the sphinx’s flesh It tsk’d in annoyance shaking its paw and Randidly used that opportunity to withdraw several potions downing them all

Then as his health surged back upwards his arm healing Randidly leapt forward an Empowered Phantom Onslaught rushing towards the creature

As soon as it ripped through the roots however it teleported away again his attack hitting nothing but air Panting Randidly adjusted his stance and waited The sphinx just seemed disappointed

Heh heh heh you are likely waiting for me to use up my mana correct But it is in vain before the Newbie Barrier drops I have unlimited mana so that I would not succumb to any of the other monsters out here I might not have any regeneration but my well of mana and stamina will never run dry And for you that is bad bad bad

Randidly lowered his spear slowly It couldn’t be accidentally doing this right And what about your health

The sphinx threw its head backwards laughing Hahaha From your face you are wondering if it is a trap yes That I claim to have no regeneration and fail to mention infinite health just infinite stamina and mana It is no trap although I am bound I am still a sphinx I have my pride No challenger will be clueless around me Although it is a broad term isn’t it little sheep Clueless clueless clueless

But but but It continued That is not to say I cannot heal myself But until the barrier drops I am stuck out here and so I might as well play with you for a while It gets so dull out here And the only way to amuse myself is to eat eat eat

Then it stretched in a very catlike manner and began to walk towards him its eyes gleeful

Breathing in and breathing out Randidly looked down the shaft of his spear towards his opponent It blinked out of existence and Randidly relaxed waiting for the sign Then he felt it and abruptly looked up

It had teleported above him and several fireballs shot down towards him God he wished had had a higher resistance right now He shifted his stance raising his spear and spinning it in a Spear Deflect The fireballs crashed against his defense almost causing it to falter And he felt his arm being covered in burns lowering his health

But he simply willed his spells into motion Spearing Roots shooting upwards in the area obscured to him by the flames

Gah The sphinx spat and Randidly grinned

About time the fucking thing didn’t do that dumb three of the same words thing

He rushed through the smoke seeing several long scratches left on the sphinx’s side as it hopped backwards and Randidly pursued rushing forward

The Sphinx teleported a dozen meters backwards but Randidly just used Phantom Half step covering most of that distance his spear lashing out

Roaring its fury The Sphinx spat several more fireballs at him and reared up onto its hind legs ready to meet him

But Randidly had immediately teleported backwards with Phantom Half Step hopping behind a rock to drink several potions and avoid the vicious flames

You You You The sphinx said seemingly amused

Ignoring it Randidly drank the potions and then opened up his menu

Spear Mastery up 1 Eyes of the Spear Phantom up 1 Spear Phantom’s Footwork up 2 Phantom Half Step up 3 Dodge and Block both up 2 Haste up 1 Spear Deflect up 3 Empower up 2 Spearing Roots up 1 Root Manipulation up 1 Mana Strengthening up 3 Physical Fitness and Running up 1 Sprinting up 2 and Fire Resistance up 1

26 pp all told and he dumped it all into his path finishing it off

Congratulations You have completed the The Meditation Path +5 to Perception and Reaction Your mind is clear and your eyes are focused That path lies ahead may be fraught with difficulties but you will meet it directly Effectiveness of Meditation improved Regeneration has increased to +1 5% per skill level

There was a slight hesitation then as Randidly considered what to put his PP into next but that horrible voice spoke again My my my What is taking so long Don’t you want to play Play Play

Grim eyed Randidly looked towards the Frontrunner path Reward path huh Well here goes nothing

He had 17 PP left and put them all into it

To his surprised he received 8 distributable stat points one every two levels If this continued this path would be worth 50 stat points without even including the completion bonus

But then Randidly heard movement and dumped all of it into agility He needed the edge in speed or he wouldn’t be able to handle the teleportation

Rushing forward Randidly was wearing a crooked grin

He had missed this Hanging on by a thread fighting for his life

In moments like this he forgot how much life was lost due to the system and just enjoyed the primal simplicity of it

Chapter 51

Rubbing sweat from his brow Glendel finished helping the beautiful woman Ellaine and the police officer Kraig unload the cases of beakers and test tubes and seemingly hundreds of other glass articles onto the ground finally stopping to glance around and take a look at Donnyton

Honestly while the other city had been the one with more buildings Glendel hadn’t barely been able to see any movement Here people were swarming They were currently in an area that was beginning to form into a small town square sitting down in the valley below the fort from which the pillar of light erupted

There were several foundations being laid for houses and huge tree trunks were laying everywhere seemingly abandoned on the ground Right now they were in front of a rather large longhouse looking building which Ellaine explained was Donnyton’s warehouse for supplies

Although She mumbled looking around with a strange light in her eyes It’s a lot bigger than the last time I was here

Their glassware was accepted by a stern faced woman with a clipboard who took everything in with a glance before turning around and whistling Around a dozen youths crawled out of the woodwork looking surly She frowned at them all

Fine fine finish taking these back to the vats in the back and then you are all free to go watch the spectacle up there

Whooping the youths swarmed around Glendel who stood still so as not to be trampled Very quickly the crates were moved and Kraig and Ellaine got back in the truck the latter gazing wistfully across the grounds towards another large building farther down the valley But then she shook her head and settled into her seat

Before they left Kraig leaned out the window and gave the woman a serious look Make sure the Ghosthound knows that we will forget what happened Let’s take a non interference policy from now on alright Good luck

And with that they drove off Glendel made a mental note about the term Ghosthound because they used it as if it was a proper noun Was it a monster of some sort

Had this village tamed a monster Is that why they had formed so quickly

Not that it would likely be difficult to fight down one of the blue monsters in their area now that they had banded together with a common goal and a leader But they hadn’t

These people had

The woman snorted and then turned to Glendel with raised eyebrows What are you defecting Well I’m a bit busy so

Oh no Glendel shook his head I’m uh from a group traveling up from Franksburg About 60 of us We were looking to trade

Trade Strangely the woman’s eyes began to sparkle What are you looking for

Partially food and a place to stay Glendel admitted And also access to whatever it is you do to get a class Information too And we are willing to give supplies in exchange Clothing Tents Tools

And Glendel added saving the best for last Medical supplies

Hmm Well I’d be willing to talk about the Clothing and Tools We are probably past the tent stage and medical supplies The woman shrugged I don’t think anyone has gotten a cold since they’ve gotten stats and could just raise their Vitality and Endurance

Glendel blinked slightly surprised I mean even without infections keeping health high should be something you’d be interested in right

Perhaps they had miscalculated Glendel thought Perhaps the classes were more powerful than they had thought

Before the woman could answer Glendel heard laughter from behind him and turned to find a lovely girl with sharp features and blonde hair to her shoulders She smirked at him as he turned around

No no She said I’m just here as a spectator this is going to be hilarious I can tell Play this out please and thank you

The woman bowed slightly Ms Lyra Should we expect the Ghosthound

Lyra scrunched her face up and huffed folding her arms The woman straightened and smiled Then she turned to Glendel again Well if you have any examples of clothing I’d love to see them Numbers sizes etc I’m willing to buy in bulk if food and information is what you want As for getting a class there are some rules about that You will have to go check up at the Classer portion of Donnyton

Classer But then Glendel shook his head refocusing No but first I guess I just don’t understand why medical supplies aren’t more attractive You probably didn’t know this but certain plants can be mixed to create potions

Lyra burst out laughing slapping her knee

The woman gave Glendel a kindly smile Mr

Glendel He said straightening

Mr Glendel why don’t you just follow me It would be easier than explaining

Glendel followed the woman as she walked into the longhouse They passed dried meat dried fruit nuts furs Glendel’s eyebrows rose Perhaps the woman was right about not caring about food He had only seen a few dozen people though so it was strange they had so much

Then they passed through to the back where around 20 people were standing by large vats slowly filling the glass containers Some with red liquid some with blue some with yellow Glendel gasped walking forward

The workers moved rapidly some grinding some carefully measuring others pouring water sample and all of them mixing mixing mixing

As Glendel watched he saw flashes of joy on some faces while disappointment colored others Several were carefully filling buckets with powder from the ground up energy crystals struggling to maintain the equality in quantity while upping the scale

No wonder they weren’t interested in medical supplies They had enough potions to solve any problems that might come their way

And also no wonder why they were more interested in the tools portion of the offer Most of the measuring equipment that they had were rather archaic analog scales where they would balance the two amounts of powder on the trays until they reached an equilibrium Only then would they mix No electronic scales seemed to be present

Glendel mentally thanked Alana for insisting Regina bring a few generators Really the only thing this place seemed to be lacking was electricity Hopefully that would be enough to trade for what they wanted

Wonderingly Glendel wandered closer and his mouth fell to the floor as he watched the people work with a closer eyes The speed that their hands were moving They probably all had double digit Agility

Lyra chuckled and the woman just looked on with a tight lipped smile Glendel picked up a vial of the finished potion examining it

68 health He muttered shocked The highest they had been able to achieve was just over 50 And that was only when Regina

The woman coughed into her hand seeming to be embarrassed Yes unfortunately mass producing it wasn’t as effective as we wished Here

She walked over to a smaller space to the side where a cooler sat on the table She filled a vial with liquid from the cooler the liquid glimmering azure and then brought it back to Glendel

Here consider it a gesture of goodwill this was personally mixed by the Ghosthound And maybe this will help you understand why we don’t need medical supplies

This restores Glendel gasped 199 mana That much mana From just this small amount of mana This isn’t this can’t

Glendel stuttered to a stop wanting to deny it but unable to refute the notification floating in front of him

Lyra still giggling wiped the tears from her eyes Oh man I told you this would be good

Chapter 52

Still slightly shellshocked Glendel followed Lyra who promised to take him to someone who could talk to him about getting a class

This the NCC village Lyra explained All the buff and glorious Classers live up there above us on high in Valhalla

Glendel had slowly figured out that NCC was what they called people without a class while Classers obviously had a class

What uh Glendel stammered slightly intimidated by how cute the teenage girl leading him was regardless of her constant stream of sarcasm What’s it like having a class

Oh I don’t have a class I just rely on my charm to get around She winked slyly at him and then continued to walk forward

At a loss Glendel followed As they walked up the hill towards the fort Glendel realized that it was a lot bigger than he had realized And it looked like it was almost completely deserted Lyra continued walking past the gate and Glendel glanced curiously in before following Although there seemed to be a small group of people at tables it really was completely empty Glendel hurried onward Down the hill and round the bend in the valley they went until the sounds of shouting grew louder It was only when they rounded the corner that the sea of people became obvious to Glendel

Probably just short of 800 were around some standing some watching some working The area seemed to have been a quarry and directly in front of them was a slope which lead downwards before leveling off People lined up around the outside of the quarry cheering at the people fighting in the center Off to Glendel’s right there were around 50 people some of them bandaged others running around cutting down trees dragging them and stacking them seeming to be making a rough looking stage surrounded by bleachers

As Glendel watched an old man raised an axe and cut a 10 meter tall tree in half down the middle with a single swing of his axe Several men took the two halves and began assembling the seats while several others set up another section of tree for him to cut

What What is going on Glendel gasped

Lyra shrugged A tournament obviously Want to compete

Gritting his teeth Randidly stepped backwards just beyond the reach of the Sphinx’s claws With a grin it teleported just slightly forward putting him back in the path of the attack but Randidly had predicted this stepping forward and throwing a Phantom Thrust to meet its torso even before it had teleported drawing a long but shallow scratch across its chest

It grumbled its fury spinning quickly Lashing out with its hind legs Raising his spear Randidly dodged the left foot and deflected the right but was still was sent tumbling by the size of the foot

Gritting his teeth Randidly created a wall of thorns between them buying him a fraction of a second Time seemed to slow as he considered his options

Health was still fine but both mana and stamina were nearing dangerously levels Mana was easier to conserve but regenerated much more slowly It basically wouldn’t regenerate enough to matter in the foreseeable future

Stamina on the other hand would regenerate at a tick of about 1 per second but he was constantly using it as he attacked dodged and blocked the fearsome attacks of the Sphinx

Stamina it was

As quick as possible Randidly withdrew a stamina potion and drank it leaping away from the wall of thorns which went up in flames with a roar of heat He retreated further using the cover from the flames to run a small distance up the path away from the cave where the sphinx sat

When the wall of thorns collapsed in a poof of char and soot the Sphinx was sitting calmly in front of the cavern It winked at Randidly then padded back into the cave Several seconds later it returned a half eaten cat in its mouth It gobbled the thing down and as Randidly watched the sphinx’s wounds healed

See See See Plus you are not one of mine so there are certain consequences associated with killing you So feel free to run away away away

For a second Randidly was torn But then he lowered his head and backed slowly away

Only when he was out of sight did he allow himself to turn and then only to sprint for 10 minutes crossing the wasteland and returning to just inside the edge of the Newbie boundary Randidly didn’t trust the creature for a minute but he did believe that the notifications that appeared told the truth and he would be safe within the safe zone from monsters of that level

As Randidly sat and meditated to recover more quickly he wondered what would have happened if he hadn’t followed that cat to find the sphinx If in two days that had simply shown up at Donnyton

It would have ripped through them Especially the NCC village below That was free recovery for it

Ultimately Randidly felt like he and some of the other elites could escape or hold it at bay when it no longer had access to the infinite mana and stamina but most of the village would be ripped to pieces The farms burned The potion brewing enterprise derailed The Wolverine butcheries slaughtered

All of the NCCs that worked for Sam raising skill levels before trying to get a class dead to the monstrously fast sphinx

They would likely survive ultimately but the village would be reduced to a few dozen individuals at best The peace they currently had holding onto the past would be shattered

Narrowing his eyes Randidly smiled

That was of course what would have happened if he had not discovered it early As he had he would murder it ripping the creature to pieces before even the newbie barrier dropped

Randidly removed the materials from his ring beginning to refine and brew more potions He was running low of almost everything but he could gather the things he needed quickly before returning to fight the sphinx It would be slightly slower than just returning to the village but Randidly feared that if he returned Lyra would follow him Although he had been able to scrape by and survive her weaker physical stats and limited mana pool would spell her end rather quickly

It might be a fun game to the sphinx but that didn’t mean it would show mercy when there was prey right in front of it

There was a throbbing pain in Randidly’s forehead right behind his eyes probably due to the extended bout that he had just fought with the sphinx He had struggled against the thing for 5 hours at least The sun was beginning to set and only now was the edge of weariness beginning to fade

But the headache remained

He then opened up his path menu

Randidly had gained 1 level in Spear Mastery 2 in Phantom Thrust 1 in Phantom Half Step 2 in Iron Skin and Dodge 3 in Block 1 in Spear Deflect 1 in Empower 2 in Edge of Decay and Spearing Roots 1 in Healing Palm and 3 in Fire Resistance

In addition he had gained a level in meditation as he sat and recovered With these PP Randidly continued to dump them into Frontrunner and with those stats he raised his reaction by 11 As the fight had gone on and he had gotten used to his increased speed he realized that he wasted quite a lot of time calculating his response His body was still fast enough to barely keep up with the sphinx even so but with an increased reaction hopefully the gap between them would narrow further

Health(/R per hour) 311/303 (+8) (155 (+12

Mana(/R per hour) 501/512 (71 5)

Stam(/R per min) 357/357 (59 (+4

Vit 45 (+4)

Str 28 (+2)

Agi 57 (+10)

Perception 24

Reaction 41

Inteligence 73

Wisdom 39

Control 55

Focus 26

Equipment AverageLeather Tunic Lvl 5 (+2 Vit) Gloves of Quickness (Vit +1 Agi +3) Necklace of the Shadow Cat Lvl 20 ® (Vitality +1 Strength +2 Agility +7)

Skills (Soul Skill) Spear of Rot Mastery Lvl 228

Combat Spear Mastery Lvl 44 Phantom Thrust Lvl 44 Spear Phantom’s Footwork Lvl 32 Eyes of the Spear Phantom Lvl 20 Phantom Half Step Lvl 9 Heavy Blow Lvl 23 Dagger Mastery Lvl 10 Iron Skin Lvl 27 Dodge Lvl 31 Fighting Proficiency Lvl 30 Block Lvl 32 Haste Lvl 19 Phantom Onslaught Lvl 10 Sweep Lvl 16 Spear Deflect Lvl 10 Empower Lvl 21 Calculated Blow Lvl 19 Roundhouse Kick Lvl 13 Edge of Decay Lvl 11

Spells Spearing Roots Lvl 6 Mana Bolt Lvl 28 Mana Shield Lvl 24 Root Manipulation Lvl 26 Arcane Orb Lvl 22 Fireball Lvl 22 Magic Missile Lvl 4 Healing Palm Lvl 9 Pollen of the Rafflesia Lvl 8 Summon Pestilence Lvl 15 Mana Strengthening Lvl 13 Wall of Thorns Lvl 4 Soul Seed Lvl ®

Crafting Potion Making Lvl 22 Farming Lvl 20 Plant Breeding Lvl 9 Mapmaker Lvl 4 Analyze Lvl 24 Refine Lvl 6

Auxiliary Physical Fitness Lvl 29 Meditation Lvl 31 Running Lvl 20 Sprinting Lvl 15 Sneak Lvl 22 Acid Resistance Lvl 22 Poison Resistance Lvl 16 Pain Resistance Lvl 11 First Aid Lvl 13 Equip Lvl 20 Pathfinding Lvl 16 Mental Strength Lvl 11 Curse Resistance Lvl 3 Fire Resistance Lvl 8

Spear of Rot mastery was getting close to 250 again which was where it evolved last time but Randidly suspected that it would wait longer on the second time around perhaps to 500 But now that his Reaction was 41 Randidly had more confidence that he could keep up with his own Agility of 67 without making any mistakes

He shook his head ruefully Contrary to his plans he was just raising everything staying good at everything But in this case he had no choice His most powerful quality his spells just weren’t able to cope with an enemy that could teleport freely around him He needed to lock it down before he could smash it with the heavy hitters

Randidly had to rely on closing the distance and attacking it to start the fight and seize the momentum And to do that successfully he needed physical stats

Struck by a sudden thought Randidly checked his pockets and found the soul seed inspecting it again

Soul Seed 91% Nurtured Strongest Influences 1 Spear Mastery 2 Spearing Roots 3 Empower 4 Fire Resistance 5 Refine

It appeared that while he was fighting the sphinx the seed was nearing completion Although he had no idea what sort of result would occur because of it he noticed that Spear Mastery and Fire Resistance became stronger influences due to the nature of the fight

Shrugging Randidly stood and began walking towards the spot he had in mind to harvest energy shards for potions The headache had faded mostly and his heart was tingling with excitement

It would be a long night

But by morning the sphinx would be dead

Chapter 53

Dozer put his hands on his hips and laughed enthusiastically Kukuku what other outcome but this was possible Bask in my radiance I am the strongest

Donny and Decklan gazed hatefully at him but kept their mouths shut To be sure both Decklan’s speed and Donny’s endurance and ability to interrupt tempo and survive damage were intimidating

However this was not a battlefield There was nowhere for you to hide no cover to hide behind There was no press of bodies that ensured that Donny’s devastating Shield Bashes could be brought to bare This was a duel

In an open space Dozer’s larger weapon was at an advantage and after a long struggle he had prevailed

The strongest I would probably rate you as a distant 5th overall But your ambition sure is optimistic

Dozer frowned his moment passed but didn’t say anything as he turned to face the speaker Lyra walked forward her typical smirk in place on her face her eyes glittering

Although she was probably the most attractive woman in Donnyton very few people had the nerve to talk to her One of the reasons was the presence of the Ghosthound but the other was the viciousness with which she could rip through enemies with her magic

The men had whispered uneasily about how when the blood of harpies rained from the skies in that last monster horde there was only one culprit Lyra

The Ghosthound could reduce a horde into nothing with a blast of fire and Clarissa was extremely accurate with her icicles but those didn’t intimidate in the same visceral way as having drops of blood fall on you while fighting A red rain that marked the activity of her cruelly silent birds

Who’s above me Dozer rumbled intimidated but unwilling to let go of the moment

Her smile widened as if this was exactly what she wanted Well obviously myself Clarissa Annie and Sam Can you think of anyone else

The Ghosthound hung between them a name that Dozer would easily admit was more powerful than he But at the moment looking at her small smirk Dozer felt a hot spark of dissatisfaction

But then he frowned Annie What are you talking about She doesn’t even have

But Lyra just waved at him placatingly Yes yes all a big joke Donny boy actually I’m here for you There is a guest

She gestured theatrically to a thin man with long black hair tied up in a bun standing behind her The man was looking around nervously but stepped forward without hesitation when he was indicated

Hello I’m Glendel It’s nice to meet you

Glendel returned to their basecamp quickly hurrying forward through the lengthening shadows It had been 10 days since the world had changed Glendel had thought that as a general rule his group was probably more adaptable than most and had done well for themselves

While others had just wanted to sit inside and wait out whatever had happened in the world Regina had taken a more sustainability focused outlook on the whole situation She had pushed for gathering individuals gathering medicine and food defending themselves actively clearing out monsters in the hospital where they all used to work

She had led them inspiring them to greatness discovering potion making and magic and everything they knew about this world

The casual way that the people had talked about these things in Donnyton had shattered his worldview They were strong far far stronger than Glendel had believed possible During the tournament Glendel had watched as many fights as he could And the casual strength even the one shoulder pad Classer could display was breathtaking

Approaching the camp Glendel stopped and whistled as agreed and heard the counter whistle He hurried forward happy to finally be back

They had set up shop at a gas station their convoy of tractor trailers and ambulances pulling over surprised at how few monsters they encountered in the area In retrospect the reason was obvious the town was already dominating the nearby landscape When even the NCCs had enough strength to handle themselves around a monster the wandering creatures would thin out rather quickly

Remembering the pens where there were some enterprising individuals trying to breed monsters for meat Glendel shivered

As he passed some people he nodded to them and received weary nods in return their eyes hollow following his bulging backpack Unfortunately in this group of 70 the food that he had been given wouldn’t do much to sate their hunger But it would bring hope

Alana the tall woman who handled most of the dirty work for the convoy looked up as Glendel hurried towards Regina’s RV After a second of terse silence she waved him into the interior

Slightly breathless Glendel stepped forward

Regina Northwind former surgeon current leader of their expedition was frowning down at a ledger in front of her She didn’t immediately notice his presence and Glendel hesitated unsure of whether to disturb her But she coughed lightly into her hand and said Report without looking up from the papers in front of her

Glendel recounted his experiences of the day about how the first location refused him entry and how he had gone to the second Donnyton Although they were much more tribal they also seemed more active Most of the other refugees apparently came into Donnyton with the other town closed

He explained how their numbers appeared to be around 1000 and then he showed Regina the powerful mana potion and examples of the different crops that the administrator woman was willing to trade for tools and clothes

At this Regina sighed lightly Not interested in the medicine at all huh I suppose it makes sense How much of this did you say they had

Around a cooler full And from the way they talked about it it wasn’t too difficult to create They are even harvesting the energy crystal trees They are growing a grove

Regina’s eyes narrowed And they have classes yes What do classes do How strong were they

They didn’t all have classes Glendel explained slowly From what I could gather classes gave you something like a special path that also provides skills in addition you get a stat growth rate As for how strong they were

Glendel hesitated After a long pause he just shook his head I do not know how to explain Strong So strong that I can’t comprehend their strength

Regina was silent for a long moment Compared to Alana how strong are they

Glendel reflexively looked back towards the door where Alana sat Then he released a long sigh As far as I can tell there are 3 ranks of people with special individuals above that Alana is likely comparable to the first rank Maybe a little stronger more skillful with her spear But the people at the second level They surpass the human limits

The air was very still It didn’t even seem like Regina was breathing Then something loosened and she leaned back in her chair

How are women treated there

It seemed normal There were female warriors The head of the NCCs they call it non class characters was also a woman I also met a very strange woman named Lyra who seemed to have a fair amount of influence But there were definitely more men than women Outnumbered them about 2 to 1

If that’s the case Regina rubbed her forehead We have no choice and there’s no reason not to trade with them Let’s gather everyone up and head closer tomorrow

Ah there’s one more thing but I don’t know what it means Glendel added

Regina arched an eyebrow and he continued They kept referencing something called a Ghosthound’ At first I thought it was a monster or something but it seemed like they were talking about a person Not to put it bluntly but a lot of the men there seemed like brutes or thugs But as soon as the Ghosthound was mentioned they got as quiet and well behaved as christian school children

You think this Ghosthound is the reason that these villages formed so quickly Regina asked rubbing her chin

Maybe That’s the only thing I can guess

Thank you for your time And for agreeing to scout You are dismissed

Glendel backed out of the room a lump in his throat She made it sound pretty now but Glendel would rather have not been the scout But Regina had a very compelling reason why it had to be him he was the only remaining male in their group

Immediately after the system arrived most of the male doctors has stormed out of the hospital demanding answers only to be mauled by the waiting monsters Regina had gathered up most of the nurses and organized them working through their new series of problems

Most of the remaining men had either died or had run off unsatisfied with taking orders from Regina

At the end of 10 days Glendel was the only remaining man surrounded by 70 women

Chapter 54

The sphinx looked up at him seemingly pleased Oh oh oh you came back so soon Did you miss me me me

Snorting Randidly drew his spear There was no point in talking with this dumb creature

But he didn’t attack quite yet The trick to this fight would be seeing how far he could push the sphinx with small scratches before it began to take him seriously To slowly whittle away at its health and then all at once drop the hammer on it Randidly sincerely doubted that the fireball was the most powerful spell in the Sphinx’s arsenal and if Randidly had a weakness it was to magical attacks

As such once push came to shove Randidly planned on moving fast and hitting hard He wasn’t entirely confident that he could take it down immediately but based on his observations about the way the sphinx thought he could certainly do a lot of damage to it very quickly

Damage that it wouldn’t expect

With a smile the sphinx teleported closer pawing casually at Randidly Already he could feel the difference in Reaction making itself known as he easily sidestepped the blow seeing it coming several fractions of a second more than previously His body finally felt under control rather than the wild roller coaster ride it had been previously

He stepped forward meeting the sphinx with a Phantom Stab to its side drawing a long scratch

It had taken him 2 hours of bitter struggle previously to get such a blow

Although it seemed annoyed the Sphinx’s grin widened and it teleported again directly behind Randidly But as he was spinning to face it it teleported a second time above him and belched a fireball down towards him

Rolling to the side Randidly managed to avoid the fireball but was met by another paw strike

He gritted his teeth and met it with a Sweep empowered and strengthened by Heavy Blow But the Sphinx just seemed to chuckle and teleport backwards lowering its paw and opening its mouth for a fireball

But this time Randidly was ready activating Phantom Half Step he crossed most of the distance to the sphinx and leapt forward a Phantom Thrust rushing forward into its mouth The half formed fireball sparked fitfully and collapsed as the spear pressed through it and Randidly felt the blade of his spear sink into the soft flesh of the roof of the Sphinx’s mouth

There was a moment then where Randidly had a second of clarity The fireball spell backlash was disintegrating and his spear was going to pierce through

This was a little bit too quickly to stick to the original plan But Randidly did not shy away from the challenge Instead he firmed his resolve and through everything he had into this strike

As the soot and flame from the failed fireball faded Randidly could clearly see the sphinx’s eyes as its face changed from one of confusion to shock to a hint of fear and then an overwhelming ancient anger a willingness to slaughter

Randidly supposed he would need to move up his timetable a bit And he really had been hoping to inflict more draining wounds before this happened After all his Edge of Decay would begin to add up in a long fight as the sphinx struggled to continue with several gashes

Before the rage in the sphinx’s eyes could turn to action Randidly flexed his hands tightening his grip on the shaft of his spear casting 4 spells at once First he summoned Spearing Roots ripping up from the ground into the sphinx’s stomach Then he used Root Manipulation to create another Spearing Roots but this time he just pushed them up to the Sphinx’s head height and wrapped the roots around the sphinx’s mouth binding it closed Randidly’s high Willpower and Control were brought to bear as he pressed with everything he had to rapidly effectuate his will speeding the roots movements until they blurred

Randidly wasn’t sure if its mouth was always the source of its offensive spells but better safe than sorry

The third spell was Summon Pestilence most of which Randidly used to attack the still shocked eyes of the sphinx while several small insects were directed to land on out of the way parts of its body burrowing into its fur This was the most difficult because the insects themselves were hard to direct individually and they had very few drives other than to bite and rip flesh But he stilled them with an effort the immensity of which brought on the beginnings of a headache

The final spell was mana strengthening as Randidly then threw everything he had at the sphinx

It reared back on its hind legs seeking to escape from the roots spearing into its stomach and wrapping around its mouth but Randidly rushed forward quick as a ghost Every step was Empowered Haste was burning as quickly as it could and he launched a full power Phantom Onslaught on its chest ripping into its flesh

Before Randidly’s attacks would leave long shallow scratches that annoyed the sphinx but weren’t all that deadly That was because none of his attacks were Empowered up until now Although the bit of speed and strength that it adds is small that small burst is just big enough to rip through the outer skin of the sphinx without slowing down dealing significantly more damage as the blade cut into its body

Furious the sphinx tried to open its mouth to roar and ripped the roots around its mouth slightly but Randidly’s Intelligence was high enough now that the roots were incredibly resilient They ripped at the edges and frayed but held

Which was the perfect opportunity for an empowered Sweep to rip a large gash in the Sphinx’s exposed throat

The blood spurting out of its throat likely incensed it further and it bucked wildly ripping the the roots out of its stomach and slashing wildly at the roots binding its mouth ripping it to pieces During this time Randidly brought a mana potion to his mouth and drank it quickly By the time he had downed the thing the Sphinx had ripped away from most of the roots

Calling another Spearing Roots to shoot up into its flank Randidly surged closer

The sphinx had slightly recovered from its shock this time and twisted out of the way Even though its body was huge it managed to dodge and deflect most of the roots However though some missed Randidly just activated Root manipulation and brought them wrapping around the sphinx’s body

All the while he continued to stab and slash ripping large gashes in the skin of the sphinx

At that moment the sphinx threw itself backwards ripping all the roots to bits It then stood still for a split second and then its eyes widened

Grinning Randidly activated the pestilence he had hiding on the sphinx’s body sending it viciously biting into the open wounds of the creature For the teleport spell to work no foreign materials could touch the body Luckily for Randidly those hungry insects counted

The split second bought by the shock of the teleportation failure allowed Randidly to drink a stamina potion and rush forward Haste and Empower turning Footwork of the Spear Phantom into an impossibly fast and smooth movement technique

Furious the sphinx opened its mouth and shot a fireball at Randidly but he simply sidestepped and kept coming stabbing over and over as fast as he could

Still the sphinx was simply too big There was no way for Randidly to inflict a deadly amount of damage in a short amount of time But the point

The point would be making the sphinx convinced that he could

At that moment Randidly saw his chance As the sphinx stumbled backwards swiping halfheartedly at him to keep him back while shaking its head to rid itself of the pestilence insects Randidly jumped forward and thrust with the spear

Inwardly Randidly grimaced He had drawn a deep gash in the sphinx’s head right above the left eye he had been trying to blind it but it had jerked to the side at the last second

Still this was apparently the last straw With movement borne of panic the sphinx spun around and leapt towards the cave where Randidly assumed he had additional bodies waiting to eat just in case

Randidly’s grin crept higher

Gotcha

As the creature rushed towards the mouth of the cave Randidly strolled after it removing a mana potion from his bag and drinking it

Then just as the creature reached the mouth of the cave Randidly spent all 500 or so of his mana on Spearing Roots

Normally Spearing Roots was an incredibly powerful penetrative attack that had a significant drawback although it wasn’t truly a flaw Spearing Roots could only be produced from the ground Still most everything remained on or near the ground so this wasn’t an issue it just limited the avenues of attack Randidly possessed and on a monster with a huge body like the sphinx limited the areas he could damage easily

Where normally he could only produce the roots from the ground which limited their effectiveness a cave meant the ground was all around you And the Sphinx ran right into the large mouth of its cave only a meter or so of space between its head and sides and earth

An onlooker watching could perhaps believe that the cave had been a mouth this whole time and the viciously sharp roots were the teeth chomping down at the creature that foolishly entered into it

The roots caught it in its upper torso probably only its head making it safely through to the cave proper while wave after wave of root stabbed downward burrowing long holes into the flesh of the Sphinx all around its body Although Randidly hadn’t been able to bring it to bear earlier due to the sphinx’s ability to teleport there was no doubt that his Intelligence was of a level to inflict serious damage on an enemy even if they were Lvl 30

The roots were sharp the force they contained was vicious the wriggling movements of them due to careful use of Root Manipulation insidiously ripped the wounds open even wider

That said Randidly suspected that the Sphinx was still alive Using another mana potion Randidly used the roots to grind around for a bit before throwing the sphinx back out to the ground in front of him Then the roots twisted and settled hardening to block the cave

If the sphinx was still alive it wouldn’t be stopped very long by the roots but it was more than enough to slow it down while Randidly ripped into its back

Mewing in agony the thing staggered to its feet huge holes in its back and shoulders Even though that one portion of its body was a mess of gore that was only about a ? of its body Its head lower back and both sets of legs were fine

The wings however had been turned into broken useless limbs

As Randidly approached a notification popped up

Congratulations Your soul seed has been completely nurtured Upon being inserted into fertile soil the seed shall grow

One less thing he had to worry about then Now was time to finish this

You you you The sphinx said turning towards Randidly

Me me me Randidly said stalking closer This seemed to incense the creature because it opened its mouth again mana flowing rapidly to fill it But instead of a fireball the energy spread and covered a 10 meter area around the sphinx including Randidly

Within a second the air began to vibrate Then it began to twist and rip Jarring jagged vibrations strange movements in the air made it unbearable to be near that strange magic in the Sphinx’s mouth Randidly stumbled to a stop struggling to collect himself

Although he had been through alot this was the most painful experience Randidly had ever encountered It made his bones ache and twist his marrow roiling

After what felt like an eternity it stopped and Randidly collapsed coughing up blood It hadn’t done much actual damage but the pain combined with the strangeness

Randidly looked up just in time to see the sphinx leaping at him mouth wide and teeth bared

Chapter 55

Rolling to the side Randidly managed to get out of the way and then Empowered his hands and pushed off the ground throwing himself almost instantly up to his feet

The paw smashed to the ground leaving a huge crack in the earth and unfortunately Randidly was still too dizzy to recover completely after leaping upwards and could only fall back as the shockwave sent him staggering

Gritting his teeth Randidly forced his trembling hands to still just as another paw swipe came ripping passed This time he wasn’t quick enough and the huge claws ripped through his shirt leaving the flesh of his left shoulder in tatters

A notification came up that his health had dipped below 20% but Randidly couldn’t even focus on it his eyes narrowing to view his current enemy Although the sphinx had taken the initiative now that he really looked Randidly could tell that it too was slightly off from using that spell

It hissed at his close viewing spitting a fireball directly at his face Randidly rolled again his sharp eyes picking up the small form that slipped out of his pocket in the roll Reflexively he reached out and grabbed it his quick fingers wrapped around the small completely nurtured soul seed

Fertile soil huh

Recovering his spear Randidly had a crazy idea As the sphinx opened its mouth again to shoot another fireball Randidly threw the small seed towards its mouth The passage of even the small seed was enough to throw off the flow of mana for the spell and once more the fire energy dispersed

Randidly followed this up with a Hasted and Empowered Phantom Thrust his spear tip hitting the seed midair and driving it forward once more ripping into the wound on the roof of the sphinx’s mouth

Eyes burning Randidly didn’t just withdraw the spear this time but drove it deeper ripping upward through the jaw and stabbing towards the skull hoping he hit something vital

The sphinx began to tremble mewing strangely and Randidly took that time to plant his feet and shove the spear forward even deeper cracking against something with a wet thump

Just when he thought the sphinx would collapse its mouth snapped shut snapping the spear into pieces As Randidly was sent stumbling backwards it raised its head and howled and Randidly could see that half of his spear was still sunk deeply into the roof of its mouth

Spitting out blood from his mouth Randidly dropped the remnants of the spear and withdrew several potions hurriedly raising himself back up to full strength He now regretted turning down Daniel’s offer of a spear from the weapons shop A spare spear would come in handy right now

Apparently realizing that it couldn’t do anything about the pain right now the sphinx turned its red rimmed eyes on Randidly Then it charged all pretense of playing gone just an extremely large angry monster

It was met by a cloud of pestilence to the face blinding it but barely slowing it at all While it couldn’t see Randidly had Spearing Roots rip into it at a sideways angle aiming mostly for the tendons of its legs seeing several satisfyingly deep gashes result

Leaping to the side Randidly felt a hint of confidence that this was in the bag

That was when it twisted midair and leaped after him its eyes glowing golden the light burning through the vicious insects and the huge body smashed into Randidly knocking the wind out of him The two of them crashed into the ground and he felt his ribs scream in protest

Although wounded the Sphinx leered down at Randidly its breath hot and hungry

Now now now wha

Using Root Manipulation Randidly grabbed the sphinx’s feet and dragged it back off of his body The sphinx turned to face the roots kicking and ripping himself free and turned back to Randidly only to be met with a Roundhouse Kick to the face

It wasn’t enough to do any damage but it fell back slightly stunned

In that moment Randidly poured all his mana into Spearing Roots again several sharp spears ripping upward into the earlier holes digging deeper into the torso of the creature ripping through its stomach and puncturing holes in its lungs

With a high pitched screech the air once more began to hum then distort and Randidly had to grit his teeth to stay standing

The back of his head throbbed and the strange pain in the air seemed to be intensifying Blackness ate at the corner of his vision and he stumbled forward his knees weak

This

Not like this

After all this time all this struggle was he going to let it end like this

Biting his lip to keep himself conscious Randidly cracked his knuckles and swayed slowly closer to the Sphinx Even if he had to rip out its spine by hand and

And at that moment the spell broke the sphinx collapsing rolling onto its back and scratching at its own face

Randidly blinked several times A long thorny bramble was sticking out of the Sphinx’s eyeball blood spurting everywhere And as soon as he saw it he felt a strange connection to it He knew that this was hatched from his soul seed

Fertile soil indeed

While it was again distracted Randidly drank more mana potions and speared it with roots again and again and again making sure to rip the muscles of its legs to shreds and then only afterwards attack towards its necessary organs

When he was close to running out of mana he drank a mana potion fueling a constant barrage of Spearing Roots flaying the flesh of the Sphinx from its bones

After several brutal spells covering the nearby ground with gore the sphinx turned to Randidly looking ridiculous its mouth propped open by the spear its left eye currently being popped and drawn back within its body by a thorn creature It was more zombie than sphinx at this point

I’ll k k kill you It whispered and then it spat something infinitely faster than a fireball Then it vomited up a gallon of blood and collapsed Notifications sprang into existence around him but

Randidly had barely enough time to twitch before the impact slammed against him spinning him around He looked uncomprehendingly down only to find a long thin pink thing like a giant leech sticking out of his body The weird part was that the thing was covered in strange markings

Blinking Randidly realized he recognized it it was the sphinx’s tongue

Just as he thought that the thing quivered and then started wiggling working itself deeper into his flesh with a malicious intensity Swearing Randidly reached over with his other arm and tried to get a grip on the thing but the reaching arm was the arm that had been struck by the sphinx’s claws The arm at first spasmed and did not listen and only after he narrowed his eyes and slowly worked his will against the failing flesh did he get the hand to move where he wanted it to

His fingers were wet with blood and by the time he grabbed at it his fingers slipped off and the wiggling pink thing vanished into his shoulder Almost non comprehending Randidly looked down at the gaping hole in his arm that it had left by its passage

He could feel its alien presence in his body and a horrible sense of wrongness spread out It began to move working its way towards his chest

Randidly began to sweat Removing it from him would be

But as he considered the problem a small vine like bramble crawled out of sphinx’s body hurrying over towards Randidly He could sense it strangely he realized and he could feel it what it was thinking just barely Worry radiated out from it It seemed to understand something was wrong

Looking down at the small vine thing only about a foot long several thorn covered tentacles Randidly felt oddly touched Then the tongue moved deeper into his chest and he grimaced Then he had another crazy idea

Crawl in Find it and stop it Go on Randidly encouraged offering the open wound the tongue had used to climb into his body pulling the gory hole open with his free hand The thing rolled around on the ground and confusion radiating off of it

Grimacing Randidly thought with all the force he could muster picturing what he wanted and projected that thought towards the vine thing Instantly it understood and it climbed into the wound wriggling after the first interloper

Honestly the vine creature was even more painful than the tongue leaving huge gouges in his flesh as it moved Randidly drank his last health potion keeping his health at safe levels and he felt the vine reach the tongue just in his upper torso The vine wrapped around it its thorns digging into the struggling tongue

He sensed from the vine’s projected impressions that it was having difficulties but Randidly could only smile grimly at least he had bought some time

He raised his head and looked at the sky The sun was rising Hopefully the village had fared well in his absence during the monster horde But Randidly assumed they would be fine The enemies they faced might be numerous but they were low leveled It was a course designed to fatten people so that the butcher could come and reap them

Randidly spared the sphinx a glance then sat down and began to brew health potions doing his best to ignore the agonizing pain caused by the constant struggle within his chest Little did Shal know but his training all of it even this part the painful high stress potion making would become relevant in the future

When he had finished he walked over the sphinx and placed it into a larger spatial storage ring that he had Daniel buy for these hunts Then he turned and began to trudge home not daring to move too fast lest the tongue slip free and rip through his heart and lungs

Although his stats had improved Randidly was under no impression that this was something he could survive

Chapter 56

Regina Northwind looked around at the battlefield after the monster horde came and the professional way people were already moving among the bodies selecting the ones with salvageable pelts and dragging the rest to large piles where they would apparently be sold to a magical store that made them disappear

Remarkable Regina said calmly and Glendel looked around nervously

Two leaders from Donnyton were walking over the 16 year old chieftain and a huge brute with a steel club the size of a support beam for a house Alana stood behind Regina her arms folded but her still face revealed how shocked she was at the terrible efficiency of the people in front of them

The people here seemed perfectly content to abandon their previous life and pick up this new one filled with violence and struggle Maybe it was just a coincidence but the weirdos that had founded this village were doing something right

In addition the NCC that Glendel talked to was hurrying over talking with a pudgy man with an irritated expression Both groups from Donnyton arrived at once the two duos nodding to each other Then they all turned to the hospital group

The name’s Donny nice to meet you You’re the group that’s looking to trade clothes The skinny kid said with a surprising amount of confidence and maturity

The big one grunted Dozer Strongest Warrior

Alana relaxed in a dangerous fashion next to him and Glendel shivered

And I’m Daniel and this is Ms Hamilton Do you really have clothes God I want to be in something other than furs so badly The chubby one said shivering

Yes we do Regina said with a slight smile And you have two things we need very badly food And access to a class

Donny’s mouth twisted slightly The food

Donny and Daniel exchanged a glance That’s relatively simple Mrs Hamilton has authority to trade as much as she deems fit We will basically take as many articles of clothing as you can spare We haven’t yet found anything like cotton or a monster to farm for wool so we basically can only make clothing from fur It’s been

Itchy Daniel interjected

As for classes Donny continued There are few more strings attached to that

Regina’s smile didn’t change In terms of clothes most of what we have are scrubs used in the hospital but we also have the Hospital’s stock for Special guests and we managed to hit up a department store on our trek up here You say strings though Regina’s smile didn’t change Such as

But as Donny opened his mouth to answer a shout came out from the group of gatherers over by the monster bodies and the group turned to look

Walking slowly across the battlefield was a tall athletic looking man He was young too probably only in his early or mid 20’s but the firm line of his mouth and his piercing green eyes made him stand out

Glendel noticed that Dozer and Donny exchanged a shocked glance Regina also noticed and narrowed her eyes

However the most shocking things about the man were the long jagged wounds on his left shoulder His entire torso was revealed his clothing in tatters His pants were covered with dried blood and his hair was matted and sweaty

The man’s green eyes swept to the side and he beckoned two lounging individuals who wore two shoulder pads each

They leapt to their feet like the ground beneath them became lava and hurried over The man said something to the two and then they saluted and dashed off

Glendel began to hear it then the whispers around them

The Ghosthound

He’s wounded

So this was The Ghosthound Glendel wasn’t sure what he had been expecting Although the bloody man before them certainly seemed like an intense person he didn’t seem to be worthy of the almost worship he noticed in the gazes of nearby people

And The Ghosthound was heading directly for their group his gait still slow and even By the time he had arrived the two men he had sent off had returned with a large table made of thick wood carried between them like it was cardboard It honestly looked like a worktable used to work metal

The Ghosthound climbed up on it grunting

Dozer you have an axe He grunted sparing Regina’s group a glance then ignoring them

Uh yes

Good Split open my chest Right about here You are going to have to pull back the bone but try and snap the ribcage cleanly I don’t want any more internal damage Oh Miranda good Send someone to bring me several jars of the high quality health potion just in case

While the rest of the people looked stunned Mrs Hamilton bowed and made several quick hand gestures at some people standing behind her Instantly several people dashed down towards the NCC village

Glendel looked around abruptly conscious of the fact everyone who was in the area was slowly drifting closer looking intently at the Ghosthound

The Ghosthound seemed rather annoyed and glared at Dozer Well

Uh okay I just

You shouldn’t do that If the strike doesn’t kill you the blood loss will Regina spoke up drawing The Ghosthound’s attention They made eye contact and held it for several long seconds

If you want Regina offered I could handle it I was a surgeon before the world changed

The Ghosthound hesitated and shook his head Impossible Time is of the essence Dozer cut

Dozer raised his axe but Regina stepped forward frowning Glendel sighed to himself If Regina was anything it was stubborn and being so quickly dismissed did not sit well with her

You’ve lost a lot of blood and are behaving foolishly If you insist on this you will die and will have no one but yourself to blame

The air around them stilled Glendel was uncomfortably aware of how many people were looking at them

But the Ghosthound just chuckled You won’t understand easily will you Fine Cut me open Right here I need something removed

The Ghosthound pointed to a spot midway through his right pectoral muscle just above where his lung would be Regina nodded and removed several instruments from her bag A needle scalpels rubbing alcohol

Shaking his head the Ghosthound said Don’t worry about that stuff Just cut I don’t have long

Regina bit her lip but set the alcohol and needle aside Instead she walked forward with her scalpel and stood over the patient’s body her emotions falling away from her face Instead she took on a practiced stance and pressed down with her scalpel

And pressed

The Ghosthound chuckled Now do you understand Yes you would be more exact But you have no strength to wound me even when I’m like this Even with the sharpest knife you cannot penetrate my skin Now Dozer cut

Regina stepped back her face stiff and Dozer stepped forward raising his axe He brought it down in a smooth arc the blade sinking about an inch into the Ghosthound’s stomach

Hissing the Ghosthound narrowed his eyes at Dozer That was close you took it too easy Hopefully you can fit your hand in that small cut to break my ribs yea Reach in and pull them snapping them open Shouldn’t be too hard they are already partially fractured

His hands trembling slightly Dozer reached in and gripped the inside of Randidly’s ribs setting him groaning He tested his strength but to his surprise found the ribs resisted him So he pulled harder and then harder Blinking Dozer readjusted his hands and yanked grunting finally rewarded with a loud snap The Ghosthound’s ribs cracked at the side and opened up revealing most of his chest cavity

He beckoned and a jar of health potion was brought to him which he guzzled down About halfway through the jar he said You should see a pink tongue wrapped up by a thorny vine Pull them both out and throw it on the ground Stay away from it afterwards and don’t touch it for very long

Glendel wasn’t sure what surprised him more the strange things he was saying or that Dozer really did reach into his chest and pulled out those two objects both of them wiggling wildly Dozer hastily threw them to the side and the nearby people scrambled backwards away from the strange things Then Dozer pushed the cracked ribs down back into a semblance of place and removed his axe

The Ghosthound drank the rest of the potion and the wound slowly healed back up Panting he collapsed on the table eyes closed

Doggy how much of that is your blood Unbeknownst to everyone Lyra had snuck through the crowd and was staring down at the Ghouthound

The edges of his mouth quirked up in a grin Less than half only the fresh drops With what seemed like a great effort he heaved himself to his feet

And where is the thing that did this to you Her voice lowered to a dangerous note her eyes beginning to glow a clear blue Strangely as this happened Glendel began to feel the strangest sense of impending danger and had to fight an abrupt instinct to flee But the Ghosthound just waved his hand

The space directly behind the table which was once mostly empty was now filled with a strange creature of mangled flesh the size of a small bus It resembled the top half of a lion with the bottom half of a jellyfish

Glendel paled as he realized that it wasn’t a jellyfish but that most of the bottom half of the body had just been reduced to hanging torn strips of pink flesh

Lyra stilled then giggled rolling her eyes the tension sliding out of her You save all the fun things for yourself

The Ghosthound chuckled walking over towards the tongue and the thorny thing The tongues struggles seemed feeble now and as The Ghosthound approached the thorny thing slid off of it and over towards The Ghosthound climbing up to curl around his shoulders

Blinking Glendel noticed that a strange unassuming man had appeared above the tongue His eyes sparkled as he stared down at it Slowly he reached meaning to grab the tongue

But then The Ghosthound snorted and flicked his fingers an explosion of heat spreading out in a wave the tongue wizened and shriveled disappearing to nothing

My kill The Ghosthound grunted before returning to the table and laying back with a sigh

Chapter 57

Glendel sat inside Regina’s RV Regina’s brooding form and Alana’s pacing one making him extremely nervous

The negotiations for food had gone relatively smoothly but the classes didn’t come cheap Everyone with a class was required to assist with the monster hordes for now Once the Safe Zone for Newbies dropped in the area they would likely have similar duties But the lack of information made Donny unwilling to commit to anything specific in regards to what those might be at least for now

Taking a class was a path to power One that progressed much more rapidly than the actual Paths But it meant tying themselves to this place And in a way it meant that Regina would be subordinate to someone else which didn’t sit well with Alana

We should try the other village again before we commit Alana commented dryly finally done pacing

To Glendel’s surprise Regina shook her head slowly

No this is better than I had hoped for I already planned on accepting their offer for now Settling down will be good The problem is the structure

Rubbing her head Regina gestured at the notes she had Glendel take As far as we can tell they don’t appear to really have any strict hierarchy Warriors are rated on a 1 to 10 scale Miranda Hamilton is in charge of the NCCs Daniel is in charge of supplies and the village growth They have their 3 leaders of the warriors Donny Dozer and Decklan

And why do they all have D names Alana muttered but Regina ignored her and continued

And they have some mages some healers some archers but right now it’s all working And the only reason is because of that man The Ghosthound The problem isn’t him but it also is

Glendel spoke up for the first time Do you think he will abuse his power

Regina hesitated but shook her head I don’t think so But like I said it’s not him The village is growing strong because he is the pillar that keeps them going But that is also their weakness If he weren’t there

Regina gestured It would all fall apart

Leaning back in her chair Regina sighed In addition to that the way they treat them well I suppose there was no other avenue He is their savior They revere him Although he remains fine for now attention like that can change a person

You aren’t making me very excited to stay here Glendel said nervously Alana continued to pace

It’s best to face the ugliest truths first Regina said grimly her eyes narrowed That way you aren’t surprised by what you wake up to find one morning And you are ready for it when it happens

After an extremely long day Randidly finally had a moment alone to turn to his notifications For now he ignored the skill level notifications and focused on the unfamiliar ones

Congratulations Your Soul Seed has sprouted into a Soul Plant Lvl 1 Due to the circumstances the Soul Plant grows by feasting on Blood The Soul Plant option has been added to your menu The Soul Plant can only level when you choose it to Based on the blood absorbed the Soul Plant will have different options for growth

Congratulations Your Soul Plant Lvl 1 has absorbed enough blood to level

You have slain the The Hungry Tribulation Ep Tal Due to you not belonging to the Newbie Village that corresponds to the Tribulation bonuses have been halved All parties involved receive +5 to all stats You have learned the skill Agony Lvl 1

Agony Spend health to inflict mental and physical damage on those around you The ratio of health lost to damage dealt improves as skill level increases Warning you will experience the pain as well

Randidly smiled bitterly So that was the skill the sphinx had started using at the end or at least a version of it He was lucky that it hadn’t used it the entire time it undoubtedly had more health than him The sphinx could have simply ground him to nothing

But Randidly set that train of thought to the side and considered the additional notifications

Due to its Tribulation being defeated all individuals within the Newbie Village receive +2 Levels It’s pillar of light will now pulse blue to warn of the impending collapse of the Newbie barrier which will fall in exactly 24 hours

Warning A Newbie Barrier near you shall fall within 24 hours This means several things First monsters over level 20 may periodically spawn Specifically Tier I Raid Bosses may now spawn in the area These Raid Bosses are extremely powerful and if not eliminated quickly shall form a settlement and spawn additional high level monsters

In addition a wild dungeon will form near any Newbie Village that has survived its past the fall of its Newbie Barrier The dungeon level with grow depending on time and the level density of monsters and individuals with classes in the nearby area

Upon clearing a Wild Dungeon a time will be recorded The quickest time to clear the dungeon will receive SP for their village once a day depending on the dungeon level Wild Dungeons that have not been cleared in a week will periodically spawn monster hordes As the time the dungeon hasn’t be cleared grows so will the frequency of monster hordes

In addition new options for spending SP have appeared in the Newbie Village that has survived its Tribulation

Congratulations You are the first person to slay a Tribulation on your world You have taken the first steps to joining the Nexus More rewards to follow in 24 hours when the Newbie Barrier falls

Randidly frowned slightly It wasn’t that the new changes were especially dangerous especially if they kept up good scouting in the surrounding area And what bothered him wasn’t that the rules were weirdly formulaic and gamelike

Daniel would be excited about the new source of SP by clearing the dungeons with the best time The danger of monster hordes could also be controlled somewhat due to frequent dungeon clears and that would allow the village to relax

Although that depended on what exactly a raid boss entailed but Randidly felt that this change would shift the village Mostly he predicted that the non combat classes and the non Class Characters now without the worry of a daily horde would explode in number Most of the growth would be in non combat areas

They still received a daily trickle of refugees from nearby areas Those people would have the choice to either take a class or take their time It would be good for the town

But the more Randidly thought about the changes coming for the town the more he was bothered him was that none of the people of Donnyton seemed to be aware of these notifications Shouldn’t they have gotten them when he defeated the village’s tribulation

Brooding Randidly looked up and towards the pillar of light

Then the blood drained from his face

Perhaps the villagers of Donnyton hadn’t gotten the notifications because they weren’t within an area where the Newbie Barrier would be falling ahead of schedule But admittedly the barrier would fall in about 24 hours It was now the 6th day and a golden pillar of light stood tall over the village luminous even during the day

Slowly turning Randidly looked at the pillar over the neighboring village where the king was likely sitting on his throne The pillar pulsed blue

It seems that their Newbie Barriers would drop at similar times Randidly wondered if their neighbors would finally stop turtling and come out and help deal with the Raid bosses He also wondered whether the buildings they received for defeating a tribulation were buildings that Donnyton would also receive when the Newbie Barrier fell

The King hadn’t made a move since Randidly had went to his village broken their gates and had Pestilence eat through the king’s tongue and vocal cords Non interference policy the police man had said Hopefully that would continue

Hopefully the new buildings wouldn’t give them any ill advised ideas

Although having more help for the hordes and raid bosses would be helpful Especially since two dungeons would probably spawn one for each village

Then he shrugged So what if they didn’t come help with the monsters More experience for Donnyton

Chapter 58

There was a lot to do but Randidly put it off for a little bit longer looking instead at his skill notifications

In that last bout with the Sphinx he had gained 2 levels in Spear Mastery and Phantom Thrust 1 in Spear Phantom’s Footwork 2 in Phantom Half Step 4 in Fighting Proficiency 1 in Haste Sweep and Phantom Onslaught 3 in Empower 2 in Roundhouse Kick an impressive 6 in Spearing Roots 1 in Root Manipulation and Fireball 1 in Physical Fitness and Pain Resistance and 2 in Mental Strength

These stats he poured into Intelligence Strength and Control raising his ability to do damage which had been slightly underwhelming during the fight against the sphinx The Frontrunner path was only 70/100 and he still had 15 more stats to get from it but his status screen was already starting to become monstrous

Health(/R per hour) 311/340 (+8) (175 (+12

Mana(/R per hour) 501/534 (77 75)

Stam(/R per min) 357/392 (65 (+4

Vit 51 (+4)

End 35

Str 38 (+2)

Agi 62 (+10)

Perception 29

Reaction 46

Resistance 14

Willpower 64

Intelligence 86

Wisdom 44

Control 64

Focus 31

Skills (Soul Skill) Spear of Rot Mastery Lvl 259

Combat Spear Mastery Lvl 46 Phantom Thrust Lvl 46 Spear Phantom’s Footwork Lvl 33 Eyes of the Spear Phantom Lvl 20 Phantom Half Step Lvl 11 Heavy Blow Lvl 23 Dagger Mastery Lvl 10 Iron Skin Lvl 27 Dodge Lvl 31 Fighting Proficiency Lvl 34 Block Lvl 32 Haste Lvl 20 Phantom Onslaught Lvl 11 Sweep Lvl 17 Spear Deflect Lvl 10 Empower Lvl 24 Calculated Blow Lvl 19 Roundhouse Kick Lvl 15 Edge of Decay Lvl 11 Agony Lvl 1

Spells Spearing Roots Lvl 12 Mana Bolt Lvl 28 Mana Shield Lvl 24 Root Manipulation Lvl 27 Arcane Orb Lvl 22 Fireball Lvl 23 Magic Missile Lvl 4 Healing Palm Lvl 9 Pollen of the Rafflesia Lvl 8 Summon Pestilence Lvl 15 Mana Strengthening Lvl 13 Wall of Thorns Lvl 4 Soul Seed Lvl ®

Auxiliary Physical Fitness Lvl 30 Meditation Lvl 31 Running Lvl 20 Sprinting Lvl 15 Sneak Lvl 22 Acid Resistance Lvl 22 Poison Resistance Lvl 16 Pain Resistance Lvl 12 First Aid Lvl 13 Equip Lvl 20 Pathfinding Lvl 16 Mental Strength Lvl 13 Curse Resistance Lvl 3 Fire Resistance Lvl 8

Randidly’s Intelligence Agility and Control all were well over 50 which was probably the line that none of the other members of Donnyton had passed even if they focused completely on 1 stat Combined with a total Vitality of 55 Randidly did it all well even tank and much better than most people did

It was still something of a disappointment for Randidly that his Resistance was still so abysmally low 14 looked very sad surrounding by 46 and 64 But his speed was currently so high and he possessed enough defense skills that he didn’t want to invest the points into it currently

Randidly walked out of his hut and towards the area where they had left the thorny vine Now as he intended to level his Soul Plant he wanted to be able to see it

When he came to the glass container he found the strange being much as he had left it but Randidly was surprised to find Lyra crouching nearby and poking the container

You have weird taste in pets She informed him wonder in her eyes as she gazed down at the wiggling creature She didn’t even seem to mind the long scratches the thorny vines left on her hand as it tentatively prodded her back

He smiled slightly mildly embarrassed and elected not to respond He hadn’t managed to top her in quips yet and after an exhausting day now was not the time to start

Instead he opened his menu and sure enough there was a Soul Plant option He clicked it and a small status screen appeared

Soul Plant (Blood)(Click to Rename)

Lvl 1(Click to Level Up)

Survivability 6

Physicality 4

Magical Aptitude 1

Brain Function 3

Particularity 2

Battle Ability 4

Special Skills Flexibility

Randidly scanned through the explanations for the stats they were all pretty self explanatory Survivability was defense Physicality was physical strength Magical Aptitude magical strength Brain function was how intelligent it actually was like what sort of concepts and orders it could wrap its mind around while Particularity counted any characteristics that made it unique and gave it strength that weren’t really covered by the others Battle Ability was a combination of all the above scores which would equate it to what level monster it could hold its own against

Starting out able to fight level 4 didn’t seem very impressive but Randidly supposed it was level 1 It had time to grow Although it was pretty impressive that this small weird plant with 1 foot long tentacles could manage to surround and strangle one of the Lvl 4 wolverines that were as numerous as fleas

After a slight hesitation Randidly renamed the plant to Thorn due to its prickly appearance Then he clicked level up

Congratulations Your Thorn Lvl 1 is ready to level up Due to its nature your first choice is set Make Thorn either Hungry or Thirsty

No explanations were provided Randidly sighed So it was going to be like this huh The level ups for the plant were much more opaque than his own On a whim he clicked Hungry

Thorn is now Lvl 2 Survivability has increased by 2 Physicality has increased by 1 It has learned the skill Strangle

Congratulations Your Thorn Lvl 2 is ready to level up Due to absorbing the blood of The Smiling Tribulation Ep Tal please choose whether Thorn shall absorb its Body or Mind

After a second of hesitation Randidly chose Body After all he didn’t really need a strange mage plant Although having it be a little bit more intelligent would undoubtedly be useful

Thorn is now Lvl 3 Physicality has increased by 2 Due to increased size Particularity has increased by 2

A gasp took his attention away from the notifications and he turned to see that Thorn had swollen to be a fat bush about 3 feet in diameter bristling with thorny vine tentacles The glass container cracked and fell to pieces He felt Thorn’s pleasure as it stretched its new body flexing its powerful muscles

Lyra turned around and kicked Randidly in the shin Warn me next time Jesus

Then she paused tilting her head and giving him a long look And also I’ve known you for less than a week Randidly If you hadn’t come back it’s not fair to make me cry over someone I’ve known for less than a week

Randidly scratched his chin awkwardly Why does it matter to you

Lyra promptly kicked him in the shin Then she stormed off Scratching his head Randidly turned around shocked He had received a new notification

Congratulations You Soul Plant Lvl 3 has absorbed enough blood to level

He saw his plant some distance away along the treeline ripping through two or three imps

Congratulations Your Thorn Lvl 3 is ready to level up Due to exposure to the forbidden tongue of Ep Tal he has gained profound insights into the world Shall he have mastery of the Land or Sky

Apparently Thorn had done enough with the tongue to get an extra bonus huh As for the choice Although Thorn flying would be amusing wasn’t this also a pretty straight forward choice

Thorn is now Lvl 4 Magical Aptitude has increased by 1 Brain Function has increased by 1 Particularity has increased by 3 Thorn has learned the skill Dig

So now it could dig Shrugging Randidly looked once more at its Status screen

Thorn (Blood)

Lvl 4

Survivability 8

Physicality 7

Magical Aptitude 2

Brain Function 4

Particularity 7

Battle Ability 11

Special Skills Flexibility Strangle Dig

It had certainly been effective at Lvl 1 when it had grown within the skull of the sphinx so Randidly was hoping for something similar in the future What was pretty interesting was that its Battle Ability now put it on the same level as something Lvl 11 even though it was only Lvl 4 by its own standards That was reassuring although it was hard to tell how accurate that was

Obviously Randidly had no level and could handle 100 level 11s It was a question of quality of the fighter rather than level But it served as a decent way to understand strength

After playing with Thorn a bit and impressing on it the importance of not eating humans Randidly left heading to talk with Daniel and Donny about what was to come Better invite Sam too and Decklan and Dozer because they would be the ones on the front lines

Randidly grimaced Why did it seem like the stronger he got the more people he had to talk to

Wasn’t this why he let Donny found the village in the first place

The group of 6 stayed after The Ghosthound left Daniel Donny Sam Dozer Decklan and Mrs Hamilton They stayed silent for several seconds as they listened to his departing footsteps

The first one to speak was Donny who turned to Sam Have you had a chance to look at the body he brought back

Sam grunted Yea and what I’ve seen Let’s just say that unless you have the strength of Dozer it’s a real chore to cut the thing up even the hide And that was mostly turned to swiss cheese almost useless now The bones and claws are a different story and I have a few ideas about how I can use them

Daniel coughed He means if what Randidly says is true and there is another one of these out there waiting can we handle it

After a few seconds of thoughtful silence Sam said If we are there to meet it in formation probably But out of all of us Probably only Dozer Clarissa and Lyra can damage it If we can keep it locked down for long enough sure

The room fell silent at the unspoken truth of that statement if it came upon them in the night while they weren’t ready

Decklan smiled crookedly We still have a day Let’s up the training Daniel how much can we improve the dungeon

Daniel checked his notes We are currently just short of 9000 SP by noon we will get there If you would prefer we focus on the dungeon instead of upgrading the Village itself we can push it up to Lvl 14 That is an almost 3x increase in difficulty Is that What you all want

Donny Dozer and Decklan made eye contact and nodded Mrs Hamilton closed her eyes and shook her head slightly

This might not be quick enough She said But if Ms Northwind’s group joins us a lot of them used to be nurses They could be taught healing palm and become a healing corps Having a designated healer with each squad would increase the success rate

That’s a good idea Daniel said slowly rubbing his chin In addition I think we should initially just raise the Lvl to 10 to let most people go through it Even still I expect some casualties You can’t account for everything For the more elite troops they can wait and head into the Lvl 14 dungeon

Donny laughed awkwardly shaking his head The rest of the group looked at him confused

It’s not the dungeon plan Well not the method It’s just Donny looking suddenly like the teenager he really was scratched his ear awkwardly Can you believe that we are talking about this Risking our lives If this had been two weeks ago

Everyone remained silent as Donny continued to speak And yet I can’t stand still Because I know that if I wait or hide something big and mean is eventually going to show up and I won’t be ready for it So I train and risk just to prepare It’s like The Ghosthound says The only thing a spear can do is move forward thrusting into the future ’ It’s just strange how much we’ve changed in such a short amount of time

After that the group dispersed slowly drifting apart alone with their thoughts considering how the world changed And changed them in the process

Chapter 59

It was around 2 o’clock in the afternoon when Glendel followed Regina and the rest of their group driving their convoy down the road towards Donnyton While it had been cleared by some enterprising individuals in preparation for Donnyton’s expansion but it hadn’t been very professionally done and the road was quite bumpy

But still they made it to the town and slowly headed up a group of 60 some women and Glendel following after Regina

To their surprise the attitude at Donnyton was grim as they arrived Almost the entirety of the village almost 1200 hundred people gathered around a tall pole that was erected on the slope between the NCC village and the Classer Compound

Through the crowd they saw Mrs Hamilton and Regina walked over Miranda what’s going on

Miranda Hamilton turned to the group of new arrivals and smiled I apologize this has just been a very intense morning The kept dungeon was improved to level 10 and when it reached that level there were some changes Increased difficulty but also increased time compression So you needed to spend more time there Apparently up to a week The first group to go in when they realized they weren’t going to be kicked out after 24 started rushing for the boss to escape before they ran out of food

Ultimately they were able to make it but Mrs Hamilton’s eyes were slightly wet as she looked to the monument where three names were being carved into it by a serious faced Sam Their squad leader died defeating the boss He was He was one of the original 12 or so that received a class from Donny on the first day It’s just a sobering experience

Regina nodded slowly a sympathetic expression on her face Death is always difficult

Especially when it comes so cheaply Mrs Hamilton said bitterly But then she wiped the tears from her eyes and turned to the group But I won’t trouble you with the details Come I’ll take you to Donny and Nul

When they got to Donny Daniel was also there and Daniel took the time to explain a little in regards to classes what little they knew about the three options and where they came from He also explained the mentor system Then he proceeded to talk about why some individuals were currently just raising their skill level in the hopes of getting a better 3rd option

Actually Ma’am A voice interrupted If you would like to wait a few minutes and let us ahead of you in line we can finally test this hypothesis

An older man with short grey hair and two axes strapped to his back walked up with a portly bearded man

What do you mean Sam Daniel asked

But Sam didn’t respond He was just smiling slightly at Regina Who in fact was smiling back her mouth creeping ever wider

As long as it’s no trouble Sam said slowly

Regina controlled her face her smile fading to twitching lips No be my guest

If Glendel didn’t know better Were these two flirting

Ah Sam said turning to Daniel Well Jerry just insists he has to know whether this means anything raising skill level I’m telling him patience it’s only been a week but

Someone has to be the first Jerry interrupted and stepping forward towards a blandly smiling Nul

Everyone was quiet for several seconds Then Jerry swore quietly

Well shit Now I feel like an idiot The current power option It’s Leatherworker This shit fucking works Fucking hell man why didn’t you stop me

But Jerry wore a wide grin as he turned around and faced Sam who slapped him on the back

As the two left Sam glancing over his shoulder towards Regina as he walked away Regina’s group discussed their options By the end everyone had decided to wait working their skill level up by helping out around the village

Everyone except 1 person

Are you sure Regina asked her eyes curious

Glendel nodded Yes If we are going to be here I want to get strong as quickly as possible I know I might be able to find something more suited to me if I work at it for a while but I’m just going to go for it

Alana seemed dissatisfied probably because she also wanted to take this option but just folded her arms Nervous but feeling hot with emotions Glendel went up to Nul and asked for a class

Again there was a long silence Finally Regina asked Well

Glendel just shook his head slowly My first option is Lackey my third is Assistant But my 2nd random option

Feeling almost embarrassed to say it Glendel finally stammered out I’m uh p probably taking the 2nd option And it’s it’s called S s s s sovereign of G Ghosts

Randidly looked up surprised that someone had knocked on his door He set aside his ingredients giving up on figuring out how to craft the next tier of potions for now He supposed just under 200 was still a lot health or mana even though his mana pool was over double that

When he opened it he found all of the important figures of the village Sam Donny Daniel Decklan Dozer Mrs Hamilton Annie and even Lyra who was walking over and poking an unnerved Thorn To his surprise Regina was also there the surgeon who recently had her group join Donnyton and that tall pale man Glendel who always seemed to be lurking around

Dozer was hefting a large package over his shoulders but Randidly turned his attention to Sam who had been the one who had knocked

You’ve done a lot for us kid no two ways about it Sam said gruffly So we thought we would give you something in return To show our appreciation You said your spear had been broken by that monster right

Randidly nodded slowly Dozer lowered the large package and unwrapped it revealing a towering 8 foot tall spear made entirely of bone As Randidly looked his eyes widened further He stepped forward and took the monstrosity from Dozer feeling its significant weight Without a strength of at least 30 utilizing this was impossible Even now Randidly made a mental note to invest a few more points in strength so he could control it better

The shaft appeared to be made entirely of linked vertebrae grafted and shaped somehow to flow smoothly together A sharpened spike of bone ran sideways across right before the head of the spear itself a beautifully fanning bone sharpened to a razor edge

Randidly stepped past them into an open space and performed several simple spear moves marveling in the power he felt behind every movement Then he looked at its stats

The Spine Spear of Ep Tal Lvl 30 Agility +2 Strength +10 If you crave something take it

Randidly looked for a long time at the sentence that followed the stats then slowly nodded It would take a while before he raised his equip skill high enough that he could make use of those bonuses but still

You made it from that monster’s spine Randidly asked wonderingly

Sam nodded seemingly pleased Heh don’t think you are the only miracle worker kid

Thanks Thank you all Randidly said truly meaning it It was a beautiful weapon and would help him make up for his previous lack of power His mouth curled up in a grin The next tribulation would be that much easier

As everyone began to drift awaychatting with each other some with rather pressing matters to attend to as Donnyton continued to swell like crazy as more and more people attracted to the pillars of light Randidly walked up to Regina and Glendel

I apologize if I was short with you Having that inside my chest Wasn’t enjoyable Randidly said

Regina nodded calmly I apologize as well Perhaps I am just too used to dealing with hot headed young men I didn’t even consider that you might know what you are talking about Although most of who we dealt with were people from the hospital right after the system came a lot of injured people from Rawlands University came demanding treatment

Rawlands Randidly said slowly

Regina blinked and then nodded Oh yes portions of Rawlands’ campus were teleported down there mixed with Franksburg Do you know it

Randidly’s gaze sharpened as he turned away from Regina and looked to the South

Yes He said his gaze unwavering I used to go there

And so did Ace and Sydney

Chapter 60

It had been a little under two weeks since the Newbie Barrier had fallen around Donnyton and it had been an extremely busy time for Sam Much to Sam’s disgust Daniel was pushing very strongly for an increase in the differentiation between ranks So Sam had received the task of creating a new ranking system for the village

Outwardly grumbling but inwardly rather smug that he had another chance to put off all of the other busywork that Daniel demanded and just experiment with Bone Shaping Sam assented

This new push for a more complication of the ranking system stemmed directly from some of the other more pressing activity in the recent weeks the consolidation of the squad system and the preparations for the incoming tribulation

The former was going quite smoothly By and large all Classer’s were separated into groups of 10 9 squad members and a leader There were a few exceptions to the numbers based on need and special interest but by and large this had held to Thus far they were in the mid 20s in solidified squads while there was a pool of regular members and officer track people who were randomly grouped together and made to play war games under the watchful eye of Dozer Decklan and Donny

If a squad seemed to gel they would become an official unit and receive their call sign and their current number The call sign would never change but their number could it was based the the ranking of their perceived strength so that could go up or down depending on the situation

Regina had commented that while currently effective the squad system was only a short term solution As the number of people in the village increased they would likely need to have experience fighting as a larger unit Better to start looking for another tier a Company of men and train someone to manage that many men She continued to point out that the great flaw of the current system is often times the strongest or second strongest person in the squad is the squad leader and at the front lines of fighting constantly This allows for very little tactical deviation once the fighting starts There is just no way for a person fighting to have the vision to spot the enemies weaknesses and exploit them

Sam thought she had a point but Dozer and Donny seemed nonplussed by her words Sam almost laughed aloud at their expressions Sure they were strong but they just seemed so young sometimes

Not that he could blame them for their confusion If things stayed as they have been they wouldn’t need a Company The fall of the Newbie Barrier did indeed mean that more monsters spawned in the area and stronger ones occasionally double as strong but after a few close scrapes they had hammered out a rough patrol schedule and dealt with most of the incursions

Other than that very little had really changed Raid Bosses were a concern but Glendel’s new abilities had been invaluable at finding and identifying them rendering them pretty harmless Other than that there just wasn’t a unifying foe anymore like the monster horde had been to keep them on their toes and make them work hard to survive

There was of course the looming Tribulation but up until now no one had seen it

That Sam reflected was having a strange psychological effect on Donnyton

They were constantly training grinding themselves to a point ready for the oncoming vicious sphinx Vigilant patrols scoured the area Any non domesticated monsters were killed seemingly seconds after they spawned All in all Donnyton had become a very safe and orderly place

Still everyone was waiting for the hammer blow to fall

But Sam shook his head focusing on his current task In order to provide at least a little differentiation he was making several types of pendants created through his Bone Shaping For the general groups that weren’t part of the squads they were given a bone pendant in the symbol of their use These were for the general corps that didn’t yet make it into a squad

A weird flame shaped bone for the mages A cross for the Healers An axe for Dozer’s squad a shield for Donny’s a curved dagger for Decklan’s This group of pendants was annoying to make due to their group size Sam was forced to spend most his mana pool and use mana potions to continue on with the project

Bone shaping by itself was simple Sam used his hands infused with mana to rub the bones It was a gradual process but some of the mana would sink into the surface of the bone and Sam would still maintain a certain measure of control over it

After a sufficient amount of mana was rubbed into the bone he pressed driving the mana up and forward into the shape he wanted The bone slowly twisted and stretched moving to fill that shape

Not enough mana and the skill failed and he was left with a strange twisted bone Too much mana and the bone exploded Press too hard and the bone exploded Press too soft and nothing happened for several seconds and then the bone dissolved into powder as the mana diffused

Sam had practiced obsessively these past few weeks slowly reducing the percentage of bones that he wasted through his skill

Although it wasn’t outwardly obvious Sam was a prideful man Early on when the village had been established his skill with an axe and construction had given him what he thought was a pretty significant head start in terms of paths which translated into higher stats

It was nice in a way protecting the girls and even that asshat Kal wielding his axes with wild abandon running solely on the thrill of adrenaline while monsters rushed forward

But as the Classers leveled that stat advantage disappeared And then Vivian Ellaine and Kal left wanting to flee to civilization All he had left was Lyra but of course by that point she no longer needed his protection Sam couldn’t fathom the extent and methods of her skills but he couldn’t deny the results she had achieved

In fact she had been visiting The Ghosthound these past weeks giving him lessons in the control of mana

Sam chuckled despite himself his smile grim Was even he beginning to just call Randidly the Ghosthound It was a sobering thought Although Randidly was clearly the most powerful and versatile person in the village

He bore so much weight on his shoulders

Sighing Sam turned back to his final project for the new stratification system For the squads he made the numbers 50 11 simple plain numbers of bone which would be worn by the squad leader For the final 10 however he used larger pieces of bone which would be worn on the squad leaders back These took a few tries but make them he did resplendent as graceful bones displayed in roman numerals

X IX VIII VII VI V IV III II and finally I

These would be the pride of Donnyton Sam hoped The honor that all the Classers strived for

And the non Classers Sam supposed There were several competing although there was sometimes some grumbling when they were included on your team It did raise their skills more quickly which was helpful It also was becoming increasingly obvious that having a NCC gave squads certain advantages

Often they knew most basic combat skills and could fill multiple roles in combat Healer Mage Tank

Unfortunately this versatility came at the cost of low health mana and stamina pools they usually rather quickly had to rely on potions

For the I the top ranked squad Sam reverently used a bone from the Tribulation Randidly had killed They were darker than normal bones a grey blue almost resembling metal This after all was the pinnacle It should be worth striding for

Then Sam examined the piece of equipment he had made then chuckled

Livery of the First Squad Lvl 29 A sigil made for the best Wearer receives +50 Health Mana and Stamina Those under the command of the Wearer receive +10 Health Mana and Stamina

Sam nodded pleased with himself The others had granted small amounts of health or stamina but this was a much more significant amount There were after all perks to being on top

They had already arranged a system of challenges so the lower squads could fight to gain rank but it hadn’t been used overmuch thus far Now the pendant wearers would try to obtain a top 10 ranking for the extra bonuses the larger pieces granted And those in the top 10

Would aim for the top

Wistfully Sam wondered how he would fare should he join the pool to be placed into a squad Although he felt he was slightly inadequate in comparison to the top tier he thought that he matched up pretty well in comparison to most people’s physical specs He was nearing 20 in almost everything Perhaps not super impressive but still

A throat clear caught Sam’s attention and he looked up Daniel stood there fidgeting slightly

Sam chuckled How long were you waiting

Almost five minutes Daniel replied probably only half joking Although with Daniel’s patience it would no doubt get spent after even that short amount of time and judging by the way he was bouncing from foot to foot

Well Sam asked folding his arms

The first stage of the Class Trials happened today Daniel gushed his eyes bright I have the results

The Class Trials as Daniel called them were his brainchild were he would take volunteers and oversee their training promising them support in exchange for information about their paths and stats and having control over when they chose a class He had taken in 20 individuals for it 17 men and 3 women and had been working them to the bone since the Newbie Barrier had fallen

Based on the original plan one was long term while the other was short and he had likely made the short term group take a class

Before Sam could say anything else Daniel handed him a clipboard Upon closer examination it was covered in stats lists of skills physical descriptions and measurements paths and general psychological assessments Unfortunately most it was marred with underlines circles and seeming random lines drawn around between strange bits of information

Sam gave Daniel a level look

Shaking his head Daniel said with an annoyed expression Okay okay the short version right The total stats rather than the distribution made a difference in quality of the classes received Due to some variables I haven’t been able to identity some individuals level skills faster generally while others displayed particular affinity toward a certain skill and leveled only that very rapidly It was only two weeks but I was surprised that the difference between the lowest individual and the highest was approaching 20 stat points

Focus Sam growled rapping his knuckles against the wood of the worktable

Blinking Daniel opened his mouth then closed it was a scowl With an exaggerated sigh he said Alright fine As I stated total stat amounts made a difference in terms of quality but stat distribution doesn’t seem to affect class type A person with high intelligence could still become a berserker Class type stems from the Skills you have leveled Heavy Blow leads to warrior Herculean Strength to defender Mana Bolt to mage Healing Palm to acolyte

Perhaps unfortunately Daniel continued The one individual who was best at leveling probably got the worst class out of everyone Jack of All Trades The stat gains are fine but the skills he’s gotten have been lackluster so far Just general proficiencies Since he was good at everything I just had him level everything he could Spells fighting skills cleaning and cooking construction potion making etc But because he had everything he had no dominant skills that lead to his class As such I’ve agreed to take him on as an assistant It seems that in terms of classes what matters is the really is the flavor of the skills

An assistant will be useful for you Sam said half heartedly mulling over the news The stat total increasing the quality was good but the general skills making classes more difficult was not great news to hear After all all of his production skills were spread out quite a lot In addition he had a fair amount of combat related moves If he took a class now what would he get

Not really Daniel’s said with a smug grin on his face Ever since my class granted me the Memorize skill Wait you were being sarcastic weren’t you Well I’ll be leaving then No need to stay around and be mocked

Daniel affronted face as he turned and stalked away was so comical that Sam had to laugh They were embracing this world quickly Sam thought Perhaps too quickly Becoming too used to their positions of power Hopefully this strange pseudo peace didn’t last too long

Oh one more thing Daniel said still hurrying away I’ll leave the pleasure of speaking with the Ghosthound about this piece of news to you Good luck

Now it was Sam’s turn to scowl Randidly was never in a good mood these days He was taking the tribulation absence harder than anyone else Sam knew that he wanted to go out and hunt it down but didn’t know where to start So Randidly could only wait All the while his gaze turned towards the south

In one of their evening strolls through the area Regina had confided in Sam that the strange wistful gaze had started when she mentioned Rawlands Perhaps there was a connection there the past of the man who would become The Ghosthound hidden there Some connection or relationship that could draw him even now

What exacerbated that wistful mood was that apparently the mana lessons with Lyra weren’t going well

Sam walked passed several farmers who were tending their fields their eyes studiously on the ground the raised voices already audible

What do you mean you just do it Randidly growled

I just do it so why can’t you What do you want me to say Lyra answered and Sam could picture her furious face her mouth pressed into a thin line Sam hurried closer

Some instruction would be a welcome change of pace

Okay I have a skill that lets me see mana After that I just reached out and played with it shaping I figured you could skip the seeing step and just control it but I didn’t realize you had a giant dick for a brain

I can feel it’s there sure But I haven’t been able to touch it I just want you to tell me how to touch it

If you can feel it aren’t you touching it already Just do it want it feel it What the fuck are you waiting for

The farmers were beginning to blush Sam arrived at the small gate that surrounded Randidly’s house granting him some privacy and let himself in making as much noise as possible He was met with two hostile glares

Luckily or unluckily those glares quickly switched and settled on each other

Lyra tapped her foot on the ground lightly This is where the teacher has to spank the naughty student right Good thing I’m into role play

Try it Randidly’s voice dropped dangerously and suddenly Sam felt like he wasn’t actually very impressive physically If it came to blows between them

How could you even stop it YOU CAN’T EVEN SEE MANA That’s the whole reason this is so annoying Just

You know what’s annoying Your attitude How am I supposed to just do it’ If you just behaved like a reasonable person just once

Would you even listen Aren’t you too busy treating me like a little girl to take me seriously Oh there’s Lyra again just joking around she’s so snarky and unapproachable I’d rather pat her on the head and then leave her alone so she just

But then Lyra stopped speaking and spun on her heel and walked towards one of the walls With a wave of her hand she conjured a bear made of mana that smashed its paws against the wall and ripped a hole through it like it was made of gauze Lyra calmly stepped over the broken wall without altering her gait and proceeded away passed the area now completely vacated of farmers

Inwardly Sam sighed He hadn’t known Lyra well before the system arrived but he had spent a good amount of time with her since then and Randidly too

Lyra was always raised to be an actress and the best actress She grew up under constant pressure and observation She felt seen constantly and judged and only a stubborn disposition and her natural talent and intellect had helped her through it

Now facing Randidly a person who she was obviously attracted to she was infuriated that he wasn’t behaving how she expected by viewing her as a woman To him she was just a teenager 17 might be old enough for some people but to a 23 year old Randidly that 6 year age difference was more than enough to balk at

Honestly Sam respected that about him And he had some fatherly instincts towards Lyra still so he wanted her to end up with someone her own age But even Sam couldn’t deny that their interpersonal issues were beginning to color their other interactions

These lessons for instance would likely go much more smoothly if one wasn’t clearly broadcasting her sexual frustrations and the other dismissing her outright

So Randidly said turning his furious gaze to Sam What did you come here for

Chapter 61

Randidly sat in his cabin meditating Slowly his eyes opened his piercing green eyes burning a hole through the wall looking towards the South

It had been three weeks since the Safe Zones around theirs and the neighboring village had expired During that time they had scouts combing the surrounding area They had found the two dungeon locations the one near them being Lvl 20 the one West past the other town was only Lvl 14

They had also encountered a few Tier I Raid Boss the most troublesome of which ended up being a Lvl 25 Rhinoceros Pack Leader surrounded by a few dozen of its Rhinoceros children

Almost the entirety of their force had mobilized the 2nd Unit of tanks and both Decklan’s and Dozer’s personal units moving to kill it with support from Clarissa Ultimately it was overkill but Dozer did earn a belt that gave him a huge boost in health regen and they had brought several powerful Rhinoceros bodies back with them

Then next time they found a raid boss as long as it hadn’t established itself they could probably handle it with only one elite unit and mage support

What they hadn’t yet encountered was their Tribulation So Donnyton’s leaders waited Randidly waited his patience dwindling away leaving a bubbling cauldron of frustration

Most people weren’t informed about the details of the Tribulation just the new dangers that might appear anytime so the village continued to grow unabated The greatest change in the past week was the completion of housing for almost everyone involved

Sam’s builders were really starting to click and they could throw up enough rooms to house an extended family in an hour Some of the more enterprising and fed up individuals among them had worked out a pretty sophisticated plumbing system which finally eliminated the need for latrines

They had even figured out how to get a pretty sustainable and working power plant out of mages but they didn’t really have any infrastructure here to make use of it nothing required power

The one change that Randidly did appreciate was that budding mages were forced to repeatedly heat water with the fireballs resulting in a functioning bathhouse It really made a world of difference to wash with hot water

Due to that rising demand an NCC woman gathered herbs planted a garden and began selling soap For the first time in a long time the people of Donnyton were clean

Their numbers were currently just under 3000 with around 800 of them taking classes mostly men although an increasing number of women who had been training up skills were getting interesting classes Many of Regina’s group had gotten healing style classes and were now fully integrated into the regular squads There was even one woman who received the class Green Mage and had shyly come asking him for advice

He calmly told her Practice and returned to his own training

Those of Regina’s group that hadn’t chosen healer had usually gone a mage route quickly bolster their previously pathetic mage corps Just recently after obtaining a specific skill they wanted to base their class on and leveling it a decent amount they were now taking classes getting even more specialized skills preparing to be an active participant in the village’s defense

Over the past three weeks he had also taken Thorn hunting several times The little bugger was vicious moving invisibly underground and springing upward sinking its many thorny vines into the victim’s body and wrapping the unfortunate monster in a death grip on its throat before it even knew what hit it Unfortunately it seemed like it had become very picky about blood after eating the Sphinx and hadn’t leveled again

His own training with the spear had gone very well Although he hadn’t gotten Equip high enough to use the stat bonuses despite a bunch of shitty high level equipment he had gotten from Sam he was now used to the new spear’s weight and rigidity

It wasn’t a change reflected so much in skill level but comfort in battle More than anything Randidly had focused on solidifying the foundations of his spear techniques practicing the strange forms and exercises Shal had taught him

If he were to meet the Tribulation now he had no doubts in his mind that his powerful spear blows would rip wide holes in its body even without his oppressively powerful magic

In terms of productivity of mage skills these weeks were spent mostly focusing on Fireball trying to raise it to the point that it was comparable to Spearing Roots However it seemed like that wouldn’t be the case for a long time Instead Randidly now hoped that he would get a Fireball path and obtain a more powerful flame spell that he could focus on with a higher potential

He did have the option of going and checking if there were any skills he could learn from the Skill Challenges but until he went through the Apprentice path himself he was leery about spending SP to learn something that he might be able to get on his own

What was significantly slowing his progress was everything else Randidly knew logically that his attitude was getting worse and worse He struggled but failed to refine energy shards to a stronger version of themselves allowing him to discover the next tier up from potions

Since their fight a week ago Randidly no longer bothered with lessons with Lyra in regards to mana control and she hadn’t bothered to come and ask about it Both of them appeared to be agreement at least on this subject and for some reason this annoyed Randidly even more than the fight had

He could sense the cool mana and warm stamina flowing through him strengthening him being used for his different skills He just couldn’t Affect it at all and Randidly didn’t know why To him it felt akin to trying to affect the flow of his blood Yes he could feel his heart pound and the blood flow through him That didn’t mean he have any method of interacting with the blood controlling it

These frustrations and the lack of the Tribulation really seemed to sap away the effectiveness of his skill training It just hadn’t been increasing like it used to Something needed to change

Sighing Randidly returned to the present and stood He had waited long enough and he was now quite sure of his theory It was time to talk to the Council

Although Donny was the nominal Chieftain Donnyton was basically now run by three people Daniel Regina Northwind and Mrs Hamilton Honestly although she led the NCCs Mrs Hamilton had the most influence due to the sheer number of people who had chosen not to take a class yet or ever She controlled access to coffee to the baths to soap to the mass produced potions and to the food

Needless to say she usually had the deciding vote

Every night the 3 of them met to discuss the direction the town was headed what resources they needed and what the big project for tomorrow would be There was a standing invite to Donny and Sam and they showed up occasionally but they were largely absent Dozer and Decklan had no interest in it and preferred to spend their nights training

They also didn’t invite Randidly but he sorta assumed that this was because he made his unwillingness to be involved in the small details quite clear to them all

So when Randidly showed up dragging a confused Donny the three were very shocked

They glanced at each other nervously at their luxurious meal of baby wolverine with freshly harvested herbs as garnish The new trendy strain of coffee filled their mugs

Of them all Regina recovered herself the quickest Ah Ghosthound Lovely for you to join us Would you like some

No and I’ll make this short Randidly’s face was grim I’ve put it off for some time but I think something needs to be done I will lead the caravan south to gather additional refugees in Franksburg

The group blinked

But what about the tribulation Daniel blubbered

Randidly grimaced That’s the whole point I suspect it won’t come as long as I am here In fact I suspect it was the reason I discovered the other tribulation in the first place

After picturing the wounded cat that led him to the Sphinx for several seconds Randidly shook his head He had assumed it had died or had been eaten by the sphinx but he had never seen any proof

At any rate we cannot constantly stay at the ready forever I suspect it is a different variety of tribulation than the other village experienced but no less dangerous Just less confrontational For the trip I think Alana Clarissa and Devan will suffice

The three were silent Not because the choices were bad but because the choices were some of the hand picked few they were considering sending south already Had he been monitoring their communications Not that there was anything to hide but

Meanwhile Randidly simply chose those three because it made sense Devan was the first person to successfully complete the mentor system with Donny and was the knight with the highest level other than Donny His squad which would accompany him was ranked 16th currently Alana obviously knew the path and would be a good guide of the area and Clarissa’s magic would be useful as well as exposing her to danger which she had thus far been insulated from due to the structure of their squads

They could take one of the junior squads for manpower and would be able to handle basically anything that Randidly had seen thus far

Besides they were traveling back into a zone covered by the Newbie Zone Any more would be overkill

I’m glad to see you agree Randidly grunted and left them

Donny feeling awkward sat down and began to eat the food

So He asked talking with his mouth open What were you guys talking about Wow this is good

Chapter 62

In the predawn light Randidly’s face cracked into a smile He had just gained a level in Meditation and with it

He finally had enough to finish off the Frontrunner path After putting the final PP into it he received a notification

Congratulations You have completed the The Frontrunner Path The odds were stacked against your race but you rose above the trials and tribulations to give your people a safe place to stay Being the first brings great power but also places a great weight on your shoulders Others are raised but only because you drag them upwards May this path give you the tools to share some of this weight Because beyond this path there is always another

You have learned the skill Blessing of the North You have learned the skill Blessing of the East You have learned the skill Blessing of the South You have learned the skill Blessing of the West You have learned the skill Inspiration ®

The explanations for the first 4 skills were useless just text about blessing a worthy subordinate and granting them power but Inspiration was a bit more interesting

Inspiration ® The next spell you cast will be inspired You will be able to accomplish feats far beyond the limits of your normal mana pool All mana will be consumed You will not regenerate mana for any reason for 24 hours after completion of the spell That spell cannot be used in conjunction with Inspiration for 30 days

So one big spell at the expense of the next day’s worth of spells The cost was extremely high but

Well Randidly supposed it depended on the effectiveness of the spell Making a mental checklist of the two things he still had to do before the caravan headed back South in an hour he walked outside of his cabin and winced

Make that three things

Jeez don’t look so excited to see me Lyra said sarcastically petting a trembling Thorn She had eventually bullied the plant into letting her treat it like a pet although Randidly had no idea how Things had been strange between them In a rare moment of weakness Randidly had asked Daniel who she was or had been before the system and Daniel had gone on a rant about cult classics’ and horror legend’ and a bunch of other pre system fanboying

But Randidly did gather some relevant information from their talk Lyra really was 17 no matter how mature she looked

On the other hand Randidly was 23 Or he was if the time in the dungeon counted Based on the calendar it was still two more months until his birthday But still The difference in age made him uncomfortable and so he was in a weird space where he wanted to see her but dared not seek her out

No it is good to see you Randidly said after a moment of hesitation but Lyra just snorted

Well

Well what Randidly asked frowning

Lyra gave him a withering glance Aren’t you going to ask me anything

Uh

Her eyes narrowed Aren’t you leaving for for a while to go to the south

Well yea

Doesn’t it seem like I want you to ask me something about going to the south Her teeth made grinding noises

Randidly winced Lyra if you want to come fine

I don’t give a shit about coming or not I want you to ask So Ask Me To Come The air around her vibrated dangerously strange mana reverberations spreading in all directions

If you want to come just come Randidly shouted raising his arms

The air stilled Lyra nodded curtly her expression a pleasant smile Sure

Then she turned and walked passed him Not knowing what else to do Randidly reached out and grasped her arm She turned and gave him an evaluative look

Do you have some business with me sir Her tone was low and surprisingly devoid of sarcasm even though the phrase itself seemed designed for it Not knowing what else to do Randidly just looked at her

Then he had an idea and used one of his new skills

At times like these perhaps a gift would help smooth things over

To his surprise Lyra’s puzzled frown turned into a vicious glare Ripping her arm away she spat on his bare feet Do you think I want a fucking blessing from you Is that what you want Another subordinate

She turned and walked away head held high As she passed the gate around his cabin she called over her shoulder Just to clarify I won’t be coming south with you

Randidly scratched his head as he watched her go

But there were more things to focus on In an attempt to distract himself he brought up his Path menu

Watcher 0/ Heretic III 0/ Oathbreaker 0/25 Apprentice Path 0/50

His options had decreased but he already had made a decision It was time to head down the Apprentice Path More skills meant faster gathering PP which was his way of gaining strength

Finally Randidly turned to the final item on his agenda and removed a small seed from his pocket He had created another soul seed after the cooldown wore off and had been nurturing it these past two weeks

Soul Seed 100% Nurtured Strongest Influences 1 Fireball 2 Meditation 3 Potion Making 4 Refine 5 Calculated Blow 6 Root Manipulation

The influences were a bit strange especially for a plant Let alone Fireball how could a plant use Meditation Potion Making Refine and Calculated Blow It was because all he had done was focus on discovering potion recipes and mopping up random creeps in the area with Thorn

Ultimately he was also very pissed off that he hadn’t been able to make any headway on Mana Manipulation Even after Randidly stopped meeting with Lyra still he practiced struggling to find ways to make it work Unfortunately reality wasn’t kind it seemed that his thoughts so much earlier in regards to the way he viewed the system shaping his abilities were true

He could perform skills and he had different pools of resources to fund those skills But he wasn’t able to control those pools directly

Perhaps what Randidly needed was a skill to make these things manifest Like whatever strange skill Lyra refused to name that allowed her to see mana She seemed to think that was a pointless step and maybe it was for her the strange combination of frustration and inexplicable talent that she was but Randidly needed to see it he figured to get a handle on using it

Thinking about Lyra made Randidly oddly morose and he turned and gazed at the bear sized hole in the fence around his house that Randidly had quietly requested remain there marring his wall It had been strangely lonely as most everyone stayed out of his way allowing him to train constantly

The stress had sapped the last tiny bit of effectiveness from an already almost useless few weeks and Randidly wanted to keep this as a reminder Of what he currently wasn’t sure because Lyra and her lessons and her feelings for him were all jumbled up into a ball that Randidly wasn’t sure he even wanted to touch

But he knew he didn’t want to be left alone to slowly wind himself up in his house until he snapped For that Randidly knew he valued Lyra She attacked him verbally which was reassuring in a way The rest of the town basically took everything he said as law and showered him with veneration and compliments

Other people might like that attention but to Randidly it just came off as creepy

The abuse while perhaps offensive to some grounded Randidly by putting him in a situation that he understood and was used too When the three of them Sydney Ace and himself had hung out they weren’t being They were vulgar and caustic constantly engaged in a cold war of banter and and ploys

Ace and Sydney

Randidly’s gaze turned South Which was why he had to go no matter how strangely Lyra was acting And why he refused to think any more deeply on his own feelings no matter how lovely she was when she smiled Randidly clenched his fists and looked down having forgotten he was still holding the small strangely nurtured seed

Still he supposed looking at the tiny seed in his hand it would work out somehow Even if he wasn’t around to see it

As Randidly walked out to the slope between the NCC village and the Classer compound up on the hill he was surprised to find two small children crawling through the fields picking weeds He recognized them too Nathan and Kiersty They were twins and the youngest members of Donnyton at 8

The system hadn’t been kind to children Although from what Regina had said it was less that they were killed and more that the parents of these surviving children weren’t willing to travel with their kids and turtled up in their homes

Ultimately foolish but Randidly supposed he could understand the sentiment

Struck by a sudden notion Randidly walked over to the children When they saw him approach the two straightened uncertainly The girl wiped her nose on her sleeve Randidly crouched before them

I need a favor

Chapter 63

They made good time heading south mostly because everyone other than Randidly sat in the tractor trailer and drove while he roamed through the forest slaughtering anything he came across The monsters were relatively strong for a while in the teens as they traveled through the area where the Newbie Zone had fallen During that time Randidly had mostly worked on his Fireball and Summon Pestilence gaining 1 Level in the former and 2 in the latter

But after the third day they had entered the area where the Newbie Zone around Franksburg and the common level of enemies halved to something like 7 or 8 During that time Randidly started training Agony

It was a vicious brutal skill It drove him insane every time he used it If he didn’t see it ripping apart the will of his enemies by the same token he wouldn’t continue to rely on it In addition he didn’t have that big of a health pool to draw from But against these low level enemies especially in groups it was more than enough

By the end of three days they reached the spot on the highway where they would need to turn east and Randidly had gained 1 level in Roundhouse Kick 2 in Pollen of the Rafflesia 1 in Wall of Thorns 3 in Mapmaker 1 in Physical Fitness 3 in Running 4 in Sprinting 2 in Pain Resistance 1 in Equip 2 in Pathfinding and an impressive 8 in Agony

Randidly had a hunch that the pain you went through as you used the skill increased the effectiveness of the leveling by stressing the body Either way his growth was an impressive thing

As they camped Randidly poured his PP into the Apprentice Path At 10 and 20 he received 2 distributable stat points each but he received a strange notification at 25

Congratulations you have encountered a branching path Choose a patron from the following list and complete your apprenticeship

Randidly idly scrolled through the list but then his eyes widened as he examined the options

Patron of Silence Patron of Frostbite Patron of Nightmares Patron of Crystal Patron of Zephyr

Honestly this seemed like another instance where the system gave him no guidance and being the first one to reach this point came back to bite him Sighing Randidly simply went with his gut he chose Patron of Ash If he really was going to commit to fire as his damage dealing spells

The path you walk has become littered with ash The sky darkens The fire stands before you and you do not blink as you walk towards it Ash fills your lungs with every breath but you dare not falter

Other than the cryptic notification nothing seemed to change so Randidly shrugged setting it to the side He walked towards the group who were gathered around the back of the truck all 13 of them They stood as he approached the squad saluting him Clarissa Alana and Devan simply nodding

You should figure out what your plan is when you enter the area and who your leader is I will not accompany you I have other business

Although Alana seemed slightly unsettled she said nothing and the rest nodded calmly as if this was expected

Anything else Randidly asked feeling quite strange Although he supposed everyone at Donnyton had always listened to him to have them be so deferential to him now was a bit

Ah actually The leader of the squad spoke up adjusting his pendant numbering 16 his eyes bright and nervous We were wondering if perhaps you could give us some pointers On fighting

Alana was unwilling to join the rest in all coming at him at once but at Clarissa’s insistence she relented

You will understand after it starts Clarissa assured her Alana pressed her mouth into a thin line

In the meantime Randidly went and cut down a sapling whittling it into a good approximation of a spear The balance was a bit off but it would be better than cutting someone in half with his huge Spine Spear

Randidly used his Root Manipulation to clear cars out of a 20 meter circle and stood at the far side calmly drinking a mana potion After restoring himself to prime condition he added I won’t use skills to start If you touch me that will change Deal

Alana’s eyes were burning but Devan nodded seriously Randidly was slightly worried it would take a while for them to start but Clarissa was not a shy woman An icicle zipped towards his head

Grinning he spun his sapling and knocked it harmlessly away eyeing the rest They surged forward in neat lines the front with shields raised moving to encircle him As they neared him he simply stepped forward and delivered a non Roundhouse Kick kick to the one on the far right throwing him stumbling back several meters

In that opening Randidly strolled through his sapling lashing out keeping the rest at bay Another icicle rushed at his head which he again knocked away Then he lowered himself and rushed forward putting his significant agility to use Clarissa would make this fight annoying if they ever locked him down enough to use her powerful spells

Gotcha Alana growled lunging forward stabbing towards his side

Randidly only chuckled and spun the sapling to his left hand which he jabbed backward with expertly knocking the spearhead harmlessly to the side

As Randidly turned back to face forward he found a shield bash rushing toward his head He swayed his torso straightening and spinning avoiding it completely and twisting around Devan to have a straight shot to Clarissa who stood with her hands raised above her head a ball of glowing blue energy held at the ready

Frost No

But Clarissa had stuttered to a stop upon seeing her Randidly knew what spell she was casting and leapt back towards the 10 man squad who were hurrying back towards him out of formation desperate to assist

Three strikes had knocked three men to the ground with a 4th and 5th soon following At that point Alana arrived before him furious swinging her spear

Randidly calmly blocked it and watched as she tried to kick him in the chest Randidly sidestepped and then knocked her legs out from under her Before he could deliver a blow knocking her out a shout dragged his attention back to Devan

Grimacing Randidly rushed forward Challenging Shout was a bitch of a move He felt as if he could overpower the compulsion to attack the user directly with his high Willpower but there was also no harm in going along with it to demonstrate the difference in strength

He simply thrust his sapling sliding cleanly through the air towards Devan’s shield having no other choice but to attack directly The wooden imitation spear and the reinforced iron shield collided with a dull boom the force large enough to throw a shock wave outward Eyes wide Devan stumbled backwards his stance completely overpowered

Lightning Bolt The spell shot out catching Randidly in the chest He gritted his teeth slightly to withstand the weird tremors and then rushed towards Clarissa

Frost Nova

Randidly hopped off the ground using the moment of his earlier dash to carry him the rest of the distance towards her A wave of cold hit him creating a layer of frost over his skin but his strength was more than enough to easily overpower it

He landed and punched her shoulder casually then looked around nodding

That should be about it then right

Alana stared at their small campfire her gaze clouded

Devan sat down next to her You’ve never seen him fight before

She shook her head slowly No I’ve seen the monster he killed and brought back but I didn’t know

Ah that’s right You were out on patrol the day he fought against the Kill squad Devan nodded

The Kill squad was the nickname for Dozer’s personal squad It also could include Donny Ptolemy the healer and the Brawler depended on what they needed It wasn’t ranked both because it included people from multiple squads and because Dozer and Donny didn’t join the squad competition but its strength couldn’t be denied Who was there

Everyone Devan’s tone was bitter

How how did they do

Devan offered her a mug of coffee She took it Better than us They started out being brutalized but Donny was guarding Ptolemy full time and they managed to slowly box The Ghosthound in while getting healed and the Brawler was able to touch him After that he used one of his basic skills Phantom Thrust It was impossible to see You saw him raise his arm and then you woke up hours later with a headache This happened to everyone

They sat in silence for several minutes Clarissa drifting over and settling down next to them hearing what they were talking about She leaned forward conspiratorially He hasn’t told anyone but Daniel says that based on his talks with Nul the Ghosthound’s Spear Skills should be around 30 Maybe even higher than that

Is he Alana hesitated then said Is he ever gonna take a class

Devan shrugged noncommittally Does he need to

Chapter 64

Randidly watched with amusement as the group moved towards Franksburg He had detected the enemy scouts around them and faded away avoiding their notice It seems like his party would be ambushed but he wasn’t worried

Alana was a capable leader and Devan’s eyes missed nothing when it came to approaching threats They would find their way out of it

Besides despite Daniel’s groanings they had all been provided with Spatial Rings to store their supplies They would probably be searched lightly but Randidly didn’t think the world had degraded to the point that you would steal dingy rings off of captives All their hidden supplies would be safe

For himself Randidly circled around to the far side of Franksburg his heart beating wildly as he saw more and more Rawlands University buildings Some of them were strangely split in half only parts here with rooms exposed like a giant had sliced them and moved a piece but some people from Rawlands had definitely made it here

Cautiously he revealed himself and began walking towards the interior of the city looking lost Monsters had apparently been cleared out in this area although they were thick outside of the city limits so there was nothing that would force him to reveal himself Eventually A group of people in police motorcycle helmets and full body camo came trotting around the corner

When they saw them they froze the people in the back running into the people in the front and Randidly raised his hands doing his best to look unthreatening

He supposed he should have changed out of his shirt and pants made out of wolverine fur

But before anything else happened one of the figures spoke It that Randidly I can’t believe you are alive

The girl removed her helmet and rushed him wrapping him up in a hug

Randidly coughed awkwardly Uh Yea I made it It’s good to see you too Tessa

Tessa was of course Randidly’s ex girlfriend although it was hard for him to think about her as that presently That was primarily due to the time warping effects of the dungeon however After all Randidly had been walking back from breaking up with her the moment the system initialized So to her it had been only about a month

She chatted excitedly the entire way back hanging right next to him and Randidly was curious to see that none of the other members of the group seemed to care about his presence In fact they didn’t really seem to care about patrolling at all There was no real formation just wandering around in a large square

Still although it was slightly strange Randidly was reassured by her presence She was an influence from the past before the system came She also was proof that more Rawlands University had been here which gave him hope for Sydney and Ace

However Tessa was never comfortable with his relationship with them especially Sydney so Randidly found it difficult to bring up the subject Even though he had broken up with her and didn’t have any lingering feelings he still was slightly cautious

Tessa seemed to notice his frown and gestured awkwardly at the group Oh this sort of job is just a commission thing When they have need they offer food and people do tasks It’s actually my first time patrolling like this haha I don’t know if I could actually kill anything even if a monster attacked me oh But don’t worry I’m still pretty strong I have a skill level of 84 so I’m pretty tough ehehe

Skill level Randidly’s focus sharpened She had a skill at level 84

Yea like the total level of all of your skills leveled up added together Because that’s how many points you have to put into paths What’s yours Randidly

Randidly nodded slowly It made sense that they needed a way to gauge strength without levels here because they didn’t have access to a class I’m about 70

With just two of my skills ’ Randidly thought inwardly but let the number sit out there

Oh wow That’s pretty high actually I guess you’d need to get skills to survive in the wild for so long What are you wearing anyway

The conversation was starting to wear on Randidly and apparently the leader of the patrol too who turned around took off his helmet and sneered at Randidly Don’t let her sweet talk you 70 is nothing I’m 91 and I’m still here stuck patrolling around Some people are born lucky and others aren’t Levels don’t mean anything in front of fate

Oh fuck you Alex Tessa said partially glaring at Alex partially glancing nervously at Randidly

But Randidly just shrugged It would take a lot more than this to offend him especially when he knew that his Intelligence stat was only 1 lower than the total number of skill levels this guy had gained

The group lapsed into silence and soon they arrived at a gated area which Randidly recognized as part of Rawlands campus a bored looking man let them through and then handed out small bags to them all

When her turn came to receive a bag Tessa stepped forward pulling Randidly We uh found someone An outsider

The man’s eyes widened and then he walked over to a little kiosk Been awhile since we’ve seen one of those figured most everyone outside was dead Here

The man handed him a bundle of papers stapled together Randidly flicked through it and saw it was general information about Skill levels monsters in the area how to find work and food in the city etc

Apparently they had gotten so many refugees that this had been necessary at one point But Randidly had to admit that it was a pretty big city People had probably flooded here rushing to escape from the monsters running rampant in the wild

Then the man wished him luck and Randidly followed after Tessa He spared her a glance She had shoulder length brown hair and glasses and a face with high cheekbones What had originally attracted Randidly to her was the small frown that she was perpetually wearing as if every moment was a struggle against the injustice of the world

The first impression that Randidly had of Franksburg was people Whereas Donnyton was cozily crowded tucked into a valley here there were people everywhere filling the streets hanging out windows calling and cooking selling food for tokens that Tessa explained were from the government

Eventually Tessa stopped in front of a building her mouth twisting This uh is where I live I have a bunch of roommates but since you probably need a place to stay you could

Thank you very much Randidly interrupted and Tessa’s smile was wide

But for right now He continued looking around I haven’t seen this many people in what feels like forever I kinda just want to see the city If it’s not too much trouble how about we meet back here tomorrow morning and you can show me what living here is like

Tessa’s face fell slightly but she maintained her smile and nodded Yea sure You should be safe inside the city But my apartment is #576 if you get cold and uh need a bed

After she had left Randidly found himself a bench and read through the packet After reading the entire thing he rubbed his neck and looked around

Honestly it was very similar to the way Donnyton operated just on a much larger scale There were a lot of large short term projects and every day new jobs would be announced for different times People would go and work and receive food or tokens

Randidly was also curious about whether the government’ was making any moves to find a gold coin and found a Newbie Village He assumed they had to be and they should have enough strength to do so after 5 weeks It was only a matter of time before this place became a village too And with the huge population it would gather SP extremely quickly The pamphlet said the population was around 15 thousand here but Randidly had no doubt that it had grown precipitously since the pamphlet was made He wouldn’t be shocked if it was more like 50 thousand now

But for now Randidly wanted to do several things Meet more people and gather information on Franksburg And the easiest way to do that

Randidly stood and walked around heading for a Job Cryer to find a job for the night

Karen frowned down at her two children Nathan and Kiersty They stood guiltily in front of her their faces smudged with soot

Where have you two been And how did you get so dirty Did you wander over by the forge again

Both children shook their heads but kicked the ground remaining silent Karen upped the voltage on her glare

Eventually Kiersty mumbled something

What was that Karen said

We were taking care of a special tree for the Ghosthound

You were what Karen asked skeptically Then she snorted A special tree huh Where is it Let’s see how special it really is

Karen had been expecting her overly curious twins to take her to an old log from a long dead fire but to her surprise they led her behind the farms passed the area where the domesticated wolverines were raised into a small clearing hidden by low hill that should really just be called a mound

There standing in the middle of the clearing was sure enough a tree Its bark was black and seemed to be covered and soot and there were no leaves on it but it had a trunk and branches just like a normal tree

The thing was only about as tall as her chest and was swaying lightly in the breeze moving side to side Karen reached out and touched the bark and sure enough her fingers came away covered in soot The tree began to sway more rapidly buffeted by the wind

Karen let out a relieved smile At least it was just a tree even if it was a scrawny weird one But then Karen froze

There was no wind There hand been no wind this entire time Karen stumbled backwards afraid and almost tripped over her children who were standing behind her arms raised swaying side to side

Karen looked from the children to the tree The children moved left and the tree mirrored them They moved right and it followed

What what are you doing honey Karen gasped

Nathan turned and said matter of factly Dancing The Tree likes it when you dance with it

An hour later after taking Nathan and Kiersty home Karen returned to the clearing and the weird tree with Mrs Hamilton in tow To Karen’s surprise Mrs Hamilton insisted they wait and the portly boy who ran the Classer compound came down to meet them

The three of them proceeded to the clearing and stared at the tree a while

So Daniel coughed impatiently What is this about

Apparently the Ghosthound gave two children a seed And it grew into a dancing tree Mrs Hamilton remarked with a bemused expression Do you know how to make it

Karen just shrugged helplessly You just dance I guess

Daniel snorted and stepped forward up in front of the tree Then he began to perform the robot doing a surprisingly good job Mrs Hamilton chuckled amused

Oh shut up I just But then they both stopped shocked The tree jerky and slow at first but then with increasing proficiency imitated him doing the robot

Well fuck Mrs Hamilton said her eyes wide

Chapter 65

Alana glared up at the man in front of her her hands handcuffed behind her back Although she wasn’t quite sure whether she could break out on her own she was positive that Devan and the rest of the squad could

But they all just sat silently looking at her Sighing inwardly she kept a stern face to hide her indecision

Let me ask again The blonde man asked stepped back away from them Where did you come from How did you survive out there with the monsters

Like I said we came from a town to the North We’ve already established a Newbie Village and so we have classes

The man made a disgusted face Bah Don’t play dumb with me You sound like the Freedom Fighters Guns where are your guns The only way to beat back these monsters is with bullets If you survived it was due to guns Did you hide them before you came close looking to fool me As if ahhahahaha

Alana rolled her eyes and the man leapt forward and slapped her

It felt like a child’s slap to her enhanced body but still her eyes narrowed

The man stood straightening his jacket Then he said Fine keep lying We will let you starve a bit in your cells see if you change your tune If by the end of the week you still refuse

The man’s smile turned sinister Well then don’t blame me for being impolite Men take them away

Randidly to his own amusement was sewing Apparently there was a big event tomorrow night and they needed costumes Lots of costumes Sam had whined about Randidly learning more basic skills recently for PP but Randidly had been so frustrated these past few weeks with the tribulation and Lyra He just was disgusted by the thought

But strangely after leaving the village traveling around seeing so many people running into Tessa feeling close to finding clues about Sydney and Ace Randidly relaxed So Randidly sat hunched over in a dimly lit warehouse stitching clothing together

It was oddly soothing He also activated Root Manipulation making the small plants in the area dance It wasn’t quite as efficient as he normally would want to be but Randidly supposed that this was something of a break anyway

He had initially asked if anyone had known if anyone knew someone named Sydney or Ace from Rawlands University but he had just received blank stares Shrugging he focused on the knitting Randidly supposed it wasn’t surprising that they didn’t know anything There were a lot of people in the city and only a few dozen people here sewing This would take time

Mostly he listened to the people around him talked as they stood walked around and stretched their sore hands and then sat back down to continue to work

Randidly continued to stitch his moves becoming more natural his loops tighter

I heard they are leaving tomorrow morning One woman said but another sighed in response

They always say that The Senator can’t work up enough balls to actually do it and the fire department isn’t going to volunteer to do it on their own

Another woman chimed in The Freedom Fighters would do it if they got enough volunteers

The second woman fixed the first with a long stare And do you know what volunteering means Being a meat shield for the gunners The mortality rate for which is very very high No amount of food is going to make people leap to their deaths Not when easy work like this is available

The woman gestured to the piles of finished clothes next to them all Her own pile was rather large Every other nearby person had about 70% of her pile Except for one

Randidly’s was about double the size of the woman’s

They glanced at him but then ignored him He was just one of those weird shut in types who would come out at night to work and then return to their room to eat It was disgusting to the second woman People like that were exactly the reason why the city stayed bottled up while monsters ran rampant around them

Randidly ignored their stares and waited for the talk to continue intent on his stitching A notification popped up and he smiled His Sewing skill was already Lvl 5 It seemed his increased stats let him grind these finesse tasks relatively quickly

Time passed and Randidly stack of clothes continued to grow After a while a portly man and a taller woman walked around picking people About 1 out of every dozen were chosen The 2nd woman was chosen and also Randidly to his own surprise

Those that were picked The man announced Follow this woman The rest of you come collect your pay

The woman took them back and introduce herself as Cassie This needlework requires a bit more finesse but the pay is better If you are interested I want you to try learning this stitching method

Randidly mastered it the quickest within about 15 minutes and after an hour of impeccable work using that method Cassie was shocked that he had been an amateur The 2nd gossiping woman her competitive spirit rising sewed furiously attempting to keep up

After another hour they asked if anyone needed a break Randidly continued to stitch heedless working on an elaborate hoop skirt The gossipy woman her eyes bloodshot looked at him helpless Then she bit her tongue and shook her head returning to the sewing

Another hour passed Randidly humming softly to himself Truly it was a good thing to relax the body Over training only strained the body having hobbies was very important to your mental and physical health

The woman’s chest heaved her eyes bulging But still she kept herself razor focused never wavering with her needlework

By this time Cassie returned and asked them both if they would like to stay on for another 4 hours doing embroidery She cautioned them that if they started they would need to finish or they wouldn’t get paid

Randidly simply nodded standing and following after her His Sewing skill had reached 9 anyway it didn’t seem like grinding like this would have any more effect The gossiping woman collapsed

Alana looked curiously at Devan You don’t want to escape

He simply shrugged and the rest of them seemed similarly relaxed Even Clarissa had frozen and shattered her handcuffs after the guards locked them in the room pulling a pallet out of her spatial ring and taking a nap

It is not that I don’t want to escape but I want to efficiently accomplish our objective Their leader is paranoid and stressed beyond what he can handle He’s worried about everyone taking his power and thinks guns are his only salvation I have no doubt that such a desperate worried man will want a display of power So we wait and try to recruit there

Blinking Alana asked display of power What do you mean

He means One of the squad members interjected That the idiot might publicly torture us or some shit maybe execute us And he will bring a big crowd together to do it Better to let them do the gathering and then cash in on it

Clarissa rolled over on her pallet snoring loudly

Thank you so much for the work Cassie said handing Randidly several tokens He looked at them rather nonplussed He supposed they were for food but its not like he needed it with his satchel space full of it

Uh thank you it was enlightening Randidly said and meaning it His Sewing had reached 11 by the end of the night Cassie was more than willing to teach such a studious pupil more and more complicated needlework which had hastened the rise of his skill level

No thank you If you hadn’t shown up I would have probably needed to work alone by myself for the rest of the day She said beaming Then she had a sudden thought Oh actually take these too

She offered two slips of paper Randidly took them uncomprehendingly

Don’t look so confused Cassie said laughing You must have noticed the costumes were for oh god you really didn’t haha It’s for the concert tonight Those are backstage passes feel free to come and visit It’s supposed to be a good show

Cassie waved as he left and Randidly wandered away bemused A concert huh

He supposed live music was a fine way to relax But for now he walked briskly back to a job cryer looking for something to do until the time he had to meet Tessa

Hopefully there would be more knowledgeable people at this new job

Chapter 66

Daniel looked at the report slightly disappointed In the wake of Glendel acquiring such a powerful sounding class he had dedicated a lot of resources to leveling him up quickly and finding a suitable protege who would use a mentor stone and gain the same class

They had done it but the difference in classes was staggering The notifications sat before him frustrating him endlessly

Congratulations You have received the class of Sovereign of Ghosts You have gained the Spiritual Communication Lvl 1 You have received the skill Spiritual Merger Lvl 1 You have received the skill Spiritual Summoning Lvl 1 You have received the skill Spiritual Bestowal Lvl 1 You have received the skill Aura of the Spirit Sovereign Lvl 1 You have received the skill Soulbind Monster® You may learn 12 additional skills to these and those you already possess Skills may be forgotten to learn new skills +6 Health per Level +20 Mana Per Level +4 Stamina per level +4 Per WP Wisdom or Focus per level (these points may be distributed between 4)

Glendel’s class was truly impressive 6 skills one of them being what The Ghosthound called a rare skill and a 20 point boost to mana per level In addition 4 stats per level although they were distributed to some weird areas

Meanwhile

Congratulations You have received the class of Spirit Caller You have gained the Spiritual Communication Lvl 1 You have received the skill Spiritual Summoning Lvl 1 You have received the skill Ghost Claw Lvl 1 You may learn 6 additional skills to these and those you already possess Skills may be forgotten to learn new skills +8 Health per Level +10 Mana Per Level +7 Stamina per level +2 Per Wisdom or Focus per level (these points may be distributed between 3)

Nul had said that they could obtain greater or lesser versions of classes through the mentor system but this was oppressively lesser To be fair it was among the higher tiers of the classes they had It allowed them to summon and bind lesser ghosts which were excellent scouts In addition it did also get Ghost Claw which was an offensive move that summoned an ectoplasmic ghost hand to attack with It was scary looking and seemed powerful even at level one

But it was clear that while Glendel had obtained something special The Spirit Caller was a high ranking foot soldier at best

Daniel rubbed his eyes Although increasing his stats meant he could stay awake for longer that didn’t mean he should too often But the reason he was up now was because the hordes used to come around now and he was just used to it

Inwardly Daniel should be pleased at their progress but if anything he felt listless They had survived The tribulation was hanging over their heads but nothing had happened yet The village was growing and prospering Businesses were forming There were weird dancing trees popping up It just felt

Daniel turned to Nul What should we be working towards right now

Nul remained silent

Will we eventually have more direction

This time Nul nodded slowly It is hard to say but perhaps

When will that happen

Again silence Daniel had studied Nul’s reactions for a long time He only didn’t speak when there was a direct answer and he was somehow kept from saying it If the answer was vague he felt no compunction from droning on and one about a subject But when the answer was too simple

A lightbulb went on in Daniel’s head He had planned on purchasing a second kept dungeon with the 12k SP they had but

Nul let’s upgrade to a Trainee Village

Nul’s smile stretched very wide his white teeth glittering in the candlelight

Dammit The man swore his chest heaving dropping his knife and resting his forehead against the counter Randidly continued to consistently slice carrots and move them into the bin He had gained the skill Cutting Vegetables but it was currently only at level 2 Apparently cutting carrots was nowhere near as good experience as sewing The other problem with job was that no one was talking Everyone was just furiously chopping carrots

Which was almost soothing After briefly inquiring to his nearby cutting mates about Sydney Ace and Rawlands Randidly had settled into the monotony of the task without much complaint making him admit to himself that while he still wanted to find Ace and Sydney

Tessa had reminded him of some things that he would rather have been forgotten The long talk with Sydney before Randidly had walked and broken up with Tessa The long walk back from that event where Randidly had wondered the entire time what sort of face he should make in front of Ace

They were his best friends but relationships weren’t simple things And Randidly preferred as little public interaction as possible even at the best of times Besides if they survived this long they probably wouldn’t die from something random right He had time

Randidly looked up searching for the source of a strange pounding noise The man next to Randidly straightened and looked at his hands I’ve been putting most of my points into Agility yanno But It’s like I hit a wall Even though my stat is still going up I can’t get any faster And just a little more and I bet they would move me up to kitchen duty

Randidly stayed silently for a long moment The rest of the workers in the kitchen kept their eyes on their table continuing to cut Feeling bored Randidly began to randomize his cut locations starting in the middle then hopping to one side then back then between them while simultaneously keeping all of his carrots an even size

It was disappointingly easy Stats really started to mean a lot huh

Knocking another two cut carrots into a bin he gave the man another glance He still hadn’t straightened and continued to work

what’s your reaction stat Randidly asked trying to sound casual

The man didn’t move mumbling to himself

Randidly frowned flicking a carrot at the man It ricocheted off the man’s head He straightened shocked andRandidly asked again

What is your reaction stat

The man shrugged What does it matter I’m trying to just move more quickly

Randidly sighed Reaction improves your nerve endings and increases your sensitivity to tactile feedback You feel better More than that you might not be able to control your speed without Reaction No matter how good the acceleration is a car that can’t turn won’t win many races

The man just gaped at him

A small asian woman to Randidly’s left looked up at him Did you hear that at one of the university lectures

Randidly frowned then shook his head No just from my own observations

The woman muttered something and looked away ignoring Randidly again But Randidly made a mental note to as Tessa about these lectures and to go to one Why hadn’t the woman mentioned it when he asked earlier There might be more people he knew there if it was sponsored by Rawlands Maybe people who knew Ace and Sydney

Randidly reached into his unfinished bin and found nothing He looked around the room Where do I get more carrots to him

Everyone looked at him in shock The supervisor saw the situation and came over Then he scratched his head shocked I I guess you can go

Nodding Randidly walked out relieved

Wait you forgot your tokens But Randidly was already gone Shrugging unhappily the supervisor returned to his spot wishing he had thought to ask the guy to come back again tomorrow

The man who had put all of his points into agility looked at Randidly’s neatly cut carrots his eyes bright Reaction huh

As Randidly was walking away a notification popped up

Congratulations Your Arbor Lvl 1 is ready to level up Due to its nature your first choice is set Give Arbor either Vanity or Sloth

A vein in Randidly’s temple throbbed It was bad enough when he had checked the seed he had left which he had named Arbor and saw what it grew off of Randidly brought up its status screen again

Arbor (Attention)

Lvl 1

Survivability 2

Physicality 1

Magical Aptitude 3

Brain Function 7

Particularity 6

Battle Ability 1

It was a hard thing to stomach Randidly wasn’t sure where he went wrong with this Soul Seed Perhaps it was the weird skills perhaps it was the abandoning it and leaving it with those kids but this one grew based off of attention

Randidly swore to himself to not make another Soul Seed until he had time to purposefully nurture it

And now he had to choose between Vanity and Sloth

Sighing Randidly selected Vanity It was better that it like looking at itself in the mirror than it being unwilling to work He supposed Vanity wasn’t that bad of a flaw for a tree thing

Arbor is now Lvl 2 Particularity has increased by 2 It has learned the skill Elaborate Dance

Randidly closed the notification and the Soul Seed Menu before he did something stupid And so with a twitching smile he arrived outside Tessa’s apartment settling down to wait He just hoped that no one gave Arbor any sort of weird attention that would warp its growth

Looking around at the passing people he considered asking around about Sydney and Ace But seriously what was he expecting Maybe there was some sort of giant missing person board

Randidly supposed that he could ask one of these people but decided it was fine to wait for Tessa and ask her It was nice being alone one of the crowd without people freezing up in some strange mixture of awe and fear when he passed

For a while Randidly enjoyed the simple feeling of being treated like a normal guy

Chapter 67

Tessa pulled her ponytail over her shoulder nervously spinning in front of the mirror She felt strange But the world was a strange place now wasn’t it

She had known things were wrong in her relationship with Randidly a long time before he broke up with her but she had wanted to work through it It didn’t seem like he did In the wake of that the system had descended on the world ripping away half of her building and all of her sense of security

The night everything happened both the breakup and the world shaking change Tessa had curled up in her bed and cried herself to sleep trying to ignore the screams

They had been dating for a year and it hit her hard Not of course harder than the system but still

The next month had blended together in a desperate blur of short term jobs and and sleazy guys like that patroller Alex always trying to isolate her and tempt her with cheap beer and free food

And now just finally when she was wavering Randidly showed back up If that wasn’t fate she didn’t know what was

Noticing the time she hurried down the steps To her surprise Randidly was already there calmly eating a hardboiled egg

Oh I’m sorry did you wait long Tessa asked instantly nervous

Randidly was a good hearted person but he did have something of a moody streak Not that he would do anything about it he would just be grumpy but Tessa didn’t want grumpiness to interrupt their reunion

Again Randidly’s even gaze surprised her His eyes calmly looked her up and down as he swallowed the last of the egg Then he shook his head No I just got here

He still had the habit of keeping his face completely still while lying which was slightly relieving Even so though why did he lie about something so simple He always lied for the dumbest reasons Although this definitely was the same man she dated for a year he seemed almost completely different Her eyes had always been drawn to him but now there was something more to that Like his presence drew everything towards him as if he was the center of the world

Tessa shook her head trying to banish those thoughts So uh I have some food tokens saved up I can show you around the city

She trailed off as Randidly gave her the look She felt her cheeks flush slightly It was the look he gave her when he already knew what to do and was about to tell her It was annoying a lot of the time but there were some other times

Actually He said calmly I had a question first What do you know about the University Lectures here

Sam grunted turning over the breast plate Over the last month he had managed to set up something of a forge and they were beginning to experiment with shaping metal The whole ordeal was vastly simplified by when around a week ago Daniel had purchased the Supply shop and they could purchase bars of smelted iron for relatively cheaply

Far far more cheaply than the weapons and armor they would become The only issue left was shaping the metal He examine the breastplate more closely

Novice’s Breastplate Lvl 2 +7 Health

The bonus would be barely noticeable but Sam supposed it was better than nothing An improvement is an improvement Good work

The man who ran the smithy Ceth chuckled bitterly And fucking long hours of work too I need to get some more points into stamina and I should be able to make things like this pretty regularly As my Metal Working Skill improves so should the armor There are even specific skills for each body piece so when we figure out a mold for a helmet it will go even faster We are moving in the right direction Sam Why the rush

Sam scowled powerful Don’t say something like that You know it’s bad luck

A notification popped up silencing him

Congratulations Your Newbie Village has been upgraded to a Trainee Village The chance of obtaining superior classes is slightly increased Raid bosses spawning in your area have a slight chance of spawning as a Tier II Raid Boss at Lvl 30 Dungeons in your area will become active more frequently spewing out waves of monsters This cannot be prevented

Due to your Tribulation remaining the Tribulation has been strengthened Be careful of your impending tribulation

Due to being the first Trainee Village on your world the Soul Skill of Your Village Chieftain has been strengthened The skill level will be reset but all of the gains shall be retained

Due to being the first Trainee Village in your Zone you have become Earth’s Nexus Seed for this Zone 32 Searching for appropriate matching Village

Match found Village is first Trainee Village in zone in world and third in your batch of Worlds Nexus portal has been founded near the center of your Trainee Village In 7 days the portal between your and your sister village has opened

Warning in 21 days a Lvl 35 Raid Boss will randomly spawn on either your or their world Good luck

Sam’s glare towards Ceth deepened But then he snorted and left the smithy heading towards the village center

Daniel owed them all an explanation for this

Randidly glanced around at the students listening to the professor’s lecture This was the 3rd lecture they sat through and honestly most of it was trash More hurtful than helpful although not in any permanent way The 1st professor had recommended gathering as much PP as you could and then spending it all at once to increase the effectiveness of the stat gains

The third professor had speculated on the source of the system and whether god was involved

It was only the 2nd professor of the day a small greek man who Randidly found fascinating

Why He had asked Is this happening

The classroom had remained silent and the professor had continued And I’m not talking the technical details of why but the larger scheme Why Why has this system’ been installed on our planet Why are we pushed towards killing monsters growing stronger and gaining classes There is no such thing as a free lunch What are we losing

A student raised his hand Our humanity We are becoming desensitized to the value of life

The professor waved that answer away Technically correct but you are thinking that humanity is the center of the universe It is clearly not Anyone else

Money

Resources Precious metals

Control Randidly spoke softly but his voice resonated strangely carrying over the other whispers

The professor gave him a long look Control over what

Randidly shrugged After a pause the professor continued to talk moving on to the resemblance to RPGs and what that could possibly mean about the why

Randidly and Tessa went on to the next lecture

After lunch Tessa stood her hands nervously smoothing her hair I need to go Oh but I wanted to ask

She squirmed a bit looking at him and he simply waited Then she said There there’s a concert tonight I have enough tokens to buy us tickets if if you want to go with me

Randidly waved his hand Don’t bother

She visibly wilted Oh then I should really

Ah Tess that’s not what I meant Randidly scratched his head awkwardly uncomfortable at making her upset Even if he wasn’t interested in her now he still had fond memories of their time together He didn’t want to hurt her I uh was given these So you don’t need to buy tickets

He produced the backstage passes and her eyes widened into saucers Shrugging he offered them to her

She held her hands up Oh wow No you keep them I wouldn’t want to lose them at work How how did you get these again

Randidly coughed into his hand For sewing

Sewing

Yes Is it really that strange I can sew

She burst out laughing No It’s strange that sewing can get these I didn’t even know they existed where did you well nevermind I need to get to work Meet outside my building at 8 pm

Randidly nodded and then watched as she smiled at him over her shoulder and left

Bemused at her timid attempts at flirting he turned and walked towards the nearby job crier and swiftly obtained a job on a farm It was apparently how Franksburg supported itself with cutting edge vertical farms but still Randidly was relieved to find an activity he recognized

At least this he had experience with

Chapter 68

Daniel raised his hands helpless a smug Nul standing behind him I didn’t know How was I supposed to know Nul wouldn’t say

You had a theory however Regina Northwind said folding her arms across her chest That something would change if you upgraded the village And you did it without consulting any of us

I yes Daniel visibly deflated in front of the older woman looking frazzled

At any rate Donny said slowly glancing around at them all Decklan was out handling a recently spawned Tier I Raid Boss but the rest of the important people were here Dozer and Annie who had become head of the Archers Regina and Sam’s furious form standing behind her in support Mrs Hamilton and her assistant Ptolemy and Glendel the representatives of their mages and finally Donny himself Glendel it has only been a half hour but what can you tell me about the situation

Glendel closed his eyes and felt the whispers of his bound ghosts Although the Spirit Caller could only manage a finite amount it did not seem like Glendel had that restrictions The spirits floated everywhere giving them an almost perfect picture of what was happening in the surrounding 20 miles

After a few seconds his eyes opened Looks like incidence of Raid Bosses has tripled there is already one directly between us and Turtletown and it looks like another is forming to the south along the route between us and Franksburg Both the dungeons have exploded like volcanos the monsters are numerous but they are still only Lvl 12 or 13 We will take the monster horde from one and looks like most will be soaked up by Turtle Keep and their infinite bullets

Donny rubbed his head Even in the best case it likely wouldn’t be for a few days more before the caravan to Franksburg returned But still I move that Dozer and Annie head to the south to remove the Raid Boss from the route to Franksburg Immediately

Seconded Said Mrs Hamilton

Thirded and Passed Said Daniel with a sigh

Dozer nodded and immediately stood Annie sighing theatrically and following him

Monster incidence is also up generally both in level a little and quantity a lot Glendel added

Donny just rubbed his forehead

Regina frowned and then spoke Samuel what is our perimeter like

Well Ms Northwind Sam said with an uncharacteristic bow Likely quite secure The monsters have never had much success coming up over the mountains and we have small teams on rotation to watch out for such incursions The Arena built up the valley to the North converted very well into a small fort Really the only weakness is the road that leads directly through the Mountains to the NCC village and the new farming expansion down to the South following the valley

Thank you for you analysis Samuel Regina said with a smile

Anytime He replied his smiled widening

Mrs Hamilton rolled her eyes and then said I move for Sam’s men and 4 Numeral squads to move to the Southern Farming expansion and clear the area of trees as quickly as possible Extending the area double as far as the expansion was planned and clearing ground for a fort

Seconded Ptolemy said after a small hesitation

The rest of the table was silent Every few days they held short bouts between the squads If the lower won they switched places If they lost they stayed the same Excluding the irregulars they now had 30 full time squads on call who lived ate trained and fought together 4 single digit squads were 40 of their best men with an average level of just short of 20

I’m not sure if I get a vote but I think it should happen and immediately That’s the direction of the dungeon that will hit us hardest They will arrive in a little over 6 hours Glendel gave Regina a nervous look

After a sigh she just smiled and shook your head Yes you get a vote And that’s three and the resolution passes I move that we send the Heavy Mages to set up a roadblock a little ahead of the NCC village in case something nasty comes down that direction

Their mage squads were divided into two teams The Heavy Squad which was effectively leaderless without Clarissa They focused on pure power breaking through heavy lines of monsters with fire thunder ice or poison

Meanwhile the Light team was lead by Ptolemy although Glendel featured heavily in their operations They were primarily their healers support spell casters and hexers The communication abilities afforded to them by Glendel and the other Spirit Caller were a nice bonus

Seconded

Donny and Mrs Hamilton spoke at the same time then looked at each other surprised before smiling

Resolution passes Regina said with a flourish and Glendel closed his eyes sending a ghost to whisper in the ear of the second in command of the heavy unit

You know Mrs Hamilton said suddenly Perhaps ask Decklan his condition if he seems fine point him in the direction of the other raid boss You know how much he likes to kill the boss type monsters

Agreed Regina said and then she turned and smiled at Daniel who was shivering And now Perhaps you should explain to us all the new options we have as a Trainee village After all spending large amounts of SP should be a group decision

Randidly finished his hole wiped the sweat off his brow and then moved onto the new spot and began digging again The idea was to dig a defensive ditch around the entirety of Franksburg which was an intimidating notion The process was simple if effective

One person in this case Randidly would dig holes to a predetermined depth at predetermined points Then another person would follow and clear out all the dirt between those two holes working on getting it all down to that predetermined depth A third would follow later and make it even and then another crew would come in and reinforce it either as a defensive trench or fill it with stakes

Randidly raised his hand to his eyes and looked behind him His second man was nowhere in sight long left behind by Randidly’s ridiculous speed at digging holes

It was a rather fruitful activity too Randidly had gotten to level 3 in Manual Labor and Lvl 5 in Digging Even Physical fitness had risen by 1 level

To Randidly’s pleasure these skill levels were enough to finish up his Apprentice Path

Congratulations You have completed the The Apprentice Path Applicant of Ash You have walked a path fraught with danger and ash and climbed to summit of the volcano You peer inside and see a face in the lava with closed eyes And as you watch they slowly open

Be ready traveler for you stand to be tested before the Patron of Ash

Commencing Teleportation in 10

9

Randidly’s eyes narrowed This was unique Did everyone who made it to the Apprentice Path get tested like this He supposed it was possible If he had been warned it would be easy to prepare for in advance In a self mocking manner Randidly looked down at his dirt covered furs

Hopefully the Patron of Ash wasn’t a stickler for cleanliness but Randidly felt like he didn’t really need to worry about that

1

The world around him blurred and he was suddenly standing on a huge slab of black stone suspended over a volcano The surround land was covered in surging lava large waves of cooling rock and liquid metal the only landmarks in the distance

Before him high above the slab of rock hovered a face of stone its eyes white hot and dripping its open maw cherry red and grinning

You It spoke slowly almost surprised None have chosen me as a patron in a long long time Apparently My standards are Too high

The face gurgled and spat up a blob of lava You are Lvl you have no Lvl That is unexpected Thus your opponents will be Lvl 25 Survive for 10 Minutes and you may have my blessing

The platform rumbled and began to descend With raising eyebrows Randidly watched as they neared the lava He might be strong but surviving exposure to actual lava was still a little

But around 2 feet above the lava the platform stopped A bubble of lava grew and popped spewing liquid rock onto the platform The area was relatively big but still The heat was almost unbearable Randidly suddenly wished he had heat resistance

Then a glowing form reached out of the lava gripping the platform slowly pulling itself up It was a Lvl 25 Lava Golem Randidly removed his new Bone Spear from his inventory spinning it lightly He would need to be fast with his strikes because he didn’t want to risk his spear melting

A noise from behind him made him turn curious 4 More Lava Golems were clawing their way out of the lava on the other sides slowly standing and turning to face him with burning eyes

Chapter 69

Randidly grinned and activated haste dashing towards the Lava Golem in front of him He used an normal stab to attack it wanting to see how strong it was in relation to him To his surprise the tip of the bone spear ripped into it rather easily The lava just reformed around it and it continued forward

Frowning Randidly backed off a bit Golems Were made of a substance and usually had cores that animated them On this golem his right chest cavity seemed to glow with heat He looked at the others

Left eye left knee pelvis right hand

Shrugging he turned back to the first Could it really be this easy He slashed with his spear again ripping into the golem’s chest He felt it that time as his spear struck something else other than malleable molten rock and melting metal

The entire body of the golem shuddered but then it continued on incensed

Randidly grimaced The heat was really something so much that he was losing more health per second than he regenerated But

Randidly twisted the spear and then just pulled using the spear like a shovel and separated the core from the rest of its body

The body in front of him collapsed and the small golden ball rolled the ground sizzling Randidly walked over to it and crushed it with the butt of his spear

Then he turned to the rest who were lumbering closer Three more had crawled out of the lava to join them He shook his head sorrowfully

What a tiring day At least it was only 10 minutes long

While the adults of Donnyton ran around working preparing for the influx of monsters to the area the children gathered in a certain clearing There weren’t an overly large number of children in the village but enough that there was talk of installing a schoolhouse which filled them all with dread

Luckily or unluckily there always seemed to be another more pressing project so it had not yet happened But that word yet hung over their heads

Nathan and Kiersty were the youngest at 8 and the rest were between 10 and 16 not yet allowed to engage in any of the combat exercises or obtain a class In a rare show of unanimity the leaders of Donnyton had declared that no one under 17 could obtain a class from their village although they were free to stay here

Most of the older kids thought this rule was dumb especially when Sir Donny was barely older than them but the rumor was that he had received special dispensation from the Ghosthound who the children talked of in reverent voices

They secretly hoped they would run into the Ghosthound too and impress him enough that he would order they receive a class

For that very same reason they found themselves standing in this certain clearing at that moment Because against all odds the Ghosthound had spoken to Nathan and Kiersty and told them to protect and nurture a certain seed And now they stood around that seed which had grown into a charcoal grey sapling

But as they watched a small smoking bud formed on the highest branch

Slowly infinitely slowly that grey and smoking bud twisted and wiggled and writhed

Then it fell still

The bud parted and a single burning leaf

Praise the Dancing Tree Kiersty said rubbing her hands on the sooty trunk and then drawing lines on her face

The rest of the kids their faces strange just looked at her Even Nathan gave her a strange look But Kiersty just smiled and looked at the notification that had appeared in front of her

Congratulations You have been offered the Soul Skill Priestess of Arbor Would you like to accept Yes/No

Kiersty nodded and clicked yes The flimsy leaf wavered and then fell as if blow by wind and drifted towards her Reflexively she raised her hand and caught it The fire burned but she didn’t mind Instead she felt something Pulses coming from the tree

Suddenly she knew what to do

Nathan looked at her with a doubtful expression

Randidly moved quickly among the growing number of lava golems expertly smashing their cores and moving onto the next They were strong and basically invincible aside from their vulnerable cores but they weren’t that difficult to deal with

That is until they surrounded you and raised the temperature 150 degrees

So Randidly hurried around at first ripping them to pieces But that seemed to displease the large face and it began sending more at once

It was a number still within manageable limits but it made Randidly sweat literally But he controlled himself and continued to fight while seeming to struggle Only then would the face remain passive simply glaring at him

The time slowly ticked down and Randidly gradually allowed more and more lava golems onto the platform seeming to struggle

5 minutes

4 minutes

Every now and then there would spawn a larger golem still level 25 but one that clearly had better stats Still Randidly kept his mouth shut and swept through them knocking out their cores and crushing them

3 minutes

2 minutes

Randidly blinked The time Had increased

Narrowing his eyes Randidly spared the face a glance But it remained stoic and frowning Still he knew that it wasn’t a fluke Yet he said nothing continuing to kill golems

More and more began to flood upwards filling the stone slab but Randidly just upped his speed to match once more activating haste

A huge 8 meter tall golem pulled himself out of the lava bellowing its fury Randidly allowed himself a tight smile It seemed the big guy was starting to grow impatient Well fine if you wanted to be serious you should have just said so

Randidly had thus far just been using the bone spear as a weapon to deftly scoop out cores but now he lengthened his grip bringing the full 8 feet of Spine Spear to bear He began to sweep expertly back and forth smashing the golem cores with accurate blows

Hissing the large lava golem rushed forward and Randidly raised the spear directly over his head With all his strength he brought it smashing downwards splitting the lava golem in half and revealing a vulnerable golem core Lightning fast a Phantom Thrust flashed forward crushing the core to powder The golem collapsed and to his annoyance some lava splashed on his bare feet

Swearing he hopped up and down and then stamped his feet to get the melted rock off of him But as the stone cooled it simply grafted onto him and would not budge

The lava below the platform began to bubble and several more 8 meter golems heaved themselves upward More disturbingly an even larger scaled creature moved shifting the lava visibly as it swam closer

Randidly just pointed his spear at the giant face The 10 minutes is up Give me your blessing

All the golems stilled The face’s mouth moved soundless as its eyes narrowed

Ahem The time counter

Has been reset and you know it Honor the deal Again Randidly was sweating Because honestly if the giant face refused

If he survived this he was definitely warning everyone away from the apprentice path Whatever rewards he received were not worth this

But Randidly had a hunch From the way he had seen Nul behaved although he had free will with how he did things there were certain things that he couldn’t do And certain things he had to do

Ah right you are You have succeeded Now stand still and await my blessing

A golden sigil appeared in front of the face’s forehead and slowly began to drift downwards In the meantime the golems around Randidly slowly started moving again surging closer

Fuck this Randidly ran towards the edge of the slab Right as he was at the edge he activated Haste Empower Mana Strengthening and produced a Spearing Roots beneath him launching himself an extra 3 meters and then leaping forward towards the wall

The weird thing about Spearing Roots and Entangling Roots before it was that there didn’t need to be actual roots for it to work There just needed to be soil or stone So even though the roots instantly withered and caught fire they still came into being and gave Randidly a foothold not on molten rock

Burning through his mana he raced up the inside of the volcano moving so fast that the giant face couldn’t react Then he leapt up out of the volcano and dashed across the rim before throwing himself at the giant face

As he approached Randidly’s face was covered in a wild grin The face was stone too It took him 3 seconds total to climb out of the volcano dash across leap and then rush up the face leaving a trail of ash in his wake

It was only 3 seconds later as the face realized what was happening and his expression darkened with a frown that Randidly leapt again and caught hold of the golden sigil He instantly flickered out of existence teleported out of the strange volcano world

The face was still for a long time as the golem disintegrated and fell back into lava The stone slab fell deeper too

Still the face floated there its expression unreadable Then slowly the giant face smiled

Heh it chuckled and then it sank back into the volcano looking forward to the next time that individual would return to its realm

Chapter 70

Randidly reappeared back in his freshly dug hole smoking slightly at the edges He sorta thought that some of his hair was still on fire Molten rock still clung painfully to his toes Notifications popped up in front of him but he was distracted by a voice

Oh There you are Randidly Thank god I honestly feel better to find you were taking a break I thought you were a machine there for a minute

Cesar the man who was supposed to follow Randidly and connect his holes together grinned down at him He was a tall well muscled man with golden skin and blonde hair And from the alacrity with which he got to digging he knew he had a high stamina It was just nothing compared to Randidly

Honestly Cesar continued I’ve put all my points into Endurance to raise my stamina but it raises so slowly Makes me feel like it isn’t even worth it

Grunting Randidly raised himself out of the hole holding his shovel Try investing in Vitality instead It will increase your regeneration which will give you more staying power Because right now when you run out of stamina it takes a long time to regenerate right And then you can dig for longer which will increase your skill level lowering the stamina consumption further

Leaving Cesar to his thoughts Randidly moved forward to the next spot and dug And again And again And again

Within the hour he had once more left Cesar far behind and had time to view the notifications in front of him

Congratulations You have obtained the Blessing of the Patron of Ash Its energy swirls through your body slowly assimilating into you Remaining Assimilation time 10 000 minutes You have gained the skill Incinerating Bolt Lvl 1

Incinerating Bolt Shoot a highly concentrated high temperature bolt of lava Heat and size increase with Intelligence Focus and Skill level Range and Accuracy increase with Wisdom Control and Skill level

Congratulations For surviving the first test of the Patron of Ash you have gained 5 Lvl in Fire Resistance Your path leads you deeper into the flames and your Patron will not force you to proceed without protection These will be added onto any levels you already have This skill does not count against the skill total for your class You do obtain PP for these Levels as if you gained them normally

Congratulations You have completed the Apprentice Path You have come under the scrutiny of a greater power and emerged alive But the path is long and stretches every onwards +50 to Health Mana and Stamina +2 to all Stats The Path Initiate of Ash I 0/75 is available to you

First Randidly checked around him and seeing no one walked a little way out into the field he was digging in until he reached a deserted road lined with empty houses Monsters skittered forward strange dog sized ant things almost a dozen of them racing towards him

He raised his arm and used Incinerating Bolt

A burning bar of lava ripped forward catching the first ant in its thorax punching a hole right through The bolt continued through 4 ants completely burning sizzling holes in them before finally cooling so much that it simply smashed the face of the fifth ant

Randidly raised his eyebrows impressed It was like firing a fist sized incendiary round

But then his expression fell

At the cost of 100 mana a pop it seemed

He fired several more testing it out dispatching the rest of the ants Then he walked back to his holes looking at what skills Lvls he had gained

1 in Haste 1 in Empower 1 in Mana Strengthening 3 in Sweep 1 in Phantom Thrust 1 in Spear Phantom’s Footwork 6 in Fire Resistance and finally 1 in Incinerating Bolt

The mana cost was debilitative but when he leveled it it would be without a doubt his most powerful single target spell The stupid sphinx would have been a lot more agreeable with a flaming hole in his throat

He arrived back at the hole and picked up his shovel According to his mental math 10000 minutes was just under 7 days So he wouldn’t really know what he had received as a reward until that point

At least the bonuses from the Apprentice Path were noticeable The 50 health mana and stamina especially It took a lot of stat points to gather that much of any of those let alone all of them

The last decision was what his next path would be

Watcher 0/ Heretic III 0/ Oathbreaker 0/25 Fireball I 0/50 Initiate of Ash I 0/75

He immediately discarded the Initiate of Ash shuddering He had a sneaking suspicion that following that path would lead to more encounters with the Patron of Ash which Randidly was not keen on at the moment regardless of the possible rewards

Besides he finally reached level 30 in the Fireball skill and unlocked a path for it Hoping for more skills than he had gained from the Apprentice Path he poured his leftover points into the Fireball I path He had 13 points and got +2 Focus and +5 Mana after putting 10 PP into it He supposed that was a normal return but he was still slightly disappointed He pulled up his stats in an effort to cheer himself up

Health(/R per hour) 390/424 (+8) (197 (+12

Mana(/R per hour) 132/644 (80 75)

Stam(/R per min) 401/504 (72 (+4

Vit 58 (+4)

End 39

Str 48 (+2)

Agi 66 (+10)

Perception 33

Reaction 52

Willpower 70

Inteligence 92

Wisdom 46

Control 75

Focus 35

Skills (Soul Skill) Spear of Rot Mastery Lvl 352

Combat Spear Mastery Lvl 49 Phantom Thrust Lvl 47 Spear Phantom’s Footwork Lvl 35 Eyes of the Spear Phantom Lvl 23 Phantom Half Step Lvl 11 Heavy Blow Lvl 24 Dagger Mastery Lvl 10 Iron Skin Lvl 27 Dodge Lvl 31 Fighting Proficiency Lvl 36 Block Lvl 32 Haste Lvl 23 Phantom Onslaught Lvl 11 Sweep Lvl 23 Spear Deflect Lvl 10 Empower Lvl 27 Calculated Blow Lvl 19 Roundhouse Kick Lvl 18 Edge of Decay Lvl 13

Spells Spearing Roots Lvl 13 Mana Bolt Lvl 28 Mana Shield Lvl 24 Root Manipulation Lvl 28 Arcane Orb Lvl 22 Fireball Lvl 30 Magic Missile Lvl 4 Healing Palm Lvl 9 Pollen of the Rafflesia Lvl 10 Summon Pestilence Lvl 17 Mana Strengthening Lvl 14 Wall of Thorns Lvl 5 Soul Seed Lvl ® Agony Lvl 9 Inspiration ® Incinerating Bolt Lvl 2

Crafting Potion Making Lvl 22 Farming Lvl 20 Plant Breeding Lvl 9 Mapmaker Lvl 7 Analyze Lvl 24 Refine Lvl 6

Auxiliary Physical Fitness Lvl 32 Meditation Lvl 32 Running Lvl 23 Sprinting Lvl 19 Sneak Lvl 22 Acid Resistance Lvl 22 Poison Resistance Lvl 16 Pain Resistance Lvl 14 First Aid Lvl 13 Equip Lvl 25 Pathfinding Lvl 18 Mental Strength Lvl 13 Curse Resistance Lvl 3 Fire Resistance Lvl 14 Blessing of the North Blessing of the East Blessing of the South Blessing of the West Sewing Lvl 11 Cutting Vegetables Lvl 2 Manual Labor Lvl 3 Digging Lvl 5

Although he was beginning to collect some useless skills at the bottom of his ancillary column he was still pleased With still an hour or two to burn before he would meet Tessa and go to this concert Randidly continued digging

Sam collapsed in his bed exhausted Although you could improve your stats a lot you couldn’t escape exhaustion Shifting around with a groan Sam looked at his stats screen

Samuel Hoss

Health(/R per hour) 227/227 (92)

Mana(/R per hour) 70/82 (17)

Stam(/R per min) 6/140 (46)

Vit 26

Str 25

Agi 22

Perception 28

Reaction 21

Willpower 14

Inteligence 17

Wisdom 4

Control 33

Focus 13

Skills Drive Lvl 4 Running Lvl 11 Physical Fitness Lvl 22 Woodworking Lvl 14 Woodcutting Lvl 37 Animal Skinning Lvl 22 Hunting Lvl 17 Construction Lvl 28 Manual Labor Lvl 9 Cooking Lvl 9 Crafting Lvl 29 Harvesting Lvl 17 Repair Lvl 19 Sewing Lvl 16 Tailoring Lvl 15 Armor Making Lvl 23 Axe Mastery Lvl 26 Chop Lvl 15 Heavy Blow Lvl 18 Iron Skin Lvl 17 Herculean Strength Lvl 14 Dodge Lvl 17 Mana Bolt Lvl 9 Wide Swing Lvl 15 Eagle Eye Lvl 5 Heightened Perception Lvl 7 Bone Shaping 19 Smithing Lvl 4 Haste Lvl 6

He had kept his point distribution rather even focusing on on Control so he could craft and forge more effectively and then survivability All and all he felt like he had some of the best stats among the NCCs if not the best

Although even at the best of times it was hard to tell what Lyra and Annie were doing who were his only real competition at this point Most of the other men working under him were also classless but they were slowly folding taking classes after the success of the first NCCs to switch Daniel’s guidelines for obtaining a useful class were a powerful draw

Although they weren’t impressively powerful the classes they obtained were still in the upper tiers of classes which was very tempting for the crafters Especially now that they were hard pressed on every side

The fighting had been heavy at all fronts Casualties were kept in the single digits but everyone was tired and sore after a long day of stopping the flood of monsters And based on what Glendel could gather with his ghosts this looked to be a daily thing There was already a plan backed by Decklan and Dozer that Decklan’s unit would stay on constant Raid Boss watch hunting and killing them before they could establish themselves and cause trouble Meanwhile Dozer pushed again for his unit to be sent into the nearby dungeon which was the main source of the problems

Thus far they had hemmed and hawed away from that just to keep the village safe But if sending a team bought them time it might be necessary

Not that without Randidly they had decided to stay away from dungeons necessarily and they had a kept dungeon at Lvl 16 and another kept dungeon at Lvl 5 which seemed fine Just without his presence as a buffer the council was unwilling to send one of their best men into unforeseen danger They wouldn’t know what sort of enemies or location they would encounter until it was too late

Not that Randidly would be much help with that considering how he was barred from dungeons without a class

But Ptolemy was starting to hesitate and would likely give their plan the third it needed to pass

Damn need to rehaul this whole council system Sam muttered to himself sitting up Then he heard a familiar shuffling and got up out of his bed creeping to the window

Sure enough Lyra stood there dancing petals of glowing mana swirling around her Every night she would do this every night since she had seen Randidly casually shooting bolts of mana out of his hands

But where as Randidly was eminently practical Lyra appreciated the beauty of mana She sought to learn the nature of it and in exchange was blessed with abilities the rest of them couldn’t imitate

Every evening right before the sun sunk below the horizon she danced and as the gloom gathered the air around her would fill with new and different shapes increasingly detailed and increasingly complicated Birds and snowflakes and wolves and blooming flowers For Sam it was a small moment of escape from the pressing dangers of their current world

Lyra would dance too swaying among her shaped mana with a grace that made Sam chuckle mostly due to how desperately Randidly was avoiding her strange feelings for him

Who could resist a flower this lovely But Randidly was a strange one Which was why Sam supposed of all the people she had met Lyra was so fixated on solely him

Sam only knew a little bit about Lyra before the system in terms of personality But what he had heard from other people in the business she wasn’t a good person She was professional and she perfectly played her roles but off camera she was cold and dismissive preferring to return to her own lodging rather than spend time with the other cast members

But currently among those blue white shapes her wistful expression was so soft that Sam didn’t dare make a sound lest he startle her in this moment of vulnerability

Sam watched the dance for a long time before heading to bed begrudgingly preparing for tomorrow

Chapter 71

Tessa knew that she was going to be late but it was only partially on purpose she had told Randidly a slightly later time so she could stop by a friends place and borrow some makeup and jewelry But she hadn’t accounted for the absolute swarms of people rushing around excitedly setting up into a place by one of the many viewing screens that the city was setting up at its own expense for free viewing

The concert was relatively expensive in terms of obtaining tickets and Tessa herself had been straining for the past two weeks working double shifts every day just to be able to afford one Buying two would have effectively put her down to zero resources meaning she would have to work before she could eat but for Randidly she would have

Either way Randidly had casually obtained two tickets and backstage passes at that leaving her shocked With the money that she had saved she had gone shopping acquiring a cute white sundress covered in blooming pink lilies

When she arrived Randidly didn’t seemed worried or rushed He just seemed focused his eyes following the hundreds of people that surged excitedly passed talking and shouting

Hey Randidly But then Tessa froze looking him up and down

For some strange reason he was covered in dirt And smelled like he had been on fire She had thought it strange that he was wearing furs but had supposed that was just a part of living outside the city But now with the furs looking crispy and matted she couldn’t help but wrinkle her nose He also wasn’t wearing shoes

You Tessa struggled to find words to explain to him what was wrong Sensing her gaze Randidly looked down at himself and then chuckled

I didn’t even realize Yea this probably isn’t good apparel for a concert

Tessa was flummoxed and then said hesitantly there are bath houses that can clean you up at but obtaining new clothes at this hour

Now was Randidly’s turn to look uncomfortable I Have other clothes But they are just a bit

Oh that’s perfect then The bathhouse’s does cost some tokens but I can

Randidly held out a hand which was filled with a dozen tokens what Tessa would take almost a week to earn Is this enough

She just looked at him her mouth hanging open

Breathing heavily Decklan stood over the cooling corpse of the Tier I Raid Boss this one a centaur creature that had used a bow In a frontal confrontation he was probably extremely hard to deal with as he and his minions fled from you while shooting arrows towards pursuers

But for Decklan’s squad that specialized in assassinations and quick attacks

The Raid boss had been blasted and sliced up so many ways that it had died with its face locked into a confused expression barely understanding what had happened to it While the rest of his crew cut through the few enemies that he had spawned from the Raid Boss before they arrived Decklan reveled in his stats boosted by his recent position as Raid Boss Hunter

Level 25

Health(/R per hour) 198/319 (98 5)

Mana(/R per hour) 22/90 (19)

Stam(/R per min) 53/205 (33)

Vit 25

End 29

Str 31

Agi 73

Reaction 39

Willpower 19

Wisdom 14

Control 23

Focus 9

Skills Sneak Lvl 29 Slash Lvl 27 Dagger Mastery Lvl 25 Backstab Lvl 30 Feint Lvl 17 Dual Wielding Mastery Lvl 24 Sidestep Lvl 28 Decapitate Lvl 23 Shadow Strike Lvl 14 Obscuring Mist Lvl 8 Sneak Attack Lvl 19 Tracking Lvl 11 Foraging Lvl 9

Luckily his recent killer bonuses had gone to Vit and End which boosted his survivability and let him focus his stat gains on Agility Perception and Reaction

Unfortunately he only had two more non class skill slots remaining due to his class limitations But he was currently very pleased overall with his kit Obscuring Mist was his one mana usage summoning just a little bit of cover for him to approach Then he chained Backstab Shadow Strike and Sneak Attack into rapidly rip through the Raid Boss’s health

His two direct subordinates Terra and Ivan walked up to him Ivan licking blood off of his knife Ivan was Decklan’s direct disciple using a mentor stone to take the Killer class from him Meanwhile Terra had obtained the strange class Juggler which made her a magic based speed class

She was his

Decklan frowned She was his

What is it Ivan asked lazily Another Raid Boss spawn

We shouldn’t go after it We need to refill most of our potions Our healer is exhausted Terra said sparing Ivan a glance He simply snorted They had settled into an adversarial role but both of them respected the other’s strength to much to take it too seriously

No We are heading back The full Council is being called We are finally heading after a dungeon Decklan looked up at the sky

Clouds were brewing overhead with low rumblings coming from the north They had been lucky in terms of weather so far There had been some scattered rain storms but nothing serious But this one

Thunder rumbled and Decklan saw a flash of purple lightning from the clouds

This one wasn’t natural

Alright boys we’re going home Decklan called and then turned and started jogging The rest of his team tiredly joking and carrying various parts of their quarry’s body back to the base for Sam followed

When they arrived at the stadium the line was around the block and a sea of people jostling to get closer to the gates A dozen men with assault rifles stood by the entrance glaring around keeping even the most rambunctious concert goers in check

There was certainly some similarities to a dictatorship in the post system world The constant threat of force hung over everyone

For his part Randidly was bemused The people ran up against him and rebounded their difference in stats showing even though Randidly didn’t exert any strength But people clamored forward pressing around them and he was forced to extend his arms to keep Tessa from being crushed

She looked at him gratefully one more eyeing the very form fitting clothes made for Randidly by Sam from the fur of the shadow cats and then leaned backwards into him pressing the length of her body up against him For a moment Randidly’s thoughts shifted in a lustful direction but then he just shook his head

So much had happened he had changed way too much to imagine ever being intimate with Tessa ever again even if she was quite cute

Besides Lyra

Randidly paused wondering how to finish that sentence

Luckily a nearby commotion distracted him from this train of thought

Make way Make way Freedom Fighters coming through

Surprisingly Randidly recognized the voice It was that pessimistic man on the patrol who had talked about there how there were two types of people and he one was on the lesser ones that it was useless to struggle against your role etc

Or something Randidly honestly had a hard time recalling

He shoved his way forward followed by several athletic looking men and women in ripped clothes Pistols and a weird saber style weapon hung at all their waists At the center stood an extremely tall man probably almost 2 meters tall with fiery orange hair His arms were extremely long and lanky and at his side hung two of those sabers

As he passed the patrol man noticed Randidly and Tessa but his eyes went straight to Tessa drinking in the curves of her with a lewd gaze his smirk making him really seem like a sleazeball from a bad gangster flick

Tessa What a coincidence Did you manage to get tickets to the concert As he spoke he reached out for her shoulder Frowning Randidly knocked his hand to the side The man’s face fell and he turned to glare at Randidly

Alex Tessa started to say but the man’s face was already red

You fuck are you trying to say you are better than the Freedom Fighters While you are sleeping safe at home while your government is too scared to move we are the ones risking our lives on the front lines You have some fucking nerve

Randidly gave him a sidelong glance The crowd had quieted around them drawing back away from the confrontation Although he hated to actually deal with this worthless person since Tessa was here weren’t you saying how struggling was worthless for us just yesterday You sure changed your tune fast Now on the front lines Very admirable

You Alex clenched his fists eyes flashing One of the bigger guys from the small group stepped forward laughing

Common newbie don’t be so tense Hey man I just think that’s Alex’s girl She just needs to come with us and everything’s forgiven Otherwise

The man smiled grimly the threat hanging in the air The crowd around them began to mutter but they kept their eyes on the ground looking away

Randidly just chuckled Do you think that if you say things nicely that changes things You want to take an unwilling woman with you That’s rape

The man’s eyes darkened but his smile stayed easy Haha rape Now now now don’t throw around words like that If it was rape would all these people really stand by and just watch it happen

The crowd crept back further The group of Freedom Fighters aside from the tall orange haired man at the center glared around drawing their sabers

No one spoke

Yes Randidly said simply For they are weak

Tessa was sobbing quietly I’m so sorry I’m sorry

Alex leered at the two of them So you are the only one who thinks somethings up

Now he’s just a Newbie The man drawled But he is still a Freedom Fighter now and afforded certain protections And one of those protections is against civvies like you stealing his woman while he is away fighting on the front lines And

Stand down

Randidly blinked and looked towards the central figure the tall man with orange hair He hadn’t spoken then entire time but now he interceded his tone brooking no dissension

The orange haired man then grinned and added The concert is about to start I’m not gonna miss Raina because we were fucking around with some girl Move

Unwilling but ordered the Freedom Fighters sheathed their sabers and pressed forward through the crown

Alex eyes bulging hissed You’re lucky this time Don’t you ever fucking let me catch you again asshole or else

Then he turned and left

Randidly still bemused shook his head then moved to follow

Randidly What are you doing They won’t do anything now but after the concert We should go hide Tessa’s voice wavered but Randidly just yawned

No worries I’m sure it will be fine Besides would you really waste these backstage passes

Tessa stood still torn But Randidly just walked casually forward pushing his way right through people and she was forced to sigh and hurry after him After all if he was going to waste his time rather than train or search for Sydney or Ace he sure as hell wasn’t going to waste his time in the nosebleeds

Inwardly she wondered when he had become so brave Or so dumb

Chapter 72

The people at the gate were shocked when they saw the backstage passes and directed them around the side of the stadium to another quieter entrance A man with a clipboard took their passes and checked them off

Oh so you are Cassie’s guests The man said his face warming immediately looking them up and down After a few seconds of scrutiny he extended his hand to Tessa And you must be the gifted seamstress that sewed the costumes Beautiful absolutely beautiful If you ever have some spare time please consider making a gown for my daughter I’ll pay very handsomely

Tessa just gave the man a blank stare Randidly politely disengaged the conversation and walked into the stadium dragging a dazed Tessa

How how did you say you got these

Randidly frowned Sewing I told you

Sewing gowns Tessa asked incredulously

Randidly’s frown deepened but he did not reply He couldn’t decide whether it was more embarrassing to acknowledge it or to simply stay silent

Daniel peered through the newly available options for the village excited even after the exacting interview he just sat through with Regina

Most of the new items available for purchase with SP were simply higher tiered versions of the shops they already owned Weapons Armor Miscellaneous Accessories etc

There were however some notable and expensive exceptions

One was the purchase of Gold Nexus coins which could be used to found another Newbie Village Although this didn’t seem a very practical way to handle things it would allow them some way of making outposts should the need arise

In addition Nul informed Daniel that the golden Nexus coins had two other uses The first was they could be consumed by individuals with Classes to allow them to have another extra skill above the normal skill cap This could be used as many times as they wanted but at 5k SP it was too expensive to be feasible for general use And even concentrating a few on one person was bound to have a low level of return

After all they would need to first position themselves to learn a useful skill and then take several weeks to level it up to a level where it could impact battle

The second use was to bribe a random monster to act as your companion In the case of rare monsters you needed to be a higher level and have beaten it until it is near death but then it would serve the user for the rest of its life It would continue to level

This option was mostly attractive due to the currently unused Ride skill that Donny and his knight mentees had If they could gather a cavalry squad

Aside from the coins Daniel now had the option to purchase what he could only guess were higher leveled buildings Production focused buildings which Sam was already very interested in pre made smithies and workshops Watchtowers A shop for rare crafting materials A very expensive cathedral Something referred to as a Nexus Array

And also most intriguingly to Daniel was the Adventurer’s Guild building The rest of the counsel were less impressed and insisted on first purchasing several Watchtowers to help with the immediate threat of monsters and a Smithy in order to advance the weapon and armor crafting past the basic stages

But almost unwillingly they agreed that the Adventurer’s Guild could be the next building Eyes sparkling Daniel looked at the 8k SP option and to him it only meant one thing

Quests

After thinking about it for a long time he was sure that it could only be for acquiring quests Or bounties Or something else game related

Always the downer Mrs Hamilton had suggested that it might be possible that it allowed more individuals into their world like the strange portal that had sprung up and would open in several days But Daniel didn’t think it was that likely At this tier their strange and confusing bond with another Trainee Village would probably be their only contact with other forces in the Nexus

Still even that contact posed interesting questions

Daniel was very much looking forward to that portal opening

After a long walk down a deserted hallway Randidly and Tessa emerged into a large cluttered space full of people with glassy eyes drinking straight from liquor bottles At the far side of the space was a small opening in the curtains from which flashing lights and noises echoed

Oh my god Raina is on already Tessa hurried forward barely seeing the bodies sprawled around grasping and laughing drunkenly in the dimly lit room

A bouncer blocked her before she could rush out onto the stage and pointed her to a side door which would lead her to the general admission area Heedless of Randidly she rushed out leaving him frowning

There was something strange

Then his eyes narrowed as he realized what it was It was the same albeit more subtle and slight feeling that he had gotten around the village chieftain of Turtletown as the people of Donnyton had taken to calling it An insidious influence But while the other had been a harsh order this was a gentle cajoling

Have fun be happy Be free live enjoy yourself everything is fine

So this was why such a large town could continue on simply based upon inertia This voice could periodically wipe away their concerns Luring them towards staying

This town was home to a siren

Randidly gave the bouncer a short glance Although he seemed to be maintaining his cool much better than Tessa had he too was grinning stupidly and bobbing his head to the music Sighing Randidly sat down to meditate Once he identified the influence it was rather easy to resist But it took a lot of the enjoyment out of the concert Instead he focused on understanding the way it affected him and the other people backstage

An hour and a half later when the concert came to what sounded like a stunning conclusion Randidly opened his eyes inwardly torn

This singer Raina possessed a dangerous power Even though he knew what it was and his Willpower was undoubtedly significantly higher than hers he felt a slight unnatural lift in his mood after prolonged exposure Randidly wondered how specific the messages she sent with her songs could be

But at the same time

The positive uplifting portion of the song had side effects Randidly had gained 3 Lvls in meditation while he sat through the concert It was quite similar to that strange golden potion that came from the origin banana in that way It was an effect that if harvested

Randidly blinked He had been so focused on trying to learn mana manipulation recently that he had completely neglected to improve his potion making skills Finding the uses beyond a short term boost for that serum would be excellent

Now was obviously a poor time to realize that but later if he could find the right equipment here

The people around Randidly were still slightly dozing and sophomoric Even the bouncer was slumped in his seat by the stage Only the tech people remained lucid hurrying around with noise canceling headphones over their ears But as Randidly watched several sweat soaked people removing their ear pieces walked off the stage while talking excitedly

Last of the people to leave the stage was a slim buxom figure Her body curved gracefully almost impossibly proportioned But what drew Randidly’s eye was her face although she would never be called unattractive she would also never be called beautiful Her face currently set into a tired expression was perhaps only pretty But it was a striking face with large eyes and a mouth that seemed in constant motion

Then across the dark room they made eye contact and she smiled reflexively a tired smile of victory of a job well done Randidly had to resist the urge to smile back looking at her contemplatively

He immediately received a level in Mental Strength which made him chuckle and he stepped backwards deeper into the shadows of the musical equipment boxes So even her smile contained a skill Although she would likely be an asset to Donnyton it would be better not to interact overmuch with her

Then their gaze parted and Randidly felt the direct beam of positivity she shot towards him fade along with her smile

A second later a cloud of confusion seemed to come over her face and she turned back her gaze searching scanning across the position that Randidly had just vacated Almost unwillingly after several long seconds she turned to face a man who emerged from another back room wearing a suit

The man brought along a gaggle of other people who Randidly recognized it was the Freedom Fighters Most of them had dumb glazed expressions especially Alex who seemed to be drooling that he was so close Raina but the extremely tall man with orange hair still had a serious expression

If he was simply wearing headphones to block the noise that was one thing But if he wasn’t

Then apparently there was some strength in this town after all

Raina and the orange haired man walked up onto the stage and Randidly slipped away heading out through the passage to the area Tessa had gone

He found her almost immediately smiling and leaning against the side of the arena seemingly at peace with the world She didn’t even notice his arrival lost as she was in the after effects of the euphoria Raina provided

One more thing One last surprise for my fans tonight Raina said strutting back out onto the stage arms held high It was strange That smile of hers her entire face changed shifted Suddenly it was the only thing you wanted to look at

Randidly’s frown deepened This woman was incredibly dangerous Every day he thought deeply about his decision to forgo killing that man with a similar ability At the time the temptation of the Black Nexus Coin had been too much But now

Sure the kept dungeon had been invaluable for quickly exposing the freshly raised classers to danger But still

Tomorrow is finally the day we have been dreaming of Raina announced Tomorrow the Freedom Fighters will finally be wiping out the ant colony And afterwards With your help the Freedom Fighters will found a newbie village and vanquish the monsters

The crowd was practically frothing at the mouth screaming Even Tessa looked up with fanatical eyes Randidly supposed there would no longer be a shortage of volunteers for the mission

Chapter 73

The rain made the night an extremely long one Wave after wave of monsters streamed towards the village The mage battalion held the road but the efficacy of their magic was greatly reduced by the damp resulting in more and more of the reserve squads to be called there to reinforce them

Donny held the freshly raised southern defensive line Weeks of fighting at the front constantly had worked great changes in this teenager accelerating his growth into manhood

Meanwhile Donnyton’s scouting teams roved through the forest ambushing and retreating constantly thinning out the numbers of approaching enemies as much as they could But it never seemed to be enough and as the night stretched onward they began to tire tiny mistakes turning into fatalities

The healing division worked as fast as they could but they had a limited supply of mana potion which swiftly reached dangerous levels Non fatal or debilitating wounds were wrapped up but not healed all the way Health could regenerate on its own quickly enough even if structural damage to the body would not without the aid of spells

It was likely the bloodiest night in Donnyton’s history While Dozer and Decklan and their squads rested several Tier I Raid Bosses were able to set up shop and multiply adding to the constant flow of monsters

In their absence and the absence of the Ghosthound several individuals set themselves apart in terms of bravery and skill Of those people there were two that changed the course of the night Lyra and Annie

When the Northern fortress the most heavily fortified and the location of the heaviest fighting was breached by a rare fire belching iguana the defenders paled Monsters leapt forward squirming to get into the hole But from nowhere she appeared her typical grey hood pulled over her head

Dozens of silent birds glided forward and for the next 5 minutes the only thing that made it through the breached wall was a thin misting of blood

During that time another squad hurried over plugging the gap and stabilizing the defenses

Meanwhile Annie stood atop the watchtower on the road firing arrows like a machine gun The production focused people began to dread her glare because it could only mean one thing she needed more arrows

They thought about complaining but almost unerringly the arrows that Annie shot would take a monster in the throat or eye or heart stopping them dead

Although her own stats weren’t high she invested heavily in Strength and Control giving her arrows quite the punch

And just like that dawn came With a heavy expression Regina received the preliminary report 80 dead and most of that Classers Still

Those that survived were changed The predictable monster hordes of the first week had been stressful but they were predictable The following month had been filled with training with those hordes in mind

Only now were they exposed to true strife the true horror of war Not just actual level but their skill levels had sharply risen across the board allowing them to invest in their paths which further increased their strength

Grim faced they watch Dozer and Decklan’s squads punch their way out heading out for their respective targets The monsters would be repaid in blood for what Donnyton had suffered that night

Randidly worked as a cook in the aftermath of the concert after escorting an exhausted Tessa home and asking a barely lucid Cassie to look for two people named Ace and Sydney It seemed that almost everyone who had watched the concert felt sluggish so business owners were desperate for help even allowing someone fresh off the street like Randidly to assist

They had set up food stands around the city and lowered the food prices to catch the dregs from the concert and it worked like a charm apparently being subtly influenced by a songstress was very draining

After 15 minutes Randidly had gained the cooking skill and understood basically what to do he was making fried street noodles Another half hour had passed and he had already reached Lvl 3 in Cooking as he pumped out noodle dish after noodle dish

Seeing Randidly’s crazy speed and consistency the overseer for this block moved Randidly to a large grill where he fried eggs meats potatoes and pastries

This activity was much more demanding because each item had its own perfect cooking time and with the volume of orders Randidly might have 30 things on the grill in front of him that needed adjustments at specific points

The manager’s mouth dropped to the floor as he watched Randidly’s hands blur both seeming to act independently of the other keeping the entire kitchen running smoothly the food even tasting better than it had in a long time even though their usual cook had his Cooking skill at Lvl 9

Furtively glancing around the manager told his subordinates to get Randidly’s information so he could be invited back to a permanent position then hurried away confident that this location would be fine in his absence

At around 5 in the morning even the most hardcore celebrants had drifted away and the shops closed down the business owners packing up their eyes swimming in all the currency they had gathered

Randidly now with a Lvl 10 Cooking skill had promised to report for work as a chef later but could only shrug when the workers inquired where he lived After all he wasn’t about to tell them about Donnyton and it seemed slightly rude to use Tessa’s address The more they pressed the more hesitant Randidly became until he finally just took his payment and fled

Still he likely would return to work at a restaurant Cooking was a surprisingly enjoyable experience It had also helped level Haste and Empower 1 level each as he worked on his control of those skills

For the first time the city seemed quiet and Randidly enjoyed the peace of it Even the job criers were absent although there were several shouting people calling for volunteers for the Freedom Fighters operation today But it seemed like the euphoric effects left a long hangover and even the most dedicated volunteers were still struggling out of bed

Shaking his head Randidly trotted out of the main part of the city into the edges sneaking past a guard and earning himself a level in Sneak and finding an abandoned home out past the vertical farms and even further beyond the defensive line

Although one day was fine it wasn’t good to go any longer without training certain skills

Randidly withdrew his spear the large bone monstrosity made from the spine of the sphinx and began to move through the basic moves taught to him by Shal Then he began to accelerate moving faster and faster until his body blurred pushed to the limits of his physique

When he would tire he would take a short break and spend his mana on Incinerating Bolts Then he would return to the spear work enjoying the physical exertion

class="book">After a few repetitions of this in which he gained 2 Lvls in Incinerating Bolt and 1 in Spear Phantom’s Footwork he stopped and checked his satchel He still had plenty of potion materials that he had gathered on their trip South from Donnyton

Honestly Randidly was mostly annoyed that he had been so stressed and focused that the only way he tried to improve his potion making was by refining these further But he had been so fixated on this lead on Ace and Sydney

Hopefully Cassie would remember speaking to him and assist in his search Otherwise Randidly was slightly at a loss about how to find them in such a large town Even if they were here among 50 000 people and there were still restricted areas mostly belonging to the government and Freedom Fighters where they might be

Randidly chuckled involuntarily trying to imagine Ace putting up with the swaggering attitude of the Freedom Fighters he had met Then he sighed and shook his head One thing at a time Besides his enthusiasm for finding them was diminished slightly the more he thought about them They had been a beacon that had kept him focused throught he dungeon but now the sheer size of the area he had to search to find them was discouraging

Besides Randidly had to survive long enough to find them Although that didn’t seem like it would be a problem Randidly knew that the thing that would be able to kill him wouldn’t announce its arrival and give him enough time to prepare

So Randidly left his small hide out and went in search of some necessary tools It was time to return to the skill that had changed it all that had earned him the spot as Shal’s Disciple and made him the man he was today Potion Making

Lyra stilled recognizing that voice but barely able to believe it Not only that but this was her secret spot deep in the forest How did he

She turned finding a smiling Randidly looking at her his expression affable

Something clicked into place in her mind but still she smiled back at the figure Hello

Randidly stepped closer his gaze suddenly turning serious I’m sorry to follow you like this I’m sorry for everything But after I left heading to Franksburg I realized something I need you

Randidly paused there gazing down at the glowing sword of mana that was sticking out of his chest

What gave me away The creature taking on Randidly’s shape inquired

Lyra considered There was the mana fluctuations she had sensed watching Donnyton the entire night Images of different monsters but all hanging back the same distance that she had seen over the course of the battle The fact that Randidly would never could never sneak up on her The dumb grin it walked up with The sweet lines it used How she sensed only a deadness from this creature whereas Randidly burned with a strange musky emerald life

The apologies I have never heard Doggy apologize even when he’s being an idiot Lyra said sweetly Randidly dispersed before her very eyes leaving only a shapeless blob of grey purple laying on the ground Above its head floated a foreboding label

Kim Lath the Tribulation of Many Faces Lvl 35

Would you like to fight now Kim Lath asked its voice oddly flat as if a computer was speaking Randidly reformed this time holding a spear Lyra just shrugged

If you want But it really is good to see him With an exaggerated calmness Lyra walked over to the shapeshifter and touched his its face Although she appeared casual her attention was stretched to its limit prepared to blink away if necessary

But the fake Randidly tilted its head to the side and nodded

Would you like to share a meal It asked its voice no longer artificial sounding but also not quite Randidly

Lyra nodded

Chapter 74

Randidly looked out from the cleanly split building his face grim

He was standing in a room he hadn’t been in for almost 8 months but was still intimately familiar Or at least he was standing in the first 6 inches of it

Randidly grimaced This was Sydney’s dorm room The place that both Ace and Sydney had likely been curled up in bed watching a movie like they did every Friday night until he got out of class

He had gone to Tessa’s place instead of his usual ritual of proceeding directly to Sydney’s room so it was probably just starting to get late and they had probably been starting to wonder where he was Or honestly perhaps they hadn’t even noticed the extra 45 minutes slip by absorbed in whatever it was that they were watching on the TV

Either way it didn’t matter Everything after that 6 inches was empty space Most of the room had been teleported elsewhere at whatever location the other portion of Rawlands University had ended up

Rubbing the bridge of his nose Randidly stepped forward and off into the void dropping the 7 stories to the ground He hit the ground with a crash staggering a little but quickly straightened and walked away back towards the high school he had found nearby While he was scoping out the high school he had seen the familiar sign for the dorm and a flash of hope rose in his heart

Not that they would be there still in the building obviously But that it would be enough proof that they were here hiding away somewhere

Randidly shouldn’t feel as disappointed as he did and chided himself for it But

He closed his eyes And what would he even say if he would see them now Sydney’s ultimatum still weighed on his heart It was why that last week before the system arrived had been one of the most stressful in his life culminating with him breaking up with Tessa He had made a decision perhaps a spur of the moment one but still a decision during his night class But now it had been so long that he had lost the thread of it with the passage of time

If he saw her now if he saw Ace now

Releasing a long held breath Randidly smiled It was relieving in a way Now he knew for sure that they weren’t here in Franksburg He had time

And in that time Randidly swore himself he would grow strong strong enough to face them both

Then he opened his eyes and walked into the high school heading directly towards the chemistry lab For now strength Growth Progress It was better to focus on the present

There were three main reasons that Randidly had decided to spend the day today like this The first was that it seemed like jobs would be scarce with the huge Freedom Fighter operation Second he was no longer sure that he could easily find enough variety in jobs to be worth spending another day earning PP at one And finally it could be said that the real reason that everything happened was due to his Potion Making

He had brewed that potion that had dispelled the strange curse the shaman’s had placed on Shal which had started everything

But since then he had left Potion Making by the wayside Sure he continually made better and better potions earning him several levels but the real growth in his skill had occurred while trying out new recipes

His attempts in the past few weeks to find recipes had all ended in failure but he was beginning to suspect that it was due to his preconceptions getting in the way Randidly had originally assumed that all potions were variants of the two base materials Red and Blue Energy Shards but his brief stint as a chef got him to thinking

In a way what the system did was simplify the inputs in life and quantify the outputs That is of course in addition to breaking most physical limits and laws but that was secondary It made everything work in a system

What had thrown him off Randidly reflected as he began to set out beakers was the origin banana The profound effect of the juice from that plant had made him believe that the two colors were the important factors But it seemed that simply wasn’t true the Origin Banana was a rare exception rather than the rule

As such in order to progress past this level of Potion Making he needed to identify the other base units of the potion system Once he had those

But he set those thoughts aside for now He already had some theories about what they would be but he wanted to try a few things first

Kiersty looked on bemused as the strange Thorn creature crawled all over Arbor wrapping his thorny vines around it She could feel Arbor’s annoyance and helplessness through their bond as it was forced to put up with its elder brother’s teasing

Finally satisfied Thorn climbed down and wriggled over towards Kiersty She wanted to stumble backwards but knew this was necessary from Arbor’s whispers So gritting her teeth she allowed Thorn to come close and with surprising delicacy prick her with a single thorn It absorbed her blood cleanly the creature shivering slightly

Then as per the instructions from Arbor she raised her hands over Thorn and used her new skill Blessing

She instantly gained two skill levels

Small motes of gold flew off her fingers and landed on Thorn It seemed immensely excited about this and dug into the ground and hurried off in the distance seeking the ample prey that was wandering around recently

Feeling abruptly tired Kiersty sat down

Nathan who had been standing off to the side and watching the whole interaction walked forward offering his sister a cup of water She drank thankfully

We should go Nathan said glancing over his shoulder If mom finds us here

I know Kiersty said meekly standing up and hurrying back Their mom didn’t like them hanging out with Arbor Thought it was a creepy tree

She didn’t understand Kiersty’s eyes glittered None of them did really Not even Nathan

Randidly looked down at the 4 small crystals in front of him his expression satisfied It had taken him most of the day but he had finally isolated 4 base units There might be more but for now he had found these to use in experiments

A red and a blue crystal and then a green and a purple one The end result had him earning 3 Lvls in Refine which was an added bonus

The green one had been the one he was most confident about He had previously made several basic poison potions as weapons that could be thrown at masses of enemies As his skills with spells had grown this method had swiftly been outclassed but that didn’t mean that poison wasn’t still powerful in the right situations

It had taken dozens of the strange mushroom that grew wildly in the area but he had slowly boiled them down and refined them extracting the poisonous energy from them and condensing it into a crystal form

It was Randidly reflected probably enough poison to even threaten him condensed in the sparkling green crystal Still it was almost useless in that form

The 2nd new crystal the purple crystal had been the one that had taken him most of the day In the end it had been a strange passing comments that Randidly remembered Sam making that was the clue

Sam had been talking about the difficulty about harvesting parts from monsters

The trouble is Sam had said his face fixed in his perpetual frown That the bodies degrade pretty quickly A bone or pelt you get an hour after they die is half as strong and tough as one from 5 minutes after it passes The effect gets worse the more superficial wounds it has the more blood it’s lost It’s like most of the mana sits in the blood and slowly dissipates after it dies

So Randidly had captured ants and crushed their bodies to a pulp gathering the juice Then he had boiled away the pus until just the blood remained And he refined and refined and refined

He was forced to go out 5 times for more blood the final time slaughtering his way through a warren full of the ants in order to gather enough bodies He had even earned a level in Incinerating Bolt and 2 levels in Agony Still stubbornly a thick molasses y substance his only prize But then he remembered the rest of Sam’s explanation

The trick we discovered Sam said scratching his head Is to wipe a little of your own blood on it It’s like it’s a signal to the system that you want the body That’s the reason that we got the sphinx in such pristine condition even after so long you had bled all over it

Could it really be that simple Randidly had wondered He created a Spearing Roots from the ground and allowed it to draw a line across his skin The blood gathered and then dropped onto the molasses of partially refined blood

With a sizzle the outer layer of molasses crusted over and then disintegrated turning into rancid smelling ash But there at the bottom lay a small purple crystal

Staring at the crystals now Randidly couldn’t wait to start experimenting with potions But he looked up and saw the setting sun and grimaced

In terms of efficacy it looked like the two crystals he had made were only of the basic level Which meant that refining more of either of them would be a much more comprehensive effort than gathering Blue or Red energy shards But right now

He had promised to return to the business owner and do some more work as a cook for him tonight And he had also wanted to check in on Tessa but time just seemed to be against him today

Ruefully he placed the crystals into his inventory and walked out heading back towards the city The cooking was enjoyable enough and the PP attractive enough that Randidly was willing to put the potion making off for now It could be done anytime now that he had the ingredients after all Besides even if Sydney and Ace weren’t here it was worth it to monitor Franksburg Raina’s powers were more than enough reason to keep an eye out

Chapter 75

Alana looked up bored They had largely been left alone here and the charm of the group’s company had worn on her Devan’s plan to wait until the blonde man had taken some action had seemed reasonable initially but now that two days had passed it was beginning to seem foolish

It’s not like there was enough room in here to practice with her spear And not even the guards provided much distraction Although today most of the guards seemed excited about something else so much so that there was a life to their faces as they were served gruel which the group didn’t even bother to go near

But then as the sun set something changed

There was banging and yelling and swearing and then silence The blonde man who had claimed to be in charge of the town came in pale faced followed by three men The first was tall and grizzled his hair cropped short a total military type He hovered around the blonde man glaring daggers at the other two

The most eye catching of the two was a large man who was missing his left arm But strapped to his back was a large metal disk that seemed to be part shield and part buzzsaw

The third figure was a portly man with glasses He smiled at the group when he arrived but otherwise stayed silent

Finally the blonde man coughed turning to the prisoners who had clearly escaped their handcuffs and were enjoying a meal of dried wolverine meat

We we have decided to believe your story And offer you your freedom in return for an alliance

Devan nodded serenely as this was the most natural thing in the world but Alana could barely resist snorting But she managed it barely

What sort of alliance She asked cautiously

The blonde man’s face fell and he turned to the two figures who were clearly from another power in the city

The portly man smiled Hello it’s nice to meet you You are Alana right I’m Anthony the man who founded a combat focused organization in Franksburg the Freedom Fighters We are in the midst of an operation to kill one of the nearby bosses and receive a gold coin so we can gain a Newbie Village

At our suggestion Anthony glanced at the blonde man The Senator has seen fit to offer you your liberty in the city in exchange for your assistance in this operation I assume you came here with a purpose and as long as it’s within reason I’m sure we will be amenable to it

Although she was pissed off at being trapped here for so long Alana felt that some exercise would be just what the doctor ordered It would mean that they could finally recruit more actively in the city

Still helping them gain a Newbie Village might be counterproductive to the recruitment efforts

For a long moment she was torn between helping them and the goal of the mission But she supposed that they came with recruitment as a goal it was just an assumed goal They had just wanted to help any families who were still surviving But as things seemed to have stabilized in the region assistance and the development of a positive relationship could be considered a success

For her pride she would find a way to extract reparations but that was for later

She gave her toothiest smile resembling more wolf than person That would be excellent Mr Anthony of course we would be willing to help you We are all humans after all We need to work together to defeat this monster threat

And honestly I would do anything if you gave Devan a shower Clarissa added snarkily her nose wrinkling It smells like stale animal sweat in here

Devan just chuckled his face impassive as the Senator and his military aide looked on nervously worried by the recent developments But things were no longer within his control and the Senator could do nothing but acquiesce

Pan seared pan seared The small hispanic man yelled over the clatter of the kitchen noise miming at Randidly Randidly cocked his head to the side and then recalled the method that had been explained to him earlier and used a spatula to press down on the beef or whatever red meat this actually was before flipping it and repeating the same on the other side

Still he didn’t press too hard so as not to drive out the juices He took a pinch of spices and sprinkled them on top before raising the heat and placing the pan back down He pivoted to his left bending over and removing the fish fillet from the oven

His other hand reached out and began to throw butter herbs and garlic in a pot stirring rapidly Then he flipped the meat again lowered the heat and brought the sauce onto the stove

The hispanic man Karlito working to Randidly’s left passed him the vegetables shaking his head You do learn quickly don’t you Don’t forget about cutting the meat Smooth even strokes

On and on it went a night of movement and constant heat Orders were shouted from the front and the kitchen staff jumped to work Apparently the previous chef had volunteered for the Freedom Fighter operation and hadn’t come back in time for his shift That combined with the ominous news that had made it back from the front line made the owner willing to let Randidly work in his kitchen regardless of his lack of experience

It also helped that he had a Cooking skill of 10

By the end of the night of course that skill had risen to 13 the constant stress of a long night working the kitchen pushing him beyond his comfort zone Mostly the small cramped space had started to wear on him but that too had its own benefits He had earned the skill Grace and raised to Lvl 3

Grace Lvl 3 Passive Physical skill Increases the fluidity and control over movement Also slightly increases coordination and balance

Although it was a passive skill it seemed to be incredibly useful even in fighting Shal’s spear methods emphasized assault and overwhelming direct speed without much use of feints so Randidly supposed he just hadn’t reached the proper criteria previously to earn the skill But twisting in spot and sliding between other chef’s had certainly been a work in physical control

Randidly idly wondered how people had managed to perform this job while they had normal stats Wiping the sweat from his brow he walked out of the back door to the building and gratefully accepted a drink from Karlito

Randidly drank it in one gulp and then grimaced Was that tequila

Of course Karlito said with a smile Unfortunately your resistance to alcohol rises with your Vitality but still There is nothing so wonderful as the burn of a good tequila

Then he gestured to the unmarked glass bottle winking at Randidly But when there is no good tequila we make do with what we have Do not drink too much more friend overexposure to this swill is known to cause blindness

Randidly shook his head amused He liked Karlito and his wild stories and exaggerated jokes He was loud and abrasive in the kitchen but Randidly could tell that he was a good person with an honest heart

It was Randidly reflected tragic that Karlito was born in this time where good people like him died like flies

They joked and laughed for a while longer Randidly feeling strangely at ease even as a part of him nagged to get back to the potion recipes But before he could leave their manager came hurrying back out the back door sweating Oh thank god you two are still here I’ll pay double no triple if you stay and make one more meal

But the kitchen has already been cleaned Do you want us to go through everything again Karlito rumbled his eyes narrowing

The manager raised his hands in a placating gesture No No I’ll handle all of that But a very important client came and well for her there are no such thing as hours’ Please

As soon as the manager agreed to let them off without cleaning Karlito’s cheer returned

Tying his apron back on he called over his shoulder So who’s the big wig

The manager’s face became starry eyed It’s Raina

Derek Quinn had been a truck driver before the system had come to the world But when everything changed he had crashed his truck into a column of giant mutant ants and received the Exterminator I path he had no idea what to believe

Perhaps even more difficult to handle was the ants subsequent counter attack swarming him and biting at him ripping off his left arm before other drivers on the highway saw his plight and came forward to beat them off of him

He still remembered that extended hand and opening his eyes to find a portly man smiling down at him his glasses splattered with blood from that ants Hey there buddy I’m Anthony You’re gonna be okay

Luckily enough Anthony was a nurse and had managed to bandage his wounds enough to keep Derek alive Unlike most people who were mutilated in the aftermath of the system’s arrival Derek didn’t fall into a stupor giving up

He got angry

And that anger had served him well He had gotten up to the Exterminator VI path cutting his way through the ants But there were still so damn many of them

Derek spared a glance for the group of 12 people that trailed after them wearing a mismatch of bone armor and fur most of them holding swords but their leader holding a spear The other woman seemed to possess no weapon at all but just walked forward in the middle of the group yawning

He was slightly depressed when Anthony had called him away from the front line to escort this group and was now even more disappointed Even with a class how could this group change the tide of the fight

After all the problem wasn’t talent It was simply

They rounded a bend in the road and the battle stretched before them almost endless Thousands upon thousands of ants marched forward rushing to attack the intruders These hills had been empty 8 hours ago but now the bodies were piled higher than a person in some places

So you see Derek said sarcastically A small squad like you would be perfect for this operation

Alana the leader nodded seriously and turned to the weaponless woman and what seemed like the vice commander So

Doable The vice leader commented

Child’s play The weaponless one said cracking her neck

Alana turned back to Derek Alright take us to the front We will handle the rest

Chapter 76

Derek stayed back on top of the hill scowling down at them as the group proceeded to walk forward He had to admit that they were disciplined far above the level of even the regulars of the Freedom Fighters as they settled into a crouch and moved in formation but how much could a class really help in a huge melee like this The numbers were stacked against them

Like a ghost a tall orange haired figure appeared next to Derek He spared him a glance It was Lucifer the only man in the Freedom Fighters that Derek had no confidence of being able to stand against He was also the 2nd in command of the Freedom Fighters in all but name leading the most powerful battalion

Is that them Lucifer grunted wiping blood from his sabers

Derek nodded Let’s see if classes are really worth all this trouble

Randidly’s hackles rose at the mention of Raina but then he shrugged She wouldn’t even be near him she would just wait out for the food But when they walked into the kitchen there she was sitting up on the counter her legs dangling Next to her a serious looking woman with pistols strapped to her waist stood arms crossed

Oh Raina I’m such a huge fan It is such an honor for you to taste my delectable cuisine Karlito said bowing

Raina rewarded him with a sunny smile Actually I’m just peckish Matilda here told me that her favorite dish was fish tacos and when it came to fresh food this was the place to come

Matilda who Randidly assumed was the guard just glowered looking excited about nothing fish tacos or otherwise

Naturally Raina’s gaze moved past Karlito to Randidly who followed him through the door into the kitchen Randidly looked towards the ground feeling a small urge to smile and suppressing it Mental Strength rose another level and the urge dropped to almost nothing

Randidly sighed his relief and began to move towards the supply freezer to get the ingredients for fish tacos He began running through the list in his head He would need

Excuse me were you at my concert last night Back stage

Randidly paused turning slowly Raina had hopped down off the counter and was studying him something strange in her eyes

Nodding Randidly said Yes I was

The silence grew slowly their gazes locked

Then Karlito chuckled uneasily Honestly who wasn’t at your concert Ms Raina It was the event of the year I wish I could get a recording your music speaks to me

Not everyone was back stage And not everyone can just look at me with such mild eyes while I’m smiling at them not since the system came to this world Raina said her voice light In fact I don’t think I have met anyone that can Not even that zombie Lucifer What’s your name

To Randidly’s surprise there was no power or skill in the question No influence from the system pressed against him urging him to answer It was just filled with curiosity and a yearning And most of all loneliness

After an extremely long pause Randidly answered my name is Randidly Ghosthound

One of the great reliefs of Randidly’s life in regards to the system was that no longer would his name earn him strange looks Raina nodded as if this was the most natural thing in the world

Well Mr Ghosthound She said the corners of her mouth quirking upward Would you like to have dinner with me

As Derek Quinn watched standing next to the silent Lucifer he watched as the squad picked up speed moving through to the front lines of the battle Then the last of the Freedom Fighter’s stepped to the side gladly willing to let someone else hold back the swarm for a while

With a crash they smashed into the ants

Derek froze

He had been expecting a crash but they simply slid into the enemy lines barely slowing at all His increased perception let him barely glimpse as each one of the 10 shield holders stabbed forward smoothly with a short sword each time accurately driving their sword into the skulls of the ants

The bodies were shoved to the side and trampled on the squad barely breaking stride

As they penetrated deeper into the ant lines more swarmed towards them recognizing this new threat but the spearwoman simply stabbed into the ants approaching from the back with ruthless efficiency breaking the ants legs and leaving them useless

But what was most shocking was the weaponless woman

Magic user Lucifer mumbled next to Derek his tone wondering

Although there were individuals who used the Mana Bolt skill it was mostly just as a supplement After all no one had a large enough mana pool that it was feasible to train up the skill But as this woman raised her hands forked lightning shot out smashing into two ants and then each of those splitting into two more and then two more

32 ants collapsed dead from the move and 64 were sent staggering stunned by the electricity

With a pleased expression on her face the woman did it again clearing another huge swath of ants and then drank a blue potion from a flask

Like a well oiled machine the squad marched forward barely seeming to break a sweat as they ripped through these enemies that had kept the Freedom Fighters stumped

It was possible that a squad of their elites could have managed to do something similar at least for a time But they would quickly run out of Stamina and be stranded in the middle of an endless number of ants helpless Even Lucifer himself could only fight for a half hour or so before he needed a break

As Derek watched he realized their advantage was two fold First it was clear that leveling gave powerful bonuses to Health Mana and Stamina Otherwise there was no way they could do this

But the other advantage was professionalism Those small thrusts effectively killed the monsters but he suspected that they cost next to no stamina They were simply well equipped and efficient The Freedom Fighters couldn’t compare

Inwardly Derek felt a small tremor in his heart He had heard that this group came from the North These were likely their elites But even if they had several other squads like this

Just how powerful was the place that they came from

Karlito and the restaurant manager chatted excitedly at dinner their eyes becoming increasingly glassy as time passed Even Matilda began to smile as Raina told wild story after story her smile wide but her eyes always scrutinizing Randidly

Finally almost gently her smile disappeared like a mirage and she said coldly Matilda would you escort these two away Mr Ghosthound and I have something to talk about in private

Matilda her face settling back into a stony expression dragged the befuddled two men away leaving only Randidly and Raina in the room

She smiled at him So we are finally alone

Chapter 77

Randidly folded his arms his eyes narrowing The only reason he had remained this long was that he couldn’t set aside his nagging feeling that she would be incredibly useful to have on his side Even still he was still made nervous by

But then her shoulders slumped and her whole demeanor changed Tears began to form in the corners of her eyes

I I’m really glad I met you You are the first person you are the first person to really see me To see me Everyone else is just blinded by the skills and She sniffed and then looked at Randidly with an odd expression How attractive do you think I am Be honest

With his eyes fixed on the table between them Randidly was almost squirming Give him a sphinx with infinite mana any day This aspect of life was something he was simply never good at His experiences in the dungeon taught him how to act in life but never how to interact

Honestly Randidly said tentatively and Raina nodded He shrugged helplessly honestly rather plain your body is very Uh well endowed but your face Although that changes when you smile But I can’t be sure that’s not the skill

Raina leaned forward her hair swinging to cover her face The table was silent for almost a minute before she straightened a strange look on her face

That hurt more than I expected it to I’m not I mean that’s how I used to be but ever since the system came She shook her head seemingly very sad I’ve felt lost though unsure of who I was What I wanted to be What I had become Thank you you’ve helped me remember Plain ha

Raina stood her smile sad but still making Randidly want to smile back at her And ultimately that made him not trust her She put a business card down on the table

This is my address If you want we can talk again I’d really really like to talk again Please visit Then to Randidly’s surprise she leaned over and pressed her lips against Randidly’s cheek He stood still His perception had seen her coming and he had ample time to React and his Agility was so high that it would have been simple to evade her but he was simply surprised

Randidly had obviously had girlfriends before and sex but those had always moved slowly building over time This sudden kiss left him at a loss

What had him most stunned was that there was no familiar influence of her charm on him It was a genuine moment without a skill

Raina pulled back and they looked at each other for several seconds

Then she tried to smile but failed You you’re not going to visit are you

Randidly shook his head slowly This woman he could not trust her She left then Matilda allowing the other two into the room who looked with wide eyes at Randidly

Karlito was the first to speak Randidly man on your cheek that lipstick did Raina

Sighing Randidly stood and walked out into the night leaving the people behind Feeling annoyed he scaled a nearby apartment building quickly climbing 20 stories to the roof There he let out a long sigh

He really needed to work on his people skills If only the system had skills for that

A notification popped up a welcome distraction from his current annoyance

Congratulations Your Thorn Lvl 4 is ready to level up Due to diet and influence Thorn wonders whether he is a Lone Hunter or a Team Trapper

As mulled over these choices another notification popped up

Congratulations Your Arbor Lvl 2 is ready to level up Due to diet and influence Arbor wonders whether he is simply a Lonely Tower or a Pillar of the Community

Randidly narrowed his eyes at the timing It was strange enough that both were leveling at the same time due to the seemingly increased difficulty for his Soul Plants to level but they also both had similar references Were they developing a symbiotic relationship with each other

That didn’t sound right otherwise there would likely be more of a connection between the two levels Randidly supposed that without his presence both had been forced to be exposed to more humans Perhaps they were simply wondering what their purpose was in the grand scheme of things

This was a lot more likely for Arbor with its higher Brain Function but still

Because he wasn’t sure of the effects of either Randidly split the difference Arbor well all he really knew about the thing was that it was vain As such it seemed to make more sense that it would be a part of a community Meanwhile Thorn was designed to lurk and slaughter monsters which meant Randidly preferred it as a Lone Hunter

Satisfied Randidly made both of his selections

Thorn is now Lvl 5 Physicality has increased by 3 Brain Function has increased by 2 Particularity has increased by 1 Thorn has learned the skill Thorny Whip

Arbor is now Lvl 3 Magical Aptitude has increased by 1 Brain Function has increased by 1 Particularity has increased by 4 Arbor has learned the skill Aura of Arbor

Randidly looked at the ultimate results from the level ups slightly aggrieved

Lvl 5

Physicality 10

Brain Function 6

Particularity 9

Battle Ability 18

Special Skills Flexibility Strangle Dig Thorny Whip

Lvl 3

Magical Aptitude 4

Brain Function 8

Particularity 12

Battle Ability 2

Special Skills Elaborate Dance Aura of Arbor

Randidly shook his head Thorn’s level had gone how he had predicted and he was delighted to discover that his Battle Ability increased to 18 That meant that Thorn could handle himself around enemies at level 18 Average enemies at least

Meanwhile Arbor the soul seed he had never seen continued to focus its points in particularity earning the ambiguous Aura of Arbor’ It was probably useful but

Would it have killed the thing to grow a little in terms of Battle Ability

20 men left and 19 men came back led by a Dozer that had enough of a beard that the time he spent in the dungeon must have been a few weeks at least No one spoke as the men returned cutting a brutal path through the wandering monsters The men were covered in blood Several had several glittering high level weapons that they didn’t leave with The squad’s sole knight had two shields one on each arm rather than a sword strapped to his waist

They marched in silent formation the discipline brutally apparent making clear the absence of one of their number

But even more notable than the absence of one of his warriors was the midnight blue kitten that Dozer had cradled in his arms Daniel looked at it curiously and was surprised when it was dumped on him by Dozer who promptly walked over to Annie picked her up and carried her off

Daniel frowning opened his mouth to say something but Regina put a hand on his shoulder

Leave him be Glendel already reports that the monsters from that dungeon have ceased they have obviously won We don’t need to know the details until he is ready to tell them

But what about Daniel looked helplessly at the cat that seemed to suddenly come awake yawning It blinked violet eyes at him then gently gingerly raised its paw and placed it against Daniel’s face

Daniel couldn’t help but smile The cat smiled up at him it seemed and flexed its paw its claws sinking into his face

Daniel’s howls earned chuckles even from the freshly returned squad who collapsed releasing all the tension that had kept them wound through this journey They had made it home

Nathan frowned at his sister who was standing next to Arbor but also dangerously close to the strange thorny creature that now frequented the area by the tree Both of the strange plants were glowing slightly the thorn creature writhing on the ground and Arbor growing upwards fast enough to see with the naked eye

What’s going on Nathan asked

His sister smiled serenely at him The Ghosthound has willed it so they are changing

Nathan thought his sister was being weird but said nothing As he watched the light around Arbor dimmed but the thorny vine creature began to thrash more Watching closely Nathan could even see the thorns on the vines slowly growing more twisted longer sharper These weren’t the needles they were in the past but were more like hooks aiming to rip flesh

Why did Arbor stop growing if the other one still is Nathan asked but his sister just smiled and walked away back towards the village

Surprised but glad they could leave and go see the return of Dozer’s squad Nathan followed

They wound their way through the coffee farm and the banana farm moving quickly sticking to the shadows Although they hadn’t been forbidden from coming here per se it was getting increasingly difficult to do so

Then returning to the farming area proper they relaxed somewhat This was the area that it was relatively okay that they play in although not usually so late Farmers and Potion Makers walked back and forth discussing ratios and ingredients

But instead of turning upwards towards the Classer Compound Kiersty kept walking towards the middle of the valley where the mage battalion guarded the road coming through the mountains

Kiersty walked through the men sitting around taking breaks even while the sound of spell casting evidenced the proximity of the front lines They drew a few stares but mostly because of the presence of children not because any of them planned on stopping the two kids

Still Nathan was quite nervous To his relief they stopped almost directly next to the watch tower right behind the spot where the relief squad waited ready to assist their comrades Kiersty pointed and Nathan’s gaze followed her finger

Quickly erupting from the ground was a grey ashy piece of wood that looked like an exact duplicate of Arbor Faster than any plant had a right to move this Arbor clone grew upwards until this Arbor was the same size as the original Arbor’s new size back in the field about as tall as a grown man Then its branches began to spread curling upwards

Then four flaming leaves bloomed on the tree the relief squad turning to gaze at the tree with wide eyes

Notifications popped up in front of Nathan that he tried to read but made his head swim

You are under the influence of the skill Aura of Arbor This allows you to make use of a Gift of Arbor Regeneration is also passively boosted by 10%

Gift of Arbor The next active skill used will use 50% of the normal amount of mana or stamina Gift of Arbors grow at a rate of 1 per hour per sprouting As long as you are within the Aura of Arbor Gifts from any sprouting may be used

There might only be two now Kiersty said her voice loud and a little shrill But soon this place will be covered in them May the blessing of Arbor be with you all

Chapter 78

Randidly had spent the past hour carefully separating out the four different colored crystals he had refined creating 13 different recipes Ultimately Randidly had admitted to himself that he simply didn’t have enough of either the purple crystal or the green one to mix them with each other trying out all the possible combinations

The first 12 recipes were two groups of 6 First the purple with red 25/75 50/50 and 75/25 Then the same purple with blue

The second group of 6 was the green crystal rather than the purple one but otherwise the same

The final recipe the one that he would save for last was equal parts of all four crystals ground down and mixed

Randidly started with purple because honestly although he understood what the poison was generally he wasn’t sure what this crystal refined from the blood of monster would do and was more curious about its effects

His hands moved to the 50/50 mixture purple and red Careful to get every small ground up crystal he dumped them into a glass container The potion mixed and turned a dark maroon color Curious Randidly examined it

Lesser Potion of Health Lvl 18 Increases your maximum health by 180 for 20 minutes If after the time runs out your health is below 180 your health will be reduced to 1 and you will obtain the status effect Overdrawn which reduces regeneration by 90% for an hour

Randidly nodded slowly At his level it might not quite be worth it But as his potion level increases and he could raise the bonus

Curious Randidly did the same thing between purple and blue obtaining a Lvl 23 Potion of Mana increasing the mana pool by 230 for 10 minutes but otherwise largely the same

The current boost was about the same as his highest tier potions but they were made with the least refined ingredients After a bit of experimentation if he could obtain a Potion of Mana that increased his Mana pool by 460 for 10 minutes The increased spell casting burst would be highly effective

But the night was long and there were still more recipes to try

Derek straightened abruptly The change had come to the ants about an hour ago around 3 hours after the squad had trundled on down and into the ant warren Suddenly the ants began wandering away the once directed swarm lost and leaderless

Without a concerted attack the ants were quickly beaten back after all they were quite weak individually Even the volunteers let alone the Freedom Fighters regulars could handle a lone ant

But still for a long time there was no sign of the squad Had they perished in the attempt

Yet here they were walking casually back continually slaughtering any monsters that stepped in front of them like this was just another day at the office

When the group reached him for a long time Derek Quinn didn’t know what to say He had thought he had worked hard and found strength but

In his heart he knew that this was partially because of the classes that they had this advantages but at the same time

He had watched them They moved cleanly with a proficiency and professionalism that made him helpless It made him realize something

While Franksburg had tried to keep back the outside world maintaining the status quo these men and woman had gone out into the outside world and changed themselves to thrive in it They had forsaken their previous humanity and found a new strength through the new world was ruled by the system

Alana cleared her throat So take us to Anthony We’d like to talk conditions

Randidly considered the potions in front of him

The purple 25% red or blue with 75% created another intriguing potion

Lesser Mana Regeneration Potion Lvl 25 Increases Mana Regeneration by 250% for the next 5 minutes

This potion was actually one where Randidly preferred the non mana option Mana regeneration even with a build like Randidly’s with a lot put into it was still so slow He would only receive an extra 200 Mana per hour with that Taken down to a 5 minute time period that was only an extra 15 mana

Health potions were more impressive but still slightly lackluster It would restore on Randidly 40 some odd health which was still pretty insignificant

What his focus was really was on was the stamina potion and whether a regeneration variant could be made for that Unlimited stamina for a short period of time not only would it hurry training speed at certain key intervals it could be used to make individuals unstoppable for a short period of time

In addition there had been talk from the potion makers that they had found a method to delay the time a normal health potion would heal you over If that same method could be used to extend the time the regeneration was increased even if it lowered the bonus

Unfortunately he didn’t have enough materials on hand to experiment with that for now That would have to wait until he returned to Donnyton Although helping the town had been slightly a hassle at first they were swiftly growing into something that was useful to him they could be used to effectively gather the materials he needed for both the green and purple crystals Otherwise he would need to drain dozens of mushrooms or ants every time

The purple 75% was his current favorite potions

Lesser Hungry Flesh Potion Lvl 23 Gain Healthsteal for 5 minutes 2 3% of the physical damage dealt will be recovered as health

Lesser Hungry Soul Potion Lvl 27 Gain Manasteal for 5 minutes 2 7% of the magical damage dealt will be recovered as mana

These were undoubtedly useful it would take a certain type of fighter to use the Healthsteal but the Manasteal was intriguing Again though the concept of Staminasteal would be the most interesting if it existed

Satisfied with these Randidly turned to the green crystal mixtures

The 50/50 splits turned out to be direct boosts to stats

Lesser Physical Tonic Lvl 24 +5 to all Physical stats for 10 minutes After that 10 Physical Stats for 30 minutes

Randidly grimaced He wasn’t a fan of these potions Unlike the direct boosts to health or mana these had demerits no matter what condition you were in at the end of the time period

The green 25% yielded a strange result as well

Lesser Physical Fury Potion Lvl 27 Gain Physical fury for 27 minutes Physical damage taken slightly reduced Physical damage dealt slightly increased

Mana was similar except flipped It was only the green crystal at 75% that really surprised him in terms of the poison potion results

Lesser Health Fire Lvl 28 Deal 56% of afflicted targets current health per second for 30 seconds or until the fire is put out

Lesser Mana Fire Lvl 24 Cause target to lose 24% of target’s current mana per second for 30 seconds or until the fire is put out

Both of these potions would be extremely dangerous if discovered They were designed to fight against a person with superior Health and Mana Even Randidly if afflicted with them would have difficulties

But what Randidly realized while looking at the description was that although they both were powerful it was ultimately a potion that was vastly more dangerous for mages Their spells had more power than similarly leveled physical skills but Magical stats were useless without mana A tank with low health still had his or her high physical stats and could struggle

But a mage

Chuckling Randidly straightened and cracked his neck He supposed it was good then that he was noncommittal and insisted on being good at everything A potion like this would strip away all of his magical weapons

Then he focused again looking down at the final pile of ingredients which would combine all 4 of the crystals

Moving carefully he mixed them The potion glowed briefly then settled down into a swirling blackness As he watched though small flecks of light emerged almost like stars that slowly dissolved the blackness Finally the water cleared turning back to

Well water

But when Randidly peered closely and examined it his eyes narrowed

Viscous Liquid of Possibilities Lvl Higher tiered base crafting material Can be refined to a more stable form

So Randidly refined it Over and over for an hour Finally he held a small clear marble in his hand

Stone of Possibilities Lvl 42 A stone that holds a lot of potential Can be used to store 42 Health Mana or Stamina which can then be siphoned back from the stone to yourself should the need arise Reusable

So not only was this Liquid of Possibilities used for potions of the next variety up but it could be refined into stones that then could be used to keep Health Mana or Stamina for emergencies

In addition over the course of the night Randidly had gained 8 levels in Potion Making raising himself to Lvl 30 and 6 Levels in refine rising to Lvl 12 So the capacity of the stone was determined by those two skills

He lamented the additional grinding he would need to do but grinned at the thought of the possibilities Hopping off the building Randidly went prowling towards the edge of Franksburg searching for more crafting materials There was still a few hours until dawn anyway

Randidly wanted to check in on Tessa to see if there were after effects from exposure to Raina’s song but otherwise he didn’t plan on wasting his time raising his Digging skill again He felt slightly guilty that he had ignored her all of yesterday but his pursuits today had been rather distracting Better late than never

Shrugging Randidly put it out of his mind Better to focus on the present

His smile widened If possible he would create more of these Stone of Possibilities in preparation for the dangers that were sure to come

Chapter 79

Alana’s demands were simple and fair establishing a small base within Franksburg that they could use for trade a share of the various supplies that Franksburg had access to due to its size prior to the system specifically of tools and clothing and the chance to appeal to the populous seeking more people to move up and settle within Donnyton

Although they were more well equipped and highly trained Alana explained there were far fewer of them Donnyton was about 3 000 people Anthony informed them that Franksburg had a population of 42 000 at last count

Anthony with the Blonde Senator’s bemused support were only to happy to agree to provide these things for their services in obtaining the golden coin They were less willing however to listen to Alana’s recommendations on how he Newbie VIllage should be constructed

You should wait She advised Or at least limit the amount of people you allow to receive a class A monster horde will come based on the amount that have a class also we believe based on the population but that is more of a 1 to 1 ratio The number of classers multiplies the monsters by 10

Look Anthony said in a very smooth voice a smile on his face I appreciate your concern But I assure you that our deficiencies are primarily in assault in terms of defense we are more than capable Snipers machine gun nests walls we have it all We really appreciate your concern but will take it from here

Devan frowned and moved to step in but before he could speak both he and Alana saw something that made their blood chill The golden coined turned to powder and disappeared and a small scorpion flashed into existence on the ground It was red with a crimson stinger

But as the two of them watched it flickered and sudden an unassuming looking human stood and its space her hair long to her shoulders and black The pupils of her eyes were crimson

You’ve made an excellent choice The woman purred making the Senator and Anthony blink and turn around I will be the spirit of your Newbie Village Helen Without Classes you cannot find power But with them

Well you can rule this world and others She said with glittering eyes

Randidly frowned up at the notification about the Newbie Village and then looked up towards the pillar of light This would certainly accelerate their timeline for recruitment This time here

Randidly hesitated It had been a chance to relax which had helped clear his head and let him think again about potion ingredients making this breakthrough on Potion Making He had gained a lot of skill levels in random activities which were useful for PP but didn’t have the opportunity to lead to useful higher tiered skills

It was almost a mini vacation After the frustration and inaction of the previous 4 weeks it was exactly what Randidly had needed to rediscover his drive Without the constant threat looming he had felt somewhat lost But now his goal was clear Randidly needed information and reach He would do his best to grow and insulate these villages from the growing threat of the system Ease their transition into this new world

He would not baby them but he would do his best to keep the unknown from crushing them

They might need to weather their monster hordes but he would not let an tribulation break them Once these villages expanded he could gather more information using Donnyton as a base Information both on the system concerning skills classes and survival and on location of other survivors

So for now

Randidly looked at the pillar of light thoughtfully but then turned away There was something that Randidly wanted to experiment with but first he had a few other errands

First things first Randidly recalled the notification he had received earlier as the PP he earned for Potion Making was enough to finish the Fireball I path

Congratulations You have completed the The Fireball I Path As you tread down the path of fire the ground may be hot beneath your feet and your hair is wet with sweat but strength fills your limbs The path may stretch ever onward but your pace accelerates Mana +50 Mana Regen +10 You have gained the skill Circle of Flame Lvl 1

Circle of Flame Conjures a circle of flame that moves outward from the castor Costs 150 mana Size of flames determined by Control and Skill Level Heat of Flames determined by Intelligence and Skill Level Speed of spread determined by Wisdom and Skill Level Duration of circle determined by Focus and Skill Level

Randidly nodded at the nice boost in mana and mana regeneration He would need to experiment more with the skill but now it seemed he had an area of effect spell and a single target spell in fire which would keep his options open during an extended fight Even though the cost was again debilitatingly high improving the skill level would do a lot to increase the effectiveness of the spell making the mana cost worth it

Or at least Randidly hoped so After all it was possible that it was already extremely powerful It just didn’t seem like a good idea to check while strolling down the street towards Tessa’s apartment

Sidestepping around a mom and 5 kids staring up in wonder at the pillar of light Randidly looked at his possible paths

Watcher 0/ Heretic IV 0/ Oathbreaker 0/25 Initiate of Ash I 0/75 Potion Making II 0/35

Randidly was slightly curious about why Heretic continued to increase but wasn’t willing to invest his PP into it to find out when there was such an attractive option as Potion Making II There might not be very many stat points but it would likely end with Randidly learning a skill that he would use for crafting

He put the remaining 5 points into Potion Making II and earned a point in Focus

Right afterwards Randidly looked up to find himself standing in front of Tessa’s apartment building Since returning from the dungeon Randidly’s sense of time had become somewhat fuzzy The first week out the arrival of the monster horde had done a lot to help with that giving a standard time but since then he had noticed that his lack of normal sleep hours made him commit several interpersonal oversights

After all he had brought Tessa back from the concert two days ago and hadn’t really bothered to check on her in the intervening day Randidly didn’t even know when she had to leave for work

He didn’t know her apartment Should he just go up

Even though it had been so long in his mind since he broke up with her he still felt some lingering feelings Since he had already struck out on the clues about Sydney and Ace she was probably the person he was closest too He wanted her to move to Donnyton where she would have a larger measure of protection

Although depending on the results tonight during the monster horde perhaps Franksburg would turn out to be a relatively safe place

Randidly wouldn’t mind some time focusing on Meditation but there would probably would be more fruitful times to do so Better to just head up

Randidly decided to just head up

What was surprising was the state of the hallways in the building Trash lined the walls People lined the walls too laying on piles of trash and sometimes bundled up blankets It seemed that the elevators weren’t working so Randidly had to climb the stairs which luckily were clear but nervous people who wouldn’t meet his gaze hurried past him in every direction

That was nothing compared to the surprise that awaited Randidly when he left the stairwell and headed into Tessa’ floor A tall scarred man with long grey hair pulled up into a ponytail blocked his way and held out his hand

Rent The man grunted seeming bored

Randidly blinked I don’t live here

Then scram The man flicked his fingers and turned away Several other well muscled men chuckled leaning against the walls farther into the floor hallway Looking around Randidly thought things were slightly off with this floor Besides the strange grouping of thugs there weren’t any of the other grungy hall tenants that Randidly had seen on the other floors

Still Randidly didn’t really care As he smiled lightly at the guys hanging around he activated Pollen of the Rafflesia It was a skill that he hadn’t really worked to improve recently mostly due to the long amount of time it took to affect the enemies After all much faster just to stick a spear down a monsters throat But while in Franksburg Randidly supposed he should be more subtle in his approach

Content to stand under their harsh eyes Randidly just remained in the doorway waiting for it to take effect

Apparently Mr Ponytail had a decent amount of Vitality Because his bored expression swiftly descended into a frown his eyes remaining clear Why the fuck are you

His words were interrupted by the sound of one of the guys vomiting behind him The man spun clearly more concerned about this new occurrence than Randidly’s continued presence

Come the fuck on if you knew you were sick why

Another man swayed and then collapsed his face pale his mouth foaming Another man backed away from Mr Ponytail his eyes wide shaking like a leaf in a storm

One man began to vomit spewing more bile over the floor

Randidly’s smile widened as Mr Ponytail seemed dumbstruck by this turn of events It seemed his Intelligence of 96 did a lot to speed up the time it took for these people to fall under the Pollen’s influence

And to Randidly’s pleasure he gained a skill level in Pollen of the Rafflesia

Chapter 80

Before the system Ezzie had worked as a bartender Not a sexy or exciting life but a satisfying one Now after the world fell to shit he worked security on the housing for the girls who worked at the Carp Twin’s Gentleman’s Club Normally this just meant shoving away the bottomfeeders that would follow them home or attempt to break into their rooms after hours for a place to sleep Occasionally he would need to escort one of the girls somewhere or keep a close eye on one for Missy Carp who was the more business minded of the Carp siblings

It wasn’t a fulfilling life but it was a stable one

After all life with the system made things dangerous and stable was an important factor to consider when choosing a line of work

Nothing had ever happened quite like this where his fellow guards collapsed around him With a strange fear in his chest a growing nausea and a sliver of disbelief Ezzie turned back to the slim man

Did did you do this Ezzie hissed looking closely at the man Tall muscular but not in a bulky way black hair green eyes His features were as sharp as his smile was mild But something instinctive deep within Ezzie’s gut told him that this man was dangerous This was a man not to be trifled with

Congratulations You have gained the skill Sixth Sense Lvl 1

Where as previously Ezzie had been nervous now he was petrified As soon as the skill notification appeared the prickling of danger became a pounding violence that was hanging over him The very air that he was breathing seemed suffused with some strange harm Ezzie stumbled back and away from the man coughing

He raised his sleeve to his mouth trying to filter the air before he breathed it in but it was already too late his vision swam and he struggled to remain standing

Congratulations The skill Sixth Sense has grown to Lvl 2

The man calmly stepped forward moving around the moaning and writhing men avoiding the pools of vomit Strangely Ezzie could feel that the man had stopped doing whatever it was that he was doing and the oppressive feeling that filled the air was slowly thinning

But the creeping dread just grew stronger as he approached

I’m just here to visit a friend The man said regarding Ezzie carefully a small amount of surprise in his eyes

Ezzie was pretty surprised as well as he leaned against the wall for support His eyes wanted to drift shut but he forced them open

Congratulations You have gained the skill Sleep Resistance Lvl 1

Congratulations The skill Sixth Sense has grown to Lvl 3

Each increase in Sixth Sense’s level brought with it a reinforced certainty that this man was dangerous Ezzie backed up further down the hall

You you can’t These girls work for the Carp siblings You know what that means right

The man frowned and Ezzie felt some relief in his heart Perhaps if he at least was afraid of the Carps this whole situation could be avoided

Honestly no The man said shrugging awkwardly But I think you’ll find that doesn’t matter to me

Ezzie collapsed finally succumbing to the sickness in his veins

Tessa frowned up at the door Had someone just

The knock came again in the same even rhythm She was nearest the door and her roommates had fled back to their bedroom fearful of who would dare disturb them

If this was one of Ezzie’s goons coming to harass them again firming her resolve Tessa opened the door To her surprise Randidly stood there looking curiously into the apartment

Hey He said in that slow offhand way he had speaking a beat too late It was like sometimes he became so focused that he forgot to speak And when he finally did it was only because he felt guilty about his silence I came to find you There’s something I wanted to talk to you about

Tessa opened her mouth then hesitated Finally she just said Okay

Missy Carp trimmed her fingernails neatly thinking while she worked There were a lot of pieces moving here It was hard to handle all the directions that Franksburg was shifting The arrival of the people with classes from the north The establishment of the Newbie Village The rising star of Raina

Being the head of the seedier business organizations within Franksburg was a tough responsibility even as the system’s brutal violence eased the disapproval most people felt towards her business ventures and her brother Edgar sure as hell wasn’t going to take care of it There was only her and Edgar would affably follow her lead

It was only in the cruelty department that he was her vast superior

And now there were reports of a strange man who could make others sick with a glance fucking around with her girls

Missy gave Ezzie a glance Out of all of their hired muscle he was the one with the most potential Although the Senator had informed her in confidence that there would be limits on who was allowed to get a class initially as they tried to gauge how well their defenses would hold he would ensure that a few of the Carp’s nominated chosen would get first crack at classes

Ezzie was smart and before today seemed to be capable She would probably still send him for a class after this but

It was annoying that this happened now Were the events related

But the Senator had kept the individuals with classes under his paranoid eyes There was no way that he would have missed out on such a powerful individual among the Classers who had arrived Unless he was one of their agents used for infiltration

Sighing Missy set these thoughts aside they were useless at this juncture Did you get any information about him Who he was visiting What the purpose was

Ezzie nodded sorrowfully Then after a slight hesitation he said He did give his name before I passed out So we would know to leave him alone from now on He called himself the Ghosthound

Missy snorted What sort of dumb name is that

Shivering Ezzie could only shake his head

Alana passed back and forth annoyed As time passed she only became more tense In a show of generosity Anthony had decided to limit the amount of people who could get classes on the first day to 500 He made a great show of how torn he was and how ultimately he really valued the growing relationship with Donnyton etc and that was what swayed him

He added that he hoped that they would remember his understanding in the future It made Alana want to vomit They weren’t doing this for their own benefit they were doing it to protect Franksburg

Even Devan seemed somewhat disgusted by Anthony’s slimy way of handling the situation Only Clarissa seemed unphased

Just seems like there are going to be a lot of monsters to kill which will level my Split Lightning faster What’s not to like The other woman said with a shrug Alana just sighed These RPG types were the worst as they threw themselves into growing with the system like it was a game flippantly disregarding the dangerous reality

Still Clarissa never made a foolish mistake so maybe Alana just wanted to lash out

Devan come here The entire group blinked spinning around They were located on the roof of a rather nice house deep in Franksburg that Anthony had given them to use As if it was the most natural thing in the world The Ghosthound stood there beckoning

Devan immediately stepped forward and The Ghosthound put his hand on the man’s shoulder

A long moment passed The two men gazed deeply into each other’s eyes There seemed to be some sort of powerful connection occurring in front of her some sort of intimate bond To her surprise Alana found herself blushing

What what sort of situation was this

Finally after around 10 seconds of this Devan looked at the ground Shaking his head slowly he said I I would prefer not

The Ghosthound nodded I understand It is a lot to ask And likely unnecessary Alana come here

Alana’s blush turned into mounting horror Devan would prefer not And now The Ghosthound wanted her

As if he could read her mind the Ghosthound rolled his eyes I have a special skill I’d like to test But to receive it you have to sacrifice your class A strange stipulation but I suppose the skill is pretty strange in itself

So Alana said slowly You can give me a class Right now

The Ghosthound seemed to ponder that I don’t know But I do think what I’m giving you will be powerful Do you want it

Alana hesitated but only for a moment Yes

I want it Alana repeated her eyes blazing remembering the casual carnage left in Clarissa’s wake and the brutal efficiency of Devan and his squad If it’s power I can grasp with these hands I want it

Randidly put his hand on her shoulder A notification a red one a strange departure of the regular blue kind floated in front of her

Warning Randidly Ghosthound has initiated the skill Blessing of the South on you This will create a permanent bond between you two Should Randidly Ghosthound perish all benefits gained from this bond will be retained but the growth of the bond will cease Do you still wish to accept his blessing Y/N

Alana clicked yes although she frowned Why did it say warning instead of the usual congratulations

Warning this bond is permanent Are you sure you wish to proceed Your class will be lost upon the acceptance of this Blessing Y/N

Now this was getting annoying This must be why it had taken so long There were so many pointless notifications Alana pressed yes again

Warning this is your final warning A portion of this bond’s strength will be drawn from Randidly Ghosthound Are you sure that you wish to accept this bond Y/N

Holy FUCK Alana swore pressing yes

This time the familiar blue notifications appeared

Congratulations You have received the Blessing of the South Calculating Blessing

From Randidly Ghosthound you have received the Soul Skill Blessing of theDistant Southern Mountains You have gained access to the class Spear of the Broken Ridge As you do not possess a class speak with a Town Spirit to obtain this class

Your skill Spear Mastery has been changed to Spear of the Broken Ridge Mastery Lvl 1 All previous benefits have been retained Spear Thrust has been changed to Sun Strike Lvl 1 All previous benefits have been retained You have gained the skill Hot Blooded Lvl 1 You have gained the skill Child of the Sun Lvl 1

Hot Blooded Lvl 1 As your current health drops in relation to your max health you receive a small boost in all physical stats The boost increases as skill level rises

Child of the Sun Lvl 1 Regeneration of Health and Stamina increased while under the Sun At night your body glows slightly illuminating your surroundings Regeneration increased by 2% per skill level Illumination increases with skill level

Oh wow Alana whispered looking at the notifications She had no idea how good the class would end up being but the changes to her skills obviously seemed to be changes for the better She couldn’t wait to try out her new skills And these weren’t even the skills she would get when she got the class

She selected the option to display the notifications publically and The Ghosthound carefully read through everyone of them

At the end he sighed So only really useful for people without classes huh Still that leaves us some options Anyway don’t die before we return to Donnyton and get the class I want to see the stat gains

Wouldn’t it be easier if I just got it here Alana wondered aloud but The Ghosthound shook his head

The place you get your class some sort of weird connection is formed there I’m not sure what it does but we shouldn’t take it lightly Just keep leveling up skills for now After all the efficiency of grinding for PP is increased now that you have a soul skill If it works the same way mine does you get a bonus every 5 PP spent Devan just don’t let her die alright

Devan nodded seriously and the Ghosthound walked to the edge of the roof and jumped disappearing into the night

Devan walked up beside her and looked after The Ghosthound for a long moment Then he turned to her

Time to get to work Ready to join the defenses

Tessa looked at the ground frowning

She didn’t know what she had expected She had reunited with an ex boyfriend THE ex boyfriend and in spite of the crazy change that had occurred they had gone to a concert together and then he came over to her apartment to talk

Although she didn’t necessarily expect him to beg to be back together what she really hadn’t expected was for their relationship not to come up at all instead Randidly had urged her to move north to a different town

She hadn’t even realized there WAS a different town Tessa had sorta been under the impression that Franksburg was all there was left

While she was sitting on the couch frowning and pondering the apartment door opened and one of her roommates came back practically bouncing with excitement

Tessa Did you hear People came from out of town Like out out of town Like 30 miles north out of town And they want people to resettle with them How crazy is that

Tessa blinked That’s crazy

Sam sat in his workshop kneeling on the floor trembling

The pressure had evened out somewhat recently from Raid Bosses and Donnyton was instituting several new policies in order to raise preparation for the possibility of that happening again One of those policy was the official formation of 5 new Squads

Sam had already done the work on the pendants to give them their mark of pride but more squads meant more and better equipment needed to be made Armor was important as an extra 50 or so health it provided would mean a lot If some stats could be added so much the better

In addition the high frequency of combat meant that there was equipment in need of repairs and when it came to skill Sam stood at the top of his crafting association

But at the moment he did nothing

Instead he frantically struggled to move overcome by a strange bout of weakness His hands trembled slightly unable to even maintain a grip on the small hammer he had been using to work

Over the past few weeks there had been a few scattered moments of lightheadedness where he felt strangely empty and light as if all his strength left him

Initially Sam had worried it was age but Rickman their official whiskey brewer had been 79 before the system came a doddering old man After slowly leveling his various skills and using the points to increase his Vitality and Endurance Rickman’s strength had returned and now he had salt and pepper hair looking as though he had just turned 50

Because of this and other examples of the elderly recovering at least some strength if not their youth as their stats rose and because no one else seemed to be suffering from these strange bouts of weakness Sam had ignored them

But now as he trembled on the ground unable to move he was profoundly afraid There was so much they didn’t know about the system so many pitfalls they might blindly walk into If he died here Randidly Lyra Even that fucker Kal still over in Turtletown

And Regina

Sam breathed slowly trying to calm himself And strangely he felt the bout of weakness recede

5 minutes later he stood feeling just as vigorous as he ever had But when he looked at his hands there was a hint of fear

What was happening to him

Chapter 81

Randidly looked out over the ruined suburbs surrounding Franksburg the corners of his mouth quirking up Unfortunately the leaders of Franksburg had been rather loose with their class allowances It looked like 700ish people had been given classes That was about as much as Donnyton had Of course the difference in quality of the Classers was obvious but still

It made it a little hard to imagine Donnyton becoming the superpower that he wanted it to be so he could use the superior political power for leveraging information Their higher skill in crafting and potion making would hopefully be enough to maintain their trading partnerships with Donnyton likely coming out ahead with its higher end products In terms of fightings strength though in the long run

But if Franksburg wanted to threaten Donnyton’s position of dominance in the region they needed to survive this night

Based on the information he had gotten from Alana the town had 42 000 people The monster horde was about 3x what Randidly had ever seen attack Donnyton which would put it just below 20k monsters coming

If 700 people had classes that meant that the NCCs would count for a little less than half a monster to push them up to the 20k total It seemed that NCCs only counted for about ? a monster in terms of the horde Randidly was relieved in a way

Not that he wanted the horde to be big enough to threaten the city but he certainly wanted Franksburg to feel fear and rely upon the goodwill of Donnyton In addition Randidly wanted to be out among the horde leveling his skills Especially Circle of Fire and Pollen of Rafflesia the high area skills

With this huge amount of monsters although he could slow their advance he wouldn’t do enough damage to the horde as a whole to make it too easy for Franksburg Basically

Randidly could run wild

Humming delightedly to himself Randidly sat down brewing potions while he watched the monsters mass in the darkness

Alana gripped her spear shaft so tightly that her knuckles cracked The monsters came in a thundering wave She had only had a brief chance to look at Franksburg’s defenses but in some places it was barely more than a chain link fence reinforced with metal siding

The perimeter would undoubtedly be breached The question was where

And yet Alana could not deny the bubbling excitement within her chest The changes in her skills

She wanted to see how far they would carry her even as she remained classless And once she returned to Donnyton and obtained a class

Alana understood the arguments that certain NCCs put stock into Sam and Regina both chose to focus on raising skill levels rather than receiving a class Alana had thus far taken the same path and focused on polishing her Spear Mastery and gaining various other skills for PP

But now that she had a class waiting for her and a powerful one at that It was hard to resist the allure of the strength that it could give her Above all else the possible bonuses to Health Mana and Stamina changed the entire dynamic Where NCCs have to rely on Endurance and Vitality for their Stamina pool a Classer has a naturally high Stamina pool just due to leveling This led to increased battle proficiency and increased length of training sessions which in turn lead to higher PP hauls

Then Alana shook her head focusing back on the situation at hand The squad from Donnyton was being used as the plug to fill up any holes in the defenses So for now that sat silently in the back waiting Alana knew they wouldn’t have to wait for long

Randidly stepped calmly forward appearing the middle of the flailing horde This clump of enemies was mostly composed of skeletons grimy rags hanging from their bones but they would do for the initial test

Circle of Flame Randidly whispered Abruptly he felt a bright heat in his chest that exploded outward away from him in a wave of flame smashing the nearby skeletons backwards Most of the ones within a few meters shattered to pieces instantly the concussive force too much The layer of skeletons beyond that howled as their bones charred and weakened slowly falling to pieces Beyond that the skeletons were simply sent stumbling

The flame circle dissipated into nothing leaving Randidly frowning Although it was hot and dangerous near him that power swiftly dropped off after the spell was used It currently was nowhere near the level he wanted it

With a dissatisfied expression Randidly focused on another monster a good distance away and stepped again using Phantom Half Step As soon as he appeared another Circle of Flame exploded outwards ending around 20 skeletons

Randidly stepped again and then used circle of flame Over and over he continued taking small breaks every 4 or 5 Circle of Flames to down a mana potion He left a trail of craters in his wake like the footsteps of a flaming giant even as his own form was quite small

After what must have been his 30th circle of flame Randidly casually turned looking back behind him He had reached the back of the monster horde after cutting his waying through it with flame but all marks of his passage were already erased as the flood of monsters trudged on towards Fransburg

It looked like the front lines had reached the outer Franksburg perimeter and that fighting would begin in earnest soon Tonight they would learn of how unforgiving this world is Even Randidly’s presence could only do so much Given enough time sure he could make a noticeable difference

Given ALOT of time sure And a lot of potions

After drinking a mana potion and a stamina potion Randidly removed his spear from his satchel and admired the oppressive height and size Looking at the thick shaft he could still imagine that fearfully powerful Sphinx If it hadn’t toyed with him for so long

Well it had and now it was simply a tall pole weapon There was a lesson in that Randidly supposed But it was not one worth dwelling on now

Now he wanted to try his spear skills He had practiced a little and found a few enemies but the last 4 weeks had been an exercise in patience Although the spear worked fine against small groups of enemies the fearsome size meant it was made for something different

Something like this

The huge construct of bone swept outward as Randidly began walking back through the horde cleaving 6 monsters in half in one blow Randidly’s strength making their bodies seem like paper The skeletons spun around clattering their jaws angrily but the next stroke of Randidly’s spear silenced them forever

Randidly pressed forward faster and faster cutting through the army heading towards the section that was composed mostly of goblins Skeletons were fine but

Randidly wanted to grind other things

He burst into the small bodies of the goblins in an explosion of mangled flesh his spear sweeping back and forth Finding a rather thick clump he leapt over and unleashed a Spear Phantom’s Onslaught reducing most of the goblins in the area to paste

His spear was almost TOO big to use in delicate spearwork The blade of the spear ripped the torso of a goblin totally in half Still Randidly threw his attacks forward with wild abandon barely trying for delicacy as the goblins leaped at his back The corner of his mouth quirked upward

Twisting his spear swept across smashing them out of the air and into the ground Humming a soft tune to himself Randidly activated Pollen of the Rafflesia and began ripping quickly through the goblins as those nearby the already dead began to notice his presence and started to scream at him

He continued moving rapidly striking and moving on towards the deeper area of the horde The ones in front of him were cut to pieces the ones behind him became drowsy or ill or confused

A walking catastrophe Randidly strolled forward focusing on his form

Still there was no need to rush It would be quite the long night

Alana was annoyed

She had lost herself in the vicious cycle of pushing back enemies and then being called away to another side of the perimeter to reinforce another struggling area The first 1 hour was slow as the monsters stalled out on the fences but as they caved their work swiftly became cut out for them

It was only 10 minutes ago after they beat back the ice spewing bats heavily relying on Clarissa’s superior magic they received a new order

They were to retreat to the headquarters

Why Alana demanded furious that Anthony was being so tight lipped about the information Then after biting his lip he leaned forward and whispered something that caused Alana’s eyes to narrow

The headquarters had gone radio silent 10 minutes ago At first they had assumed that the short wave radio that they used had just malfunctioned But as the time stretched onwards

And as signs of a fire from Franksburg proper became apparent

While the rest of the team remained to maintain the walls Alana rushed backed hoping to find well that it was an annoying but harmless mistake

Unfortunately as she moved farther away from the perimeter and back towards the city the sounds of chaos greeted her The positives were that it didn’t appear to be monsters but only looting in this section of the city She also took profound pleasure in breaking the nose of a man who looked her up and down and leered at her

But the outlook became more grim the farther in she went Although there weren’t any definitive signs of monsters people were fleeing away from the center of the city panicked They kept smashing into Alana and rebounding surprised to find that her thin frame was so sturdy Other people stared at her apparently noticing the soft glow that filled the air around her It was still light as her skill level was low but it was definitely visible

Then almost on accident Alana realized what had happened A grinding noise caught her attention and she turned to find the manhole cover to the sewer was slowly rising up With a ringing noise it popped off all the way and several goblins scrambled out of the sewer chittering in their strange language

The people around froze and then began to scream and claw their way in any direction but that one This wasn’t helpful for the traffic flow but it did give Alana space she tore those shocked goblins to pieces so fast that their faces hadn’t even registered her presence

Frowning Alana considered what to do It didn’t appear that there were all that many enemies that had come in here but they were sending people into a panic and

But her train of thought was interrupted by a strange clicking noise and then a voice a soft voice sounded out throughout the town done through loudspeakers

People of Franksburg Don’t panic We can fight our way through this The voice said and Alana saw the people around her stop and look up at the speakers in wonder If you have the will to fight come to the stadium If we stand as one we will push through this challenge

Even Alana felt the draw of that charismatic voice and knew there could only be one source Raina the Siren of Franksburg

Chapter 82

Raina peaked out around the curtain looking at the swiftly filling concert venue That was a good sign for their ability to survive

Much more chilling were the intermittent pops of gunfire and shouts of anger from around the doors to the stadium Her security detail was manning the doors keeping monsters away but it was difficult as more and more people pressed in desperate for a port in this bloody storm

Her main bodyguard and friend Matilda and her manager and costume designer Cassie stood next to her

What do you plan on doing Matilda asked in a low voice turning and looking at the frantically scrambling men backstage Normally they got their power from the small power plant the government of Franksburg still ran However that had become quite fickle in the last few hours so her production team were scavenging the nearby area for generators

Raina had even brought the one that powered her home when she came

I Don’t really know But And truly Raina didn’t These past few weeks she had become increasingly reliant on the Senator He essentially told her what she would be doing every day It was nice in a way Her life was simple and filled with music

And yet she couldn’t get the voice of that strange stoic man out of her head Should could still picture his face as he told her that he couldn’t tell what was the skill and what was not Sighing inwardly Raina plastered a bright smile on her face and continued to speak But we couldn’t do nothing Once word gets to the military they will send

No they won’t A cold female voice interrupted Raina and she was shocked to find a bloodsoaked woman holding a spear standing near their group Snorting the woman pulled a towel out of nowhere and began to wipe her face The perimeter is full of holes already there is no one they dare spare to come assist you

Then the woman hesitated her face scrunching up Except perhaps me I have come to investigate the state of the city I am Alana

You Matilda tilted her head to the side You are from that other village to the north The people who came down with classes DId you know this would happen when they found a village

Alana grimaced I did warn them they simply didn’t

Enough it’s fine Raina said coolly giving the woman Alana a short glance before turning back to the stage For now let’s focus on surviving My song can help calm people

A scream distracted her and Raina twisted to see that several large toads were hopping in from a side hallway They spat poison around the walls and floor that got covered in it were slowly warping and melting

Alana blurred racing towards the toads and several turned and spat towards the approaching threat Spinning her spear she knocked the strange liquid to the side except for one fat glob It arced slowly through the air and Raina watched it with wide eyes

It was inevitable she thought My body won’t even move

Matilda seemed to realize what was happening right after it was too late Her face flickered between expressions from calm to shock of the frogs appearance to relief as Alana moved finally settling on mounting horror

The acid took her in the face She barely managed to close her mouth and eyes in time

First there was nothing

Then there was pain

Her entire world was on fire focused on her face Every concentrated nerve ending lit up like a candle

Collapsing Raina heard people swearing and rushing around her dumping water on her face But the pain persisted ripping deeper Her mind stuttered and began to slow

Fuck open your mouth

Raina drifted off into darkness her only regret being

Someone punched her in the gut and she reflexively opened her mouth gasping A strange warm liquid was poured down her throat

Mixed by The Ghosthound himself not that you will appreciate it The woman Alana said waspishly

Raina shivered as her once weakening body was once more filled with vitality More water was poured on her face and the pain had dropped a lot as well down to manageable levels even as she felt tears forming in the corners of her eyes

Slightly woozy she managed to stand gripping tightly onto Matilda Slowly at first but then committing Raina opened her eyes

It appeared that Alana had swiftly killed the frogs and no one else other than her had been harmed Which was a blessing but Matilda and Cassie were looking at her like someone had died

Is something wrong Raina asked wincing as she moved her face Her skin still felt tight and raw

Cassie winced Oh it’s it’s nothing Just a little scarring

Alana snorted Girl that acid sorta fucked your face up It’s not something makeup can fix

After fumbling for a second Alana produced a small mirror For several long seconds Raina looked at herself Then she began to laugh

It was a low chuckle at first but then it twisted and grew dark

Plain he said I was She muttered to herself which set off another fit of giggles What she wouldn’t do to be plain right now

Cassie do you still have that embroidered mask that he made Raina asked

Cassie nodded quickly then ran grabbing it and bringing it back

So now Alana said her eyes narrowed

Now we fight Raina said a small smouldering coal of hatred burning in her heart Although that man had hated thinking that a skill had affected him drawing him to her he was very clear on one fact

When she had smiled at him he had liked it And now that was gone Raina wondered whether he would accept her now but set that aside First she needed to survive And she only had one path for that her music

She took the mic offered to her by a trembling crew member his gaze on the ground Ignoring the looks and the not looks by the crew who had seen her disfigurement Raina put the mask on and walked out onto the stage The crowd cheered raggedly and filled with desperation She could see from the stage quite a few couples having sex right there in public driven by their fear and panic

She pitied them

But she pitied them more for what was about to happen

Raina raised the mic and spoke a single word singing it softly crooning it to fill it with as much of her skill as she could

Fight

She did not bother with lyrics or any of her songs or any tune She didn’t wait for the band to come out She just felt the hot rage inside of her and used her persuasive skill to give it a vicious and desperate voice

She sang for every friend or acquaintance that was probably now dead killed by monsters For every hollow eyed fan who now crowded her concerts starving themselves in this city in order to afford the ticket For her dream of being a successful singer finally coming true but everything about it all feeling so wrong

She raised her voice stressing the word now dragging it out adding more musical flair to her imperative

People in the crowd were stilling as she sang a glassy look appearing in some of their eyes They breathed and moved as one slowly aligning with her

She heard them mouth the word but knew it was not enough Stepping forward she moved to the edge of the stage standing right above them her arms raised to the sky

Fight Fight Fight

Slowly they joined their chant following hers their eyes slowly narrowing and turning red

FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT

She was shouting now clutching the mic with white fingers hating the monsters but loving them too They had crushed her old life but gave her this brief month of being on top of the social circle even if she was nothing more than a glorified mouthpiece No matter how twisted it was at least she was loved

The system had given her a skill that made even that stoic boy struggle to resist her smile And just as quickly the system had taken it away Leaving her with scar tissue For that at the moment she wanted to bring it all crashing down And so she sang howling her dissatisfaction

FIGHT

Raina continued to shout yelling her call to action her skill imbued voice echoing over most of the town but some people were already insensible at this point Vicious their vision tinged red they turned and stumbled outward picking up trash and furniture gathering weapons

When they found monsters they threw themselves at them with wild abandon not caring for their lives Because they heard a beautiful voice and it told them one thing Fight

Men and woman attacked each other in their haste to find and kill a monster They surged outward the weaker among them losing their feet and being swiftly trampled But the crowd cared not They were scared weak people and Raina had given them something to cling to In her strange magic they found strength

Not their own strength but the strength of a vicious hungry mindless mob

Chapter 83

Randidly stretched cracking his neck as the moon rose over the city

Unlike Donnyton this monster horde had come quite soon after sundown So around 6 hours later when the monsters were too thinly spread to be considered anything more than the usual amount the survivors collapsed ready to rest for the rest’ of their lives

As he returned to the city he couldn’t help but laugh at his own joke But then he looked around at the piles of bodies and he sobered up somewhat

It had been bloody More so than Randidly expected But he supposed that the machine guns had been barely used The ammo stores were running low before the horde How could they be expected to handle 20k monsters

Even if they kept the number of classers low for tomorrow the sheer number of people here meant the hordes would be large Surviving would be tough Briefly Randidly considered remaining here trying to assist for a while longer

But then he shook his head He could not help every village grow He was here to create an advantage for Donnyton And the advantages in recruiting they would gain would be more than enough

In addition Devan had told him about some of the dangerous seeming notifications that he had received a few days prior as Donnyton apparently advanced to a Trainee Village Hopefully this also meant that Nul would relent and allow Randidly to learn more skills from his skill challenges And just interact with him in general

At any rate it was time to head home Or at least it would be tomorrow

Over the course of the night Randidly had gained 3 levels in Spear Mastery 2 in Phantom Thrust and Spear Phantom’s Footwork 1 in Eyes of the Spear Phantom 4 in Phantom Half Step 2 in Heavy Blow and Fighting Proficiency 3 in Phantom Onslaught Sweep and Edge of Decay 4 in Pollen of the Rafflesia 1 in Agony 6 in Circle of Flame and finally 1 in Physical Fitness

But for the moment Randidly did not yet distribute his PP Instead he walked through the depressed city heading towards the location of his cooking job This would likely be the last time he would be here so he wanted to join in the work Especially when they were offering free food to the survivors in an attempt to keep up morale

Randidly was not really interested in charity but he supposed building up goodwill and grinding his cooking skill just a little longer with the superior cooking equipment wasn’t such a bad thing

Luckily for Franksburg the Senator had survived even while the headquarters was largely ransacked by skeletons by locking himself in the closet and crying himself to sleep Most of the previously intimidating military presence had fled leaving him alone to man the communications room

The Freedom Fighters as a group searched for him found him and then satisfied everyone wandered to find the nearest bed Even Anthony who had only commanded the battle had red rims around his eyes and was starting to slur his speech

Alana supposed it was only natural this was their first beast horde They had fought monsters before but they didn’t know what it was like to be afraid for their lives And to think they had nowhere to return to

Internally Alana admitted to herself that it was slightly cruel what they were doing Without their assistance they wouldn’t have acquired a Newbie Town for a few more weeks At that time their average level of strength would have risen another level

Admittedly not to the point where they could have survived what came for them last night but still

Shaking her head Alana turned around to talk to Devan and his squad only to find another group of 3 had crept up on them

Still awake Alana said with false casualness but inwardly she was slightly afraid of the masked woman in front of her She had felt the pull on her will too as Raina had chanted fight but had resisted it Once the conscious choice was made it was rather easy to push its influence aside but she then had to watch as people had their arms cut off and stuffed their bloody stumped down the throat of a monster to kill it their eyes gleeful

It was a dangerous power when you allowed it to consume yourself

Yes Raina said simply And I know a place that is giving out free food to survivors I know a chef there I’m sure you all are famished Won’t you join me I have something to discuss

Raina explained slowly cautiously but she could still see Alana hesitate

Are you sure Alana asked carefully That you really want to abandon what you have here

Yes Raina said simply for the first time realizing what a boon the mask was The other woman could not see the change in her expression Things are fine now but I expect there to be backlash for what I did to all those people

Alana remained silent but her gaunt eyes meant that she had seen it too Most of the lives lost at the end were not due to people being overwhelmed by monsters but rather due to people fighting without any care for their lives throwing themselves into danger in order to inflict wounds on the monsters

The rest of the walk continued in silence and Raina admired the professionalism of the people who came down from this village to the North The head of the squad who Raina had heard was a knight marched with his squad members following behind in formation even now prepared Their equipment looked well cared for and practical She wondered idly what they had gone through to get to this level of skill

Raina saw Randidly as she walked up working the front of a stand one hand blurring as he cut food then moving it to the pan all the while speaking with a customer His movements were liquid and smooth even as everyone around him hurried back and forth struggling to keep up with the mass of people willing to stay awake for food

Of course 10 feet away from the stand piles of people were laying snoring next to their half eaten plates

It’s here Raina said stepping into line To her surprise all of the people from Donnyton had extremely strange expressions on their faces as they gazed up at the food

Raina ignored that and tried not to worry overmuch over how Randidly reacted to her face Would he even recognize her with the mask Of course he would he had made it for her but

After what felt like an eternity their group reached the front of the line Randidly’s stoic eyes slid up to them appraising them Raina froze unsure of what to say

But what she didn’t expect was for Randidly to largely ignore her turning to the others Fatigue level

Moderate but no injuries Devan said smartly saluting towards Randidly Rubbing his hands on his apron Randidly nodded

Good this level of enemy shouldn’t give you pause Also this is convenient All of you come back here Devan you take orders I’d rather just cook And you how are you at cutting vegetables

Raina’s jaw hidden by her mask remained dropped as these stalwart warriors who even the toughest of the Freedom Fighters treated with awe and respect dutifully trotted behind the counter of the stand and began to help Randidly cook and clean

Alana Tell me about the Soul Skill you received Randidly said rapidly stirring a sauce in a pot smelling it and then adding a pinch of something

Ah It was a slight comfort to Raina that Alana seemed to think this whole situation was strange There are 4 things that rotate I get 1 every 5 pp spent 5 Health and Stamina and then 1 Endurance followed by 1 Strength and finally 1 Willpower

Randidly grunted and turned to Raina finally Alright Miss Devan will take your order

What will it be Devan said his face serious as he stepped forward Randidly began to turn away but Raina ripped off her max trembling

Randidly stopped slowly turning to look at her He gazed at her for several second without comment a curious sadness in his gaze

H how do I look now Raina asked desperate to end this strange silence smiling as well as she could with her stiff facial skin

To her surprise Randidly chuckled Still plain But more genuine than before for sure Are you feeling better

Raina frowned feeling oddly jubilant in her heart Why had everyone else acted like her face was ruined earlier if Randidly was just going to ignore it Now she felt slightly hysterical for inciting a mob over the incident The only reason I was feeling down before was because you called me plain

Randidly just smiled awkward and shrugged I really didn’t like your skill It seems whatever happened has let you control its activation Its nice

I have a question Alana interrupted finally unwilling to remain silent any longer When the fuck did you have time to learn to cook like this This is fucking delicious

Shaking his head Randidly turned away and walked out towards where the shopkeeper was keeping supplies

How do you know him Raina asked turning to Alana

Alana blushed He he’s my Our town’s

Something like a guardian angel One of the squad members supplied tying an apron around his waist and moving to skin potatoes

He is the Ghosthound Devan said his face completely still and disinterested I would love to chat but there are more people to take orders from If you don’t mind please step aside until you make your decision so we can service other customers

Alana still was thinking It’s not like he’s in charge but he’s definitely got the support for anything he wants to do and he’s the most powerful

Some people One of the other squad members hesitated and then said Some people really revere him Worship him almost

Raina blinked but it was the absolute surety in Devan’s tone that left her speechless

That is true He is after all the Ghosthound

Chapter 84

As Randidly sent Devan’s squad away he had gained 3 more Lvls in Cooking and 2 in Grace

He saw the strange glances from Raina but ignored them Without the added danger of her looks there was definitely some appeal in trying to recruit her to come back to Donnyton Although that sorta depended on what she could accomplish with her voice

Shaking his head Randidly focused on his PP Even though he didn’t want to stay and help the town too much it couldn’t be denied that nights like this were certainly well springs of PP He supposed that was half the reason monsters hordes were sent against Newbie Villages to encourage skill growth

He had 42 PP 29 of which were used to finish of the Potion Making II Path He earned 12 Focus getting there as a notification

Congratulations You have completed the The Potion Making II Path Battle is not the only path to strength Understanding the world’s mysteries and using them to your own advantage will greatly increase your chance of surviving For ahead of you the path stretches ever onward Effectiveness of bonuses from Potion Making skill lvl have increased You have learned the skill Extract Lvl 1

Extract Separate the composite parts of a substance or mixture Speed and thoroughness of extraction depend on skill level Purity will increase as skill level rises

As Randidly had expected he had received a skill for the completion He couldn’t currently think of any uses for it but he supposed as he encountered more materials he would find something

The remaining 13 PP sat there as Randidly frowned down at his Path options

Watcher 0/ Heretic IV 0/ Oathbreaker 0/25 Initiate of Ash I 0/75 Spear Mastery II 0/75 Path of Carnage I 0/

The obvious choice was to now go for Spear Mastery II It was still the bread and butter of his close combat techniques and this would probably provide a new skill he could use But at the same time he was oddly drawn to the Path of Carnage path

Both the surety of Spear Mastery II’s usefulness and the question marks in the amount of Path of Carnage made Randidly hesitate and ultimately decide the safe option was best At least Spear Mastery would likely result in a positive outcome even if it took a while

So Randidly poured his PP into that path earning himself a point in Perception at 5 and Reaction at 10 That combined with the bonuses that Randidly received from his soul skill added up to a significant amount

After allocating everything Randidly looked at his status screen

Health(/R per hour) 390/432 (+8) (209 (+12

Mana(/R per hour) 132/769 (90 75)

Stam(/R per min) 401/544 (76 (+4

Vit 62 (+4)

Str 49 (+2)

Agi 70 (+10)

Perception 36

Reaction 53

Resistance 19

Inteligence 96

Control 79

Focus 50

Skills (Soul Skill) Spear of Rot Mastery Lvl 437

Combat Spear Mastery Lvl 52 Phantom Thrust Lvl 49 Spear Phantom’s Footwork Lvl 38 Eyes of the Spear Phantom Lvl 24 Phantom Half Step Lvl 15 Heavy Blow Lvl 26 Dagger Mastery Lvl 10 Iron Skin Lvl 27 Dodge Lvl 31 Fighting Proficiency Lvl 38 Block Lvl 32 Haste Lvl 24 Phantom Onslaught Lvl 14 Sweep Lvl 26 Spear Deflect Lvl 10 Empower Lvl 28 Calculated Blow Lvl 19 Roundhouse Kick Lvl 18 Edge of Decay Lvl 16

Spells Spearing Roots Lvl 13 Mana Bolt Lvl 28 Mana Shield Lvl 24 Root Manipulation Lvl 28 Arcane Orb Lvl 22 Fireball Lvl 30 Magic Missile Lvl 4 Healing Palm Lvl 9 Pollen of the Rafflesia Lvl 15 Summon Pestilence Lvl 17 Mana Strengthening Lvl 14 Wall of Thorns Lvl 5 Soul Seed Lvl ® Agony Lvl 12 Inspiration ® Incinerating Bolt Lvl 5 Circle of Flame Lvl 7

Crafting Potion Making Lvl 30 Farming Lvl 20 Plant Breeding Lvl 9 Mapmaker Lvl 7 Analyze Lvl 24 Refine Lvl 12

Auxiliary Physical Fitness Lvl 33 Meditation Lvl 35 Running Lvl 23 Sprinting Lvl 19 Sneak Lvl 23 Acid Resistance Lvl 22 Poison Resistance Lvl 16 Pain Resistance Lvl 14 First Aid Lvl 13 Equip Lvl 25 Pathfinding Lvl 18 Mental Strength Lvl 15 Curse Resistance Lvl 3 Fire Resistance Lvl 14 Blessing of the North Blessing of the East Blessing of the West Sewing Lvl 11 Cutting Vegetables Lvl 2 Manual Labor Lvl 3 Digging Lvl 5 Cooking Lvl 16 Grace Lvl 5 Extract Lvl 1

Looking at his stats Randidly had some decisions to make For now both survivability and spell damage weren’t an issue In addition his mana and stamina were increasing to the point that he could use his high cost skills and spells multiple times in a row Not many without potions but enough for an extended fight

So now Randidly was torn whether to drive his Agility up even higher increase his Strength for more power work on the supporting stats of Perception and Reaction or to finally address the glaring weakness that was his Resistance

Randidly supposed it wasn’t so glaring For this time period where everyone was putting points into the physical defense skills he probably had a relatively higher amount in that stat compared to most non knight people But still

If there was a way to beat him in a fight it was to hit him hard with spells He was getting by in his spars with Clarissa due to his high agility but that wouldn’t always be useful

After rubbing his forehead Randidly climbed up to the top of a building Although he certainly was gaining a lot of PP they did not translate into distributable stats as much as they used to It was usually to a stat that was relevant to the path And Randidly hadn’t yet encountered a path that was specifically related to Resistance

The annoying part of it all was that he couldn’t know what kind of threats would be coming There were obviously enemies that Resistance were necessary against but if those enemies didn’t come it would essentially be useless stats

But something occurred to Randidly and his face fell He did know of one enemy they hadn’t yet accounted for and who would likely know magic Donnyton’s Tribulation If anyone were to prepare and use his weakness to magic to defeat him it would be that creature

Shivering Randidly resolved himself to raise his resistance and looked North toward Donnyton

Yea he had played around down here for long enough It was time to head back

What are they doing Annie asked distastefully

Dozer shrugged The trees come from the Ghosthound so people think they are special And that aura they give off is pretty good So every day when the trees dance

The tree wiggled its branches back and forth A few dozen people standing nearby mirrored it

Decklan yawned exaggeratedly At least the tree is at the guard station anyway Might as well be useful while you make yourself look like an idiot

Then Decklan froze and smiled Finally Glendel found that Tier II Raid Boss Are you two ready

Dozer and Annie nodded their individual squads standing and stretching preparing for what was to come It was likely overkill but in the wake of Dozer clearing the dungeon the pressure on Donnyton was largely decreased There was still a large constant flow of monsters from the other dungeon but from what Dozer said he should have bought a solid week of no monsters from the other direction

Annie looked around frowning Where’s the little kitty Dozey

Dozer just shrugged One of his subordinates spoke up in his stead She’s still with Daniel For whatever reason she chose him as her personal pin cushion

One woman from Decklan’s squad chuckled I heard that he earned Scratch Resistance and it’s already at Lvl 7

Decklan clapped That crafty bastard keeping all of that fun for himself While the rest of us are out here risking our lives Brings a tear to my eye the unfairness of the world

Dozer rolled his eyes Let’s just go already I want to try some of that liquor the NCCs have started brewing Apparently it’s fermented from the Ghosthound’s weird strain of corn

Almost instantly most of the group’s eyes began to sparkle and they fell into a practiced formation Sighing Annie shook her head

Men She muttered

Chapter 85

They had a problem although Randidly supposed it was a good problem to have The amount of people who wanted to come back with them to Donnyton was staggering Almost 700 people showed up their items packed and their expressions nervous as someone from Devan’s squad walked around speaking with them marking down their stat distributions and skills slowly getting a tally

This was insisted on by Daniel with Regina’s support and Randidly knew that he was never going to be the one to actually handle the details so he had just shrugged and assented But now that he had seen the exacting detail that it demanded his mood started to sour Very quickly he went to Devan looked over the questionnaire and then ripped most of the pages up

Instead Randidly inserted a rather straightforward question

In Donnyton people are generally divided by their jobs Which of the following jobs would you prefer Administration Warrior Doctor Farmer Archer Scout Mage Crafting Construction

Randidly knew that people would shy away from things like Administration and Farmer but he had hopes that some of the practical women and men who were coming north with them would gravitate towards crafting and construction positions

Of course some would become actual Classers and among those a few would insist on becoming mages but that was acceptable for now After all they had witnessed Clarissa’s abilities first hand After seeing that power it was hard to accept just swinging a sword around

With those changes we should finish in about two hours Devan said calmly his eyes scanning the crowd Honestly Randidly had removed 90% of the material Daniel wanted

Now it was basically just stats people focused their skill level and the job they were thinking about

Randidly nodded his eyes scanning the crowds He even recognized a few faces The man he had met while chopping vegetables who wanted to learn to move faster Cassie looking around nervously as she stood next to a hooded woman who was obviously Raina That determined man Cesar who had been paired with Randidly while digging holes

But there was one face conspicuously absent

I have to take care of something If the process finishes no need to wait for me I’ll catch up Randidly said to Devan and then walked away disappearing into the crowd

He knew that he was being foolish that he had no reason to force her to move He also had no idea why this was such an issue for him He had after all broken up with her quite a while ago Deep in his heart he was sure that there were no buried emotions But what he did have were positive memories of their time together

For that he wanted to spare her the struggle that Franksburg was going to become

As he ascended to Tessa’s floor and exited the stairwell the men pressed themselves against the wall standing at attention

The head bouncer who Tessa had told him was named Ezzie stepped forward Mr Ghosthound sir I’m very sorry for the misunderstanding on your last visit Let me assure you it won’t happen again

A thin hot rod of tension slid down between his shoulders but Randidly forced himself to relax He even smiled at Ezzie

It’s not an issue You were doing your job

Then Randidly brushed passed him moving towards Tessa’s room but Ezzie awkwardly coughed

Um sir I just uh My b boss has a message for you

Randidly stopped Oh

Yes it’s just It’s from Missy Carp She owns the Establishment that Tessa works at

Oh Randidly’s frown deepened his voice turning cold He wondered idly whether Spearing Roots would reach up from the ground to here Probably not without quite a lot of mana expenditure It was something to be aware of in the future that distance from the ground would make the use of that skill more difficult

Of course he had others

Don’t misunderstand Ezzie said hastily stepping backwards Missy Carp allows all of her employees to come and go freely She wishes you luck on your recruitment drive and hopes you enjoyed your time in Franksburg And that if you would return to the city she is willing to make her compound and connections at the disposal of the good people of Donnyton

Randidly’s eyes narrowed but he relaxed Rather than a threat this was a business proposition God why had he agreed to come on this thing anyway This was becoming decidedly political He supposed he had found a clue about Sydney and Ace which ended up just demonstrating they weren’t here but still

Still it surprised Randidly how astute this woman was to attempt to approach him directly Perhaps it was a coincidence but it could also mean that this was a woman who listened very closely to the direction the wind was blowing

Tell her that I appreciate the offer and I will report it to Donnyton’s council Randidly walked away heading towards Tessa’s door

Apparently those words were satisfactory because no one tried to speak with him again He knocked on the door and was surprised to find one of Tessa’s roommates answering it She quickly ushered him inside taking him directly to Tessa’s room where she sat wrapped in a quilt staring out the window

Before Randidly could even say anything Tessa asked Was Sydney the reason you broke up with me

Her voice was oddly even almost monotone and her gaze didn’t waver from the window Randidly opened his mouth to respond then caught himself Slowly he closed his mouth In all honestly it had been

Yes Randidly said When he had broken up with her he had been brutally succinct before departing leaving her crying on the floor of her apartment For that callous treatment he owed her a bit of honesty

Snorting Tessa swore bitterly That fucking cunt I always knew she was a little slut Did Ace know That his best friend was fucking his fiancee

Randidly’s eyes narrowed It wasn’t like that we weren’t

What’s the point in lying now They both are already dead anyway Is a life with me really so bad I’m here right now

Barely containing his rage Randidly said I’m trying to say that we never

Do you think I’m an idiot Do you think ACE is an idiot Both of you kept disappearing together for those few weeks Did you think once we noticed we didn’t talk And how when we compared our notes the schedules fit so nicely together

Just fucking listen for a minute Randidly growled but Tessa was too far gone working up a head of steam for herself

Both of you would give a convenient excuse then slip away At least you were smart you stuck to during the day during the week No late nights studying’ no moving while the people you two were cheating on were out of town No you uhk

Let me stop you right there Randidly’s voice was cool but his eyes blazed with rage as he activated Agony

Ezzie only had a moment where his new danger instincts warned him powerfully to run away before a wave of vicious head wrenching pain knocked the wind out of him Whimpering the other bouncers in the hall collapsed leaning against the wall and sliding slowly downward Even Ezzie who had been undergoing special training to raise his skills and improve his stats staggered barely able to withstand the wave of pain that struck him

But what really brought a chill to his heart was that when he checked his health was decreasing moving rapidly towards 0

Although his instincts were screaming for him to run far away and hide Ezzie pushed through them rushing up to the door that the Ghosthound had entered Grunting Ezzie raised his leg and made use of his Kicking Mastery smashing the cheap wood of the door ripping through the deadbolt

Once inside the pain redoubled and Ezzie bit his lip struggling to stay conscious His vision swam as he stuttered slowly forward heading to the back room with the slightly ajar door where the powerful aura was emanating Ezzie wasn’t even able to see to make out the figure wrapped in air distortions but in his heart he knew there was only person who could cause this

Eyelids fluttering he leaned against the door barely aware enough to speak but he worked at his heavy and fat tongue struggling to say something anything

Sir But that was all that Ezzie was able to complete because The Ghosthound turned and looked at him really looked at him for the first time in their interactions The Ghosthound’s face was twisted into a scowl his eyes narrowed But the emerald pupils burned like a chemical fire bright and dangerous

In those eyes Ezzie was forced to confront a truth about himself he would never be a match for the man standing in front of him Perhaps a month ago this man had been human but no longer Now he was

You ll kill ll Ezzie blubbered his words more slobber than syllable and all at once the pain stopped gone as soon as it had came Gasping Ezzie fell to his knees

The Ghosthound pressed his eyes closed seeming to struggle inwardly Then he opened them and his eyes had faded to their usual innocuous forest green

I apologize I lost my temper Ezzie watched as the Ghosthound walked over to Tessa and put a hand against her neck A flash of relief crossed the Ghosthound’s face but then he turned back to Ezzie once more a stoic mask I suppose compensation is in order Take me to the roof

Chapter 86

Randidly felt the hot hungry buzz of anger still in his chest but flowing below that cooling him swiftly was a sharp sense of fear and a prickling of guilt The anger itself was exceedingly strange It was the hottest thing he had ever felt but it simultaneously was so numbing It was an animating energy that enraged him and made him heedless If Ezzie hadn’t staggered into the room distracting Randidly would he have continued until he killed Tessa

Shaking his head he forced his mind away from that topic but was confronted with an equally vicious one that hatred fueled focused episode of Agony had increased the skill Lvl by 3 and it only took a dozen or so seconds

Randidly had always known that mental state influences the speed at which levels were gained but still this seemed ridiculous Was it that it was used on humans then Or was it just that he truly desperately wanted to hurt Tessa in that moment for what she had implied about Sydney

Either answer was disturbing And it was one that he would need to answer clearly in order to continue to grow stronger He wanted to make use of the most efficient methods If fighting against humans was the most effective

If deeply truly wanting to hurt your enemies was the most effective method

If losing his morality was the most effective method

Following a still whitefaced Ezzie the two of them reached the roof The apartment building wasn’t the tallest building in the area but it was one of the highest and the higher buildings were generally clustered downtown which was a mile or so away to the South Therefore his current vantage point gave Randidly a very clear view of the surrounding area

From his observations Randidly could only come to one conclusion Franksburg as it was now was doomed It was simply too large to defend effectively It had been fine when they were only dealing with wandering monsters but the monster horde would change things and not for the better Last night’s casualties even with the help of the squad from Donnyton proved that

So Randidly took that violent lava anger filled with strange pricklings of ice still alive in his gut and used it He reached within himself felt the source of his mana the same source that he had so much trouble controlling with the grace of Lyra and prodded it gently

As he expected it stoically had no response

Grinning to himself Randidly lamented this fact If he could only figure out how to replicate Lyra’s skills

But that was not his path he knew His path lay elsewhere And he could only keep his eyes on the ground and move forward lest he lose his grip on the weapons that he did have

So this time he grabbed his mana source and pulled dragging every drop of mana he could out And then with eyes burning emerald he raised his hands

Lucifer watched the caravan for Donnyton leave his face serious

Derek Quinn rubbed the stump of his left arm and asked Did you also want to go

After a long time Lucifer nodded slowly It was a tempting offer Luckily most of the Freedom Fighters have family here or else

At least they recruited mostly from the the University and other odd jobs Derek Quinn commented but Lucifer’s reaction of chuckling confused him

What’s so

But before he could finish the question the earth beneath their feet rumbled dangerously the whole area quaking Before either of them could even respond the area to their immediate left and right erupted thorny vines surging upwards twisting and twining snaking amongst each other

Shuddering the earth in some places cracked and fell away revealing more thorny vines some as thick as an adult male’s torso with viciously sharp thorns that stuck outward like curved bayonets

As they watched aghast these thorn walls which were about 8 feet high began to spread to the left and right along the perimeter of their defenses As it continued on the height dropped only reaching around 5 and a half feet at its lowest but the wall of thorns ran immediately adjacent to their previous defenses bolstering them immensely

And at those locations where the Franksburg government had seen fit to put small gates the walls split allowing continued passage

Their view of the departing caravan through the main gate remained unchanged Barely a ripple of reaction could be seen from them as if they had been expecting this all along

Even Lucifer in that moment felt a sliver of fear Was this the type of world this was becoming

Congratulations You have created an Inspired Wall of Thorns Rampart of Thorns has been created

Congratulations Wall of Thorns has increased to Lvl 6

Congratulations Wall of Thorns has increased to Lvl 7

Warning all mana has been depleted Mana will not regenerate for 24 hours

Randidly lowered his hands feeling profoundly drained but satisfied Almost reflexively he removed a mana potion from his bag but then smiled bitterly at it putting it away

Extraordinary I had wondered who had wandered into my village but

Randidly turned towards the voice and found a bland faced woman standing there smiling slightly at him which must be the Franksburg’s spirit guide What Randidly didn’t expect was that when he met her eyes the woman would gasp and take several steps towards him

You You possess You’ve slain a Tribulation But why You don’t yet have a class The woman’s voice transformed from shocked to nonplussed to eager to almost hungry over the course of several seconds

Her eyes bright she clasped Randidly’s hands pressing herself closer to him Allow me to grant you the godly class you deserve Just join my village and I can make sure that you will be unrivaled in strength in this Zone

I refuse Randidly said simply his eyes narrowing as several things clicked into place in his head

Comments from Nul and the Neighboring town’s Spirit about two halves of a whole

A Spirit and a matching Tribulation

Nul suddenly so eager to converse with Randidly and then refusing to meet with him after Randidly continued to wait on getting a class

The peculiar inactivity from their neighbor town

The hunger in this town spirit’s eyes as she looked at him

If the Spirit and Tribulation were somehow connected and meant to become one the system made a little more sense Not in terms of the survival rate of Newbie Villages but at least in terms of the motivation The Tribulation wanted to continue living and needed something from the village

But a village would also gain something by vanquishing the Tribulation Or another villages tribulation Or perhaps even another village

But what exactly were they trying to obtain

Randidly ignored Franksburg’s Spirit and walked away But one phrase that she spat at his back once it was clear Randidly was uninterested stuck in his mind

Fool You and your kind are doomed to starve You will come crawling back and think I will help you then Ha

Kim Lath The Tribulation of many faces turned and graced Lyra with a warm smile still using Randidly’s face Lyra felt a small warm flutter in her heart from it even as she knew she was being foolish

Have you reconsidered the favor I asked for Kim Lath asked sweetly delicately cutting off the edge of the wolverine steak and raising it to his (Its Lyra reminded herself) lips They had taken to having dinner every other night chatting about innocuous things

Almost like a date

But just like Lyra’s languid enjoyment masked a viciously exacting suspicion so too Kim Lath’s innocent banter hid a sinister agenda Not for a moment did Lyra think she wasn’t being used She just couldn’t quite figure out how And honestly Randidly presenting a smiling face was an amusing diversion

Kim Lath had finally tipped its hand slightly at their last dinner where it had casually too casually asked to be shown around the village Lyra had demurred going into a long rant about how annoying it was to deal with the people of Donnyton Which it increasingly was

FIrst of all they were entirely too gracious and respectful towards her She had been amused by how they associated her with Randidly initially but as they suddenly treated her as nothing more than some freak pet of his that could perform amazing tricks of magic it had really started to grate on her

Second all they wanted to do was grow stronger And yes that was important But you needed to take some time and enjoy yourself a little Twisting yourself too tightly was a fast way of burning out or turning super evil or something Although Lyra couldn’t deny that a look of cruelty in Randidly’s eyes some rough play between them was oddly arousing

Probably a little intimate to have Kimmy act out with her Lyra lamented

Ultimately Kim Lath had taken Lyra’s rejection without comment receiving it with a smile But what was surprising was that he had brought it up once more

I think not Lyra said abruptly very tired of this game If she hadn’t been almost 100% sure this was simply a projection and not the real body she would have attacked and tried to kill it

But Kim Lath’s response surprised her Then how about the village nextdoor I simply would like to see how creatures like you live

Lyra thought about it and couldn’t really find a reason why she shouldn’t She also was slightly curious how Ellaine was doing even if she simultaneously hoped that Kal and Vivian needed to resort to back alley handjobs to get by But the frustrating part about the two of them was that they always seemed to land smugly on their feet smiling and charming

You know what Sure Lyra said nodding and stretching She was due for some exercise anyway Not that she really needed it The system enhanced world had almost everyone looking fit and toned Honestly Lyra wished staying the correct balance of curvy slender and toned had been as easy while she had been acting Wait here though I want to check something quickly

Chapter 87

Decklan danced forward his eyes bright as the wounded Wyvern the Tier II Raid Boss backpedaled as fast as its stubby legs could carry it

The only trouble that Decklan’s team had ever had was getting close enough to the Raid Boss to launch their attacks Once it was alerted the Raid Boss’s minions would swarm making the kill almost impossible

Generously Dozer and his squad had smashed the minions into monster goop clearing a very wide path to the boss The two squads had rushed forward overwhelming the Raid Boss’s monstrous health hacking its body to pieces

Now on its last legs Dozer reluctantly allowed Decklan to go forward alone seeking to gain the stat gains of this Raid Boss Ivan and Terra hurried after him Terra to provide support Ivan who watched them both with calculating eyes hoping to swipe the stat gains for himself In a way it was amusing to Decklan for his subordinates to be so greedy

But something about Ivan’s attitude resurrected a vicious streak that Decklan had slowly let fall asleep in his stay in Donnyton

If this fucker tried anything funny he would regret it

The Raid Boss spun around its tail smashing towards them Decklan gracefully leapt over it earning himself another skill level in Jump leaving long jagged scratches across the skin of the Raid Boss as he sliced downwards in a practiced motion barely missing a beat Decklan had to hold back a grin There was something about this life with the system It was just so much fun

Wisely noticing that he didn’t need her help Terra retreated avoiding the blow Gritting his teeth Ivan imitated Decklan his much lower control making itself known as he smashed into the tail and rolled over it in a ball of limbs

Decklan smiled slightly but sprinted off after the Raid Boss which had erupted into motion dashing into a nearby thicket of trees

Right when he was about to pursue Decklan saw a thorny vine rising out of the ground in front of him wiggling back and forth

Frowning Decklan crossed his arms But we did all the work

The vine pointed at Decklan shook itself then spun in a lazy circle as if to say You are the one that brought it here to me I can’t be everywhere now can I

Then it flicked the thorny vine clearly telling him to wait Decklan just sighed exasperated

He had been aware that The Ghosthound’s strange plant pet Thorn had been following his squad and mopping up a lot of the weaker minions of the raid boss draining their bodies of blood and delivering them to Sam

Sam was delighted at the intact bone structure of enemies killed this way and had impressed upon Decklan that this was a pet of the Ghosthound and he should allow it free reign assisting it whenever possible

The way Sam said Ghosthound annoyed Decklan because it was not in a reverent way of speaking It was more a distasteful pronunciation as if Sam would prefer not to say it like that but was only using it thus as a tool against him

But still Sam was technically correct So Decklan just sat on his haunches slowly recovering Ivan ran up to him eyes bulging

What are you doing It’s getting away

Decklan made a helpless gesture This is no longer just our quarry We wait here

Ivan snorted and stomped forward Thorn’s little vine turned to Ivan then back at Decklan Decklan just shrugged

Ivan made it three steps before several thorny vines burst from the ground wrapping his body up in a split second binding his arms to his sides One vine covered with particularly jagged thorns wound its way around Ivan’s neck almost lazy in its motions

The communication vine turned back to Decklan almost in askance Ivan struggled helplessly his strength nothing in comparison to the powerful constricting vines of Thorn Very quickly his face turned red and then purple blood dripping out from 100 small cuts on his body

I would prefer you not kill him He is a capable subordinate Decklan said simultaneously amused and intimidated He had known it was powerful but this

Even if Decklan was prepared could he dodge all of those vines

Thorn’s main vine slid over to Ivan’s suspended body patting him in several places seeming to consider

Then it unceremoniously dumped Ivan on the ground He immediately began gasping for breath scrambling away from the treeline his eyes wide with fear

Meanwhile Thorn was now beckoning Decklan Nervously he followed it deeper into the trees

The path of the Raid Boss was abundantly clear The thing had crashed forward with as much delicacy as a tank About a mile beyond the trees they came upon the remnants of the Tier 2 Raid Boss held bound by dozens of thorny vines As he approached Decklan saw the vines constrict digging deeper into the monster’s flesh several long scratches ripping open even more widely as the thorns dragged across it

But what drew Decklan’s gaze was below the body

As the vines tightened several drips of blood were squeezed out as if the Raid Bosses body was being rung like a wash cloth and fell into the strange toothy maw of Thorn

This was the first and only Decklan hoped time he would see Thorn’s core It was a mass of soft flesh a weird mixture of brown and pink and green a red slimy tentacle slithering up through its rot covered teeth to catch the drops of blood

When he looked at it all Decklan could think of was a strange twisted turnip that had dozens of saggy cancerous growths covering it And from those growths stretched thorny vines sinking into the ground beneath it

The cancer turnip turned and then twisted its toothy maw into an arc in a strange imitation of a smile Then with surprising delicacy the body of the Raid Boss was deposited on the ground in front of Decklan

He tilted his head to the side but then froze The eyelid of the Raid Boss had fluttered weakly It was still alive

All Thorn had wanted was to drink its blood

In a flurry of motion the vines withdrew ripping into the ground in a spray of dirt Thorn invisible almost immediately

Then feeling an odd twinge of pity for the creature Decklan slit the throat of the Raid Boss

Upon hearing Decklan’s report the Council was silent each of its members keeping their thoughts to themselves

So Sam spoke first his brow furrowed How strong do you think this Thorn really is

Decklan shrugged wearily Killing the Tier II Raid Boss had given him a nice boost to his Endurance and Agility but the joy he usually felt from those kills was muted by the sight of Thorn squeezing the body dry for blood

It’s hard to compare Against someone like me or a mage Thorn could bind us and rip us to pieces Against Dozer or Donny It might be more fair The trick would be to avoid getting wrapped up because once that happens In addition while it’s underground it’s almost impossible to detect By the time you realize it’s there it’s too late

But I mean do we really have to worry It’s The Ghosthound’s plant right Daniel said nervously The rest of the table seemed inclined to agree but everyone was slightly intimidated by this show of power by the creature Even if it had been weakened by their squads before hand

Even Sam couldn’t find his usual cheer at such an intact high level corpse

As a general rule humans were more powerful than they had ever been in terms of physical abilities There was even the beginning of documented proof that Intelligence and Wisdom actually increased your mental capabilities although it was starting to appear that Control and Focus had a more direct impact on the non system aspects of life The monsters that had once driven humanity screaming into their cellars was now casually dealt with

But stronger and stronger monsters kept appearing And although this plant was currently friendly it still made them slightly uneasy to have it within the bounds of their village

Ultimately though Regina said slowly gazing at each other personsitting at the table What can we do

No one had an answer so the meeting moved onto other matters

I’d like to make some suggestions in regards to the SP expenditures Daniel said his expression nervous Mrs Hamilton steepled her fingers her expression neutral Regina leaned back in her chair Glendel covered his hand with his mouth and sighed In his heart Glendel knew that Daniel had the best interests of the town as his focus and was deeply regretful that his rash action had caused them to go through a stressful few days

But with that mistake fresh in the minds of everyone else this would not be a receptive audience

Before he began the door to the Council chamber swung smoothly open The dying light of the setting sun illuminated Lyra who for the first time Glendel had seen was wearing a serious expression

I’m heading over to visit Turtle Town She announced If I have the chance is there anything I should ask of their King

There was a long stunned moment of silence

Absolutely not Sam said slamming his fist on the table That crazed man

I’m going to try again Lyra said her smile calm her voice low but for some reason Sam couldn’t yell over it Even Glendel’s ghosts which swirled around him constantly slowed down their focus narrowing on the figure framed in the doorway Listen this time alright

Her whole body began to glow waves of chaotic mana rolling off her to fill the air Her pupils faded replaced by a glowing blue her irises then too until it seemed her whole soul was burning bright shining out through her eyes glowing azure

She was just a veneer of humanity lit from the inside by a vicious tightly controlled power That was really what animated her

I am heading to Turtle Town As a courtesy I came here first Is there anything you want me to say

In Lyra’s deserted home nothing moved But then inexplicably a voice spoke Filling the dimly lit room

This is a chance We must hurry I always detested games but she forced us into this game of chicken Will you find me or will I Become strong enough that your interference won’t matter

If someone had been there to look they would have perhaps seen a dirty skull floating just below the ceiling its gaze fixated on something far to the south

The Ghosthound must die

Chapter 88

Devan and Alana had enough able bodied people to protect the convoy even though they were extremely numerous at least until they left the Newbie Zone around Franksburg so Randidly turned back towards the horde of monsters that was gathering for another monster horde in Franksburg

His hands itched his eyes were red Ever since he had lost his control with Tessa he had felt different

More volatile less calm Suddenly it was abundantly clear how much he was wasting his time Why had he even come here Sure finding Ace and Sydney would be nice but what would it really accomplish It was pointless All of it was pointless

They were likely dead and he was chasing ghosts

How well could they really have survived if half of their building was ripped off in the middle of the night If they were teleported hundreds of miles away How could they not have

A notification popped up distracting him from his train of thought

Congratulations Your Thorn Lvl 5 is ready to level up After slurping many similar enemies Thorn wonders if it should be one of many or the One

Frowning Randidly selected the One There was only one path to a good life in this world now and it was through power With it you could take the things you crave Without it

Thorn is now Lvl 6 Survivability has increased by 5 Physicality has increased by 2 Particularity has increased by 3 Thorn has learned the skill Piercing Thorns

Randidly didn’t know what he was expecting but it was oddly disappointing Everything felt that way right now all of it He wished

Randidly’s sprear flicked out smashing apart a skeleton that had wandered too close to where he was fuming And like a keg of gunpowder that spark set Randidly off

Roaring he charged among the skeletons his huge bone spear sweeping back and forth reaping them cleanly In addition he activated Agony the grating vicious pain oddly soothing It narrowed his focus drove away the incessant negative thoughts that had sprung up for the first time today The guilt the helplessness the confusion the lack of direction They were wiped clean leaving only a growing rage and a constant pain

Maybe it was because he had for so long struggled to survive and then he came back on earth much more powerful the the local monsters Lost and unsure of what he should be doing he had latched onto the survivors slowly teaching them to become strong in the same way that he had learned to become strong by throwing them into the fire

At the very least Randidly informing them that they were about to be cast into the fire helped them and increased their survival chances far above what they would have been

For a while he had gone with that slowly establishing a base teaching them what he had known defeating any enemies too strong for them to handle

And then what And now what

What was he fucking doing

Randidly’s eyes glowed pale green in the darkness his spear smashing agonized monsters to pieces Although he couldn’t use mana for 24 hours due to the use of Inspiration that didn’t make him any less a death sentence for monsters of this level regardless of their number Unless he was deliberately trying to do so he would not run out of stamina He was just a constant blur of death

Even as a notification popped up indicating that his health had reached 20% Randidly’s smile didn’t waver He downed two health potions and continued barely slowly his vicious assault refusing to shut off Agony

Although it slowly wore his own health down it did worse things to those enemies around him

Especially now where a growing corner of his heart trembled with fear guilt anger confusion and frustration And that part of him wanted to hurt something

Heeding his will Agony rolled out in malicious waves larger and more powerful than it had ever been before Green eyes glowing Randidly continued ripping the enemies around him to pieces

The system was responding to his desire not just with levels but with effectiveness Agony even seemed stronger But Randidly supposed that it wasn’t really the system that had changed but himself Where before he wore Agony like a blanket dragging it around behind him now he actively reached out with it smothering those enemies unfortunate enough to surround him

But even the pain was only doing so much he couldn’t cover up the question that drove him insane What was he supposed to be doing

Grinding his teeth Randidly threw himself into the violence drowning out his helpless doubts

The sky darkened and a low drizzle began to fall Randidly ignored it as it made no difference to him where he once fought in puddles of blood now it was slightly watered down blood What did it matter

Tirelessly his spear swept back and forth bodies falling to pieces around him But as he did so Randidly noticed something extremely strange Rather than having a goal he was now just killing for the sake of killing He was protecting the town he supposed but that had fallen away lost in the revelry of blood

He simply cut and slashed feeling through the huge spear of bone the small tremors of a body breaking With an undivided attention Randidly experimented with where and how he could strike how he could cut how he could slaughter

Slowly all of his disparate spear moves began to flow moving cleanly from one to the other Previously he used each when he needed them Phantom Thrust for speed and accuracy Sweep for a large group Phantom Onslaught to overwhelm a single target

But now Randidly slowly started to see the use of swinging the butt of the spear around for a staggering blow intermixing Roundhouse Kicks to throw the opponent off Slowly at first but with greater surety Footwork of the Spear Phantom guided him easily from one enemy to the other the deaths continuing unabated

It was likely aided by Grace which almost inexplicably streamlined his movements just a hair but enough to notice during particularly complicated portions of his fighting style

That was Randidly realized what he was doing He was discovering his fighting style

Almost immediately he stopped using Agony although it was incredibly effective It left the monsters around him almost helpless barely a challenge at all But as he let the spell fall around him the monsters staggered then peered at him with hateful eyes

As rapidly as their low leveled bodies could manage they threw themselves at him hissing and spitting and clacking Randidly grinned his spear moving to meet them

It was Randidly realized a great weapon Before it the monsters were nothing He had never really gotten into Shal’s fanatical pursuit of the godhood that was becoming a true spearman but Randidly couldn’t help but marvel at the utility a spear provided to him Thus far he had relied on Shal’s moves but in his moment Randidly was starting to see

The spear was designed perfectly as a killing tool Oppressively powerful Quick and graceful Vicious and deadly The question was never whether the spear was enough but only whether the person wielding it could bring to bear its true oppressive power Seeking that goal of becoming an individual who could wield even but a fraction of the spear’s power Shal dedicated his life

Inexplicably a month after Shal had he had parted Randidly was beginning to see it that path As his spear blurred and gore coated him he saw it the point the motivation The path to strength The goal

The Spearman

Slowly but with increasing confidence Randidly began to use his skills more rapidly and efficiently becoming an absolute storm of deadly bone swirling around a man dancing in his hand Heedless to the Skill Levels he gained his eyes slowly unfocused until there was only action and reaction the spear and himself

The enemies fell away lost in the backdrop of other Into the spear Randidly’s focus turned towards the spear If he could wield it perfectly

Unbeknownst to him as he lost himself in the killing glowing lines began to form on his throat drawing out esoteric runes His eyes always brightly began to glow faintly lending a green cast to the slaughter

But all Randidly did was grin his spear splitting open the skull of a nearby skeleton and then ripping his spear out and spinning slashing several of its compatriots to pieces

This ’ Randidly thought Is fun ’

Lyra sourly gazed at their surroundings The area around Turtle Town was still deserted a silent rotting graveyard The piles and piles of bodies were a testament to the town’s continued ability to defend itself but it didn’t make it anymore cheery

Walking quickly Lyra led the way to one of the partially destroyed buildings that marked the edge of the inhabited zone of Turtle Town by blinking forward teleporting short distances Kim Lath still wearing the appearance of Randidly flowed behind her its body turning into a liquid and running up the wall only to reform next to Lyra up above

So It asked smiling a wide smile at Lyra The kind of bland empty thing that Randidly would never actually bother with The kind of smile that hid cruel intentions

Ignoring it Lyra moved forward running across rooftops avoiding the subdued people that walked around the interior ignoring the patrols of guards decked out in police riot gear Instead she ran towards a gaudy hotel that rose above the nearby buildings If she were a dumb king she would probably choose that spot for his hideout

Still ’ Lyra thought looking dubiously up at the buildings in front of her I won’t be able to manage this with normal methods ’

Now what The fake Randidly/real Tribulation asked still smiling Lyra stopped and turned and looked at his face even worn by another Inwardly she felt something give

She had sworn she would stop doing this but

There it was within her the elusive violet mercury energy that she held within her chest That everyone held Ice cold and earth’s core hot it pulsed in time with her heart She touched it and her whole existence burned lighting up like a visual representation of computer’s orgasm all bright lights and sizzling plastic Then she moved

Within the next second she was standing atop the large gaudy hotel having teleported 100 meters upwards She swayed unsteadily wincing It would take days for her to replace the energy she had lost there And even then Lyra worried that her levels had been reduced too much past the point where it was harmless to use

Still Lyra thought her mouth quirking up It was worth it if just for the rush

Her careful senses caught the mana fluctuation as the Randidly illusion appeared next to her a long thin tendril running from this spot off into the distance

That was powerful you certainly are an extraordinary mage The projection said its tone humble But Lyra ignored it staring off into the distance as if she was lost in thought

After a few seconds her eyes snapped back into focus her gaze amused The trail had gone cold She needed a few more data points

Now we break in and say hello

Chapter 89

The fake Randidly was perhaps just as willing to break things as the real one was quickly locating a likely looking skylight and shattering it the two of them employing their individual magic means to descend to the ground They stood in a grand ballroom with high crimson pillars with gold trimming looking oddly cheap in the twilight

By unspoken agreement they strode together to the door Luckily the ballroom only took up the Eastern half of the uppermost floor the West was the penthouse Two guards in riot gear stood outside the door Fake Randidly raised his hand and wiggled his fingers and those two slumped to the side asleep

Lyra glanced at Kim Lath She knew she was playing with fire but

She was almost there Following that thin thread a little farther feeling it worn to almost nothing by her senses just a bit more

No matter how powerful Randidly was if he could see his foe he could not fight it To track the down the Tribulation perhaps they had enough bodies now in Donnyton to do it eventually but if had escalated to the point that the whole of Donnyton knew the exact danger it represented it would be much more difficult to find

Lyra knew this was a gamble but she also knew that no one would know anything about it except the result So as long as she succeeded

They opened the door and stepped into well lit room

Two figures sprung to their feet from the spots they had been lounging within Lyra put her hands on her hips

Well don’t bother getting dressed on my account She said frankly scanning the two individuals in front of her but then she frowned You both have classes But your level is so low

Kal and Vivian both dressed in barely anything more than underwear looked at Lyra stunned If it was Lyra from a month ago she would be delighted to find the leads of the movie she was working on looking so bedraggled and gaunt Now she just felt pity covered in a thin film of disgust

You what How Kal spluttered Lyra just waved her hand

They forgot to lock the door I guess Are you two princesses then trapped in a tower And where’s Ellaine If there is going to be an orgy I’d want to sample all of the forbidden fruits

Vivian’s face instantly twisted into a scowl You foolish bitch You’ve doomed yourself by coming here And likely us too

I thought this was the bastion of civilization the last holdout of humanity Lyra said dryly her frank gaze moving from one to the other Was the king not the saint that everyone said he was

It’s not Constance it’s Kal hurried to explain but a noise interrupted him the soft ding of the elevator Fake Randidly stepped up to Lyra and touched her shoulder and she felt a strange skill activate Her initial reaction was stifled as she struggled to maintain her cool demeanor A thin film of mana settled over her but it didn’t appear to be geared towards affecting her

Kal and Vivian blinked uncomprehendingly and Lyra realized that they had become invisible Although this was an incredibly useful skill and study of its structure could let her try and imitate it Lyra’s focus spread outwards rushing after that thin thread of mana tracing it all the way back

The thread slowly faded like all the others but Lyra’s eyes glowed a vicious blue

Gotcha’ She thought her mouth curving slowly upward

Lyra’s gaze focused and she saw how Kal had sprinted to the door and shut it and then came back to the couches forcing himself to casually lay even as he awkwardly twisted gazing at the door with dread With trembling hands Vivian sat at a desk across the room slowly brushing her hair in front of the mirror

There was some commotion outside and the door was kicked in several more guards covered in riot gear bursting at their seams with muscles walked in waving guns

After a brief search where both Kal and Vivian were dragged to the front the guards retreated to the door and stood at attention The sound of wood on marble filled the room as a small stooped woman walked forward Her long hair had faded to grey and her face was a maze of wrinkles

Babi Taka w w what are you doing here personally Kal whispered his eyes wide

The old woman shrugged casually her eyes slowly methodically sliding over every inch of the room Lyra leaned forward curiously Who would win the Tribulation’s hiding spell or the mean old lady gaze

Seemingly satisfied the old lady turned back towards Kal I had a strange feeling and then I come to find my guards sleeping on the job My instincts must be getting pretty sharp in my old age kekeke

Lyra rolled her eyes and held up a finger gun pointed at Babi Taka

Bang ’ She mouthed

With a sharp snap a crack appeared in the wall behind Babi Taka The old woman jumped spinning around with a speed that should be impossible for someone her age The two guards sprinted to put themselves between their mistress and the wall guns raised

For several seconds everyone stood there waiting Fake Randidly looked at Lyra reproachfully his hand still on her shoulder She rolled her eyes at him

What’s the point in having magical powers if you don’t have fun with them every once and awhile

Nonplussed and scowling the old woman whispered to her guards and hurried away leaving the room Right before they left one of the guards that was standing outside tossed a figure into the room Bound hand and foot the figure flailed and fell to the ground

Making a low concerned noise Vivian hurried forward helping the figure up fumbling at the bindings Lyra frowned It appears that this bruised and tied up prisoner was Constance the King the Previously Fearsome

His breathing was even his movements sure this huge spear of bone continuing to cut a wide path through the monsters Randidly’s addition of the Thorn Rampart had done one thing for sure and that was bunch up the monsters who could either impale themselves or only approach Franksburg from certain directions

As such a huge number of monsters were milling around ready for slaughter However Randidly slowed his slaughter and distanced himself from the horde proper moving like a ghost back out and to the fringes He stopped for two reasons the first was simple he wanted a chance to check in on his notifications The second

He felt strange Randidly’s lessons with Lyra had given him an intimate familiarity with the feel of activating skills The warm rush of Stamina the cool flow of Mana What Randidly currently felt was neither of those It was a stranger more foreign feeling within himself An icy seizing within his chest slowly spreading out But the longer he felt it the more he doubted his own body because the chill began to burn with a fiery heat

Although it didn’t exactly hurt it wasn’t comfortable either So despite the fact he could continue Randidly returned to a spot to give himself a respite and check his notifications

And what Randidly saw made his scalp tingle He skipped over all the skill level notifications and just examined the strange ones

Congratulations Due to your actions you are developing your own personal skill Skill is 10% complete

Due to synchronicity with merging power time until full absorption of the Blessing of Ash decreased 100 minutes until full absorption

Warning you have long walked upon the path of the Heretic but you are rapidly approaching a crossroads That path lies through a Judgement

Due to synchronicity with merging power time until full absorption of the Blessing of Ash decreased 200 minutes until full absorption

Congratulations Due to your actions you are developing your own personal skill Skill is 25% complete

Congratulations Due to a moment of heightened synchronicity with merging power time until full absorption of the Blessing of Ash decreased 500 minutes until full absorption

Congratulations Due to your actions you are developing your own personal skill Skill is 50% complete

Randidly regarded the notifications curiously There were three types ranging from great to good to foreboding

The great was the creation of the skill that was currently sitting at at somewhere over 50% That strange focused state that Randidly had been in had apparently been tapping into something within the system allowing him to create his own skill Based on the situation it was likely a fighting skill rather than a spell

Randidly frowned struck by a sudden thought Could that be the source of the deathly cold followed by the burning heat Was that what it was the feeling of his body changing as he developed this skill If so then he would suffer through it in silence A skill that took that he developed in this manner couldn’t be simple

The good notifications were the minutes falling away from the absorption of the Blessing of Ash he had obtained/ stolen After a quick check of his menu he realized that he had only 1200 more minutes before he absorbed it That would be something like 20 hours

So still some time but if he continued to display enough synchronicity it would continue to rise

The final type of notification was the one about the Path of the Heretic He had noticed the Heretic Path slowly growing despite the fact he had never put any PP into it It seemed that it was growing in response to some of his actions but what could it be

He had never heard of anyone else with access to this path but Randidly supposed he had never really asked The most likely if disturbing explanation that Randidly could think of was that it was related to his lack of class As he grew stronger without a class his Heretic path would grow higher and eventually he would encounter a Judgement

It seemed like the system itself seemed to take personal offense to his continued independence Was this perhaps how everyone was slowly pushed into a class

But this line of thought still left Randidly confused What then would the Path itself provide What rewards would he receive for taking it And would he lose his ability to use the Heretic paths the future Would the path itself address whatever was so heretical about the situation

If he could survive the judgement would it be better to drive the Heretic path higher before using it Was it worth the risk

Shaking his head Randidly made a mental note to ask Alana whether she had access to the Heretic Path She was relatively strong and hadn’t yet chosen a class so if his suspicions were correct she should have also earned the systems ire

Chapter 90

Setting aside his concerns about the notifications for now Randidly allowed himself a small smile as he tallied the skill level gains Truly fighting under the pressure of the Agony skill provided some bonus to the speed with which he leveled There was no other explanation for why he had gained so much Although perhaps it was also the strange vicious fighting trance Randidly had fallen into for a time

Randidly had gained 2 Lvls of Spear Mastery 1 in Phantom Thrust 3 in Spear Phantom’s Footwork and Eyes of the Spear Phantom 2 in Phantom Half Step 3 in Heavy Blow 5 in Dodge 2 in Fighting Proficiency 3 in Haste 6 in Sweep 1 in Phantom Onslaught 2 in Empower 3 in Calculated Blow and Roundhouse Kick 4 in Edge of Decay 2 in Physical Fitness 3 in Pain Resistance 5 in Grace and finally 9 in Agony

A pretty good haul for however long he had been fighting It all started to blur together into a giant block of blood and bone Still it couldn’t have been any shorter than 2 hours And definitely no longer than 5

Randidly looked dubiously at the still numerous horde of monsters slowly pressing up against the Thorn Ramparts Although the bodies were piling up in some places allowing the monsters to slowly trickle in nonstandard entrances this much should still be possible to handle

Hopefully there was also enough for Randidly to rejoin the fray without any of the defenders from taking note of him too

Randidly poured his PP into the Spear Mastery II Path using 57 PP to finish it off

Congratulations You have completed the the Spear Mastery II Path Walk long on the battlefield and strength will naturally develop For before absolute martial strength what are tactics preparation and knowledge But this cannot be the place you come to rest for ahead of you the path stretches ever onward You have learned the skill Fearsome Cut Lvl 1 You have learned the skill Pierce the Skies Shatter the Earth Lvl 1 All Physical stats +3 +20 Health +30 Stamina

Congratulations due to the influence of your other skills Fearsome Cut has become Ghastly Slash Lvl 1

Ghastly Slash Slash out with such oppressive speed and strength that the very air wails as you cut through it Effectiveness of the skill increases with skill level

Pierce the Skies Shatter the Earth Such is the mastery of the spear that it allows you to bend the laws of reality with its fearsome power Two part move first leaping up into the air piercing the skies Then fall to the ground creating a large shockwave that spreads outward from the point of impact Effectiveness of the skill increases with skill level

After he had finished allocating the points he was quite pleased with himself and Randidly even had 5 more pp remaining But a notification popped up making his eyes narrow

Warning you have long walked upon the path of the Heretic but now the cusp of the crossroads lay before you Proceed directly to the nearest Newbie Village for assistance Should you proceed you shall face Judgement

Randidly examined his status page

Health(/R per hour) 390/479 (+8) (227 (+12

Mana(/R per hour) 0(unusable)/799 (90 75)

Stam(/R per min) 401/613 (82 (+4

Vit 68 (+4)

End 42

Str 53 (+2)

Agi 73 (+10)

Perception 46

Reaction 62

Resistance 25

Intelligence 96

Control 82

PP 5

Paths Newbie 7/7 P Def 10/10 M Supp 10/10 Risk Taker 15/15 Basic Physical Fitness 20/20 Trainee 15/15 Wandering Survivor 20/20 Pathless I 5/5 Pathless II 5/5 Pathless III 10/10 Pathfinder 15/15 Disciple of Shal 37/37 Pathless IV 10/10 Pathless V 15/15 Pathless VI 15/15 Pathless VII 20/20 Pathless VIII 20/20 Pathless IX 25/25 Pathless X 50/50 Pathless 100/100 Mana Bolt 25/25 Phys Fitness 25/25 Evasion 35/35 Phantom Thrust Path 40/40 Spear Mastery I 50/50 Monster Slayer I 1/1 Monster Slayer II 3/3 Heavy Blow Path 20/20 Monster Slayer III 6/6 Monster Slayer IV 12/12 Monster Slayer V 25/25 Potion Making I 25/25 The Monster Slayer 100/100 Entangling Roots 40/40 Meditation 35/35 Frontrunner 100/100 Apprentice Path 50/50 Fireball I Path 50/50 Potion Making II 35/35 Spear Mastery II 75/75

Skills (Soul Skill) Spear of Rot Mastery Lvl 499

Combat Spear Mastery Lvl 54 Phantom Thrust Lvl 50 Spear Phantom’s Footwork Lvl 41 Eyes of the Spear Phantom Lvl 27 Phantom Half Step Lvl 17 Heavy Blow Lvl 29 Dagger Mastery Lvl 10 Iron Skin Lvl 27 Dodge Lvl 36 Fighting Proficiency Lvl 40 Block Lvl 32 Haste Lvl 27 Phantom Onslaught Lvl 15 Sweep Lvl 32 Spear Deflect Lvl 10 Empower Lvl 30 Calculated Blow Lvl 22 Roundhouse Kick Lvl 21 Edge of Decay Lvl 20 Ghastly Slash Lvl 1 Pierce the Skies Shatter the Earth Lvl 1

Spells Spearing Roots Lvl 13 Mana Bolt Lvl 28 Mana Shield Lvl 24 Root Manipulation Lvl 28 Arcane Orb Lvl 22 Fireball Lvl 30 Magic Missile Lvl 4 Healing Palm Lvl 9 Pollen of the Rafflesia Lvl 15 Summon Pestilence Lvl 17 Mana Strengthening Lvl 14 Wall of Thorns Lvl 7 Soul Seed Lvl ® Agony Lvl 24 Inspiration ® Incinerating Bolt Lvl 5 Circle of Flame Lvl 7

Auxiliary Physical Fitness Lvl 35 Meditation Lvl 35 Running Lvl 23 Sprinting Lvl 19 Sneak Lvl 23 Acid Resistance Lvl 22 Poison Resistance Lvl 16 Pain Resistance Lvl 17 First Aid Lvl 13 Equip Lvl 25 Pathfinding Lvl 18 Mental Strength Lvl 15 Curse Resistance Lvl 3 Fire Resistance Lvl 14 Blessing of the North Blessing of the East Blessing of the South Blessing of the West Sewing Lvl 11 Cutting Vegetables Lvl 2 Manual Labor Lvl 3 Digging Lvl 5 Cooking Lvl 16 Grace Lvl 10 Extract Lvl 1

Randidly wondered whether Heretic was determined by his Soul Skill which was currently sitting at 499 But that too didn’t really make sense because why was this skill difference from the previous one Didn’t the levels he had gained in Green Spear mastery matter

There wasn’t anyway of knowing But what Randidly had to do now was decide how he would handle this But in his heart he had already made the decision

After all he was tired of dealing with the stress of the days with no release Donnyton’s cowardly Tribulation had driven him crazy for three and a half weeks refusing to reveal itself Although it was hasty although it was stubborn although it was short sighted Randidly was tired of being told what to do

In that moment Randidly removed his spear made for him by Sam and looked at it for a long time admiring the smoothly flowing vertebrae that constituted its body It truly was a beautiful and Randidly made a mental note to express his appreciation towards Sam for making it It couldn’t have been an easy process Then he examined it once more reading its simple description

Randidly bared his teeth in something akin to a smile If you crave something Take it huh

With glowing eyes Randidly examined his available paths

Watcher 0/ Heretic IV 0/ Oathbreaker 0/25 Initiate of Ash I 0/75 Phantom Thrust II 0/75 Empower 0/60 Path of Carnage I 0/

This time Randidly took some extra time to look at the paths available to him Watcher he had had for a long time but Randidly was rather nonplussed over what he should expect from it Had he had access before he left the dungeon And he already had access to Eyes of the Spear Phantom so it wasn’t clear what he was hoping to came from it

Not that he doubted that there would be a worthwhile reward but at his core Randidly couldn’t resist efficiency Watcher at this point didn’t seem very efficient

Heretic which was the subject of the previous notifications was intriguing but he didn’t want to mess with it lightly Especially not when he was feeling slightly forced into the situation If there was something that he hated it was being pressured by others Perhaps that’s why he was so infuriated by both Constance and Raina even when Raina’s smile was such a slight touch on his will As soon as he became aware of it it was intolerable

Oathbreaker was similar to Watcher in that he had access to it for a while but also that Randidly wasn’t sure what to expect What sort of skill would an Oathbreaker receive The only advantage it had over Watcher was that the quantity of PP it would require was clear giving him a little bit more of an idea about when to use it But that moment wasn’t now

Initiate of Ash Picturing that floating face of molten stone that irredeemable cheater that clear possessed much more power than he currently had Randidly felt somewhat helpless In his heart this was the path that he most wanted to take It would definitely lead to power if it was traversed successfully But if he had to deal with another more difficult challenge like the first one before he could pass it

Path of Carnage was intriguing but again The lack of an end amount of PP was off putting It would be annoying if it ended up being too high Not the worst outcome because it would likely have a correspondingly high reward but

This didn’t seem too likely however because of the numbering All of the other ones like this such as Monster Slayer and Pathless started off small But his disposition still urged him away from Path of Carnage because once he started it he would want to finish it And there were two options that he valued very highly available right now

The second Phantom Thrust path and Empower And between them

Phantom Thrust was his first real skill learned from Shal To this day the strength displayed by it never failed to impress

Randidly hesitated for a split second He had calmed down alot since losing himself in the violence early It truly wasn’t that he was angry at Tessa and he was inwardly quite horrified what he had done hurting her in the heat of the moment But it was one thing after another with the system

His lack of direction had been driving him crazy because he should have a goal Originally he had latched onto finding Sydney and Ace but now he finally faced the fact that they might already be dead He would of course continue to try and gather information but they hadn’t yet seen any other pillars of light that would indicate that other people in the Zone had founded a Newbie Village

No Ace and Sydney although an important part of his past was simply the past

Sydney was just

Then Randidly shook his head There were no answer there It wasn’t worth dwelling on Survival also became almost an afterthought as his strength was so high above the level of the common monsters

Other than that Randidly didn’t have any grand dreams of punishing the instigators of the system’s implementation on Earth He didn’t want to rule humanity’s survivors Perhaps he wanted to find relationships and to treasure the new ones he had allowing them to grow but

All he really wanted to walk these paths to the end To see what he was what he could become For now walking forward was all he could do All he wanted to do All he knew how to do anymore Thinking beyond that

Narrowing his eyes Randidly opened the menus back up The one thing he didn’t want to do was allow a notification to rule his life To allow a system to rule his life He would explore it but he would never compromise on his terms to placate it

He did not negotiate with terrorists

Randidly put 5 PP into the Phantom Thrust II path receiving 1 Strength and a slew of notifications for his troubles

Chapter 91

Randidly’s eyes quickly scanned through the notifications

Congratulations Your Soul Skill Spear of Rot Mastery has reached Lvl 500 Your path is long and winding but you find yourself wandering deeper into the darker corners of the forest where the incestuous growth and cannibalization of bacteria and fungus reigns supreme Your feet desire direction

You look at the dank rot What do you see What is Rot

Warning you have tread too long on the Path of the Heretic Heretic V is now open to you For this you must face Judgement Due to your affiliation with the Patron of Ash the Judgement of the Patron of Frostbite descends Know that even if you endure through the Judgement more will follow Proceed directly to the nearest Village and speak with the Spirit to repent

Warning In a nearby area a Judgement of Frostbite descends If you are not the one who caused this Judgement to descend your life can be preserved by staying out of the way of the Judgement and by not interfering with its quest God Speed

Randidly was standing in a grove of trees on a slope and in the small area below him between where he was and the monster horde a large glowing circle of sigils appeared in the air They cast a strange blue light on the area that even attracted the attention of the monsters As soon as they saw it they fled running into the hills The light condensed into a glowing figure standing tall on the small hill

After a few seconds the light faded away revealing a tall creature covered in white hair To Randidly’s eyes it looked like a 3 meter tall yeti its chest probably as wide across as the hood of a car Judgement of Frostbite Lvl 37 hung over its head But in the same way that Ep Tal had this one’s name was glowing yellow

And its aura reeked of danger

Randidly leveled his spear with a grin a manic light in his eyes but before he could advance another notification popped up a repeat

Was it waiting for him to actually answer

Randidly looked at the strange Yeti which pounded the ground with its fists Several small pudgy versions of itself crawled up out of the ground only about half as tall as a man but the little ones began to point spraying cones of frost that froze the nearby earth

As the slowly spreading ring of frost began to take form Randidly looked directly into the cold blue gaze of the Yeti It raised its huge furred hand and beckoned It was Randidly knew from the Yeti’s haughty expression an invitation to die

This Rot Randidly whispered Is fertilizer It is the means by which I will grow

If you crave something take it

I will devour it

Your feet begin to move taking you on the path of Consumption and Growth You have learned the skill Bacterial Regeneration Lvl 1

Bacterial Regeneration Passive skill Adds an additional 1 point of regeneration per hour of Health and Mana and 1 point of regeneration per minute of Stamina per skill level Effect doubles for 1 hour after eating

Grinning Randidly removed a small roll from his satchel and began to eat No point in wasting the extra value even if it would amount to very little right now Seeing that Randidly didn’t appear to be moving the Yeti roared another two dozen or so little Yetis popping up out of the ground

Randidly wondered where they were coming from And as he chewed his roll he dearly wished he had mana right now Putting an Incendiary Bolt through the smug face of the Yeti would give him a very profound sense of satisfaction

Still he would work with the tools he had His grip on the Spine Spear tightened

Lyra gazed from Kal to Constance who was currently being given first aid by Vivian

After The Ghosthound ripped out his tongue and sent his insects in to eat his vocal cords Kal said glaring at Lyra That’s when Babi Taka struck She already controlled a pretty large political faction due to her skill and so without Constance’s skill Kraig couldn’t handle them all alone He’s been beaten and squirreled off somewhere too And everyday they lock us up here and come to cut out his tongue again before the system can heal it Without his voice to activate the skills

What skill does Babi Taka have Lyra asked a kernel of wariness rising in her chest

Kal shrugged It’s some sort of replication skill Let’s her create a copy of any item The smaller and less enhanced by the system it is the easier it is She’s been keeping the police force supplied with ammo which is why they are behind her And also

Kal glanced at Constance who sat stoically with his eyes closed and Lyra snorted

And because Constance wasn’t exactly a popular ruler while he could speak huh Why does she even leave him alive anyway If something happened and his tongue grew back

Constance finally reacted opening his eyes and gazing at Lyra with a reproachful look She winked in response No need to flash the bedroom eyes at me honey you aren’t my type And I’m sure you’ve learned a few dozen lessons from having your tongue cut out everyday and wouldn’t dream of abusing your powers ever again Yadda yada

Vivian still frowning turned from her ministrations Constance is kept alive because he’s the village chieftain There are consequences for the village chieftain dying it is said But the threat of it keeps the Town Spirit in line and allows Babi Taka to control the SP too so it’s a calculated risk leaving him alive

Ah’ Lyra thought That explains where fake Randidly dashed off to ’

She could still distantly sense the projected illusion of Kim Lath moving through the city See how people live huh If it wasn’t after the village chieftain then it was moving after the Village Spirit

Clapping her hands Lyra rewarded everyone around her with a sunny smile Well since it looks like tonight is going to be a roller coaster ride we might as well be the first group to set off a firework

Walking casually while Kal and Vivian watched with mounting horror Lyra walked up to the door raised her hand and casually pointed a finger gun at the lock

Bang

The wood splintered and shattered the hinges ripped from the wall The doors collapsed in a pile of dust and Lyra stepped through finding two shocked guards both at least well trained enough to reach for their side arms

Before they could bring the pistols to bear though Lyra crossed her arms using her elbows as a support pointing a finger gun at each of the men Recently in Donnyton there had been a growing philosophical movement in regards to the morality of killing another man Sure they killed monsters but with the looming arrival of the connection with another village was killing another intelligent being acceptable

Lyra wasn’t a philosopher but she had watched Randidly move through the monster horde on that first night blood blooming around him like crimson lillies wilting in the next second leaving nothing but death And although the ground stunk for hours afterward she had never forgotten how beautiful it was

Both heads of the police split like sledgehammered melons destroyed by her Mana Bullet skill She even received a skill level

She looked over her shoulder at the wide eyed trio behind her smiling slightly Ready for your daring rescue princesses

After a short silence and several exclamations they followed almost unwillingly They proceeded down the tower Lyra skipping and hopping and killing every guard they came across except one

It was the skinniest person they had seen in police riot gear and Lyra was tired of wandering around without a purpose so she cut off his hands to ensure he wouldn’t try anything funny and spent a very satisfying 15 minutes alone in a room with him while Lyra’s three princesses waited outside

Lyra had a cruel upbringing and she professionally had learned to act like the person the viewer wanted to see She could be anything Due to her admitted fixation on Randidly she had kept to herself in Donnyton keeping people away from the very sharp edges of her personality But now in this other town after Randidly had fled south to get away from her attention

Based on how quickly the man broke into tears begging for mercy Lyra admitted to herself she might be bottling up some emotions related to Randidly and they weren’t positive ones But she left the room with the location of Kraig the black man who had been Police Lieutenant before the system came which mellowed out her Princesses’ grumbles considerably

Once they knew he was located on the 10th floor Lyra ballsily just took the elevator down not bothering with anything else Just as she expected they were greeted by a face of absolute surprise when they came off the elevator and walked around the corner finding the guard station

As they scrambled to their feet Lyra waved her hand and birds formed of mana swooped forward ripping through their necks Their eyes dimming they fell to the ground Vivian vomited in the corner of the hallway as Lyra bent over and rummaged through the body’s pockets

When they opened the door they found Kraig chained to a chair barely conscious Even Constance moved to his side his face concerned

Lyra removed a mana potion and a health potion from her pocket drinking the former and passing the latter to Vivian who began dripping it into Kraig’s lips

Princess number 4 get Lyra said in a pleased tone

Chapter 92

Randidly stepped gracefully forward weaving in between two of the mini yetis Their faces contorted in fury they shaped their mouths into an O and blew producing a cone of frost Grimacing Randidly used Phantom Half step on a distant mini yeti to dodge the skills aimed at him and then used Ghastly Slash whipping the head of his spear downward toward the back of one of the offending mini yetis

Truly as he slashed the air howled with the passage of his spear and when the skill struck it the monster was split in half Randidly gained a skill level in Ghastly Slash and continued turning slashing again taking another mini yeti in the waist cutting it in half

But unfortunately before Randidly’s slaughter of the mini yeti’s continued their Yeti leader arrived furious

Roaring it smashed its fist downward towards Randidly aiming to crush him Which considering that the Yeti’s arm was the size of Randidly’s entire body was possible if he were hit The Yeti produced a frost aura as well that slowed enemies when it neared making it very difficult to battle

But Randidly still had few tricks up his sleeve Randidly activated Pierce the Heavens Shatter the Earth leaping upward in a blur led by the sharp tip of his spear Somehow the Yeti had the Perception to see the attack coming and leaned its head backwards out of the way As opposed to ripping a large gash in its throat Randidly’s spear only traced a thin line of blood up its hairy cheek

Chiding himself on failing to use Haste and Empower prior to the move Randidly began to fall spear pointing at the ground He smashed into the earth with a huge crack between several mini yetis The ground cracked and buckled and a shockwave exploded outward knocking the mini yetis away like they were made of paper

As the Shockwave dispersed Randidly dismissed the notification for gaining a level in the skill and downed a stamina potion preparing for an extended battle But instead of an attack from the Yeti he only found it kneeling next to its fallen little children keening in a soft voice

Then its eyes narrowed it looked up at him with naked hatred

Don’t go soft on me now You came here to kill me did you not If you weren’t willing to risk being devoured why have you come

Vibrating with barely controlled fury the Yeti stood Then it raised its hands and a vortex of ice formed swirling downwards After several seconds of this a giant blue hammer made entirely of ice was formed and the Yeti snatched it out of the air After spinning it expertly as if it was made of nothing the yeti bellowed a challenge and rushed towards Randidly

The hammer of ice swept sideways towards Randidly but he did not retreat No with the increase in stats gained from Equiping the Spine Spear Randidly wanted to know just what the limit of his strength was

He Hasted himself and Empowered himself and used Sweep the huge bone spear and ice hammer swinging towards one another They met was a loud boom both weapons vibrating uncontrollable

Unfortunately Randidly stumbled back the webbing between his thumb and forefinger torn by the impact

Just a little short huh He mumbled his eyes burning The Yeti seemed slightly shocked by this too and changed his stance preparing to attack more seriously

Grinning wildly Randidly beckoned the Yeti imitating its haughty air from earlier

They hurried through the darkened streets heading for the edge of town Lyra’s powerful mana sense could detect anyone with even a thread of mana so they easily avoided all the patrols It wasn’t until an explosion occured to the south where Lyra sensed the Randidly projection had gone before the alarm was really raised and it didn’t seem like it was related to them escaping

Large booms continued to echo outward from the area and their group used this cover to escape After downing one of Randidly’s signature health potion Kraig had recovered most of his usual vigor and was able to jog along with the rest of them

However after a particularly loud boom the party was forced to stop as Constance fell to his knees A low groan escaped from his mouth unable to be shaped by a tongue and soundly oddly animalistic

Lyra frowned down at him What

But just then she heard a gasp and tuned Kraig was staggering holding his chest Both Kal and Vivian looked decidedly uncomfortable What’s wrong

It feels Kraig gasped his lungs heaving Like something is being ripped out of me

Vivian winced Mine’s not so bad as that Just a weird grinding LIke I can feel myself developing high blood pressure

Her frown deepening Lyra activated her skill Eyes of Wonder the skill that had lead to everything else The skill she had gained from looking at Randidly

She could now see the utmost details in the flow of energy in their bodies The swirl of mana the pulse of Stamina But beyond that she saw the thin veins of that insidious addicting violet energy that people gathered ambiently Based on its significant presence in all of their bodies they all had obtained classes

Lyra had noticed that obtaining classes gave people another source for this violet energy which had both simultaneously made her want to get one immediately and never get one ever Her use of it already felt dangerous If she had access to more

As her attention sharpened on these veins of violet energy thin and weak in Kal and Vivian much thicker and more prevalent in Kraig Lyra could make out several small rough looking black particles flowing along from whatever source the violet energy came from depositing themselves in the people’s bodies

But when Lyra turned to Constance the blood drained from her face He had two veins one so thick it had blossomed into a whirlpool in his chest In his body those small black particles flowed outward more and more and more At this point those violet veins were only half energy and the other half this strange substance

Lyra turned back to Kal and Vivian You two have classes

Vivian blushed looking at the ground Yes

What are they

Vivian’s blush deepened her gaze still on the ground mine’s Consort

Lyra snorted and turned to Kal And you

mine’s also consort He said all the while meeting her gaze defiantly

Lyra burst out laughing Then she shook herself refocusing Unfortunately there wasn’t time to mock these two arrogant individuals Although the idea of the two of them engaging in activities with Constance

She spared Constance a glance He was without a doubt the most vanilla person she had ever seen in terms of appearance If this were the world prior to the system Hollywood would have given him work as a background extra as long as he wanted it

Sighing Lyra reached out with her perception towards the true body of Kim Lath When she felt its rising energies her worst fears were confirmed

I think Lyra said hesitating I think your VIllage Spirit got eaten

She didn’t feel guilt per se even though this was her fault No what she felt was responsibility Because although Turtletown had lost its spirit Donnyton had gained the location of their tribulation And with that

Lyra’s eyes blazed azure and violet the energies within her twining together

With that she would exact swift revenge

Nul gasped and stood knocking over the table that he and Daniel had been playing chess on

Prepare for battle He whispered looking wide eyed at Daniel

As Daniel opened his mouth to reply Glendel rushed in looking flustered Daniel There are monsters everywhere

Call the Council Daniel said grimly his voice only trembling slightly with fear Had it been Daniel from a month ago he would have panicked But now he had grown accustomed to such emergencies Is anyone out on Patrol

Decklan is Glendel whispered And his squad was right where the monster’s appeared His squad has already suffered 2 casualties I’ve guided him towards an area to escape but

Enough Daniel’s frown deepened If it was enemies at the level that it was threatening Decklan’s squad Wait until the Council gets here then explain

Then Daniel’s gaze turned to Nul What do you know

Just that Donnyton’s tribulation has come and it is strong Nul said simply I would like to remind you that the victory and loss is determined only by two lives my own and the Tribulation Whichever of us survives gains the village Either it continues as a village or

Nul closed his mouth his face taken on that pained expression he had when he said too much Daniel frowned This was new information So what Nul was essentially saying was everyone was essentially expendable but him huh

Well fuck that

Chapter 93

So what’s happening Donny asked scanning around the table his eyes landing on Glendel Only 6 minutes had passed but the ghostly whispers in their ears had drawn the entire council to the main building of the Trainee Village

Except Decklan who from Glendel’s sweaty brow was still encountering quite a bit of trouble

I don’t know how I missed them it’s like they just sprang into existence But all of the sudden the area to the north was filled with monsters From what I can see there are two Tier I Raid Bosses and a Tier II as well It’s like someone was hiding them this entire time

The Tribulation Daniel said his eyes glittering It’s not directly powerful but seems to be skilled at subterfuge It apparently knew enough about us to avoid your ghosts which is disturbing What sort of numbers are we talking

I mean only about half the amount of a normal monster horde but Their levels are all at least 24 Because the Raid Bosses have had time to spawn

Rough sledding Dozer rumbled his face peaceful

And Decklan Donny asked

Still being chased by one of the Raid Boss’ forces But Glendel said but Regina interrupted

Tell him to distract and engage At that level we can’t take them all on at once Better to lure those we can to the village too so we can make use of the Aura of Arbor

No need they will come Nul said Seeking my life Your utmost priority

Defense for now gather ourselves for a strike The mage corps can probably blow a pretty large hole in their lines It’s a bit more awkward without Clarissa but it should still work Sam said rubbing his chin

Regina nodded My thoughts exactly Donny will you take your squad and rendezvous with Decklan Dozer you are on mop duty Take the Numerals with you it’s time to see if all their swagger is worth anything Save your strength as much as possible

Then she turned to Nul Do you know where the tribulation is

He hesitated then shook his head Regina glanced at Glendel who simply shrugged

Sighing Regina said Well then we will hold until we get a lead In the meantime the important targets are the raid bosses They will be coming through the quarry yes

ETA 10 minutes Glendel reported Donny Dozer and Ptolemy got up and left heading to reinforce their lines Glendel closed his eyes commanding his ghosts

Sam glanced grimly at Regina and Mrs Hamilton If we don’t find where it is

Damn its really rough missing both The Ghosthound and Clarissa Their firepower would alleviate a lot of pressure Mrs Hamilton muttered

But what can we do Regina asked her voice frustrated

Actually I have a solution

All four of them looking up to find Lyra followed by 4 limping individuals When they made it into the room the four collapsed

Lyra wiggled her fingers at the group Just buy me some time okay I’ll have everything fixed up in a jiffy

Decklan raced forward his expression locked into a scowl The ambush had been unexpected but nothing they couldn’t handle But then they had harried and disengaged seeking to gain some space and had backed up into another enemy

The first group of monsters were cyclops tall physically powerful beasts who were deadly in close proximity but slow The second group was skeletal horses who had more than enough speed to chase down their group

Luckily they weren’t controlled by one leader so there was some friction between the groups when they encountered one another By sticking in the space between the two groups Decklan and his squad were able to keep enough distance not to get crushed by the cyclops and keep far enough away from open stretches to not get run down by the skeleton horses

And they would have done it perfectly without any casualties if Ivan hadn’t madly tried to finish off a cyclops for the stat gains and hadn’t done enough damage to kill it In a fit of fury the cyclops struck His body was splattered against the cyclop’s skull by a palm a sight Decklan wouldn’t soon forget It was a good if costly reminder that this wasn’t a game

They were running in a long arc meaning to bring them eventually around and towards Donnyton but a strange thing sticking out of the ground caught his attention It pointed Decklan immediately shifted following its direction hand signalling to Terra and the rest of the crew to follow They flowed smoothly behind him nervous but they had their faith in their squad leader

If they hadn’t they would have broken when Ivan died

Their path cut them sideways through a few cyclops but they followed without complaint Daggers and throwing hatchets and other projectile weapons hitting the vulnerable eyes of the nearby enemies Once they got wind of it their eyes snapped shut but it bought them the few seconds the group needed to dash through

Decklan signaled again and the whole group increased in speed rushing towards a copse of trees 400 meters away They would burn through their stamina reserves to get there but if Decklan’s suspicions were correct

As they neared the trees he saw they were thick with low hanging vines He ducked under and led the group in not stopping even as the cyclops chased after them

Decklan if we stay here we are going to get trapped Terra said nervously glancing around Something about these trees Then she froze as the vines moved revealing a suspended floating mass of rot and flesh

Thorn had grown since Decklan had seen it last and grown a lot The mass of flesh was probably just as large as he would be if he curled up into a ball The air below it was thick with thorny vines sinking into the ground and spreading around covering the entire group of trees

Let them come Decklan said turning to the group with a manic glint in his eyes We are going to make our stand here And we are going to bleed every last motherfucker that tries to come for us

As if understanding Decklan’s words the whole copse began to rumble Thorn vibrating in pleasure at the thought

Randidly breathed heavily staggering forward to meet the Yeti Time and time again they had rushed together and crashed against each other Randidly’s Sweep meeting the mighty swing of the Yeti’s ice hammer Randidly had lost out just slightly especially at the beginning but he quickly mastered the art of recovering from that and using Ghastly Slash to inflict debilitating wounds on the Yeti’s shoulders easing some of the burden on himself

Unfortunately the Yeti was intelligent enough to see through Randidly’s plan and had made him pay for it a glancing blow with the shaft of the hammer had cracked a few ribs and the Yeti had taken to swinging great overhand blows that that almost completely killed Randidly’s legs Even now he could barely keep standing

Still to fall meant death With glowing eyes Randidly tightened his grip on his spear and followed it forward meeting the hammer

BooM

The force of the blow reverberated in the clearing It seemed like the monster horde had finally been hunted to extinction and now Franksburg was noticing the battle happening between Randidly and the Yeti However they didn’t dare approach both because of the level and speed of the fighting and due to the notification that warned them about interfering with the Judgement

Which suited Randidly just fine more people would just get in the way

Randidly grinned at the Yeti his smile all teeth To his surprise the Yeti smiled back its eyes still bright with hatred and then said something in a low rumbling tone In a very distantly familiar manner the strange sounds swirled and snapped into focus

Schai killer you are very strong But even suppressed to classlessness I am stronger There are always those such as you who struggle And yet every time the system crushes them You cannot fight against Aether it is life

As pleasurable as banter is I’m just going to kill you Randidly remarked raising a potion to his lips taking advantage of the space to regain some health and stamina The Yeti just chuckled and removed a vivid pink potion downing it quickly

It’s body shuddered then the flesh knit itself back together its shoulders once more whole Then it took its ice hammer in its right hand and raised its left Another vortex formed ice falling to condense into a second hammer Dual wielding hammers the Yeti strolled forward

This is the day you die Heretic It commented

Randidly frowned Not only did the Yeti have potions it seemed as though its potions were an even higher quality than his How was that fair

Inwardly Randidly admitted his potion abuse was most of why he could gain victory over these individuals with levels But it definitely didn’t feel good to be on the receiving end of it

Actually Randidly won’t be dying today Humans aren’t the type to abandon each other

The female voice surprised Randidly because he hadn’t heard anyone coming He turned to find Lyra standing next to him with a bright expression smiling at him Something inside Randidly melted slightly looking at that smile as lovely as the morning’s first ray of sun heralding the coming warmth of the day

His Phantom Thrust took her in the chest where a heart would be on a human

Lyra doesn’t talk like that Randidly commented

Lyra blinked and then vomited out a mouthful of blood Randidly Why

Randidly frowned in annoyance And she wouldn’t be so dumb as to let me attack her What are you

Seeing that the Yeti had stopped and was regarding the situation with curiosity Randidly’s arms blurred as he unleashed a Ghastly Slash bisecting Lyra’s body entirely A spray of blood covered Randidly wet and warm Then it all evaporated into mist

Then the mist recondensed several feet away still Lyra still smiling prettily But a name hung above her head

Kim Lath The Tribulation of Many Faces Lvl 38

I’ve waited a long time for this Randidly commented leveling his spear But the creature just laughed

This is just an illusion Fight me here all you want The only reason I bothered to appear now is that soon Donnyton will fall and then I’ll be able to fight you directly Plus if I can kill you while you don’t have access to mana The illusion morphed and shifted turning into another 3 meter tall Yeti with two large ice hammers

Your interference is unnecessary The first Yeti said frowning

The other Yeti laughed still talking with Lyra’s voice You are bound by the will of your Patron You are Judgement Descend upon the Heretic and end his transgressions

The first Yeti frowned but said nothing as it began approaching Randidly once more

Unable to resist it any longer Randidly began to laugh It was long and loud and came from his gut Double the difficulty Perhaps more with the addition that each had two hammers Interesting Too Interesting This is exactly what he needed

Good good Randidly said settling into his stance with hungry eyes The more fertilizer the better The faster he would grow

The faster he could acquire the power he needed to survive

In that moment there was nothing Randidly craved more than power He activated Agony and threw himself at the two shocked Yeti his spear howling through the air towards them

Chapter 94

The troop of Cyclops crashed forward ripping the trees up by their roots Thick thorny vines snaked under their feet sliding up their feet and knocking them off balance

Decklan flashed forward arriving at the Cyclops’ neck in a second He slashed twice once on the jugular once on the eye and then took a spike as long as his forearm from his ring and drove it into the Cyclops heart

The thing staggered shocked and weakened by its lifeblood pouring away Thorn picked up its feebly struggling body and threw it at two other approaching cyclops knocking them to the ground Terra and another member of his squad leapt forward making several deep cuts into the fallen duo and then retreated Thorn then picked up those bodies and threw them around knocking even more to the ground

With a roar another wave of cyclops arrived ripping away the ever dwindling trees that hid Decklan’s squad

Again and again they struck and more and more cyclopses fell but there were still a huge number of them Their high level meant dealing a killing blow was difficult even with them distracted by Thorn Blood pumped out of their wounds but still they staggered to their feet their single eye burning with hatred

But Decklan just tightened his grip on the knife given to him by the Ghosthound and rushed forward That dagger was hot and seemed to be hungry for flesh Decklan planned to feed it After all nothing was ever accomplished by complaining about a problem You had to stand straight and face it

Or in this case kill it

Paolo the individual who obtained the class Brawler current leader of Squad I cracked his knuckles After removing the bone equipment made by Sam to signify his position from his ring and putting it on Paolo turned and grinned over his shoulder at the rest of the squad

Let’s show em why we are the best

Kayle the individual who obtained the class Ranger current leader of Squad II snorted Kayle turned to his squad and said Everyone be ready to provide relief when they crack under the pressure

Belay that order Squad II Paolo commented I out rank your squad leader and therefore you need to obey me

They were moving towards the hastily assemble wall past the quarry moving at a quick speed Squads III through VI were assigned to support them and only a short distance away Some mid 20s ranked squads were trooping over after that but they had taken longer to assemble For something like 10 minutes Squads I through VI were required to hold the quarry with Squads I and II at the front

Ignore that belay Squad II Kayle said haughtily drawing his long knives Squad I has gone senile with fear It seems it falls to us to lead the charge

To their surprise they were beaten to their location by the enemy Already a dozen or so skeletal horses had streamed through the shattered gates rushing towards them

Paolo snapped the clasp on his bone gauntlets into place Squad I how do we treat insubordinate inferior squads

Just like enemies Then men shouted breaking into a jog

And what do we do to enemies

Kill em good

Kayle rolled his eyes his squad beginning to sprint weapons drawn Squad II what do we do to enemies

Kill them first

Paolo glowered Squad I

Kill em’ better

Kayle spat on the ground Squad II

Kill them now

Their lines met the charge of the skeletal horses Paolo’s fist smashed into the leading horse shattering its skull to powder Kayle moved like quicksilver in the night cutting his horse at the knees where it collapsed weakly with another long knife buried in its skull

Regina frowned down at Constance long violet lines spreading from his heart to cover his body Kraig Kal and Vivian had them too but they were nowhere near as bad as Constance’s

What’s happening to them Daniel asked nervously He had liked the fact that Lyra had just dropped off these strangely afflicted individuals and left

I don’t quite know But I don’t believe it is medical Regina commented frowning It was just the two of them in the room with the people from Turtle Town

And of course Nul when he chose to show himself

The neighboring village has fallen to a tribulation Soon it shall become a dungeon And its people will become the monsters that populate it if they do not shed their bond with that village

Vivian blinked We will Become monsters

Nul nodded The changes have already begun You are switching from the Traveler system to the monster system That is the pain you feel But you can be saved if you agree to switch to this village

Fine do what you have to Grunted Kal holding his abdomen Nul moved forward with a small smile and offered his hand to Kal

Take my hand and forsake your previous village You will lose your class and all stats gained therein but you will retain your life

Kal took that hand His smile deepening Nul pressed his hand against Kal’s chest Before Kal was in pain but it was bearable Now Kal began to scream

Within a few seconds Kal was foaming at the mouth Then his eye rolled up into the back of his head and he collapsed Nul pulled and a strange something of energy was ripped out of Kal’s body which shuddered then stilled

Nul ate whatever it was he pulled from Kal then turned to Vivian and Kraig still with a bland smile in place on his face Take my hand and I shall save you

Dozer advance using his large club to batter and crack the shells of the flood of beetles that rushed towards the village His squad was barely holding together but they couldn’t switch out the usual legion style tactics didn’t work on these enemies Their shells were too tough they just shrugged off most attacks

Magic was reasonably effective and the mage corps was providing much needed support ripping through lines of beetles But they charged forward endlessly their powerful mandibles clicking dangerously

These were the spawn of the Tier II raid boss boss and they were just as tough as their level of 28 would indicate At the back Dozer had even seen some Lvl 30sdirecting the beetles

With Donny’s squad out to reinforce Decklan and squads I through VI blocking the skeletal horses from the North

There was only Dozer to hold this front

A beetle rushed close to the man next to Dozer biting into his knee The man fell with a cry and Dozer roared opening himself to an attack but performing a huge overhand blow that smashed down on the beetle cracking its shell and squashing its body into the ground One of the support squads ran forward and dragged the man back pulling him to the healers but that left Dozer even more exposed

Two more beetles jumped forward aiming for his exposed side Dozer let go of the club with one arm reaching and grabbing the jaw of the first beetle to leap brutally snapping off its lower jaw

The second he ignored and at the last moment an arrow slid forward through the space under his arm and hit the attacking beetle through the head

This didn’t kill it but it caused the beetle to falter in confusion and Dozer brought his huge club to bare smashing the beetles to pieces His squad surged forward with him sharing Dozer’s fury that one of their own had been wounded They crashed forward smashing a dozen beetles with their wild blows

Dozer felt light taps on his shoulders but ignored it

Dozer baby you should really be more careful Annie rebuked standing on his shoulders and smoothly firing arrows into the crowd of beetles buying time for Dozer’s squad to fall back and regroup Making a girl work so hard even while she’s wearing a skirt

Almost instinctually Dozer glanced up while drinking a stamina a potion And sure enough he could see right up his woman’s skirt to her lacy red panties

She lightly hopped off him and patted Dozer’s back winking Make sure you come back alive

Then she sauntered off a definite swing to her hips heading to reinforce another area

Feeling a heat unrelated to the battle rising within him Dozer unwillingly turned back to the beetles

Chapter 95

Randidly staggered backwards wounds covering his body He let Agony drop and downed a health potion weaving between wild swings of the fake Yeti It was just as large and fast as the real thing just less powerful with its blows Also any wounds he inflicted on it instantly healed the illusion reforming around the attacks

Meanwhile the real Yeti rushed forward swinging both hammers to meet Randidly’s spear A shockwave sent Randidly stumbling again his face twisted into a scowl

In addition a small crack had emerged in his spear It was small now but the longer this fight went on

You cannot win The fake Yeti sang with Lyra’s voice smashing sideways with its hammer forcing Randidly to block awkwardly with the shaft of the spear He coughed up a mouthful of blood gritting his teeth to right himself his eyes flicking sideways to the real Yeti But once more it stopped giving him a small breath to regain his feet before it rushed forward

Randidly’s eyes narrowed Taking me lightly ’

He used Pierce the Skies Shatter the Earth to leap upwards and then land some distance away with a crash throwing up a cloud of dust With that small barrier obscuring the Yeti’s vision Randidly finally addressed his notifications

There were several about the synchronicity and minutes decreased and there were also several for skill levels but Randidly focused on three in particular

Congratulations Due to your actions you are developing your own personal skill Skill is 75% complete

Congratulations Due to your actions you are developing your own personal skill Skill is 100% complete Please return to a village to obtain your new skill

Immediate skill creation is possible Would you like to proceed Y/N

Randidly frowned at these seemingly conflicting messages but he had no time to hesitate clicking yes

Warning creation of a skill with insufficient fuel will lead to death Do you wish to proceed Y/N

This did give him some pause but that strange freezing burning energy in his chest had been growing as he fought and now he could feel it pulsing especially in his throat Randidly wasn’t even sure that he could speak currently due to the burning numbness radiating from his throat and chest

But that strange energy began to pulse faster as he looked at the notification as if assuring him there was sufficient fuel Randidly clicked yes

Congratulations Your own personal skill has been created You have created the skill set 7 Kata of the Ashen Spear You have learned the first Kata The Spear Advances Ash Trails Lvl 1

Congratulations You are the 2nd person to create a skill set on your planet +50 to Health/Mana/Stamina

Congratulations You are the first person to create something of the Runic rarity in your Nexus Class You have gained the skill Superiority Lvl 1

Superiority Lvl 1 Passive skill Some individuals are blessed Although all other factors indicate you should lose you manage to succeed Stats and Skill levels are worth an infinitely small amount more than normal Effect increases with skill level

This skill set seemed to be something worth investigating but Randidly didn’t have time He downed health and stamina potions as quickly as he could But to his surprise the two Yeti’s hadn’t approached they simply stood there waiting for him to finish

The real Yeti finished drinking its potion and tilted its head at him Do you really think you can win I have have stayed my hand time and time again but no longer You shall now die

The fake yeti just smiled as the real yeti raised its arm another vortex of snow appearing eventually condensing into a suit of crystal armor on the real Yeti’s body

Randidly looked down at his spear at the growing crack and then sighed Sam was going to be so annoyed with him

Are you prepared Randidly asked surprising himself

The Yeti seemed surprised too but then something that it saw in Randidly’s expression made him grow serious It nodded lowering itself into a fighting stance The fake Yeti circled around trying to get Randidly stuck between them but Randidly ignored it Instead he raised his spear bent his knees and spoke in a clear voice

The Spear Advances Ash Trails

As the skill kicked in Randidly also activated Haste and Empower basically using all of his stamina for this one move His knees exploded with force and Randidly thought he felt something tear but already he was ripping forward through the air an explosion of flame propelling him forward

The Yetis eyes widened but Randidly had already arrived right in front of him his Spine Spear piercing forward towards the crystal armor All the Yeti had time to do was cross his hammers in front of him in a defensive posture

Lyra walked slowly forward grinning around I know you are here Kimmy Why don’t you come out and play

Strolling calmly forward into the dank cave Lyra didn’t bat an eye as dozens of pairs of yellow eyes opened in the dark revealing themselves to be oversized bats hanging from the ceiling

You have another Raid Boss squirreled away Certainly have been industrious Kimmy But did you really think that would stop me

With a wave of her hand Lyra produced several glowing bats of mana normal sized ones But as the two sides met it was the giant bats that fell lifeless to the floor

You are certainly dangerous Randidly’s voice spoke But it is useless You have already lost Your Village Spirit will die

Val and Kraig had both consented to the procedure of Nul’s and had now passed out on the small beds resting Overall Daniel thought that Nul seemed very pleased His bland smile had widened considerably as he had eaten whatever it was that he had taken from the people to save them

Regina seemed initially dubious of the effectiveness of whatever it was that Nul did but the violet black lines rapidly faded from their bodies

But at that moment something very surprising happened

Constance sat up

With a vicious grin and pure black eyes he straightened and stood and exceedingly strange aura spreading out from him And as Regina watched words formed over his head fading into existence The writing blazed purple

The Mad King Constance Lvl ) (

The level flickered for a while and Constance stumbled But it was rapidly shifting and the strange letters soon merged to become 0

Quickly we must Nul said hastily backing away but he was interrupted

Silence Stand Still The commands rumbled out imperious Nul Regina and Daniel froze A strange blob like creature flickered into existence in the tent Constance’s level increased to 1

Interesting Who would have thought that foolish girl would deliver my boss monster directly to you This certainly is a nice surprise

The level above Constance’s head increased to 2 and then 3

I’m not one to monologue but The blob started but then was interrupted by a bang

Constance staggered forward a blood stain appearing in his chest He turned slowly his pitch black eyes falling to rest on Kraig who was sitting up pointing a pistol towards his chest

You Constance said wonderingly A bang sounded again and this bullet took Constance in his left eye socket Constance’s level increased to 4 but now Kraig stood albeit unsteadily leveling his gun at him

How can you move The blob hissed Your class was taken You have no stats or skills

That’s not true Kraig said tonelessly striding forward firing bullet after bullet into Constance’s skull I have nothing gained from a class But all that I gained training on my own all I gained from paths all those points I put into Willpower so Constance could never again dominate the town I’m sorry my onetime friend

Kraig reloaded as Constance’s level increased to 5 and then walked right up to him

Constance opened his mouth but only two words came out thank You

Then Kraig used 8 bullets to spread the contents of Constance’s brain on the ground His levels ceased increasing and the glowing name slowly faded into nothing

The blob backed away but Nul pounced forward You aren’t getting away this time I shall devour you

Fool The blob spat You are weak even this projection can crush your will and absorb you

Only if you are willing to let go of control of your Raid Bosses Nul countered wickedly And if you do that we will find you and kill you

Panting Lyra arrived at a crystal barrier only the gory bodies of the bats remaining behind her She had been forced to rely on that freezing wonderful addicting violet energy inside of her in order to make it this far but

It wasn’t as bad as she had worried This amount should be recoverable over a few weeks

But now she stood in front of a strange hexagonal barrier made of energy In the middle of the small barrier not 5 feet away the Tribulation crouched a sad fat blob that looked more like a deflated rubber ball than anything else

Kimmy You locked the door That seems rude

There was no answer Kim Lath seemed to be concentrating very hard on something very far away leaving Lyra alone with the body and the shield Lyra created a bird of mana which bounced harmlessly off the shield

Then she created a giant bear that smashed its paw against the barrier The barrier trembled but showed no visible signs of weakness Lyra frowned This was a first for her encountering something she couldn’t defeat

She raised her hand made a finger gun and said Bang

The barrier didn’t even tremble

Her frown deepened Her magic was based on image The stronger the image the stronger the attack But at the same time the higher the cost And if she wanted to create something powerful enough to pierce this barrier

She shivered and considered the violet energy inside of her More seeped in every moment but it was far from enough What she was planning would consume almost all of the energy she had

This wasn’t even the extra energy this was literally all of the energy Based on her observations this energy was what let people live in the system enhanced world In small doses it enhances the body altering it to provide stats and skills

Without it she

But Lyra felt the connection Kim Lath still maintained far to the south Down where Randidly was She couldn’t know for sure that he was in danger but if the cautious Kim Lath was willing to move

Lyra sat removing several potions from her bag and drinking them Then she began to prepare to do something very very dangerous It was illogical she knew but still

For him she was compelled

For Randidly she would do anything

Chapter 96

Randidly and the Yeti looked at each other Randidly glanced down at the broken shaft of his spear and then shrugged

Almost disappointed the Yeti nodded slowly It was as good of a match as could be expected in a place like this

Fighting is fun Randidly said almost to himself causing the Yeti to burst into a fit of low chuckles blood dripping from his mouth

Yes it really is If you insist on walking down this path we will meet again I look forward to it The Yeti muttered slowly falling backwards the top half of Randidly’s spear buried into its chest The shattered armor fell to pieces slowly melting His broken hammers of ice dropped to the ground with a dull thump

Randidly regretfully turned away and looked towards the fake Yeti which had split into 4 human sized Yetis which waved their hammers at him Randidly simply raised a stamina potion to his lips considering

Perhaps it’s best to just hurry back Randidly muttered

As if I’d let you The Yetis spat rushing towards him Randidly shrugged leaning down and removing the top half of the spear from the Yeti’s chest placing it into his satchel Then he used Phantom Half step to move past the Yeti’s towards a random scout sent by Franksburg and immediately began sprinting North

Lyra was always beautiful And her parents always complimented her on it Her father was a screenwriter turned amateur director and her mother was just pretty enough to be arm candy in b rank flicks But from the day Lyra was born the pair of them both were seized by a shared delusion that their daughter would be the what they never could be

A star

Perhaps god had felt sorry for them for a life of mediocrity because they turned out to be right

Acting lessons singing lessons dancing lessons Lyra’s life was a merry go round of lessons preparing her to be an actress And at every lesson Lyra excelled

It was when she was 7 that this finally paid off and Lyra was recommended by her acting teacher It was only a role as an understudy but her parents were ecstatic

And then when on the first day the original girl for the part was sick Lyra stepped forward and performed the scenes with her own unique twist The director slightly nonplussed had looked at Lyra and said That was really good but I’m not sure if this is what the producers had in mind

Lyra simply shrugged That’s how the character would have done it For several minutes the two just stared at each other the director struggling with how he should view this tiny actress Lyra profoundly sure she was right

Helpless the director showed the producers the first day’s footage They fell in love with Lyra’s Jen and needless to say even after she had recovered the original girl was told very politely that her services were no longer required

Because when you looked at Lyra it was very hard to look away

Later that year late at night when the resounding success of Lyra’s movie became public and her having no small role in that success Lyra found herself staring at her reflection in the mirror

She reached out and dragged her fingers across the smooth surface of the mirror not admiringly but wonderingly

Is this what it means to be beautiful The 7 year old asked the hard mirror with a soft voice

Donny looked on at the blood soaked ground shock clear on his face Even the Raid Boss lay dead and groaning on the ground Like hollow eyed ghosts Decklan’s squad walked among the bodies slicing larger gashes in some cyclopses removing projectile weapons from others

All the while the seemingly infinite vines of Thorn moved picking up and squeezing bodies dry

Uh Decklan Donny said unsure of how to proceed He had come to reinforce them but when he’d arrived the cyclopses had already been practically bled to death

Oh Decklan looked up blinking Then he raised a hand to his mouth and shouted No rest for the wicked boys looks like there are more monsters to kill

Donny took several steps backwards because not 3 seconds later he was surrounded by Decklan’s squad all of them covered in blood most cradling broken arms drinking health or stamina potions

Another day in the life Terra muttered producing an apple and biting into it

The the next order of business is moving to reinforce Dozer’s division against the Tier II Raid Boss Donny said recovering from the shock He grinned at the tired looking squad and turned and walked away We’ll head over now but just show up after you shower alright We have standards in Donnyton

Annie had worked frantically the past hour keeping Dozer and his little friends alive not even bothering to tease Dozer She just darted from rampart to rampart using her height and archery to control the number of beetle things that could come towards the squad at once Even so they seemed endless

But Dozer showed no signs of slowing even getting himself worked into a fever pitch green ichor covering his club and part of his body

Annie wrinkled her nose She would definitely make him shower before giving him his reward tonight

Well probably

Annie allowed herself to admire his shoulders and arms for a second Normally she would carefully control herself about such things It would do no good if he knew how strongly he could influence her But now was a safe time for two reasons One Dozer seemed quite distracted and two it appeared the cavalry had arrived

Aegis Donny’s familiar shout sounded out and a group began ripping into the back of the beetle formation cutting swiftly forward to alleviate some of the pressure from Dozer’s squad Decklan’s squad moved like hungry ghosts stabbing their sharp weapons around the hard shells aiming for the soft fleshy joints

A roar sounded out and a huge beetle with huge chittering legs reared up revealing itself in the middle of the horde Annie sighed watching Dozer’s eyes begin to glow as he cut his way forward Of course he would challenge it

Dozer added weight to his challenge by crushing several nearby beetles clearing out a small area Incensed the Beetle charged heading directly towards Dozer’s wild swing

Annie breathed in then breathed out her focus narrowing as she activated her snipe ability The two forms Dozer ? the size of the beetle rushed towards each other positively crackling with force Annie loosed her arrow

The arrow slid through the air whistling so fast at such a high frequency that it was practically silent You would only know it was coming from the prickling on the back of your neck

The arrow struck the Beetle in the eye but it didn’t even seem to care crashing into the full strength swing of Dozer Grunting Dozer was immediately forced backwards as his swing didn’t even slow the beetle It crashed forward lashing out with its legs

Dozer managed to get his club up in time to block the leg that swung towards him but his club splintered slightly a long crack appearing it in The other nearby Classers weren’t as lucky and their armor was simply smashed apart before the fearsome power of the Tier II Raid Boss

Bringing its body around the beetle prepared to strike but as it launched itself forward Donny was suddenly there his shield smashing it backwards Although he wasn’t nearly as strong as Dozer in terms of stats and especially in ability to deal damage at the 6 inch distance Donny was king His shield bash knocked it off balance stunning it for a short moment

The beetle hissed in annoyance but as it struggled to regroup the Heavy Mage Corps unleashed a barrage of fire and ice that smashed against the Raid Boss’s shell It screamed in pain as the shell shattered struck by spell after spell

Although they were strong against physical attacks magic ripped right through them The Magic Corps launched another barrage this one less focused ripping through all of the beetles in the surrounding area They died in a series of hisses and screams

Then the mages parted and to Annie’s surprise the gangly slightly creepy Glendel walked forward But unlike his normal bobbing self now his posture was very straight his eyes stern and serious With an imperious gesture Glendel raised his hand and in the sky above the Raid Boss a ghastly wooden door wrapped in chains appeared

Glowing eerily green the door ratted and then sprung open long green arms rushing down to grip the body of the beetle But instead of its physical form the arms simply seemed to sink into the beetle rummaging around

Then they began to retract dragging with them the strange ghostly soul of the beetle glowing that same strange green color The beetle ghost for its part began to panic gripping tightly onto its body but more and more hands rushed downward from the door grabbing and pulling away all of the legs of the beetle one by one

Finally completely bound by those spectral hands the beetle ghost was dragged upwards into the door which swung silently closed

As Annie watched Glendel he closed his eyes seemingly concentrating very hard on something And then behind him floating in the air the beetle condensed its eyes glowing white Smiling Glendel opened his eyes revealing eyes glowing with the same white color

So this was the Sovereign of Ghosts’ Annie thought wonderingly

But then she was distracted by Daniel’s arrival who hurried up to the panting Donny and Dozer a worried look on his face Annie just rolled her eyes

What now She muttered annoyed

Paolo and Kayle stood opposite each other a chalk board in between them Behind them were their individual squads and behind the squads were neat piles of bones If one were to look closely one would notice that these bones were neatly sorted and would probably would have formed the skeleton of a horse before they were smashed to pieces

Behind the piles of bones were the other squads which were shaking their heads at the actions of squads I and II

Kayle grinned pointing to the carefully made tally marks on the chalkboard The recount is in and the result is still the same Your squad killed 91 and mine killed 117 I think it is clear who is superior

But we killed the Raid Boss Paolo said crossing his arms

Kayle shrugged So what it had two heads and breathed fire Whoopyty doo Could it fly Use magic Do anything but charge in a straight line You can have 25 points for it but that still only puts you at 116

Ha That raid boss is worth at least 50

One of the women from the other squads leaned over to the woman next to her and whispered Why doesn’t breathing fire count as magic

And was quickly shushed by her fellow squadmate as Paolo continued to speak And we arrived first softening them up If you want to be the 2nd best squad forever feel free to keep mopping up after

But then Paolo stopped speaking his hand going to his chest He winced then shook his head

Heartburn at his age Paolo supposed he needed to lay off the rich cream sauces with his wolverine meat but to his surprise Kayle also had a similarly unpleasant expression on his face So did all the members of both squads

What what is this it feels terrible One of Squad II muttered but Kayle quickly shushed him Then Kayle turned to Paolo and the two leaders shared a glance all traces of banter gone

This feeling did not feel like an isolated thing It was likely related to the village To the fate of Donnyton

Sam frowned down at Nul whose skin was slowly turning grey

What’s wrong He asked the village spirit shaking him slightly He had never touched Nul before and was surprised at how light his body was And how cold his skin was

How Nul muttered How is it so strong

Far away a creature isolated by a powerful barrier slowly opened its eyes

Chapter 97

After her first movie success Lyra’s career exploded Although she didn’t always duplicate the rave reviews she received for her first performance and there were duds mixed in with her work as an actress she never seemed to lose that spark that drew the eye that it factor

When she was 15 a famous tabloid named her the hottest rising young actress Due to that she was invited out to a photo shoot that provided hair and makeup arts that completely changed up her look

A consummate professional Lyra took it in stride and said nothing even as she paid attention to the ways that they sexualized her She noted the outfits they picked and the poses they had her in for the pictures

Later alone in her room she did her best to duplicate that hair and makeup and did a rather excellent job Then she looked at herself again slowly turning back and forth examining her from every angle

Both her parents had sent her congratulatory texts but didn’t call After all they understood how busy she was They would be thrilled to see her at the Hollywood premiere of her next new movie

I am beautiful Lyra said and she knew it was true She heard it from every source Even her own eye couldn’t help but notice her smooth skin her symmetrical features But hearing the words aloud made her incredibly tired

The next day Lyra had her agent cancel all of her appointments and talked to an middle school friend with the right sort of connections Lyra had her friend buy cocaine and bring it over to Lyra’s loft

After they had snorted the drug Lyra moved to sit in front of her mirror while her friend did cartwheels over Lyra’s soft carpet laughing endlessly

I am beautiful Lyra whispered to her reflection the whole room vibrating with her words Then she smiled because there was no sadness this time There was only joy and up and up and up Her body was soft and curved and Lyra allowed herself to wiggle in her chair appreciating the amazing way her body could move

Even as her friend began to frantically cook food Lyra stayed in front of that mirror For hours she sat there watching for herself hoping for a change

The change came of course and it was exactly as she feared The high faded Her heavy lidded eyes looked back at her dull and unfocused She was not beautiful She never was

Lyra disposed of the rest of the cocaine sold her loft and never spoke to that friend again She threw herself into acting search for an answer Maybe she had been wrong Maybe it wasn’t her but the roles Maybe she was just a conduit for the beauty

But that too seemed wrong It was definitely her and others like her But she couldn’t seem to see it that factor that took her facial symmetry and made it irresistible She was just a bag of skin holding in blood just like everyone else

6 Months before the system would come to the world on her 17th birthday Lyra received a call to star in an action movie that had a budget that doubled the most expensive movie she had ever starred in And Lyra said yes not for the money because also starring in the movie would be Vivian Plath who the world agreed was the most beautiful woman in the world

Randidly rushed onwards dodging around the Yeti illusions that continued to form around him They sought to distract them and slow them and would continually form on his path but they weren’t strong or fast enough to be able to box him in and restrain him

Still they were annoying and they kept trying different tricks to lead him astray But luckily Randidly’s pathfinder skill guided him due North keeping him from any false paths

It would get a little bit more hairy as he neared Donnyton because he would no longer be able to rush straight North But hopefully he would recognize the area he was in at that time

What complicated things was that slowly but surely it seemed like Kim Lath was able to create more and more Lyra illusions along with the Yeti illusions It seemed like its strength was growing But perhaps it was more that Randidly was nearing its locations so it had more influence here

But then something occurred that caused Randidly to slow and then stop raising a stamina potion to his lips the illusions were gone He was alone

Randidly drank the potion then began running again He had been traveling for about an hour and was about halfway back to Donnyton His speed on a flat sprint was something that only a car could have replicated in the days before the system

Feeling disturbed by the sudden lack of illusions Randidly picked up speed rushing North He wasn’t sure why but he knew that if the village faced a problem Lyra would find it In all their interactions even while she was flippant and teasing she was also eminently competent

She only traveled with him after she had developed the Teleport skill Then when she had been useless against the centipede Randidly bet that she had trained furiously until her birds of mana could cut through just about anything And then she had started making larger objects as conduits for her power

Lyra had always seemed to Randidly to be the type that was dishonest about it but was an obsessively hard worker And examining his own memories he couldn’t really pinpoint when he got that impression

Maybe it’s the way she looked into your eyes direct and challenging As if daring you to underestimate her Maybe there was just a connection between them which was why even though she seemed so young

But Randidly shook his head banishing those thoughts That was for later

Activating Haste and Empower not bothering to keep a Stamina reserve now that the illusions were nonexistent Randidly began to blur racing forward hoping he arrived in time

You have lost Kim Lath whispered using its own hollow sounding voice It was cute of you to do this forcing me to move before I had all the preparations I wanted but The Village Spirit is almost dead and once he becomes a part of me I will evolve once more With an entire dungeon’s worth of warriors trained by your precious Ghosthound who can stop me so early in this Zone I will rule and prepare for the next step

Lyra just stood there her eyes closed a wistful expression on her face

This seemed to displease Kim Lath who spoke again this time using Randidly’s voice Are you afraid Are you ready to die

Yes and yes Lyra whispered her eyes still closed only half listening Because in her mind she was still racing forward in her memories dragged along by time

VIvian was beautiful sure but she was small minded and petty constantly taking the opportunity to thrust herself into the limelight and making snide comments about Lyra to the filming staff

It all just seemed so dull There was no beauty in the posturing in the jockeying for influence There was simply strange compulsion as if this was the only thing that kept Vivian going She was good at it too Lyra couldn’t deny but her competence in such a useless activity did very little to calm Lyra’s sinking mood There was no answer here

Her Love Interest seemed very interested in her and not in a professional way His hands always would linger just slightly longer than they needed during the scenes and he would very obviously check her ass out when she walked away from him

In a clinical way she derived a small satisfaction from this and was able to distract herself from Vivian’s exhausting games After all she worked very hard daily to cultivate the physique she had Diet and exercise and more exercise and supplements

But it did not feel glamorous or beautiful It just felt

Felt like she was coming down from a high a very long one fed to her by her star struck parents who were constantly out at parties talking about how proud they were of Lyra enjoying their imagined piece of the pie

Strangely Lyra found herself spending more time with one of the men who worked as a sound grip drawn by his even keeled temperament and relative lack interest in fawning over her because she was in movies a grizzled man named Mr Hoss and was able to stomach the bloated special effects and the over the top script But Lyra wondered if she would ever act in a movie again They started to seem so empty from the inside

Not that she could get acting out of her system not now not after so long Her relationships were a series of masks which only had one thing in common That she was beautiful seen

But she didn’t know what existed under the masks Although perversely Lyra had begun to hope that what was deep down wasn’t so beautiful after all

Then the system came

In a detached manner she watched her male love interest who had stared so longingly at her ass get his intestines ripped out by 3 wolverines Sam Hoss had dragged her and the nearby Kal Vivian and Ellaine away and managed to get them all into the truck Then they drove out of there hoping for a piece of sanity

Lyra carefully read the notifications She had never played games but she recognized some of their qualities in these which was exceedingly strange The next day still on the run they had crashed and had been subsequently saved by the man who would change her life although Lyra didn’t notice anything in particular about him at the time

Only later at Randidly’s suggestion did Sam drive to that small valley with the squabbling teens and the deserted hut

Then one night against Sam’s suggestion that they stay hidden because their identities might cause trouble Lyra wandered away and saw a figure standing alone on a stump in the dark She had crept forward to get a better look at the weirdo who was raising his hands above his head

Then equally slowly he lowered them pointing at a tree across the clearing A bolt of blue energy shot forward smashing into the tree burning away some bark The dazzling bolt of energy remained burned into her wide eyes forever etched on her retinas

A notification popped up

Congratulations You have unlocked the Path of Wonder 0/10 Although it is a strange path your feet itch and in your heart you know there lies your destiny

Of course that figure was Randidly

Over the course of the next day Sam had taught them what little they had learned about skills from Randidly and Lyra had gone off in the woods and practiced endlessly getting the Physical Fitness Dancing Singing and Acting skills high enough that she could finish off the Path with her PP Then she received another notification

Congratulations You have completed the the Path of Wonder Although your eyes see more than that your heart yearns As you continue to climb higher following your path you only find more wonders that lure you deeper You walk quickly into the deepening night unafraid of its mysteries You have learned the skill Eyes of Wonder Lvl 1 Mana +50 Mana Regeneration +5 Wisdom +10

Eyes of Wonder Lvl 1 See the truth and beauty in all things As Skill Level rises your gaze shall grow more discerning

Lyra went back to the camp and noticed that she could now see auras around people Soft colors about them Sam’s was a deep purple Vivian was a mustard yellow Kal pink Ellaine a mauve

Then she sought out Randidly once more and as she watched him produce large orbs that exploded with force she opened her Eyes of Wonder For a long time she had hesitated afraid of what she would see but she shouldn’t have He burned emerald in her vision a deep green of the forest The aura around him pulsed shrinking visibly as he used his magic but seemed to grow more intense at its core all the while

It was forest green with flashes of light green the color of warm grass in summer and golden too like the gaze of a wild beast It pulsed evenly like a heartbeat and it seemed to come alive under her vision As she looked more directly at him she saw the dozens of strange formations within the aura strange shapes that the energy flowed The were mesmerizing and complex but Lyra couldn’t get enough of them For whatever reason she felt very strongly that these shapes were him told in dozens of simple truths about himself

They flowed together continuous and multifarious and endless smoothly transitioning into the next

It was beautiful It took her breath away

Although the youth was rather plain by Hollywood standards his gaze was direct and strong and he blazed with an aura that kept Lyra enthralled all night

The next day when he had surprised her by coming to their camp to speak to Sam she had dumbly blurted out the first thing that had come to her mind

it looked like fireworks

Huh The man who would be Ghosthound glanced at her seemingly shocked to find her there

Lyra gestured awkwardly for the first time in her life tongue tied After all she wasn’t sure at all what sort of mask she should wear around this strange man who burned emerald in her vision

Fireworks You were doing magic earlier right Lyra said pictured the way his aura would gather and burst to produce the spells he made Then she looked down at her own hands She had worn herself ragged finishing the Newbie Path and earned the skill Mana Bolt but her own aura was colorless to her eyes And exceedingly small Mine don’t look like that at all

To demonstrate Lyra shot her own pathetic Mana Bolt hitting a nearby tree

Your skill level is just low As you raise it and your Intelligence it will get stronger and brighter Randidly responded his voice brusque Lyra nodded doing her best to hide her embarrassed blush in the shadow of her hood

This asshole

In the present Lyra opened her eyes Gathering her energy she began to condense her strongest move using the volatile violent energy in her chest scraping the well of her body clean

Their relationship continued like that Lyra struggling every waking hour to impress this beautiful emerald man Randidly gazing at her with mild eyes like everything she managed every spell and trick she learned to practiced incessantly with was only just enough for him to acknowledge her

Even after she realized those shapes she saw were the skills he could use and she began to try and imitate them creating her own resulting in some fascinating results she didn’t know how to bring it up with him His gaze stopped her dead filling her with anxiety

She quickly learned that mild gaze was just how he dealt with people but that only drove Lyra more insane and she made up snide nicknames and poked at him and mocked him wishing for something Some change in that mild look some proof that she wasn’t working so tirelessly every day every night for nothing

Wishing for some indication he viewed her differently than everyone else

For some indication that she was

Shaking her head with an uncharacteristically sad smile Lyra pictured Randidly the day he had left As he grew stronger so did the dominance of his aura growing larger and more multifarious taking aspects of all of his choices paths and skills

And also Randidly had obtained the beautiful pulsing heart of violet energy from his battle with the sphinx It was similar to the strange veins of energy that others would get when obtaining a class but his was different in a way that Lyra couldn’t quite discern Whereas others had small tributaries flowing through them polluted somehow Randidly had a pure spring

Opening her eyes Lyra looked at her strongest skill

A man 7 inches taller than her made of mana stood their holding a spear The mana construct was gazing at her Lyra who barely able to stand simply nodded

The figure turned and thrust forward with his spear

The world seemed to explode in a wave of concussive force but standing behind the figure Lyra felt nothing The barrier around Kim Lath shattered the spear barely slowed It rushed forward Kim Lath’s eyes widening with shock and the spear sank into the flesh of its body blowing a huge hole in the tribulation

Before her very eyes it seemed to deflate energy seeping out of it

The spearman raised his spear once more but then dissipated the power inside of Lyra all spent She raised a mana potion to her lips but she couldn’t maintain her strength and the bottle fell to the ground shattering

She allowed herself a small smile Randidly would be so pissy For a man he was oddly protective of his glassware Then she too fell no strength remaining in her body

It’s not like the potion would have done anything the resource Lyra had expended was much more vital than mana It was that violet energy that Randidly seemed to be swimming in But unlike him Lyra did not have a spring within her chest She only had the small amount she could slowly gather over time

As she collapsed she wished deeply that she would have the chance to see Randidly again She had told the truth to Kim Lath she was ready to die to protect the village nurtured by Randidly And she was afraid that even then she would never know what face he would make when he found out

Would that mild if intense gaze finally waver

Yearning Lyra opened her Eyes of Wonder gazing forward

Then her gaze sharpened her eyes glittering

Then she began to crawl forward her body slowly dying

Nul sat up some of his color returning She she really did it The tribulation is dying Now I can

But that Nul squawked and rolled over on his side writhing back and forth as if in the midst of a seizure

Sam just looked down his mouth wide open

What the fuck was going on

Chapter 98

Randidly arrived at Donnyton 40 minutes later the distance completely eaten by his mobility with all of his skills active Most everyone was gathered in a huge clump whispering All of the Classers had worried looks on their faces

Randidly used his Eyes of the Spear Phantom to pick out someone in the far side of the crowd and then used Phantom Half Step to teleport right in the middle of the group appearing next to Sam and Daniel

Daniel paled even further which seemed impossible given how bloodless his face was right now and Sam directly collapsed his limbs trembling Immediately the surrounding people turned silent eyes wide at Randidly’s sudden appearance

But Randidly ignored them and asked what was going on Sam quickly explained about the Tribulation somehow corrupting Turtletown then releasing the Raid Bosses it had been hiding to attack Donnyton Lyra had arrived and then left to fight the tribulation Then he explained how Nul attacked it spiritually somehow and disappeared in the process At that point the strange corruption seemed to affect Donnyton’s Classers briefly then stopped

Randidly glanced at Sam What’s your excuse then

Immediately Randidly was shocked at his rough tone but honestly it had been a long night And his aggressiveness which he usually just bottled up had finally found an outlet in violence and had been acknowledged Randidly knew deep down that he was starting to change but he couldn’t work up the effort to care

Changing was better than dying

Sam just grimaced taking it in stride I’m not sure I’ve just felt Strangely weak lately

Shrugging Randidly leapt leaving the group of people Time to find Lyra

The search didn’t take as long as he expected There was an area to the Northwest where trees in a large area had been leveled as if with a razor the cuts clean and sharp Randidly moved quickly into the cave where he found a very strange scene

Lyra was sprawled out on the ground reaching forward to another Lyra who was sitting in a sitting cross legged her face scrunched her eyes closed

Randidly raised his spear

I swear to fucking god I am SO not in the mood right now Lyra muttered out through gritted teeth Randidly sighed and lowered his spear

If I really wanted to kill you I’d use a spell anyway

Which I would see coming you idiot Better stick with the spear before I murder you

They were silent for a long while as Randidly looked to the reaching Lyra She was still her limbs stiff her lips blue clearly dead His eyes slid to the living Lyra

Have something to say Lyra said waspishly

Nope Randidly said grinning slightly

Well I do Bring all the fat cats from Donnyton I have something to say I need you all here

Randidly nodded but as he turned away Lyra’s voice stopped him And Randidly what I’m going to say doesn’t apply to You

It seemed like speaking took a great toll on Lyra because she spat out a fat glob of black blood that began to sizzle on the ground Randidly nodded slowly uncomprehending but acknowledging the words The he spoke quietly

Lyra it’s really good to see you again I missed you

Her pinched face broke into a small smile In that moment Randidly activated Haste and Empower his spear ripping across in a line beheading the sitting Lyra Bloodlessly her head toppled to the ground and then dissolved into a grey goo

Inwardly Randidly set himself into a fighting stance struggling to avoid the strange sense of loss in his heart If Lyra was dead

I SAID I am NOT in the fucking mood Lyra spat her head reforming before his very eyes The beheaded version began to sizzle away into nothing on the ground

Randidly blinked

Sam winced still feeling weak after Randidly’s arrival earlier caused him to collapse It had been happening intermittently of late but today was the worst it had ever been It wasn’t as bad as the pain the Classers had briefly experienced but it was infuriating in a different way He hadn’t felt the trappings of age since the system had hit and to feel them again now

It reminded him of his own mortality

But Randidly had come gathered the Council taking them to an area 3 miles away from Donnyton through a deep cave He warned then to not jump to any conclusions based on what they saw and also to be ready to fight

Then he had fallen silent a brooding expression on his face and that had been most disturbing of all

When they arrived they all looked eyes wide at Lyra’s corpse and then her sitting form The Ghosthound walked right up to her so the rest followed

As they approached The Ghosthound drew a wooden training spear and held the point to the throat of the sitting Lyra Her mouth quirked up in a small smile but she otherwise remained still They stood like that as the Council arrayed itself near but far enough away to react with Donny standing confused with his shield raised

When they had all settled in The Ghosthound coughed and then said Before Lyra starts I want to say no questions until she finishes Especially you Daniel This seems straining on her

Then they all turned to the sitting Lyra

She opened her eyes which burned a vivid violet The Ghosthound narrowed his eyes but otherwise showed no reaction Sam gasped taking a step backwards This these weren’t Lyra’s eyes

Ahem Welcome welcome ah yes finally my chance to monologue As some of you suspect yes Lyra the human has passed Of course as a personality I am unending ohoho so now you see before you the glorious Lyra the Village Spirit Praise me

Everyone just looked at her The Ghosthound’s fingers tightened on the spear Lyra just sighed Sam was torn Her eyes were different but the confrontational and rambling way she talked

I have a secret and I also have a truth Nul might not have been such a bad guy after all You really are stuck in some ways as village spirit but I should be able to persevere by well it’s complicated Anyway Classes are important but not just for skills and level up gains It’s the true reason why staying an NCC forever isn’t feasible That is

Lyra face seized her violet eyes burning even brighter and she had to spit out the final words It’s due to Aether

Her body began to shake and Sam noticed all the Classer blinked and their eyes unfocused in the way they did when they got a notification but Lyra began speaking rapidly drawing their attention back

That should buy me some time Aether is what the system is based on Stats and skills are only possible due to increasing exposure to Aether A class gives you a direct line to the Aether Spring of the Village The higher tiered the Village the more people it can support due to a larger Aether spring But the return from increasing your village tier has diminishing returns If a person continues to grow stronger without it they are soon afflicted with weakness and eventually die

You will notice too when a village is overstrained The crops will die the land will be barren And then the weak will fall ill You must not let that happen to Donnyton To avoid that their are three methods The first is clearing Bosses which will provide a rather substantial pool to draw from It’s only a temporary fix but an effective one Bosses either from Dungeons or the Tier III Raid Bosses which will spawn in Danger Zones

The 2nd method is as I said upgrading the village tier That will increase the size of the Aether spring giving the village a higher population cap This is a more permanent solution The final way Is to invade other villages and raze for their Aether Spring This is another permanent solution You effectively steal their source of Aether

Lyra coughed mouthfuls of black blood tumbling out She tsk’d almost in annoyance A tribulations life is only worth that much time huh well anyway it’s not an immediate concern for most Just be careful especially you Sam Crafting provides its own complications that make Aether consumption more serious And know that when you meet the village from other worlds they might not have the best intentions Earth was a low seed in terms of its expected outcomes with the system But others

Violet eyes bulging Lyra continued to speak her chest heaving others were warned of the systems coming long before They have been preparing for decades They hit the ground running Be very careful

And with that Lyra collapsed dissolving into a puddle of grey goop

They had gathered goo Lyra up into a pitcher and returned to the village everyone quiet Randidly carried the human body delicately although Lyra was very clearly dead Then Donny spoke Well I suppose there is nothing else to do but keep doing the same thing Ghosthound have you felt this weakness

Randidly’s face was clouded but then he glanced meaningfully at Sam I believe it varies from individual to individual Also you received a notification

Donny nodded slowly Yes but basically just that the tribulation for Donnyton was vanquished We all gained 2 levels And that there would be more buildings available for purchase from the Village Spirit but

Everyone looked at the pitcher and the grey goop that may or may not be Lyra

The rest of the walk was silent When they reached the village Randidly pulled Sam to the side

I might have a solution To your weakness He said his words halting But you must promise there will be no hard feelings and that you will do me a favor

Sam frowned deeply Well let’s hear it out first What are you acting so serious for

To Sam’s surprise Randidly simply put his hand on Sam and a notification appeared in front of him

Warning Randidly Ghosthound has initiated the skill Blessing of the East on you This will create a permanent bond between you two Should Randidly Ghosthound perish all benefits gained from this bond will be retained but the growth of the bond will cease Do you still wish to accept his blessing Y/N

Shrugging Sam selected Yes Then his frown once more appearing he selected Yes two more times clicking through the warnings

Congratulations You have received the Blessing of the East Calculating Blessing

From Randidly Ghosthound you have received the Soul Skill Blessing of the Auspicious Dawn You have gained access to the class Dawn Smith As you do not possess a class speak with a Town Spirit to obtain this class

Congratulations You have gained the skill Lumomancy Lvl 1 You have gained the skill Mana Engraving Lvl 1 You have gained the skill Blessing of the Dawn Lvl 1

Lumomancy Create and shape light Mediums may affect the brightness and longevity of the crafted light Brightness Longevity and possibilities increase with skill level

Mana Engraving Carve powerful runes onto weapons and armor increasing their effectiveness Requires mana and knowledge of the Runic language Success Rate and effect increase with skill level

Blessing of the Dawn Passive skill Finishing a crafting product under the light of dawn will have a chance of increasing the stats of an item Chance and effect increases with skill level

Sam blinked slowly This

A Soulskill which you can only have one of Randidly remarked his face haggard That should also provide some relief for you for the weakness I hope it’s satisfactory

Sam only frowned in response Well let’s not rush to judgment Oh what was that favor

Randidly paled and then dumped something on the ground Ah please repair this whenever you have the chance

In a flash he disappeared Sam chuckled almost awestruck by his speed But why was he in such a rush

Curious Sam crouched down relishing the return of his strength He clenched his hand into a fist then examined what Randidly had dropped He froze His eyes began to bulge rage filling up every inch of him

The spear which he considered his greatest work the pinnacle of craftsmanship and dedications

lay in the dirt covered in scratches and cracks snapped completely in half Most insultingly there was dried blood splashed all over it as if Randidly hadn’t even had the time to stop and clean it Eyes burning Sam glared after Randidly swearing that he would have his revenge

But then he remember the deal and forcefully suppressed that feeling But when Sam picked up the heavy spear he did not place it into a spatial ring but physically carried it cradling it the entire while

Chapter 99

Daniel sat very still as he examined the report in front of him

Casualties for the night sat at 78 Classers and 112 NCCs The Raid Boss assault simply came too quickly The 78 Classers hurt far worse than the NCCs although Daniel would never say so especially to Mrs Hamilton or Regina That amounted to 10% to their fighting force

Most of the casualties were from the mid tiered squads 15 25 and Decklan’s unit which lost several people The Numerals even I and II who apparently had single handedly defended the Northern approach hadn’t lost a single person

Likewise the Magic Corps suffered no casualties and apparently made great gains in destructive power over the course of the night Blasting into ranks of higher leveled monsters apparently had its benefits Mrs Hamilton was busy gathering information in regards to new paths and skills but the initial reports were very promising this world was a cruel place but in its way it was fair

Surviving the tribulation had brought gains to the village even aside from the levels that all of the Classers had gained The steep price they paid was not worth it but perhaps if they took the long view it was a close thing

There was a knock at the door and without waiting for an answer the door slid silently open Daniel started to frown but then froze as he recognized the figure at the door The Ghosthound

Randidly stepped forward his powerful emerald gaze seeming to pin Daniel to the spot he was sitting Walking forward very slowly The Ghosthound gazed at each of the tables and reports in front of Daniel in turn Although Daniel couldn’t know for sure he would swear that The Ghosthound was reading them and storing them away with his brief gaze

Then The Ghosthound coughed I think this event proves that there needs to be some changes in the village Of everyone I suspect you are the best with schedules and timeframes Help me whip this place into shape

Regina looked up at Mrs Hamilton and nodded then followed the other woman into Daniel’s small cabin To her surprise she saw The Ghosthound standing against the far wall his eyes closed

What do you require Mrs Hamilton asked serenely speaking to Daniel but her gaze locked onto the Ghosthound Even now as he stood still there was something chilling about his bearing A coldness that Regina hadn’t noticed before Whether it was the Tribulation’s coming or his journey to Franksburg something had changed within him

It did not seem to be a positive change

We are working out more intensive training schedules and trying to determine Skill Level goals for inclusion in squads I was hoping Daniel began but The Ghosthound interrupted him

There is something else

His eyes opened and they burned in the dimly lit room HIs focused shifted to Mrs Hamilton and then further onto Regina Almost instinctively Regina sucked in a breath when he looked at her There WAS something different A coldness and viciousness that hadn’t been there before It was calm now lurking in the backdrop but if it came out

Neither of you have classes correct The Ghosthound spoke slowly Both nodded

I have a gift for one of you It will give you access to a powerful class He continued I figured I would consult you both see which you believe would be more suitable

Regina Mrs Hamilton said immediately a small smile on her face Her healing magic is an asset to the village and if the class could be related to healing I don’t think you need me to explain how useful that would be

The Ghosthound nodded slowly the class is based on the individual so it is possible

I agree Daniel said after a moment of thought Ptolemy is sufficient for most things but his healing magic even with a class is only more useful than Regina’s due to having a higher tiered skill even though the skill levels are in Regina’s favor People simply have too much health for a Healing Palm to be sufficient in most cases Not even 2 sometimes suffice Obtaining a dedicated healer class

I disagree Regina said coolly surprising herself Not that this didn’t desire this gift but at the same time there was something that disturbed her about the current Randidly She assumed it was related to the strange situation with Lyra but It made her hesitate

And to be honest Regina really didn’t believe she was the best choice In terms of effect on the village or importance to Donnyton’s smooth running I can’t compare to Mrs Hamilton

In addition Regina added looking at Mrs Hamilton In terms of seniority she trumps me I believe that she is better suited for the gift

The Ghosthound’s smile was wolfish his gaze seeming to dig into Regina searching for Something I agree

Then he walked forward and placed his hand on Mrs Hamilton’s shoulder The woman frowned for a while and then her eyes widened

Then she shared her notification with the group

Congratulations You have received the Blessing of the West Calculating Blessing

From Randidly Ghosthound you have received the Soul Skill Silk of Entrapment and Manipulation You have gained access to the class Spider of the Lengthening Shadows As you do not possess a class speak with a Town Spirit to obtain this class You have gained the skill Patience Lvl 1 You have gained the skill Intuition Lvl 1 You have gained the skill Sense Intrusion Lvl 1

Well this certainly seems Unexpected Mrs Hamilton said the corners of her mouth slowly curling up

Kiersty explained as best she could what Arbor could do and how he had helped save the village

And Nathan added hastily Kiersty tired herself out casting Blessings on everyone to keep them alive She’s the real reason the village is safe

The Ghosthound’s gaze moved to Nathan his eyes currently a pale green Nathan helplessly fell silent feeling slightly awestruck After several long seconds the Ghosthound grunted and rubbed both of their heads

Good job

Then he walked past them to Arbor’s main trunk slightly taller but still covered in ash Currently only a single burning leaf remained on its branches the rest used during the defense of Donnyton With careful hands The Ghousthound reached out and touched the ashy surface rubbing across Arbor

The tree shyly wiggled back and forth seemingly unsure of how to behave next to its maker But after a while it timidly reached forward brushing a twig across The Ghosthound’s face leaving a long line of grey ash on his cheek

The Ghosthound didn’t seem to mind After a long moment he opened his eyes with a side So we are connected still by this Aether huh Interesting But good job for you too Protecting this village is a good thing But did you really need to give the little girl a Soul Skill Explaining this to her mother is a bit

Arbor twisted dismissively expressing its feelings about Kiersty’s mother Kiersty opened her mouth to explain but The Ghosthound replied as if he had heard I suppose so but it’s Ah I’m not good at this stuff at all you inherited some of my bad qualities it seems I can’t tell whether I should be happy or sad

Kiersty blushed Of course he could hear Arbor’s voice too He was the Ghosthound Arbor swelled pleased to have been compared to The Ghosthound

The ground erupted and dozens of huge vines as thick as a man’s thigh rushed forward to grip The Ghosthound Nathan backpedaled wildly and Kiersty frowned but The Ghosthound just laughed

Ah it’s good to see you too You’ve grown quite a bit haven’t you Thorn

The vines vibrated pleased and began rubbing the Ghosthound ripping through his clothes Arbor wiggled back and forth and the Ghosthound looked at the tree then frowned down at the vines around him

Thorn have you been bullying Arbor to have its priestess bless you

The vines wiggled helplessly The Ghosthound sighed Okay whatever Just ask next time okay And try not to destroy any of the ground inside Donnyton You are really really big

With a grunt Dozer collapsed atop her spent Annie pushed him playfully and then wiggled out from under him Taking some water from the basin by the door Annie began to clean herself as best she could

A soft knocking came at the door and Dozer just rolled over already snoring Frowning Annie opened the door a crack only to find Randidly standing there

Not bothering to dress herself Annie stepped out into the cool night air naked as the day she was born Your previous boo is dead or a pile of goop and you so quickly make a move on me not that that I didn’t expect it but

Annie batted her eyelashes at Randidly He simply snorted and reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder

Accept the gift The statement was more command than anything else and Annie considered refusing But then she pictured Dozer’s disapproving gaze if he heard she refused the Ghosthound and accepted with a sigh Then again with a frown Then again gritting her teeth

Why was this so difficult

Then the notification popped up

Congratulations You have received the Blessing of the North Calculating Blessing

From Randidly Ghosthound you have received the Soul Skill Blessing of the Frozen Expanse You have gained access to the class The White Whistling Death As you do not possess a class speak with a Town Spirit to obtain this class

Your skill Hawkeye has changed to Eyes of the Grey Eagle Lvl 1 All benefits have been retained Your skill Aiming has changed to Still Air Aiming Lvl 1 All benefits have been retained You have gained the skill White Haste Lvl 1 You have gained the skill Chilling Grace Lvl 1

Annie blinked very slowly Then finally she said Why

Because you deserved it And then Randidly left never even glancing at her naked body

Which left Annie feeling slightly insulted and also slightly disappointed but most of all relieved

Daniel and Regina sat in silence working out the schedule They had considered the different skills they thought were necessary and were now devising schedules and methods to cause those skills to be learned

They were also now on the lookout for information when this Aether Deprivation might occur Sam indicated that it had started around when he reached skill level 450 and grew increasingly more prevalent as he approached 500 But before they could ask him more he refused to speak and locked himself away intent on testing the limits of his new skills In addition that was just a general guideline From what Lyra was able to spit out before the rules of her new station bound her to silence stats also were related It was possible that some people who took more stats heavy paths would be affected more quickly

So that project would have to wait but it was something to monitor in the future For now they continued making schedules for as The Ghosthound insisted the day after tomorrow

Because according to the Ghosthound tomorrow would be dedicated to motivating the Classers of Donnyton by reminding them an important truth

That they were very weak

Chapter 100

Randidly breathed in and then breathed out He was already dreading tomorrow not for the part where he would beat the squads as much as he could urging them towards strength In fact that part would likely be slightly cathartic It would give outlet for the burning aggression that had been lit earlier during the fighting and still burning quite hot After all he had not been pleased to come back to the village to find that Lyra was well whatever it was that had happened to her Punishing the village in a small way seemed like a forgivable outlet

Truly he had obtained a taste for violence

No it was for the words he would have to say after that Randidly still didn’t want to be involved in any of the daily activity of Donnyton but he did want to spur them on towards growth To that end he had created the schedules with Daniel and Regina given the new potion methods to Mrs Hamilton and used his remaining two blessings

The choices were relatively easy He needed people who would protect and strengthen Donnyton individuals who were active and people without classes That Regina wouldn’t obtain a blessing was unfortunate but the power that Randidly felt from both Annie’s and Mrs Hamilton’s classes seemed very promising Best of all the 4 blessings had been used on different types of individuals so their classes had different uses

Alana for strength and power Sam for support and crafting Mrs Hamilton for managing things behind the scenes Annie for threat elimination

But Randidly knew that these actions were only a small part of what he needed to do for the village So after crushing the squad’s concept of strength Randidly would then speak to them hopefully in a motivating manner This was what he was dreading the most

The sun peaked over the horizon and Randidly raised his hand to shade his eyes It had been a long night But it looked like it was finally over

It would probably take the group from Franksburg another day or two to arrive slowed as they were by the large number of people traveling with them and the necessity of sticking to the roads on their journey After they arrived Randidly wanted to speak with Alana and Raina and then he believed he would take his leave of Donnyton for a while finding a deserted area to train in

At least he thought he would do so depending on what happened with Lyra

They had placed her dead body in a bed and put her goop on the bedside table But they were complete unsure what to expect from her No one could tell when she would recover but there had been no changes in the goop over the last several hours

Sighing Randidly rubbed the bridge of his nose a spark of irritation flashing across This was exactly why he wanted someone else to be in charge

Only one thing at a time ’ Randidly reminded himself taking a deep breath Then he examined a particularly notification that he had received earlier in the night

Congratulations You have fully absorbed the blessing from the Patron of Ash The Soul Skill Blessing of the Patron of Ash Lvl 1 is available to you You may either retain your current and forget this new soul skill retain the new and forget the old or attempt to combine the two All previously obtained benefits will be retained

Warning if the two Soul skills are combined an inferior skill may be obtained based upon compatibility This action cannot be undone

There was no real choice here Always forward holding tightly to the spear as best he could Randidly chose to combine the skills

Soul skills combining Warning compatibility is at 41% Do you still wish to proceed

That spark of irritation had erupted filling Randidly with hot flames of rage His grin wide Randidly clicked yes daring the system to try and screw him over He felt the two Soul Skills almost could see them the warm power of the blessing from Ash the cool rot and deadly accuracy of Spear of Rot Mastery

They began to circle each other in his chest coming closer As they approached slowly spinning around each other Randidly heart began to beat more quickly a strange excitement filling his body And within him another beating emerged a pulsing of that strange icy hot energy As they neared the heat of the the blessing burned away the spore y remnants of the rot and the rot settled neatly into the area left cleansed by the heat

Faster and faster they swirled and as they neared each other the energies turned increasingly unstable rushing towards an explosive collision

Instinctively Randidly sensed that this couldn’t happen

So he pressed using all his will to keep them apart The approach stabilized somewhat but the two Soul Skills rotated faster and faster perversely creating greater and greater pressure for them to meet

Gritting his teeth Randidly refused Not like this

Randidly’s eyes burned emerald in the dark

This would not end in an inferior product

Randidly was very aware of how much of his strength he owed to his Soul Skill It had given him several unique skills and gave him extra benefits from leveling skills With it he had risen farther and faster than even a Classer hoped to match

class="book">And that would only grow more pronounced if he succeeded here Randidly knew Although Randidly didn’t know how to accomplish what he wanted he knew that the system responded to want and need And every ounce of him craved this Every inch of him needed that strength so he could live so he could protect the people who relied on him So he could find the people from his past and lay to rest any lingering ghosts The pulsing in his chest grew more insistent

For a brief second Randidly’s green eyes flickered and then burned a sickly violet A cold numbing kernel simultaneously the concentrated core of heat from his rage flowed out of him moving to settle between the two swirling energies It gathered itself into a small ball creating an oppressive pressure of its own its energies pressing outward and counteracting the strange gravity that was drawing the two soul skills together

They orbit stabilized slowing slightly but still swirling around each other in an endless cycle Rot followed by a cleansing fire followed by creeping rot

Panting Randidly fell to his knees

Congratulations You have obtained the Soul Skill Cycle of Rot and Ash Lvl 1 All previous benefits have been retained

There were no skills or other bonuses associated with this Soul Skill apparently which made Randidly hesitate But in the end he would soon find out whether he succeeded or failed so for now he simply shrugged Then he looked at his skill level notifications

Spear Mastery had increased by 2 Phantom Thrust and Spear Phantom’s Footwork by 3 Eyes of the Spear Phantom and Phantom Half Step by 1 Heavy Blow by 1 Dodge by 2 Fighting Proficiency by 3 Block by 1 Haste by 3 Sweep and Empower by 2 Calculated Blow by 1 Edge of Decay by 3 Ghastly Slash by 5 Pierce the Skies Shatter the Earth and The Spear Advances Ash Trails by 1 each Agony by 3 Physical Fitness by 1 Pain Resistance by 3 Grace by 3 and Bacterial Regeneration by 2

All together including leftover from previously exactly 50 PP Randidly chuckled to himself Not enough to finish off the Phantom Thrust path but more than enough to see the usefulness of this Soul Skill

Randidly put the first 5 PP into Phantom Thrust path earning him +1 Agility from the path He obtained nothing from The Soul Skill Frowning Randidly put 5 more PP into it earning +1 Strength But this time Randidly also received a bonus from the Soul Skill Cycle of Rot and Ash +15 health and +2 Vit

Randidly made a pleased noise It took 10 instead of 5 but the benefits were still decent Randidly dumped the rest of his PP into the Path seeing what he obtained The remaining 40 earned him +4 Agi and +4 strength but also results from the Soul Skill that made his eyes widen

Each took 10 but each was slightly different but each giving powerful gains Randidly wasn’t sure if the rotation continued but even this much was quite a bit First was the health and Vit and then came +3 Control and +2 distributable stats Then third was +15 Stamina and +1 Agi and Strength then +3 Focus and +2 distributable Finally the fifth rotation was +15 mana and +1 to all types of regeneration

The distributable stats Randidly put into Resistance and then he looked at his status

Health(/R per hour) 556/548 (+8) (234 (+12

Mana(/R per hour) 12/874 (91 75)

Stam(/R per min) 601/678 (85 (+4

Vit 70 (+4)

Str 60 (+12)

Agi 79 (+12)

Resistance 29

Control 85

Focus 53

Skills (Soul Skill) Cycle of Rot and Ash Lvl 51

Combat Spear Mastery Lvl 56 Phantom Thrust Lvl 53 Spear Phantom’s Footwork Lvl 44 Eyes of the Spear Phantom Lvl 28 Phantom Half Step Lvl 18 Heavy Blow Lvl 30 Dagger Mastery Lvl 10 Iron Skin Lvl 27 Dodge Lvl 38 Fighting Proficiency Lvl 43 Block Lvl 33 Haste Lvl 30 Phantom Onslaught Lvl 15 Sweep Lvl 34 Spear Deflect Lvl 10 Empower Lvl 32 Calculated Blow Lvl 21 Roundhouse Kick Lvl 21 Edge of Decay Lvl 23 Ghastly Slash Lvl 7 Pierce the Skies Shatter the Earth Lvl 3

The 7 Kata of the Ashen Spear The Spear Advances Ash Trails Lvl 2

Spells Spearing Roots Lvl 13 Mana Bolt Lvl 28 Mana Shield Lvl 24 Root Manipulation Lvl 28 Arcane Orb Lvl 22 Fireball Lvl 30 Magic Missile Lvl 4 Healing Palm Lvl 9 Pollen of the Rafflesia Lvl 15 Summon Pestilence Lvl 17 Mana Strengthening Lvl 14 Wall of Thorns Lvl 7 Soul Seed Lvl ® Agony Lvl 27 Inspiration ® Incinerating Bolt Lvl 5 Circle of Flame Lvl 7

Auxiliary Physical Fitness Lvl 36 Meditation Lvl 35 Running Lvl 23 Sprinting Lvl 19 Sneak Lvl 23 Acid Resistance Lvl 22 Poison Resistance Lvl 16 Pain Resistance Lvl 20 First Aid Lvl 13 Equip Lvl 25 Pathfinding Lvl 18 Mental Strength Lvl 15 Curse Resistance Lvl 3 Fire Resistance Lvl 14 Sewing Lvl 11 Cutting Vegetables Lvl 2 Manual Labor Lvl 3 Digging Lvl 5 Cooking Lvl 16 Grace Lvl 14 Extract Lvl 1 Bacterial Regeneration Lvl 3 Superiority Lvl 2

His skill list was truly expansive as he began picking up more and more passive skills that gave him small bonuses Most promising for the future were the Superiority and Bacterial Regeneration skills which would probably give him an edge in battle that no one else would have In addition Randidly wasn’t sure how but he believed that he would be able to expand his Skill Set He recalled that the notification had stated he was only the second person on earth to create a skill set so there were others out there who were strong But it was the only Runic rarity item currently made which gave him some confidence moving forward

But this wasn’t enough It wasn’t nearly enough

After resting for a short time Randidly stood slowly Mana began to once more flow through his body enabling him to use spells which was a welcome feeling He caught movement out of the corner of his eye and turned seeing a graceful young woman wearing a sundress looking at him with violet eyes

Did you age yourself Randidly asked torn between confusion weariness and amused exasperation

The young woman stuck her tongue out at him and her dirty blonde hair which currently fell in a cascade down her lower back shrank upwards to her shoulders Her wide cheekbones narrowed somewhat sharpening looking younger Her body turned from slender to skinny regressing to that of a teenage girl

Lyra shrugged seeming sheepish I don’t know I thought I looked pretty good

You did Randidly said softly meaning it

They stared at each other for a long second To his surprise Randidly found himself breaking the silence You make me feel strange Positive but strange But we really don’t know anything about each other And now Are you even you

Lyra snorted Tell me then oh wise Randidly With all those skills and stats and those energies inside of you are you still YOU

Randidly stilled and then thought about it Then he shrugged helpless I suppose it doesn’t matter But you are probably right

Obviously So I want to say this Lyra hesitated giving him a sidelong glance If you think I’m beautiful and enjoy being around me Don’t be weird and overthink it Just let it happen okay

Grinning Randidly shook his head Just don’t over think it huh This was no longer a world where you could survive without thinking carefully There was too much they didn’t know too quickly was the world becoming strange and foreign around them

They stood in what Randidly thought was a companionable silence for several minutes watching the sun rise over Donnyton people rising to go about their chores Although they had weathered one storm more would come That was the price you paid in this world

But then Lyra stamped her foot Really You have nothing to say

Randidly blinked Uh

But Lyra was already ranting pointing her finger towards him I can’t even get a compliment on my looks Did you know what sort of day I had yesterday I tracked down the Tribulation I broke its defenses I sacrificed my human life I even interrupted it right when the tribulation was going to devour Nul absorbing them both becoming a complete VIllage Spirit And you have nothing to say

Randidly scratched his head Well I didn’t really know all that

She gave him a withering look Did you think the problems just solved themselves when you came back to the village I don’t know why I bother with you

Lyra stomped away

Randidly hid his grin knowing that it was only partially true anger She was only doing it to make him relax And it had worked Randidly breathed deeply readying himself for the day his gaze sharpening There really were somethings that didn’t need to be thought about too deeply he supposed

Although it was a hassle Randidly would start the villagers on the path of strength They needed it or else they would soon die devoured by what was coming from the Nexus

Lyra’s existence was strange

She had obtained Nul’s access to the Village Spirit controls but she had also gotten Kimmy’s ability to shift her form She had some very amusing ideas of how to abuse this skill but something more pressing was holding her current attention

After she had cheered Randidly up and gone looking for Daniel so the village could spend the significant SP they had gained by defeating the Tribulation and her Raid Bosses But she received a strange notification that was not a notification Sorting through the memories of the rules inherited from Nul she realized it was a missive from the powers that be that arranged for Village Spirits

Dear Sir or Madam

Two individuals Nul and Kim Lath have filed formal complaints against you for usurping control of the VIllage in which they had vested interests This situation falls outside of the purview of the normal Code so the matter has been submitted to Conduit review for final judgement

Your presence is required at the hearing Please prepare to testify as to the truth and to swear on the very Aether that gives you life

The hearing will be in 24 hours Please make preparations for your affairs to be handled during your brief absence

Sincerely

Octavius Shrike Overseer of the 7th Cohort to the Nexus

Lyra wanted to vomit What a hassle Not only was she forced to interact with Daniel out of necessity to spend the SP but she had to attend a hearing tomorrow

Couldn’t she send a representative

Then she hesitated calculating

No that wouldn’t do what if they were providing a meal Alien food sounded pretty good right now

Chapter 101

Decklan sat with his arms folded tapping his toes on the ground Tera looked at him anxiously

Don’t you want to go see She asked

Decklan shrugged The battles he has against the lower squads will be over quickly What would be the point

They had been informed earlier today as had all of the individuals who were part of a squad that The Ghosthound would be sparring against every squad in turn from lowest ranked to highest and giving them pointers The average squad member was incredibly nervous but excited After all it wasn’t often that the Ghosthound interacted with most of Donnyton’s population even the Classers

Well yes Tera said uncertainly But

They were both distracted by the hurrying form of Ptolemy who was followed by two individuals carrying a large cooler

What’s the hurry Decklan asked yawning

Ptolemy made an uncertain face I’m not sure Apparently they needed more mana potions down at the quarry for The Ghosthound’s trials

Chuckling Decklan asked he ran out of mana already He’s certainly bringing out the big guns

No its Ptolemy hesitated It’s apparently for the healers

Then the trio was past them hurrying North towards the quarry Tera and Decklan exchanged a glance Even though their appointment wasn’t until much later Decklan sighed and began to follow heading towards the trials area

When they arrived they found Paolo and Kayle standing next to each other uncharacteristically silent Decklan and Tera pushed through the surrounding crowd moving to stand next to them with a good view of the trial ground

The entire area was silent The Ghosthound stood alone holding a long pole of wood surrounded by a dozen or so moaning bodies Methodically the Ghosthound began pointing with the pole and commenting

Too timid when you see an opening take it You you have too much fear of pain Either get used to it or quit the squads You do you really think you can consider yourself a leader when you freeze up in the face of the unexpected

The Ghosthound shook his head Also why is there not a single one among you that has started to train Mana Bolt Are you incapable of handling an opponent at range Even throwing knives would be better than just waiting for me to walk up to you

Several healers were moving among the knocked down squad members healing their injuries They were helped off the arena to an area where a small number of grim faced men and women waited the previous victims of the Ghosthound In an imperious way the Ghosthound banged his pole against the ground twice

The 25th Squad of Donnyton has fallen Who dares step forward to fill the gap

After a few seconds of silence a voice answered We the 24th Squad of Donnyton dare

It was almost ritualistic Decklan thought fascinated as he watched the next squad walk out onto the arena with serious faces They whispered to each other arranging themselves on the ground forming into a square 11 individuals 10 members and the squad leader drew their weapons and stared at the Ghosthound waiting

He did not keep them waiting long

To Decklan’s surprise he simply dropped the pole and started walking towards the squad just strolling forward Next to him Paolo and Kayle narrowed their eyes

This is Tera asked wonderingly

This is the Ghosthound that moves to crush resistance He has been cycling through 4 modes rather randomly Overwhelming strength crushing the opposition with the pole Unstoppable magic simply blowing his opponents away Impossible speed moving like a ghost and this the final method Paolo spoke slowly

Kayle finished his thought this is a lesson in futility

Unlike the previous squad the 24th squad shot several mana bols at the Ghosthound and the squad leader threw several hatchets towards the approaching form He did not dodge He simply allowed the projectiles to hit him unphased His speed remained constant

The squad leader barked a sharp order and two individuals with long spears moved forward prodding at the Ghosthound With a slow casual movement the Ghosthound grabbed the shaft of one of the spears yanked pulling its wielder close and punched the man directly in the face The crack of bone was audible and the man collapsed immediately senseless

With another order the squad rushed forward weapons raised trying to push the Ghosthound back and bring the wounded comrade to safety But the first man was smashed backwards by a kick the second had his shield pulled away and was thrown 5 meters in the air Then the squad leader was before the Ghosthound whipping three hatchets at him lightning fast The first two simply bounced off his skin The third slashed a shallow gash in his shoulder and a thin trickle of blood running downwards

The Ghosthound’s hand stretched out grabbing the lip of the squad leader’s armor picking him up like he was a misbehaving dog Then he whipped the squad leader sideways hitting the squad’s healer from behind who was still bending over the first man

The rest of the squad kept rushing forward but the Ghosthound simply waved his hand knocking away their attacks and delivered several short punches and kicks incapacitating the rest of them

As he surveyed the fallen bodies and more healers rushed out treating the defeated squad the Ghosthound said you made the right decisions You were simply too weak Coordination cannot overcome weakness only true skill can Without raising your skill levels this will forever be your limit

Why is he doing this Tera asked wonderingly

Decklan grinned in response The town treats him like a guardian angel Looks like he’s fed up with it It’s a good experience too for the squads to get reminded of their limits And finally

It’s a challenge Paolo whispered To us to Donny to Dozer to Annie Asking us if we are enough to beat the monster that is the Ghosthound

The Ghosthound returned to his pole and knocked it twice against the ground once more The 24th Squad of Donnyton has fallen Who dares fill the gap

Dozer sat cross legged in darkness his eyes closed To her surprise when Annie located him Donny was there too also in a meditative state

Is it fine to just sit like this Annie asked To her surprise Dozer was the one who answered opening his eyes and frowning at her

Yes those detail obsessors Kayle and Decklan will watch There is nothing there that we don’t already know And we need time to prepare

Annie shrugged Prepare for what It’s just a spar right

Donny snorted finally opening his eyes Not exactly Randidly came back from Franksburg a lot colder than he was previously It seems like his search for his friends was fruitless And when he came back he found that in his absence Lyra had to sacrifice some part of herself in order to save the town They might not actually be involved with each other but there is some connection between them

This Dozer said closing his eyes once more Is the Ghosthound angry coming to collect his pound of flesh for letting her be forced to this The earlier trials will be a warm up the I and II squads as well as our personal squads will be fighting him all at once At that time he will stop pulling punches and we will finally see the Ghosthound bare his teeth

Donny shivered I can’t even wait

Dozer gave him a sly smile Me too

Annie sighed wondering why men were sometimes fascinated by the thought of violence

The kids talked excitedly watching as the men Mrs Hamilton sent over dug up the area surrounding Arbor leveling and flattening it They created a stone path that led towards it and a small wooden stand surrounding it an area to approach the tree and touch its ashy trunk Several women came over planting rare herbs and spices around it after they had learned that its presence provided its strange energy even to plants nearby

Kiersty nodded satisfied Arbor too wiggled with glee as this action on Mrs Hamilton’s part was a tacit admission of Arbor’s use for the village The NCCs already were beginning to treat it with a strange reverence due to its positive influence on the nearby flora

They even wanted to surround Arbor with farms but Kiersty knew that would upset Arbor just being surrounded by plants all the time Although the farmers were disappointed they knew that this small girl had some strange connection with the tree and deferred to her

For now at least

Nathan walked up to Kiersty looking nervous Mom wants to talk to you

Kiersty paled

Chapter 102

Alana raised her hand looking at the sky They were making better time than they had anticipated mostly due to their clearing the roads on the way down to Franksburg If they went through and did a little more thorough job they would basically have a personal highway that went straight between their two cities

Opening her menu Alana looked at the map of the area given to her by the Ghosthound The area that constituted their Zone was a rectangle slightly taller than it was wide It ended up being 189 miles wide 223 mile tall If you were to plot their locations on an X and Y axis Donnyton would be about 150 83 being in the Southeastern quarter

Franksburg was Southeast of Donnyton quite near the absolute Southeastern corner of the Zone Although it wasn’t an issue now Franksburg would be an incredible asset as an ally They were sequestered in the corner and had a lot of space and a burgeoning population Once they found their feet able to survive through the monster hordes they could begin to establish themselves and prepare for the Tribulation to come for them

Still Alana had a feeling they would be fine They had struggled for a month without classes and their initial growth especially that Lucifer’s would likely be explosive quickly reaching the point that he could single handedly contend with a tribulation

Well ’ Alana amended her thought Perhaps not single handedly But with the support of the Freedom Fighters behind him he would be able to slay it hopefully with only a small loss of life ’

Lucifer was not after all the Ghosthound

Alana checked their spot on the map once more It seemed as though they could make it by nightfall

After several seconds of internal debate she moved through the trotting crowd eventually tracking down a brooding woman wearing two pistols and another woman hooded and masked even though the day was hot

Hello Raina

The masked woman inclined her head I suppose if you’ve come you want The speed of the convoy to increase

Yes Alana said simply She did not mind using Raina like this and ever since the acid had melted the skin on her face and incited a fanatical mob to sacrifice their lives to kill monsters Raina had been very sparing in the use of her powers Now she spent most of her time simply drawing creating pretty accurate renditions of the world under the influence of the system

Setting her drawing pad aside Raina stood But then she began to hum It was a small tune relatively short and simple but Alana instantly felt rejuvenated after hearing it Then when the tune began to repeat for a third time Alana hummed along with Raina

When they started for a 4th time some nearby people began humming along with the tune as well almost instinctively By the 6th the tune spread further and almost everyone was humming along picking up their pace

By the 10th Raina stopped humming and nodded respectfully to Alana and then picked up her pad once more simply continuing to draw as the convoy hummed around her rushing forward

The 4th squad of Donnyton has fallen Who dare step forward to fill the gap

It was a heavy sentence full pregnant meaning It would be everyone knew the last challenge made before the Ghosthound fought against the full war party It was also a battle that seemed hopeless to win

The 3rd Squad dares The 9 men and 2 women that made up the 3rd squad walked forward heads held high

The previous challenges had gone rather predictably This especially became obvious as the Ghosthound began to not alternate between his 4 modes but do 2 of them at once Then 3 For the 4th squad he used all 4 blasting with magic moving like a ghost crushing their defenses and ignoring all damage that came his way

It was monstrous

Donny and Dozer arrived already dressed fully in their armor their weapons gripped tightly at their sides Paolo was stretching lightly to the side while Daniel and Kayle were engaged in a heated discussion their eyes on the the Ghosthound

Decklan just stood still a nervous Tera beside him his eyes burning Yes this was how it had to be The Ghosthound must be at least this strong Otherwise how else could this all be possible How else could this town be held together by the force of will of only one individual

Slaying the Ghosthound needed to be difficult or what was the point

Alec Donny said speaking to the leader of the 3rd squad Alec turned and tilted his head to the side

Make him take the numerals seriously

Alec grinned and then turned to the Ghosthound The Ghosthound stood pole spinning slowly in his hands his eyes a mild green like mint

Are you ready His voice was still calm as it had been the entire trials thus far as he had completely brutalized all of Donnyton’s squads But there was more of an edge now an eagerness

An eagerness to finally experience the tension of a tough battle

Alec nodded and the squad raised their weapons vigilant Which was for the best because when the Ghosthound moved he came to kill It wasn’t that the Ghosthound was impossibly fast it was just that he always seemed to be a hair faster than your eyes told you he would be

But this was Squad III and when they knew what was coming they could prepare for it

Their main tank threw himself forward to meet the rush of the Ghosthound smashing his shield forward Swaying the Ghosthound dodged the blow and was faced with sharp stabs from two other squadmates at this level a small chance was enough for the squad to get into position They weren’t the best Donnyton had to offer but they surely knew their business

The Ghosthound feinted right avoiding the stab that bought the feint and aimed to intercept him The other stab was avoided simply by brushing the blow slightly to the side so that it scraped along his ribs rather than pierced into them

Rushing forward the tank attempted to push the Ghosthound back but was stopped dead by a thrust by the Ghosthound Grunting he attempted to regain his footing but the Ghosthound had enough time to use his characteristic Phantom Thrust aiming for the shoulder of one of the two individuals who had stabbed at him

They had already been familiarized with the fearsome power of the thrust so by the time the attack came the woman was throwing herself backwards out of the way With an impossible amount of force the blow swerved and caught her in the chest knocking the wind out of her

The Ghosthound turned aiming to pounce towards the second attacker but a blast of fire ripped towards him Spinning his pole most of the force was dispersed a cloud of ash and smoke spreading slowly Alec’s pupils dilated instantly

BACK He bellowed and the squad quickly retreated gathering at the other end of the arena Their healer hurriedly used Healing Palm on the woman and most of the group gulped down stamina potions to replace what they had lost Most of the squad hadn’t actually engaged him but they knew that if they gave him half a chance the Ghosthound would rip through their mage and healers leaving them helpless before his superior regeneration

With a calm face the Ghosthound was revealed as the smoke parted looking completely unruffled Then he smiled

A Wall of Thorns sprang into being ripping upwards splitting the group in half Alec blinked then swore under his breath Eyes narrowing he then gave the order

Everyone on this side with me keep him locked down for them to burn through the thorns Hold nothing back

They marched forward rushing towards the waiting Ghosthound His smile widened as he came forward to meet them With grace and power the pole swept back and forth crushing resistance Alec was the only one who could totally block it and threw himself in the way time and time again using his axe to hack away at the pole cutting chips of wood from it slowly whittling it down

The rest of the squad spread out to surround him but he moved with an unnatural grace always seeming to just dodge or deflect the attack It was as if there was something inevitable about the Ghosthound’s victory As if the entire world was twisting itself to make sure that he won

But Decklan knew in his heart that wasn’t the case From below the smallest edge over time will come to seem an impossible mountain All it took was a single man to step upon the summit and then

Almost if Alec had been following that train of thought he roared a red light forming around his body as he activated the skill Battle Lust The Ghosthound’s eyes narrowed and a Phantom Onslaught rumbled forward dozens of attacks rushing to put Alec down in that few seconds as the Battle Lust took effect

It was undoubtedly a powerful technique that boosted physical capabilities for a short while But there was a short time of vulnerability as your body was changing gears as it were Most of the warriors chose not to use it for that reason Alec was probably the one in Donnyton with the highest skill level and his required about 2 seconds to activate

Even though that was more than enough time for the Ghosthound to defeat him he did it anyway gambling on the boost he would obtain from the skill

After all in this instance he was not a man He was a member of the squad

Their voices rising in support the 4 other people stuck on this side of the wall threw themselves in the way of the Ghosthound’s attack blocking and deflecting those they could handle using their bodies to soak up the damage from those they couldn’t But the Phantom Onslaught of the Ghosthound was not something that any of them could come close to equaling in terms of speed and power it was unmatched It was as if he could unleash 20 Phantom Thrusts all at once in a specific duration

But those 4 did their best In the end only a single attack ripped forward as they fell away all of them sporting multiple broken bones And a hand rose to meet it curled into a fist

The fingers shattered and then the palm and then the wrist but the force at that point was dispersed Alec’s left hand was useless but his eyes burned red a fiery energy overtaking him And behind him healers rushed forward to help as 3 fireballs smashed forward as covering fire

Snorting the Ghosthound rushed forward around Alec but to his surprise Alec moved more quickly than he had previously repositioning himself in front of the Ghosthound spinning his axe Then he began to swing with a wild abandon smashing around with surprisingly precise strokes with his axe

That moment that the Ghosthound was forced to pause was enough to change the course of the fight

Entangling Roots The dedicated mage bellowed and roots curled upward from the ground to grip the Ghosthound’s legs This seemed to incense him and with a single step he ripped the bindings to shreds But that step put him right in the way of a swing of Alec’s where there was no time to deflect He was forced to block directly and his pole snapped into to pieces broken by the force

Roaring victoriously Alex swung again but he met nothing but air

Blinking he spun around because the Ghosthound was already behind him the healer and mage incapacitated their guards knocked to the ground

Alec paused the vicious redness in his eyes urging him onward but something in the Ghosthound’s stance told him that something had changed The Ghosthound turned gazing at Alec with burning emerald eyes

Chapter 103

He is not invulnerable but he’s good at almost everything Decklan turned surprised to find Lyra standing next to him She tucked her blonde hair behind her ear in a motion that was so human that Decklan was chilled to the bone She looked at the Ghosthound thoughtfully for several seconds and then said He’s also packing a lot more firepower than he’s currently letting on which is the real trouble with bringing him down If you push him he will push back hard

Decklan nodded slowly doing his best to seem casual Everyone had heard about Lyra’s death but her continued presence took the bite out of that somewhat for most people Fortunately or unfortunately Decklan was not most people During the chaos of the previous day Decklan had quietly reached Lvl 30 and earned himself another class skill Instincts of a Killer

And right now all they were saying was that the thing standing next to him speaking was dead

Using your new status as town Spirit to cheat Decklan asked surprised by how unnerving he found her Even a Tier II Raid Boss didn’t give him hibigeebies like she did

No Her eyes burned violet for a brief moment This is an old skill

Decklan turned back to the arena as the aggression from Alec’s skill overpowered his caution and he charged forward axe raised All at once the Ghosthound blurred springing into motion so fast that Decklan could barely believe it Decklan had some tricks too and knew how to fool the eye into losing sight of him but this

This was a pure difference in skills

A Roundhouse Kick struck a confused Alec in the temple knocking him senseless The Ghosthound slowly stood turning to the group of watchers

The 3rd Squad of Donnyton has fallen Who dares fill the gap

There was a long silence before anyone spoke Then tension rose as Squad III was dragged off of the arena by the healers and their wounds were repaired Decklan remained still waiting All the defeated squads sat looking at them with serious eyes Although they had each individually failed against the Ghosthound they had hope that Donnyton’s best could grasp victory They hoped not that their guardian angel would fall but more that the town would succeed That they had finally reached the point that they could stand on their own without relying on him

The Ghosthound waited brooding silently Decklan had heard Dozer and Donny’s theories about why this was happening and perhaps there was merit to it There could be no doubt that the Ghosthound had returned from Franksburg with more of an edge to him

But ultimately this was a battle that was about the fate of the town On this day they would decide whether they would live forever in the shadow of the Ghosthound or Almost on cue Donny stepped forward his head raised high The First Raid Party of Donnyton dares

He really had come a long way this past month growing into his role as leader Only intermittently would the teen that he really was show through and then it was only in forgivable slightly comical doses Gone were the days of bluster and cowardice Now his shield was always the first thing an enemy would see before battle was joined

With an even stride he led the 50 individuals who would be taking part in this final battle out onto the arena They had debated heatedly but at the end they reduced their squads to only the most necessary the best of the best in terms of stats and skill levels Against the Ghosthound there was nothing else they could do He would rip through weak links

Do you truly wish to come with so many The Ghosthound asked seemingly bored

Annie stringing her bow raised an eyebrow Scared

Everyone shifted uncomfortably as they moved into position as if Annie hadn’t spoken They did feel slightly guilty throwing everything at him but

Yes Donny answered coolly drawing his sword This is Donnyton’s full strength

The Ghosthound just smiled

Randidly closed his eyes breathing in and out Although he would do his best to avoid inflicting anything that would kill any of them he would hold nothing back He would crush them as best he could

They had to learn helplessness Only then could their resolve be firmed and they could reach forward towards strength

Randidly opened his eyes and scanned the crowd Donny Dozer and Decklan were obvious inclusions in the Raid Party The leaders of Squad I and II were also there Ptolemy and another healer stood at the back surrounded by a thick wall of bodies Annie stood at the back as well sticking her tongue out him which almost made Randidly grin

Looking away Randidly scanned the crowd Lyra would of course be watching but not likely somewhere he could see

But that Randidly blinked when he saw Lyra standing there slender and sad looking with her hair hanging loose down to her shoulders Ever since becoming aware of the frigid and yet fiery energy that pulsed within him Randidly had been cognizant that there was something between him and Lyra He had always been drawn to her but now he was slowly realizing that it was related to that energy it was more than a simple human attraction

They were pushed towards one another from the very get go That energy was guiding them towards one another But now that she was well whatever she was the connection had grown more tenuous although it hadn’t yet frayed into oblivion Although slowly very slowly it was weakening

The whole situation was disturbing on so many levels At the very least once he recognized the connection as something he had been subconsciously feeling for a while Randidly finally put all doubt to rest about who this new Village Spirit was It was without a doubt Lyra

But as he looked at her he wondered if things would continue to change between them as the connection frayed Their interactions had been violent and mocking at least for Lyra’s part but it was fun

Randidly had never been one to care for respect from others and he rather enjoyed the passionate exchanges they had And now now that might be ending Had she been only drawn to him because of their connection formed through this strange energy this Aether

And why would the system draw them together

For almost 30 seconds their gazes locked

Suddenly they both laughed Lyra flickered out of existence and Randidly turned back to the raid party smiling

At that moment he had no doubt that Lyra’s thoughts had almost mirrored his own Even if they were no longer what they had been they were still similar

As time continued Randidly removed several rings that he had Sam made earlier in the day and slipped them on his fingers His talks with the potion makers here had gone well and they were now hard at work gathering the materials to create more potions 10 rings an all each with around 60 worth of storage 300 Stamina and 300 mana waiting for the moment where he needed it

HIs ace in the hole although Randidly suspected that this would swiftly become a battle of attrition Health Mana and Stamina would ultimately be the limiting factors on him But he made no effort to store health That was never his game His top end performance was undoubtedly what gave him the ability to battle while the numerosity of this opponents meant that once that ran out it would be much more difficult to continue

He would either crush them with skill or be worn down by numbers With a mild gaze Randidly looked at Donny Are you prepared

Donny nodded

Lyra felt the summons coming even as she maintained eye contact with Randidly Smiling softly to herself she turned away allowing her body to slowly disperse while her core was strangely teleported away off the planet Earth and to a place deep within the realms of the Nexus If the connection between Randidly and herself fell to pieces so be it Just because the system no longer pushed them together didn’t mean it couldn’t happen anyway

Her body recondensed and Lyra found herself standing on a dais Opposite her also on a dias was a grey blob that she recognized as Kimmy and a floating eye ball She winked at them both and was delighted to see the blob begin to roil and the eyeball scrunch itself up into a ball of annoyance

A higher dias completed their triangle and on it sat a creature with the head of a Rhinoceros The area around them was filled with waves of color like they were inside the aurora borealis but none of the other 3 seemed to pay it much attention Instead Lyra coolly glanced around demonstrating how unruffled she was by the whole ordeal

Sitting below them on a lower level were dozens of creatures who appeared to be typing and writing talking back and forth as if they were simply working in an office Lyra used her skill Eyes of Wonder and glanced around again

She was amused to find that the two individuals on the dias opposite her which were likely Nul and Kimmy barely had a thimble’s worth of Aether between them Meanwhile she had about 2 5 Aether Springs within her 1 for Donnyton 1 for beating a Trainee level tribulation and 5 from Turtletown being absorbed by Kimmy prior to her own subsequent absorption

But she was chilled to find that the Rhinoman burned with Aether in her vision on another level altogether

Ahem The Rhino spoke with a surprisingly soft voice I Octavias Shrike do hereby call this hearing to order The conduits are below bearing witness may the will of Aether be served Err Mr Nulmilima you may begin Please present your evidence

10 seconds crept past after the two sides both acknowledged they were ready with no motion on either side The tension was almost unbearable for the crowd who were locked in agonizing stillness not able to move lest they miss what happened when it happened

Ever the profane Annie loosed an arrow which shot through the lines screaming towards the Ghosthound As it whistled past several individuals sprang into motion following it in a low sprint led by Paolo and Kayle Decklan moved like a ghost among them not ready to attack but wanting to use this opportunity to close the distance between them

Dozer fell back setting himself in from of Annie club raised Donny began to march forward with his squad intent on surrounding the Ghosthound The mages prepped themselves waiting for the Ghosthound’s response ready to bombard him at the slightest sign of space

They did not have to wait long

Pierce the Skies Shatter the Earth the Ghosthound’s form blurred upward before falling down back behind Donny’s squad putting himself between the tanks and the healers His ascent was so rapid that he slipped past the arrow and the vanguard only had time to turn before he crashed to the ground leaving large cracks in the carefully constructed arena

The healers and mages were close and stunned by the blast of force and dust but most of Dozer’s squad was around him now and they were very quick to regain their footing leaping forward The Ghosthound’s eyes landed on the nearest person a young man with short hair and brown skin who wielded a heavy iron ball on the end of a chain

Agony

The wave of pain billowed outward afflicting them all The closest were the most powerfully affected and they seemed to be frozen unable to compute the mental strain they were abruptly placed under In the Ghosthound’s mind it was only an annoying buzzing at the edges of his nerves but he remembered how the whole world seemed to warp under that wave of pain the first time he experienced it

Of course these individuals might not have the stats that the Ghosthound did at the time but they surely had more levels than he had and the young man in front of him had gritted his teeth and forced his eyes to focus on the enemy in front of him But of course this was only the beginning

Circle of Flame

Fire crashed outward knocking most of Dozer’s squad on their asses already barely managing to handle the crushing pain Donny’s squad was hurrying around but the Ghosthound was much too quick and he streaked towards the heavy mages with the middle of the formation his agony crushing their ability to respond intelligently

A few were able to raise their hands to cast icicles and fireballs but they were easily dodged However a whistling cause the Ghosthound to still a arrow whizzing in front of his face Immediately he raised a hand and pointed

Incendiary Bolt

The burning projectile ripped forward burning Annie follow up arrow to a crisp Dozer stepped forward raising his club to block the magical attack To his surprise the spell bore a hole straight through the enchanted metal of the rare club he had obtained from a dungeon and ripped a huge hole in his bicep

The defense had saved Annie but it spelled doom for the heavy mages while Annie was prevented from firing the Ghosthound arrived among them breaking their legs knocking them out and then tossing them out of the arena

The Ghosthound turned slowly his eyes blazing emerald His message clear

Had this been real those people would have just died Donnyton would have suffered losses not 20 seconds into the battle Their damaging magics were sealed

This was his true strength This was the monster that could defeat a tribulation before even obtaining a class This was the one who made Donnyton possible who made sure it thrived

This was the legend named Randidly Ghosthound

Chapter 104

Glendel and Regina stood in area with quite a clear view of the arena and they saw the Ghosthound’s explosive initial offensive Then as the Ghosthound turned casually Glendel’s heart went cold He seemed untouchable

But just as the Ghosthound turned two individuals arrived at him one with fists raised one with knives dancing across his fingers

First one to touch him wins Paolo hissed his eyes wide But Glendel could tell the strain he was under The Ghosthound was using a strange technique that made it incredibly painful to be close to him and right now the two leaders of the squads were struggling under the oppressive weight of that spell

Kayle simply narrowed his eyes slashing forward with his knives The Ghosthound easily deflected both the knives and a punch from Paolo spinning his spear knocking away strike after strike But Donny had returned and he raised his shield a golden aura spreading outwards

Aegis

Now insulated somewhat from the effects of Agony Paolo and Kayle regained some of their usual competency striking again as one

But again the Ghosthound moved with an impossible combination of strength and finesse smashing them both backwards Still in that moment three of Decklan’s squad appeared around the Ghosthound their eyes blazing with bloodlust

An arrow burning with a strange dark energy shot towards his back

With glittering eyes the Ghosthound smiled Summon Pestilence

It must have taken quite a bit of mana but a huge cloud of insects sprung into being around the Ghosthound obscuring him and the nearby people These insects flew angrily outward finding and biting the nearest flesh The arrow passed harmlessly through the pestilence and skittered out the other side missing its target

With a crash the 3 members of Decklan’s squad were thrown out of the pestilence as if smashed backwards Glendel could see Donny’s frown as he considered how to approach the situation

But Dozer’s roar was what drew everyone’s attention and they were shocked to find the Ghosthound standing in front of him unleashing Phantom Onslaught after Phantom Onslaught using pure power to push Dozer back

Kayle arrived at almost the same time as everyone else’s gaze demonstrating that he had followed the action much more closely than anyone else

The Ghosthound spared him an annoyed glance but was forced to jerk backward as an arrow shot out from beneath Dozer’s armpit

Pollen of the Rafflesia The Ghosthound spun quickly a Phantom Thrust smashing in Kayle’s chest faster than he would have believed possible Wincing he stumbled back knives raised Paolo rushed up to assist him but the Ghosthound had already turned and was rushing around Dozer’s side to attack Annie She danced away and Dozer pivoted desperately attempting to keep himself in front of the Ghosthound

Ptolemy arrived and began healing Kayle and Paolo rushed forward but before he could arrive Dozer stumbled uncharacteristically suddenly seeming very woozy

In that moment the Ghosthound was past him picking up Annie and throwing her unceremoniously out of the arena Paolo arrived throwing haymakers but the Ghosthound seemed to suddenly appear several steps away from him just outside of his range and raised his hand

Fireball

The blast knocked Paolo back more than a little stunned for the instantaneous heat and concussive force But the Ghosthound didn’t stop there

Ghastly Slash

Glendel marveled at Paolo’s reactions as he managed to get his arm up in time to block the vicious blow that arced towards his temple but there was still the audible snap of bone as Paolo’s forearm cracked

Without even pausing the Ghosthound rushed forward to Ptolemy who was standing over Kayle The surrounding members of the squad closed ranks weapons raised but once again the Ghosthound simply smiled

Spearing Roots

Roots ripped upwards out of the ground stabbing holes into the legs and thighs of the squad members defending Ptolemy Then the roots flexed throwing the squad members to the side creating a path

Kayle rose to his feet seemingly completely recovered and Ptolemy raised his hand

Healing Circle

But the Ghosthound just smiled surging closer Donny burst forward stepping in front of the two smashing his shield with his sword

Challenging Shout

The Ghosthound raised his spear his shoulder flexing as he threw everything into the attack aiming towards Donny’s shield But Donny was a veteran of being attacked and so he threw a shield bash out at the last possible moment aiming to completely neutralize the force of that attack by overpowering it at the point of impact

But his shield bash met nothing He blinked looking uncomprehendingly as the Ghosthound just walked past him binding Kayle with roots and then cracking Ptolemy over the head

Then as if this was his plan all along the Ghosthound leapt again with that strange spear technique crashing to the ground at his original starting place instantly sitting down and closing his eyes

What Glendel asked confused

Regina grimaced That punk He’s more cruel than he looks After taking out their long range damage dealers he’s going to sit there recovering until the group reforms and attacks Which should be soon

Donny quickly issued several orders and the group split a dozen or so of the squad members leaving the arena with guilty faces The remainder began rushing towards the Ghosthound

What are they doing Glendel asked looking at the departing individuals

If I had to guess those were the people that Donny considered to have been killed by the Ghosthound’s initial assault He has his pride that’s for sure So the 6 mages 14 of the squad members Ptolemy and Annie all eliminated Only 1 healer remaining for 28 people

Can they even win Glendel whispered

Sam who overheard rolled his eyes Look if he could just wipe them he would have done that immediately It’s a powerful front but he burned a lot of stamina and mana to do it The counterattack begins now

My case is simple I paid the fee to enter into the seeding lottery for Guiding Spirits I obtained a result with the top 10 which I used to reserve the first village on a specific planet the planet judged to have the most potential out of the medium grade planets which refers to itself as Earth As indicated by the rules another Village spirit cannot steal my village from me themselves they must use forces from their own village A village can only be taken by another village or by the tribulation As she is neither she has broken the rules I demand my village be returned and the Aether stripped from her

The Rhino nodded sagely and turned to Kimmy And you Ah wait the Conduits beckon Yes oh esteemed Conduit what is your question

Lyra yawned looking down at the strange robot looking thing that had its hand raised It pointed at her How did she become the village spirit anyway How was she exposed to holy Aether

The eyeball that was Nul shrunk slightly seeming embarrassed Ah she She was my chosen Sheath

To Lyra’s amusement the one with the most ridiculous reaction was Kimmy She ballooned up in size You designated a Blade and Sheath without informing them You imbecile is that why Randidly was so strong

The eyeball wiggled I figured they would be drawn to each other and his eventual weakness would force the issue They would be assets for the village How was I supposed to predict that he would show no signs of Aether starvation Mr Shrike can you tell me how that’s possible

Sighing the Rhino man brought up a menu He does not have a class yes Hum Oh

He blinked he seems to have spawned inside of chaotic space and was moved through direct interference of an Overseer but this signature

After several seconds Octavius leaned back still frowning I do understand now According to this he was part of a party that cleared a Lvl 35 dungeon about 9 hours after the system arrived in his world That certainly seems like a record but

The Rhino shrugged The reward for that was enough Aether for him to swim in it for quite a while it is no wonder he felt no weakness

The land beneath them lit up in brilliant light as the waves of colors were sucked down into the office worker people beneath them building to a brilliant intensity Then the floor seemed to collapse and everything turned dark

A voice spoke in the dark It is allowed She will remain as the Guiding Spirit for this village The rules govern only what you cannot do Since her situation is not covered it is not forbidden

Then the light faded further and Lyra blinked finding herself back in the main building of Donnyton

What What had just happened

Randidly stood sighing It would be too much to hope for that they would allow him to recover after brutalizing them so efficiently for a minute The Raid Team was surging forward towards him their faces grim

No helping it then He absorbed stamina and mana from the rings on his fingers 150 of the stamina and all 300 of the mana It would simply take too long for the mana to regenerate otherwise Having some stamina as a buffer would be good but it was pointless to absorb too much After all he wanted to be regenerating it constantly

He had taken advantage of the fact that he had a whole list of skills that they hadn’t seen or experienced before to knock them on their back foot and then he was able to knock out some of their more annoying members Of course this left the key players who hadn’t yet played all of their cards

Although he had enough health to tank Dozer wasn’t good defending a single person although he was invaluable at limiting Randidly’s movements near him Donny didn’t have the speed or the guile to handle an opponent who could avoid him but when he was confronted he was near impregnable Decklan wasn’t willing to commit until he felt there was an opening but when that strike descended And all the rest of them hadn’t yet learned how to gamble with their lives because there was simply no other choice

Grinning Randidly knew that the other side was currently feeling the pressure of having only a single healer That was the point

The true test would be who could continue on under the weight of that pressure And of course the weight of facing him

Standing slowly Randidly once more activated Agony Because he wasn’t using potions he couldn’t use Agony too frequently in case it decreased his health to the point he might actually die That would certainly be an ironic end to this spar But it certainly caused the assault to stall somewhat as each individual struggled against the consciousness warping pain

And one by one they stepped forward gritting their teeth He could see it in their eyes that they craved victory That they craved the strength to overcome this

Good If they didn’t this wouldn’t be any fun at all

Deep within his chest that strange frosted lava energy began to pulse burning freezing and filling him with excitement

Chapter 105

Daniel watched calmly as all of the final battle on the arena unfolded He carefully noted every skill that the Ghosthound used doing his best to mark down their effects based upon observation From there he tried to extrapolate information about stats

Ultimately he gave up the Ghosthound simply had too many skills and stat boosts from places to keep track of all of their influences There were simply too many variables to account for them all

Do you think we can really win against him Daniel asked setting his notebook to the side

Mrs Hamilton smiled at him amused Don’t be so caught up in his pace and past accomplishments Just look What is happening

Daniel looked seeing the rapid march of the squads as they rushed towards the Ghosthound’s form as he slowly stood His breathing was even but his eyes were narrow scanning the oncoming wave of bodies As they approached he simply allowed them to come making no move to dodge breathing slowly

When they arrived they pressed forward shields raised The Ghosthound’s pole dipped low smashing against the shins of one man who stumbled briefly That man was immediately met with a roundhouse kick which knocked him backwards and the Ghosthound was able to step forward into the small gap lashing out with his pole The squad parted flowing around him and Paolo and Kayle rushed forward both attacking at the same time with a cooperation that surprised Daniel

The Ghosthound simply grimaced his spear blurring to knock away every attack that came his way Seeing their chance the squad members surged closer

Suddenly it seemed like the flurry of attacks coming from all directions was too much for him and the Ghosthound suddenly let an attack through The woman’s eyes gleamed as she slashed downwards Unfortunately the Ghosthound twisted and the blow was shallow

His follow up was not

His punch took her in the chest cracking her centipede shell armor Gasping she fell to her knees blood dripping from her lips The Ghosthound hopped lightly over her then grabbed her and threw her out of the arena Two other squad members rushed forward roaring but the Ghosthound’s pole cracked them both in the head after they left the safety of their superior numbers to attack him

Those two too were thrown out and the Ghosthound calmly turned to regard the remaining group He sported several small cuts and blood slowly ran down from his ribs and shoulder The Ghosthound flexed his bare feet and grinned as if asking them if this was all they had

Donny’s voice echoed out and the squad rumbled forward rushing towards the Ghosthound once more

I see Donny ordering the attack but neither he Dozer nor Decklan are participating Daniel said frowning Of the most powerful only Kayle and Paolo are fighting and they are only doing so passively harrying him Why are they letting him defeat the squad members like this

Mrs Hamilton just smiled shaking her head Because they want to win Randidly can beat the squad members but it costs him Stamina And without Donny committing Randidly cannot strike a blow to eliminate them all at once

So it’s going to continue like this

Likely no the Ghosthound is not one you can corner so easily not even with our highest trained squad members If we are going to defeat the Ghosthound we need a little more

They both turned their gazes back to the arena not daring to look away

Randidly frowned Donny certainly had gotten callous He could rip through these fodder all night but it would deplete his already sorry stores of mana It would be much easier if the fight with the main force happened while he had stamina to spare but it appears they were content to wait him out

Fine he supposed it was time to bring the fight to them

As the front tanks marched forward Randidly abruptly raced to meet them pole raised He really missed his Spine Spear both for its size strength bonus and blade but he supposed this pole was a much better weapon for insuring there were no casualties He should have at least put a blade on this weapon But whining about it now would do no good With just a bare stick of wood he planted his feet activated Haste Empower Heavy Blow Mana Strengthening and Sweep and smashed forward with his pole striking the front line in a broad blow aiming to hit as many as possible

Four people were knocked over smashed to the side by the force of the blow knocked off their feet Although their stats might be much higher most people hadn’t realized that their superior physical strength did nothing to increase their weight It was quite easy to knock them up and helplessly away if they didn’t prepare for it Randidly planted his feet and was ready to rush forward but to his surprise a figure stepped up in front of him weapon raised It was the dark skinned young man with the iron ball for a weapon that had rushed him earlier at the beginning of the fight

A Phantom Thrust blurred outward striking the man in the nose The cartilage of his nose shattered blood spurting outward and Randidly moved to step past him

To Randidly’s surprise a hand settled on his arm gripping him tightly

Randidly turned eyes narrowing to find that the iron ball man had managed to latch onto him as he fell holding desperately onto him Another Sweep crushed the man into the ground loosening his grip But Randidly didn’t have the time nor the stamina for this

Most of the people knocked to the side were being healed and several other squad members were moving closer Worst of all a tingling on Randidly’s neck warned him that Decklan was finally making his move

Tsking lightly to himself Randidly spoke Agony

The pain smashed downwards around him and most people hesitated slightly but not Decklan His was a curved smile and blade and he ripped closer moving so quickly that Randidly wasn’t sure whether he could have kept up with him without a full stamina and mana pool

But in this case he didn’t need to

He sparingly use a pinch of mana using Root Manipulation to loop around an unsuspecting Decklan’s foot The Killer responded well instantly twisting and pulling away but Randidly already had a Phantom Thrust aiming for his chest

Righteous Bonds Donny yelled and strange golden runes appeared in the air around Decklan Ignoring it Randidly struck with all the force he could muster aiming to shatter several ribs But although Decklan grunted and was thrown back he didn’t appear to suffer any lasting damage

A gasp did echo out behind him and Randidly turned to see Donny covered in those same golden runes clutching his chest

Some sort of damage sharing huh ’ Randidly wondered idly Annoying ’

Abruptly Randidly decided to try something strange

Dropping Agony Randidly stood casually spinning his pole with the Raid Squad surrounding him His grin was long and slow

Tykes smashed into the ground almost stunned into unconsciousness by the force of the Ghosthound’s blow But somehow he bit his tongue and stayed awake managing to keep ahold of his trusty iron ball as well

Groaning he rolled on his side and then weakly rolled back and he felt some bones of his ribs shift

Holy fucking shit but the Ghosthound hit like a fucking truck

Feeling slightly foolish almost as if he was cheating Tykes removed a health potion from his pocket and downed it Instantly he felt better able to breath again He hacked out a wad of blood and tried to roll again only to fall back too tired

He supposed he was knocked out of the battle anyway so

As he lay there listening to the clash of weapons he just looked up at the blue sky hanging over them Even if they won if they lost Tykes was happy Donny would scold him for putting himself in such direct danger but it was worth it Tykes wanted to win He wanted to feel like he helped them win

So even though he was the only member of the Raid Party without a class Tykes had thrown himself in harm’s way

He had been one of the initial volunteers for Daniel’s skill program and had been part of the second batch with an indefinite timetable as NCCs But Tykes didn’t mind He liked Donnyton Liked its simple focused people liked the endless food even liked the constant presence of violence That at least hadn’t changed in Tykes’ life but now he was no longer on the receiving end

Until now that is

Gritting his teeth Tykes rolled over looking towards the Ghosthound He had struck Decklan but the rest of the Raid Team was closing in on his position All of a sudden tall thorny walls sprung up about 2 meters tall blocking off vision isolating most of the squad

Retreat Came Donny’s yell but it was too late

The first spell blasted outward igniting the thorns and smashing them outwards Propelled by the close blast of fire these flaming thorny walls knocked most of the nearby squad members over crushing them with heat inflicting dozens of small wounds with the thorns

As the smoke cleared the Ghosthound was standing alone surrounded by slowly burning piles of thorns Is that all Donnyton

Tykes was insulated from the blast based on where he was lying but the heat still burned his face Pressing his eyes together to force away the bitter tears Tykes just breathed for a long moment

Then he opened them and saw a beautiful figure upside down on the hill overlooking the arena She was slender and blonde with her hair twisting around her face She seemed young younger even than Tykes staring intently at the arena

He knew her she was the girl who had always had such a weird relationship with the Ghosthound the girl who was now somehow a town spirit the girl they whispered had died Lyra

To Tykes immense surprise she blew him a kiss

Almost unbidden Tykes blinked again and the girl was gone But the strange heat from that blown kiss had not

Tykes struggled to his feet hefting the iron ball We we are not done

Congratulations Due to your actions you have unlocked the Path Unyielding Will 0/10

Tykes blinked as the Ghosthound slowly turned In the Ghosthound’s green eyes Tykes saw a flicker of recognition which was oddly pleasing But when the Ghosthound smiled it was all ice

Then let’s finish this

With infinite slowness the Ghosthound began to step towards Tykes over the burning thorn walls Unsure of what else to do Tykes opened up his status screen

Tykes (Last Name Unknown)

Health(/R per hour) 93/355 (63)

Mana(/R per hour) 21/21 (7)

Stam(/R per min) 6/192 (20)

End 24

Str 24

Inteligence 9

Control 3

Focus 6

Skills Perseverance Lvl 32 Running Lvl 19 Physical Fitness Lvl 22 Endure Lvl 14 Farming Lvl 7 Woodworking Lvl 15 Leap Lvl 23 Animal Skinning Lvl 12 Hunting Lvl 7 Manual Labor Lvl 19 Cooking Lvl 6 Ball and Chain Mastery Lvl 20 Throw Lvl 27 Cleaning Lvl 16 Tailoring Lvl 9 Tough Body Lvl 13 Crush Lvl 25 Heavy Blow Lvl 18 Herculean Strength Lvl 34 Mana Bolt Lvl 9 Flail Lvl 15 Battle Sense Lvl 3 Heightened Perception Lvl 7 Dodge Lvl 14

PP 10

Tykes blinked very slowly then moved as if possessed 10 PP huh

He poured it all into his new path

Congratulations You have completed the Unyielding Will Path In the face of great adversity you do not bow Although your feet blister and rip and your eyes tremble as you tire you stand and continue forward For you realize that there is no choice but to continue on this path or die You have learned the skill Inexhaustible Will Lvl 1 You have learned the skill Unyielding Sword Lvl 1 Due to compatibility Unyielding Sword has changed to Rebounding Sphere Lvl 1 Vit End Str and Agi +5

Tykes barely had time to take the whole of the notification in before the Ghosthound arrived thrusting with his pole Scrambling backwards Tykes threw his iron ball forward trying to buy some time But the pole blurred smashing the ball to the side with pure power hitting Tykes in the gut

Gasping for air Tykes felt something strange in his gut that was familiar and yet strangely new An unwillingness to concede that caused warmth to flow outward into his limbs He straightened slowly recovering and he saw that he gained a level in Unyielding Will

With clear eyes he straightened all the way only to see the tip of the pole rushing for his face

The body slumped over lifeless and Randidly considered the young man briefly If given the chance he would definitely become strong Randidly almost regretted giving out all of his Blessings for this young man would be a powerful choice if untested

But at the moment there were other concerns

He turned slowly to face Donny Decklan Dozer Kayle and Paolo along with a gasping healer who was clearly overdrawn Under Randidly’s pointed gaze the healer paled and raised his hands then hurried out of the arena

Looking completely healed Donnyton’s 5 Classer leaders stepped forward

You can’t defeat me like this Randidly said quietly taking stock of himself Around 50 mana 400 Health and 90 Stamina He surreptitiously absorbed the remaining 150 stamina from the stones on his fingers Even still it was hard to keep his breathing under control to keep his mouth from curling up

This was it This feeling of having his back against the wall

To his delight they didn’t answer only crouching into a fighting stance and rushing towards him Donny cast his spell Righteous Bonds and now all 5 were covered in golden light rushing towards him with grim looks in their eyes

They came to slay a Ghosthound

Chapter 106

Lyra sighed softly looking at Tykes unconscious on the ground Seeing as a Village Spirit was different than seeing as a human Everything was waves and momentum Which is why it was so difficult to answer certain questions it was flying directly in the face of that momentum She had managed it once by keeping a faction of the Tribulation’s existence captive burning it to distract those waves briefly but it had still cost her quite a bit

She had a few ideas how she could do it again but there wasn’t any point in doing it currently there were no monsters lurking around the corner Just one awkward situation that everyone in the village seemed to have forgotten about for now

After gazing back towards the village center for several minutes she looked back towards Randidly The thread connecting them had almost completely dispersed so that there was nothing left Opening her Eyes of Wonder she saw him perhaps exactly how he was Tired and the light he cast was much much dimmer

But the core of that flame was still a brilliant emerald He hadn’t given up even though his reserves were almost completely empty

What did it mean now that she had hastened the destruction of their connection by designating Tykes as the new village Blade Would her fascinating with him disappear Would he continue to treat her so mildly

Turning back to her new village Blade she considered him closely Although Nul had been punished by his choice Lyra sincerely doubted that a similar thing would happen to her After all the momentum and waves around him especially during this bout with Randidly had bound him very tightly to Donnyton’s fate which had prompted her to make her move It was easy as breathing giving him that designation and he had immediately risen from the ground keeping Donnyton in the fight

Now all that remained to be seen was who his Sheath would be She stopped using Eyes of Wonder and simply felt The threads of momentum gathering but it wasn’t here It was to the South Lyra looked in that direction for several seconds her eyes glowing violet Then she turned back to the arena

Regardless of what they were now Lyra would stand and witness this man who had shown her what true beauty was Whether or not he won or lost she would watch every second of it

Randidly bared his teeth in almost a snarl His opponents were almost at fullstrength while he was running on ? of his usual stamina with no more secret stornes to draw on His mana was almost completely gone perhaps enough for several smaller spells or one big one

And they weren’t giving him enough time for his monstrous regeneration rates and skills to make up the difference

Roaring Dozer led the charge this time club raised Kayle and Decklan glided swiftly after him ready to swoop in at the slightest opening Donny ran directly behind Dozer his golden skill spreading to them all

It would make it difficult to deal significant enough damage to put any out of commission but Randidly wanted to experiment a little with its effects before he committed too heavily

But the wide swing taken by Dozer was not something that Randidly wanted to trifle with especially now He stepped forward activating only Empower using a tiny amount of stamina to rush into Dozer’s range Still Dozer’s arms swung forward smashing towards Randidly’s chest

With another Empowered step Randidly ducked under that and past him eyes narrowing as two glimmering lines of light raced towards him

But Randidly didn’t take another step within the range of those slashes from Kayle and Decklan Instead he turned and slammed his fist into Dozer’s side aiming for the kidneys The yellow runes absorbed around 25% of the damage which flowed back toward Donny who grunted lightly The rest pierced through the spell and hit Dozer who didn’t even respond Randidly had been aware that Dozer Decklan and Donny had all reached Lvl 30 and gotten a class skill Dozer’s he recalled had been called Constitution of the Troll a passive skill that had vastly increased his defense and regeneration

Combined with Donny’s skill it let Dozer easily shrug off attacks off this level As Randidly watched he simply turned back reaching out to grab at him

He used this time to punch again catching Dozer in the stomach Still the spell was too effective it wasn’t enough to damage him in the slightest Kayle raced forward trying to take advantage of the distraction but Randidly flicked a Phantom Thrust forward catching Kayle in the sternum throwing him backwards

Dozer twisted just bring his arm down in a chopping blow and Randidly pivoted raising his pole and deflecting the blow away The force caused to the wood to vibrate dangerously

Donny stayed back but Paolo came then fists swinging He had apparently been holding back slightly before because there was a sharpness to his movements that was new or perhaps he had gained some skill levels over the course of the fight As it was without Haste and Empower Randidly had a hard time keeping up with them all and he mostly allowed the glancing blows to land They would leave bruises but

As Decklan rushed in on the other side and Dozer pulled back for another blow Randidly saw his chance He lashed out with a Roundhouse kick aiming for Paolo’s side The man responded quickly his eyes narrowing and he made the very ballsy decision to catch the kick taking the damage to lock Randidly down for a short time

Randidly smiled Exactly as planned

Even before Paolo had completely grabbed the leg Randidly’s other leg was raised Before Paolo even saw it he stepped on his face kicking off and throwing himself backwards Although the spell absorbed some of the force the brutal kick’s effectiveness could be seen in Paolo’s dizzy eyes as he fell back

Flying backwards now from the force of the kick Randidly twisted around aiming to catch Decklan But Dozer had recovered and stepped in the way Decklan landed lightly on Dozer’s back watching Randidly shoot towards them Dozer’s eyes glowed as he swung his club at Randidly’s midair form

Swearing quietly Randidly twisted using some mana to press a root upward which he used as a stepping stone to leap to the side Unfortunately Decklan saw this as it was happening and ripped forward knives raised

Twisting further Randidly used the pole to deflect the attacks but felt two long knives sink deeply into his back One even punctured his lung

Randidly tapped on the ground and then jumped farther away Grinding his teeth he considered his opponents Fighting without enough stamina to use Phantom Half Step severely limited his mobility He had become entirely too dependant on potions He wasn’t used to simply fighting among enemies without them

Grunting he removed the knives from his back while his opponents circled around him

The main problem was Dozer and Donny Donny’s skill protected Dozer enough that Randidly’s force was reduced to a level he could force his way through it The rest of the Classers Randidly could hurt Dozer he could not hurt

But getting to Donny meant going through Dozer Dozer was the pillar in their midst that kept the formation alive He interfered with Randidly’s strikes and was the one who bore the brunt of the damage As long as that continued Randidly would spent his stamina uselessly

Paolo shook his head regaining some of his clarity Decklan drew two more long knives one of which was the knife that Randidly had given him all that time ago Dozer lumbered forward He previous strikes had rapidly reduced their fighting force but the Classers in front of him had not been swayed They still held tightly almost grimly onto hope

So now was time to gamble huh

Randidly smiled at Dozer raising the pole The Spear Advances Ash Trails

Mrs Hamilton felt her hands tighten into fist as the Ghosthound spoke So he finally decided to play his last card huh

The Ghosthound ultimately was not able to equal Donnyton’s forces in an extended confrontation There was simply too many of them capable of skills So he had used a series of vicious bursts to reduce their staying power whittling away their will That had left this group who had enough health and stamina to push through his area of effect skills They needed to be dealt with individually and at great cost

Of them all of course the tanks were the real problem If they weren’t there he could continue to use bursts to attack As it were they would just endure it and then crush him

So he was forced to this

With an impossible powerful explosion of fire and ash the Ghosthound shot forward pole raised towards Dozer The speed with which he traveled made reactions impossible The two figures smashed together and just as quickly parted with a crack

Dozer stumbled and spat out a mouthful of blood

The Ghosthound skipped forward bleeding off some of his speed and stopped and turned looking at them with glowing eyes There was an anger there and an unwillingness

With exaggerated slowness the Ghosthound raised his hand holding it above his head A smoldering fire began to form

Inspiration His words were raw and angry Dozer turned and raised his club barely maintaining his stance Donny rushed forward to stand by him and activated Aegis The other three ran behind the tanks

Surprising everyone even herself Mrs Hamilton said Can you see how much they want this victory Randidly

Those violent hungry emerald eyes turned towards her the fire held above the Ghosthound’s head slowly glowing brighter He smiled

But then everything dimmed all at once The Ghosthound let his hand fall they don’t need to want it any longer they have won

Without another word the Ghosthound dropped the pole and walked away out of the arena and towards the treeline People parted unsure of what just happened

What just happened Sam gasped He gave up

Mrs Hamilton took a very long breath in and out and then shook her head slowly As the Ghosthound slowly walked he passed the area where the defeated squads stood there was a strange tension Then abruptly a man stepped forward

The squad leader of Squad III stepped towards the Ghosthound then bowed Thank you for your guidance

Behind him in a wave all of the defeated classers bowed Thank you

It was a dull thunder Echoing out filling the silence these two words were everything that they wanted to say to this man He started the village he protected them he taught them about classes and skills and then he showed them how weak they were and also how strong they could be

And so the people said Thank You

The Ghosthound walked not acknowledging the words just walking into the forest He had said everything he had to say already with that pole He had explained clearly what he had expected from them what demanded from the squads in the name of Donnyton’s defense

And to that pole Mrs Hamilton pointed It could be say that the Ghosthound lost to the situation more than anything else

Daniel snorted What is he going to be a sore loser about the numbers now Why

No you idiot An annoyed Annie nursing a brutal headache said Look at the pole It broke when it hit Dozer

Daniel blinked Sure enough the poles tip had cracked a good ? falling to the ground around the site of the blow With that much of the force dispersed it was still enough to blast through Donny’s defensive skill and heavily wound Dozer

But it wasn’t enough to put Dozer out of commission The pillar had not fallen And for whatever reason the Ghosthound had stayed his hand at the last second letting them off

Chapter 107

Daniel sighed I hope this isn’t one of those situations that he will swear vengeance go train in the woods for a month and come back and do it again only to gloriously succeed

Annie rolled her eyes leaving to go check on the hobbling Dozer and Mrs Hamilton chuckled I think you read too many fantasy books

Giving her a skeptical look Daniel said Do you really want to underestimate the Ghosthound

No I think he will grow more powerful than I can understand But it’s still a numbers game Mrs Hamilton spread her hands wide Sure he might grow faster than one person but what about two people Three people 10 people 50 He cannot out level an entire village The population of Donnyton will now control the destiny of this town although there’s no doubt that the Ghosthound will always play an important role

A dull bang sounded and the talking ceased as everyone turned to look at the source of the noise Donny He stood tall and now it was clear how exhausted he was his youthful face lined with worry But it was brightened by a joyful smile

Classers of Donnyton Do not rejoice Although we won there is no reward only more work We fought the Ghosthound for the dubious honor of being the last line of defense the ultimate shield that protects everyone who lives in Donnyton now and will come to live here

Rejoice He continued eyes glittering We have won more work

We won

The shout came from Tykes who had just regained consciousness looking around wildly his eyes wide As Donny looked at him although Tykes was 2 years older than him his face softened as if looking at a promising grandson

Yes we won Now who’s prepared to meet with Decklan Dozer and I to talk about their performance in these trials Mrs Hamilton has apparently been taking exceedingly detailed notes

Mrs Hamilton smiled kindly at them all as the Classers turned to look at her with mounting horror She coughed lightly We should start immediately There is a LOT to go over

Randidly looked at his hands then clenched them gritting his teeth

It’s so bitter He whispered His eyes were to his surprise wet with tears Randidly hadn’t cried since since walking home from his talk from Tessa But he had been resolved then just like he was resolved now although he felt slightly helpless

Not that the loss bothered him so much

Which in fact was a lie It bothered him a lot These people had none of the head start that he had of that long 7 months alone with Shal training against monsters that could kill him as quickly as looking at him And yet already as they grouped together after a month they could defeat him This was supposed to be his chance to demonstrate his superior strength to show them how powerful one individual had been

It was a lesson and a small revenge and a stress relief and 1000 other small reasons that he wasn’t truly aware of He was simply sure that it was something that he wanted to do

Yet they were stronger than him which he had never expected Or at least strong enough push him so far that he had two choices Either admit defeat or

Which was the other reason that Randidly was so upset in that moment after his pole broke on Dozer he knew that struggling to fight normally would not work he was at too much of a numerical disadvantage If he wanted to win he had to drop all unwillingness to kill them in order to win

So he had raised his hand prepared to use an Inspired Circle of Flames to wipe them away and claim victory When Mrs Hamilton said Can you see how much they want this victory Randidly what Randidly actually heard from her was slightly different

Can you see how much you want this victory Randidly

That raw anger he had gained in Franksburg had almost driven him to kill the fruits of a month of labor Donnyton’s finest wiped out in a wave of fire Who knows too how many other casualties they would have suffered

And so Randidly cried hot tears because he felt weak He did not blame the anger only because of it had he fought that long against impossible odds What he blamed was his basic skills which were not enough to support him

He was too weak He had almost made a mistake and let the anger control him

Wiping away his tears Randidly once more looked at his hands

It had been such an innocuous noise the small crack that had sounded when he used brute force to knock aside the Iron ball wielded by that brown skinned young man A crack he had thought nothing of Until his pole split in half striking Dozer

Closing his eyes Randidly supposed that he couldn’t always be the one fighting against impossible odds and still achieving results That young man would be worth watching in the future

But he would leave that to the others Donnyton had several capable and responsible people right now Randidly’s job was simple to eliminate the weaknesses they hadn’t discovered and grow strong To prepare for the unknown Although they didn’t know from what direction it would come the Nexus was not a peaceful place to be

A spear can only advance Randidly muttered to himself Then he looked at his status screen

He had gained 3 skill Lvls in Spear Mastery 1 in Phantom Thrust 2 in Eyes of the Spear Phantom 1 in Spear Phantom’s Footwork 4 in Fighting Proficiency 1 in Empower 3 in Calculated Blow 2 in Roundhouse Kick 1 in Pierce the Skies Shatter the Earth 1 in the Spear Advances Ash Trails 1 in Spearing Roots 2 in Root Manipulation 2 in Pollen of the Rafflesia and Summon Pestilence 1 in Wall of Thorns 4 in Agony 1 in Incinerating Bolt and Circle of Flame 2 in Physical Fitness 1 in Grace 5 in Bacterial Regeneration and 1 in Superiority

Chuckling that he gained a point in Superiority after a lost battle Randidly used the PP he gained to finish off the Phantom Thrust II Path

Congratulations You have completed the Phantom Thrust II Path As you continue down familiar paths you may find that you blindly passed by treasures previously The world is wide and the path is long and familiar paths might still hold new surprises Effectiveness of each skill Lvl of Phantom Thrust has increased a very small amount Agility +3 Stamina +50 Stamina Regen +5

Randidly sighed No skill but increased the effect of Phantom Thrust would be very powerful Stamina especially after that long battle today seemed especially important as well

Once more Randidly looked at the paths open to him

Watcher 0/ Heretic V 0/ Oathbreaker 0/25 Initiate of Ash I 0/75 Empower 0/60 Path of Carnage I 0/ Agony I 0/100

It looked like one of the paths disappeared as well as Heretic increasing to V which Randidly would be hard pressed to forget about anytime soon In addition he now had access to a path related to the skill Agony although it was quite expensive

For now Randidly did not feel the need to address Heretic And based on what he had gathered it had something to do with him refusing to get a class through the system and growing in power anyway It was also implied that taking Heretic would solve the problem If it was some sort of Path that would end up giving him a class Randidly wanted no part of it

Ultimately Agony was too high and it was better to go for another skill that would improve a skill he used all the time Empower Randidly poured the rest of his PP into it but was annoyed to discover that he gained no extra bonuses all the way through 20

He felt an immediate sense of regret in his heart but put it out of his mind Best not to dwell on it IN addition this PP expenditure proved that there were only 5 options in rotation for his new Soul Skill which was enough for him The bonuses were

1 +15 Health +2 Vit

2 +3 Control +2 Free stat

3 +15 Stam +1 Agi/Str

4 +3 Focus +2 Free Stat

5 +15 Mana +1 all regeneration

All of the options were attractive in their own way and Randidly was fine with this Sighing he considered the details of his next step He wanted to experiment a little more with potions and hopefully Mrs Hamilton would help with the gathering of materials Randidly also wanted to push his Meditation and Bacterial Regeneration skills even higher

In terms of spells Spearing Roots Root Manipulation Summon Pestilence Circle of Flame and Incinerating Bolt would be where his attention was If he encountered a large group it might be worth it to level Pollen of the Rafflesia

Agony Randidly almost didn’t count as a spell but should also be in the rotation Luckily it used health and could be used only on himself which made it only slowly level but perversely helped him focus

But of course Randidly’s main focus would be on his spear combat skills If he could raise his basic proficiencies with the weapon The duel against Donnyton would have gone very differently

With a plan in mind Randidly settled down to rest

It had after all been quite a long day

Alana stood on top of the mountain looking down at Donnyton It was surprisingly good to see that the little village still stood there It somehow felt like home even though she had only lived there for a few weeks

What are those lights Clarissa who stood with her asked curiously

There did seem to be three weird giant torch things in the village one on the base of the dirt track they were heading down another deep in the NCC village and another to the North by the quarry Alana just shrugged she was far too tired for this nonsense

Raina’s humming magic had worked wonders for their speed even the younger children that Alana and Devan had begrudgingly allowed trotting on at an increased pace This had continued up the highway and onto the mountain road But right now as they crested the hill to see Donnyton all the exhaustion they had put off earlier fell on them like a weight Everyone looked with weary eyes at the town just a short mile away

Grunting Alana walked forward a small glow due to her skill coming from her skill It was still dim at night just enough to notice and catch the eye but in front of these tired people it was a small impetus they needed to stand once more trudging down towards the village The goal was in sight it was time to move

Clarissa looked behind her at the following crowd Behind them the trucks filled with supplies drove slowly over the bumpy road encouraging the most lazy Does Donnyton even have room for these people

Alana shrugged The village looks pretty peaceful right now so it shouldn’t be too hard to get a few Classers and some of Sam’s crafting people to wake up and build some quick houses right While we were making a cross country trek I bet they were enjoying cushy patrol jobs and sipping on coffee Holy fuck I want some coffee right now

Clarissa lifted her blouse and smelled it wrinkling her nose And all I want is a bath You’d think that Franksburg would have better infrastructure and sure they have working plumbing but no hot water What sort of sick joke is that

This is Donnyton The two women turned to find that Raina had come up to them for the first time since the night the horde broke through Franksburg’s defensive lines mask removed Her skin was warped and stiff not exactly making her ugly per se but giving her a very rough appearance

But there was wonder in her voice and a strange joy

Devan who had been walking some distance behind them came forward Yes this is Donnyton

Raina laughed and it was strangely beautiful no matter what she looked like her voice was still liquid honey and tinkling bells It looks likes a commune Everything is wood is any metal or plaster here at all What was here before

Scratching her head Clarissa answered slowly a cabin I think Nothing else

Raina gasped gesturing at the Classer compound the NCC village the farms the watch towers the walls that were slowly becoming easier to see as they approach Then all this

We built Alana said unable to keep the pride from her voice Which is why it’s nice to call it home

Chapter 108

The squads after a long afternoon and evening of being reamed out by Donnyton’s leaders for their flaws in terms of stat and skill choices were not in the mood to help build houses Some were injured others were dead tired and still others were slightly angry now at the whole situation

So when Alana came down with her trail of refugees the initial response was icy cold She looked around somewhat helpless Based on their moods it seemed like something had happened today that had depleted their usual enthusiasm and drive but the refugees were even worse off without the benefit of higher Vitality and Endurance stats they were about to collapse

If they couldn’t receive any help it would be a cold and uncomfortable night in Donnyton which is exactly the opposite of what Alana had promised

Then much to everyone’s surprise Dozer stood his left arm still in a sling although his shattered collarbone had been mostly healed His squad extremely well trained stood with him Very quickly Donny’s squad stood too as well as men from Paolo and Kayle’s squad although none of their squad leaders but Dozer was present

If not us then who can do this Dozer spoke softly but all the Classers hunched their shoulders

They had taken the burden from the Ghosthound The town was now their responsibility Slowly they all stood All 35 squads It took two hours but it was mostly a problem of organization When the Classers of Donnyton moved they moved

Although they weren’t pretty or particularly straight the new arrivals of Franksburg slept in newly made houses that night

As dawn rose over Donnyton Raina walked slowly up the path they had used to arrive at Donnyton once more ascending the location where they crested the mountain and could see Donnyton sprawled out below them

There she sat down on a rock and looked down at the town for a long time as it slowly came to life Then when she had a better feel for it and the light filtered down over the mountains more fully she began to draw

She took her time because honestly drawing was a skill that she had forgotten about a remnant of her time in high school But as she did her best to reproduce the lines of Donnyton below her drawing the long thin valley the road the Classer compound the spread of tightly packed farms the arena the defensive fortifications the quaint NCC village the new housing addition for the people from Franksburg and as she did so notifications flooded her demonstrating a rapid rise in her drawing skill She ignored them for now instead focusing on reproducing the image

After a half hour of drawing the sun rose higher than she liked changing the light and Raina paused examining the picture critically There were more details she wanted to fill in but it would have to wait until tomorrow As it was she decided to head back

Her trip down the winding road was much quicker than the trip up but halfway down the hill she paused a strange pounding noise coming from a nearby grove of trees

Abruptly Raina remembered that even if the area around Donnyton was surrounded by tight patrols keeping monsters out it wasn’t completely effective and the odd monster got through She supposed it would be poetic justice if she came all the way here only to be mauled by a wandering monster Not that she couldn’t defend herself but

Still the noise made her curious so she approached doing her best to stay quiet Making her way through the brush and trees the pounding grew increasingly loud Then as she pushed a branch out of the way she saw him

A man was sweating his chest heaving holding a large iron ball attached to a chain He had dark skin and bright eyes and his face was narrowed into a look of focus His shoulder muscles bulging he threw the iron ball where it richocheted off one tree and with a twist of the chain was made to crash into another obliterating the bark and cracking the wood underneath The trees around him were clearly showing signs of wear but still he practiced working tirelessly on his control

There was a strange charisma about the man Raina realized Almost without a conscious decision on her part Raina settled down and began to draw the captivating man

Randidly took a small break looking down at his spear in frustration He supposed that he had to consult this problem eventually but to run into this wall so soon after he resolved himself to train was quite inconvenient

He had spent the night working and he had received one skill lvl in Phantom Onslaught and one in Eyes of the Spear Phantom But as he continued he realized

that ultimately he only had one way of improvement And that was repetition He would repeat the movement under various degrees of strain The higher the strain the higher the gain from the repetition He could continue this endlessly slowly grinding his skills up Eventually he would grow stronger It would even be at a predictable rate

But Randidly suspected that this wouldn’t be enough to stay ahead of the threats that would come for Donnyton let alone be enough to stay ahead of the looming threat of Judgement

This flaw of Randidly’s came back to the same reason that the earlier stages were so simple because he viewed this system through the lense of being a game It made things predictable but it also severely limited Randidly in terms of the way he could learn and gather skills

Speaking of he made a mental note to check with Lyra whether she still had access to the skill trials Although he didn’t currently want to grind a bunch of skills that he might not use there would perhaps be some gems among the choices now that he had access to the Apprentice tier

Repetition was all well and good but Randidly knew of another view of the world one which he would very much like to move towards That would be of course the concept of martial art epiphanies that would rapidly increase his power The idea was that application of the skill could be improved rapidly just by a sudden shift in perspective

Randidly laughed aloud So what he was looking for in a way was an epiphany that would abruptly change the way he used the system Shaking his head ruefully Randidly prepared to switch over towards more active skill and spell focused grinding while he pondered how to change the way he thought about the system but he was interrupted by a voice

I think I can help

Randidly turned slowly to face Lyra who stood there solemnly Although the connection between them was gone and they hadn’t really talked much since he had returned to find her human form dead he had to chuckle she was currently dressed just like Nul always was with drab clothes and her face studiously blank looking exactly like their previously bland village spirit

Then she grinned at him and they both laughed

As the laughter died they examined each other both aware that something had changed And from the slightly sad gleam in Lyra’s eyes it seemed she had more of a clue over what it had been that they lost but she didn’t say anything and Randidly was more focused on other matters

You can help

Lyra frowned at him Why the hell do you sound so surprised I’m basically a shapeshifter now you know I’m very useful for

Abruptly Lyra blushed and looked at the ground Well nevermind that But you are wondering how to get stronger right I always thought you were an idiot for looking at the system the way you did but I couldn’t deny it got results But now look at you

Again Lyra stopped and she flushed again Less this time from embarrassment and more because it felt different She wasn’t drawn forward into mocking him like she had been before and the words just came out stale in her mouth Things really had changed

Slowly she spoke again Well anyway I can help But not for free

Randidly looked at Lyra really looked at her The determined look in her eyes conveyed her honesty Her golden blonde hair hung down around her ears curling with a natural grace Her face was skinny and sharp but he couldn’t deny he had always been attracted to her Perhaps the reason he had refused it before and focused on her age was due to an instinct he had that it was unnatural And now

And now everything felt strange But that didn’t change the facts Yes I would like your help

Smiling sweetly Lyra held out a small potion that seemed to be pitch black There are costs of course but I believe this will solve your mental problems According to my information a sip will block your access to notifications Think that will change your perspective

Randidly was very quiet for several seconds Blocking access to notifications would do nothing to change his improvement on the surface But at the same time

If his thinking started to change while he didn’t have notifications

The notifications acted as positive reinforcement to his grinding mindset They validated it Without them Randidly wouldn’t feel as though he was improving just by grinding He would need to do some sort of training with quantifiable metrics Then he would train pushing his limits not to get in more reps but to make those reps count Just like sprinters wouldn’t just run to get stronger they would do exercises to isolate the different muscles and then return to sprinting to fine tune the process

Overall it would mean that he would have to isolate the different parts of his fighting style finding training regimes that would work them Being without the notifications would hopefully focus him more on improving his results

But that would mean that I

Actually Lyra interrupted her normal smug smile returning and Randidly felt a glimmer of the old frustration with her You’ve had Daniel and Mrs Hamilton working on trying to find ways to improve the base skills for the squad members they have some ideas but need someone to test it out before they implement it across the board Scale up the difficulty and you will have a Doggy portion of exercise

After a long moment Randidly smiled in spite of himself Especially after his furious display the previous day he realized how valuable it was that this girl whatever they were to each other just treated him like a person rather than some protective deity Dealing with her it felt as though some of the tension that he now carried with him everywhere was finally dispersing

So I’m a glorified guinea pig Randidly said wryly Lyra rolled her eyes but nodded

If it blocked ALL notifications there was some danger that it would prevent him from realizing that another Judgement was coming but Randidly believed and hoped that it would take some time for that to happen He would also miss out on getting a jump on new path availabilities but as he wouldn’t be spending PP because it would be better not to check the skill growth he could wait until after

Randidly decided that if he was going to do it it was better to do it all the way no notifications for a week to start Hopefully that would give him time to lose some of his bad habits and give him some indications of the effectiveness of the strategy

After all even if it didn’t work he would have only wasted a week And in terms of possible notifications that he would miss honestly what is the worst that could happen

Nodding Randidly held out his hand Alright coach count me in

Coach Kukuku call me Mistress Lyra if you please By the end you will be begging for my mercy

Randidly just winced

Devan casually discussed some of the new training changes with his squad going over the parts that he believed were most important for their improvement and then indicating specific areas of focus for each squad member They studiously marked down what he was saying and then looked up as he stopped speaking

Devan frowned trying to follow a figure through the crowd his eyes tracking after very distinctive ears

What is it One of his squad members asked

Shaking his head Devan said I think we brought a furry back with us from Franksburg I swear I just saw a bunny walking around

Chapter 109

Razor Fleetfoot hopped to and fro feeling quite timid and overwhelmed The elders had tasked him one of their brightest young warriors with a very specific and possibly dangerous mission He had followed their instructions but to his surprise nothing of what he found was what he was told to expect

Everyone here just seemed to be rushing around in every which direction Seeing a friendly looking female Razor hopped over to her

Excuse me

The female looked him up and down sighed and then looked down at her clipboard Are you still looking for housing

Um no I

Well then I can’t help you The clipboard returned to her side and she walked away calling for any people from Franksburg in need of housing

Razor tried the same thing with 3 more people and every time he was given a conflicting answer He simply wanted to find someone in charge of this village

First he was told to find the scary looking woman with her hair up in a bun but this was rather useless advice because Razor didn’t rightly know what having hair up in a bun meant So that was disregarded

Second he was told to find a Classer who would point him in the right direction Razor assumed a Classer was someone with a class but he had no idea how to tell whether people had classes Did this village have a way to see that

He filed that information away for later

The third advice was pointing him towards a low squat building from which a lot of banging and screeching was emanating Razor’s sensitive ears were already twitching but he had a mission So he steadied his resolve and walked towards the strange building trying his best to ignore the horrible noise

As the light of dawn filtered through the window Sam smashed downwards with his hammer finishing the iron breastplate As he did so some of the light in the air seemed to stiffen and congeal then settle onto the armor For a second it glowed but then it faded leaving nothing but the dull sheen of metal

Annoyed at his new sleeping habits but somewhat mollified by the fact that his need for sleep was drastically decreased Sam examined the armor

Quality Iron Breastplate Lvl 25 End +3 Resistance +2 Health +30 Possesses the attribute Dawn Touched I

Dawn Touched I Wearer has regeneration increased by 10 per hour for Health and 1 per minute for Stamina

Sam’s face simply twitched stuck somewhere between a smile and a frown Sure the extra attribute was useful And if he could manage to mass produce this giving almost everyone an extra 3 End 2 Resist and 30 Health the strength of the average squad member would rise

It was simply made with common ingredients as well which meant that it was certainly possible to mass produce The problem was that the results from most of the other smiths would have only 2 End No Resist and 20 Health His class conferred on him some definite advantages so it was irksome that he therefore wanted to make every piece of armor

There simply wasn’t enough time Especially because he wanted to focus on Bone Shaping or his other new skill

Extremely carefully Sam removed a Needle covered in runes that they had purchased with quite a bit of SP and a book from their newly acquired library In it were the basics of engraving

Still moving with the utmost cautious Sam produced a small hammer and began to etch a rune onto the breastplate Not only did the shape of the rune have to match almost exactly but he had to insert mana into the needle letting it flow into the lines he was carving The amount wasn’t even but was based on how straight the line was The straight portions required very little mana to sustain

A small curve would require addition mana adding depth to the rune

A abrupt twist was like a deep well of mana as Sam sweated bullets pushing more and more mana into the line

The needle needed to remain near the breastplate constantly because it was sewing the mana into the correct shape and the connection could not be broken or it would all go to waste So Sam’s hammer hand intermittently needed to set down the hammer and raise a mana potion to his lips

Even the small breaks weakened the connection lowering the quality of the engraved rune but Sam simply had no choice he didn’t have a large enough mana pool to do an entire rune yet

Luckily he finished without a hitch and leaned back From the book Sam was able to purchase he had only learned 3 runes which translated roughly as Bear Fish and Dragonfly Sam’s current attempt was on a Bear rune which he now examined

Engraving of Bear 19% When struck this armor will have a small chance of resisting stunning and knockback effects

Sam spat in the corner his mood sour Especially after he clicked on the P After all he had never seen the rarity P It turned out it stood for poor

He had just taken a quality breastplate and practically scratched the word poor onto it

Adding to his foul mood there was a knock at the door

What Sam spat

One of his assistants poked his head through the door Someone is here to see you

Oh Mrs Northwind Sam said his expression brightening They had taken to having a morning walk every day or at least they had before this most recent trouble in the village So perhaps she wanted to start that tradition up again

Uh no The assistant seemed to squirm It’s uh A talking rabbit

Hahaha Sam laughed slapping his knee Who knew that this guy was such a jokester Normally he would hit him with a wooden 2 x 4 for such a flippant comment but violence in front of Regina was a bit Well let’s not keep her waiting then

No I think the rabbit is male The assistant interjected anxiously

Sam froze and then turned slowly to look at the man

Setting aside magic for now Mrs Hamilton said glancing at Lyra The training will be split into 4 areas Physical Fitness Attack Accuracy Footwork and Perception Randidly you already have skills for all 4 of these correct

Then we will begin immediately You have taken a sip of the potion

Randidly nodded again

The goal is to always be working two of the 4 areas at once We shall start with Physical Fitness and Footwork Please put on the jacket

As well as her notes Mrs Hamilton had brought over a wagon pulled by a very large and very well behaved wolverine Even as she was speaking to Randidly the wolverine was nosing towards Mrs Hamilton’s pockets looking for treats Exasperated she removed a banana from her spatial ring which the wolverine lumbered over to and began to eat with gusto

On the wagon was a sizable looking vest Randidly picked it up and his eyebrows rose This vest was likely around 200 pounds Although he probably wouldn’t notice the extra weight initially especially after carrying around a spear for so long that was just over 250 it would still begin to drag on him as the exercises dragged on for a while

Putting on the jacket Randidly turned back to Mrs Hamilton who was now looking at Lyra Although we eventually plan on setting up a mechanical apparatus the details are still being hammered out As it is Miss Silver will be handling the footwork portion of this activity

With a snap of her fingers 12 glowing blue birds came into being They began to fly in lazy circles criss crossing one another the group of them slowly drifting towards Randidly

I didn’t hold back you know Lyra added With how low your resistance is I wouldn’t recommend letting them touch you It would be so tragic to have to patch up that nice vest that everyone worked so hard to make for you now wouldn’t it

Depressed and thoroughly shaken Razor Fleetfoot stumbled away from the incredibly loud building run by the incredibly loud and angry hairless male Sighing Razor ignored the weird looks that everyone kept giving him and walked over to a strange tree with burning leaves next to a watchtower

Feeling profoundly tired he sat under it and leaned back against it Why were things so different than what the elders had anticipated It was all just so

So

Abruptly Razor felt like the world was swaying softly around him He shifted enjoying the leisurely movements a smile coming to his face

Perhaps he had just become too obsessed It might be good to take a small break here

All at once the stress of being yelled at faded away and Razor relaxed falling asleep against the tree that moved evenly slowly rocking him to sleep

Chapter 110

Lyra watched Randidly carefully as he went through the second exercise this one focused on weapon accuracy and eyesight It was an extremely large mobile with dozens of small wooden disks hanging from it The disks were numbered 1 through 60 Randidly’s task was simple hit them with his spear in order within a certain amount of time Complications emerged as Randidly had to hit them while they rotated slowly around him and also while the disks themselves spun sometimes hiding their numbers from him as they were only written on one side

But despite this his spear blurred his expression determined the soft click of wood evidencing his success Although most of it was due to the fact he appeared to have memorized where the first 30 or so were They would need to rearrange where they were hanging soon

With his eyes narrowed his mouth firmed into a line he seemed extremely capable and Lyra couldn’t help but feel a bit of that old longing for his approval an acknowledgement from him Still it was different now without the strange magic that the system had worked on them drawing them closer to one another

Unfortunately the exercise that Lyra had administered had gone rather poorly Mrs Hamilton had insisted that she keep a steady number of birds and keep them at a steady speed to use as a baseline Therefore although Randidly was forced to dodge back and forth and he was clearly out of breath by the end it wasn’t the embarrassing performance that Lyra had assumed would happen in her heart

The weight was obviously having an effect on him but it wasn’t enough his skills still let him move with an unnatural grace avoiding her swarming birds If she had been allowed to make them move just a little faster

But Lyra had learned very early on in her life that playing outside the rules didn’t pay off in the end It was much more satisfying to beat him at the game than cheat

How smart are you

Lyra blinked turning to look at Mrs Hamilton who was regarding her speculatively Excuse me

Oh I didn’t mean in a bad way Just I have some thoughts about the dodging exercise and I just need to know how much complexity you can handle

Frowning Lyra said as much as you can give I can use more birds

No that’s unnecessary Mrs Hamilton said shaking her head Just like he’s training consider this training for you too The problem isn’t the number of birds although the problem might solve itself with more birds Just like Randidly would still be strong just by increasing his stats to the point his skill levels don’t matter Maybe even by getting a class But do you know why he doesn’t do that

Inwardly Lyra was torn between feeling annoyed and feeling intrigued She had always known that Mrs Hamilton had expertly handled the NCC village and basically managed housing production potion making food and clothing distribution but that had always struck Lyra as slightly dull But now as Mrs Hamilton coldly looked her in the eye a small smile on her face Lyra abruptly remembered that Randidly had given this woman a very sinister sounding class

So she suppressed her annoyance and like any good actor allowed the emotion the audience wanted to see come to the surface Curious Lyra said Because our Randidly’s normal face hides a perfectionist He wants every advantage he can have

Yes in a way He takes the extremely long view Based on his actions he seems to think that an impending crisis is just beyond the horizon Pausing Mrs Hamilton turned and looked back towards the village She stood still for so long that Lyra thought she would have to speak but just as she was about to Mrs Hamilton turned back shaking her head

Well if something bad happens I’m sure someone else will notice Anyways the reason Randidly can dodge is because when you attack with the birds you are only moving 2 or 3 at the same time The rest just drift in a direction I suggest instead of attacking you work on making several smaller units and just move them around Namely 3 rings of 4 birds moving in a circle Go on try it

Lyra did making the 3 circles She furrowed her brow and was able to swiftly get the hang of it Honestly once you had them set it was relatively easy and she was able to tie the mana together in such a way that it didn’t take much attention

Good Now I’m going to switch up the disks and have Randidly try this exercise again from the beginning In the meantime try and master 3 things moving the rings with the birds staying in formation widening and tightening the rings and reversing the flow of the birds Once you can manage those three things we will see how easy it is for Randidly to dodge

Alana sat with her legs folded beneath her contemplating It was a simple thing but it was a question that had tortured her endlessly should she get her very rare sounding class or should she continue to train

It was now widespread knowledge that a certain amount of skill levels quite a bit over 400 without getting a class would lead to a strange Aether Starvation but the Ghosthound had made some cryptic comments to her the previous night that would seem to indicate that she didn’t have to worry about this issue and could continue to train for as long as she wished

Based on what she could tease out of his statements and other explanations of the problem it seemed that her connection to him provided her with the Aether she needed Of the other 3 who received the blessing Annie had continued to train without a class Sam had obtained his class immediately delighting in the new skills he received that would boost his crafting efficiency and Mrs Hamilton would only smile sweetly when asked refusing to answer

Those three’s answer was very demonstrative of their personalities but Alana was at a loss Was seeking the strength of the class now a mistake She knew that every 10 levels the Classers would receive an extremely powerful class skill Alana had heard rumors about how Decklan’s Killer’s Instincts Donny’s Righteous Bonds and Dozer’s Troll Constitution had made all the difference in the fight against the Ghosthound Although two of them were passive skills and Donny’s was defensive they still were profoundly apparent in battle and likely won the day of the squads of Donnyton

They assured her however that there was no rush It was just incredibly frustrating to be weaker than them and Alana knew it was only because they had access to levels

Alana looked at her stats

Alana Donal

Health(/R per hour) 192/192 (83)

Mana(/R per hour) 74/74 (21)

Stam(/R per min) 103/127 (26)

Vit 21

End 19

Agi 23

Perception 32

Reaction 35

Resistance 15

Willpower 13

Inteligence 22

Control 6

Skills Blessing of the Distant Southern Mountains Lvl 49 Ferocity Lvl 19 Running Lvl 23 Physical Fitness Lvl 20 Spear of the Broken Ridge Mastery Lvl 6 First Aid Lvl 12 Leap Lvl 29 Animal Skinning Lvl 19 Hunting Lvl 17 Sun Strike Lvl 9 Fighting Proficiency Lvl 20 Hawkeye Lvl 14 Block Lvl 19 Heavy Blow Lvl 32 Herculean Strength Lvl 14 Spear Deflect Lvl 12 Sweep Lvl 20 Mana Bolt Lvl 16 Battlecry Lvl 16 Dodge Lvl 14 Hot Blooded Lvl 8 Child of the Sun Lvl 5

She had focused on increasing her Physical Support stats which she believed was the best path to power Although her max speed wasn’t as high as most other people who chose to put points in Agility her Perception and Reaction still gave her enough of an edge that she could spar with Classers without making a fool of herself

Still she had to acknowledge that it was profoundly frustrating that the real reason that she was having such success against the Classers was due to the bonuses of her Soul Skill and the oppressive power of Sun Strike Whereas Thrust had been useful for keeping a careless opponent on their toes Sun Strike had enough raw damage output especially during the day to knock an opponent who wasn’t ready on their ass

Feeling slightly foolish Alana decided to consult with Daniel or Mrs Hamilton before she made her decision Perhaps there was something she wasn’t thinking of Truthfully in her heart she wanted to consult with the Ghosthound but

It would be extremely shameful after he gave her this gift to run back to him asking how to use it wouldn’t it

As the strange circling orbiting circles of birds floated towards him Randidly narrowed his eyes curious He of course had seen them practicing this but he wasn’t too impressed Did they think it would be more difficult if it was more predictable That didn’t make sense But Mrs Hamilton’s easy smile and Lyra’s determined expression made him nervous

The weight of the vest was starting to get to him as well After all these exercises he was tired His stamina came back but he burned through it just as quickly hastened by the exercise

It was exceedingly strange too to spend half the day training like this and to not receive a single skill level up notification He supposed that was proof that he was much too reliant on it but it was hard not to get discouraged and wonder whether it was worth it

The bobbing circles of birds approached snapping him back to attention Calmly Randidly activated Spear Phantom’s Footwork and moved quickly forward into the first circle But Randidly didn’t stop there and he rushed further forward moving around the second and towards the third

This was

Suddenly Randidly scrambled backwards He had meant to go inside the third one but it had abruptly shrunk becoming a rapidly spinning blur of bird As he twisted Randidly saw that the two behind him had expanded and the edges of their circles were approaching

Randidly activated Haste and pushed his Spear Phantom’s Footwork work to the limit avoiding the surprisingly difficult birds as they calmly circled The weaved together changing size and elevation sometimes coming at him high sometimes coming low

Panting Randidly found himself in the middle of the three circles surrounding him They were successively larger but even the closest one was some distance away Still now that he was here he didn’t feel great about his chances of escaping

His eyelid twitched The outer ring was rapidly shrinking while the other two maintained a constant velocity and size Randidly sprang into action rushing forward If he could get past the first ring before the third arrived

But as Randidly made to step through the rotation the first ring stopped And then reversed a bird arriving almost immediately at his chest Hissing Randidly activated Mana Strengthening Haste and Empower pushing his Spear Phantom’s Footwork to its limit He moved like a real Phantom ripping around the dangerous bird with pure speed emerging from the encirclement in a second

Gasping for breath Randidly went to check his stamina but stopped himself No notifications would be easier if he didn’t see anything So he could only grit his teeth and prepare as his body informed him he was running on close to empty

Razor Fleetfoot stretched and yawned feeling slightly sore in his neck but otherwise profoundly relaxed It was a good idea to take a nap he assured himself opening his eyes Now that he had shaken his jitters he could find someone in charge of this village and finish his mission

But the more that he thought about it the more droopy eared he became After all if it had been easy to do why hadn’t he been able to do it already And of these strange hairless creatures most just seemed to ignore him even though he looked so different from them

What sort of strange village is this Razor muttered aloud He was profoundly shocked when someone responded

That’s mighty presumchus talk for a giant bunny rabbit

Presumptuous Nathan A little girl with ash smeared on her cheeks said to the little boy next to her The boy folded his arms annoyed The little girl turned back to Razor and smiled So Mister Rabbit what are you

Err it’s Fleetfoot Razor Fleetfoot Razor said extending his paw towards the girl Then he felt profoundly silly for introducing himself to a little girl but he was just so pleased that someone finally acknowledged him

But to his further surprise the girl grasped his paw and shook it firmly I am Kiersty Priestess of Arbor Would you like to come see something pretty with us

Razor opened his mouth to say no but then hesitated After all what could it hurt At the very least these children probably were raised by someone who could point them in the right direction So he nodded and then followed the two children

Chapter 111

I think that is enough for today Mrs Hamilton said lightly smiling at them both Randidly collapsed on his knees sweat dripping off of his face which was very pleasing to Lyra But she herself had her hands tightly grasped behind her back suppressing the trembling in her fingers

She had overdrawn herself by a small amount keeping control of the circles of birds for long enough to exhaust Randidly But she would rather tremble for a while than let him win in this contest that wasn’t really a contest With an annoyed motion Randidly shucked off the weighted vest and collapsed on the ground his chest heaving

It wasn’t until Mrs Hamilton spoke again that Lyra realized she had been staring at his naked chest mesmerized for almost a minute

Why was it easier for her to control the birds than it was for you to dodge them

Randidly was silent for a long time before sitting up scratching his head his hair messy and sweaty It was in moments like these Lyra felt those old pangs in her heart struck by how beautiful his green eyes were

I would have said skill level but she was so bad at it to begin with I guess that using the circles helped But I’m not sure how

Lyra’s eyelid twitched Mrs Hamilton laughed

Yes it was that plan that gave her an advantage The reason why is simple part of what she was doing was routine Whereas your movement technique is the most sophisticated I have ever seen it’s like manually doing simple addition rather than multiplying You need to think more systematically about the moves you are making with your feet and then figure out how to use them efficiently

Randidly stayed silent looking at the ground

I will return tomorrow Lyra practice the other subroutines I taught you We will continue with the other two exercies tomorrow they require a bit more preparation But I believe with what I saw today it will be ready promptly tomorrow morning

With that she left leaving the two tired individuals to mulling over their own inadequacy Lyra opened her mouth ready to speak but to her surprise Randidly beat her to it

Thank you He said looking at her seriously his green eyes bright even in the dying light You are I mean you are really important to the village so I appreciate that you are taking the time to help

Lyra could have said that it was trying for her too but she remained silent Then slowly she said then let’s make a deal so it’s more fair I’ll help you every day and you you need to answer one question of mine completely honestly

Randidly chuckled as if he knew that she was deriving benefit from it too but just nodded Inwardly Lyra was just glad that he didn’t know she had inherited some of Kimmy’s powers and could maintain a projection a short distance away

So what’s your question

It’s just Lyra hesitated Randidly was so strange to her He didn’t fit into any of the easy to understand types of people she had dealt with her entire life The fans the superior folk that flatterers he was just profoundly contained within himself And that made her even now curious What do you want From all this

Leaning back against the ground Randidly looked at the sky He was silent so long that Lyra was beginning to believe that he had forgotten her question but he finally answered breaking the dusky silence

I don’t really know Since the system came I’ve wanted a lot of things First it was to survive then it was to find my friends I’ve survived and I’ve realized there are no clues about my friends They are probably dead All of my connections to my past life He winced just slightly here but then continued on Well they don’t mean much anymore now

Almost instinctually Lyra opened her Eyes of Wonder

Now now I’ve taken the time to help nurture this village At the end of the trials as I stood there holding that spell I knew in my heart I could wipe it all away burn everything clean Lyra kept her gaze locked on him agreeing that he had that power if he was willing to sacrifice everything And I didn’t want that

Here he paused pushing back his drying hair Then he turned to look at her So I guess I want this to continue I want this town to grow Because in a way it was a seed that I planted And to protect it

His eyes narrowed I’ll push myself into the ground

He stood slowly and slipped back on the vest Then he began to move slowly using his strange movement technique in small bursts looking at his feet She retreated reforming her body some distance away and watched him with her Eyes of Wonder

That brilliant emerald aura surged around him constantly She could also see how he was constantly using his skill to control nearby roots working mana the entire time during the exercises His steps became increasingly slow then fast then back to slow and she could make out the small frown on his face As she watched in the middle of his chest it was like a door opened and thin tendrils of violet energy slid outwards running through him

Lyra leaned back on her heels So he was using it to accelerate his growth Not consciously yet but if he could learn how Briefly she considered telling him about it and doing her best to teach him But her previous attempts demonstrates pretty clearly that wasn’t her role Her skill set did not include teaching a person like him

Perhaps she consoled herself it was just that he wasn’t teachable in that way He was stubborn almost obsessive and weirdly implacable There was a growing vicious streak in him All one could do was set obstacles in his way and watch him struggle to overcome them learning the hard way

Maybe that was what she liked about him About how he insisted on doing everything the most difficult way Even when there were simpler answers available

Lyra turned her attention inwards and brought out the complicated diagrams that Mrs Hamilton had prepared for her earlier To be a good obstacle herself it was time to start homework

Razor gaped looking at the strange scene in front of him

A tall slender tree stood in the center of a clear surrounding by a small path its leaves burning Around it dozens of people mostly children but also quite a few adults were doing a weird dance After viewing the scene for several seconds Razor had to admit that it appeared that the tree itself was dancing and everyone was imitating it

What He said aloud almost instinctually and the little girl that led him here released a tinkling laugh

This is Arbor Come on I’ll introduce you

To Razor’s shock he was led up to the tree He was asked to introduce himself The tree seemed to listen then seriously extended its branch towards him as if to shake his hand Nonplussed Razor obliged finding the bark of the tree to be oddly warm and comforting Although he did earn a hand of greasy ash for his troubles

Afterward the dancing continued for a while then people began to leave as if a ritual of some sort was over Razor was somewhat mystified but this at least was something the elders had prepared him for Some foreign cultures had extremely strange or primitive religious beliefs and the elders had urged him to exercise the utmost respect should he encounter any

Although Razor didn’t believe that the elders thought he would have to spend QUITE so much time over here experiencing the culture before he would find someone in charge He tried to approach a few people during the tree dance thing but most had just shushed him and continued dancing Helpless he remained with the two children Only when everyone departed and it was only the 3 of them before the wiggling tree did the girl again turn to him with such poise and grace that Razor was slightly shocked Her eyes burned brightly lit by the flaming leaves above her Perhaps these people appeared younger than they actually were

Thank you for your patience What is it you came here for If it’s within my power I will give it to you

Razor almost blushed Was his impatience so obvious It was slightly disturbing that this little girl saw right through him I simply wish to talk to the elders of this village To discuss our future relationship If possible I was supposed to bring a group back to our village for a show of goodwill

The girl considered this for a moment then nodded seriously I believe I can help But it must wait until tomorrow

Uh Oh Razor asked somewhat disappointed

It’s bedtime soon The boy added Then he stuck his hand out to Razor I’m Nathan This is Kiersty We really want to help you Mr Bunny Rabbit but our mom will be angry if we aren’t in bed soon

Oh that’s Okay I’ll just

You are probably tired too right The girl Kiersty said brightly her eyes glittering Why not come and stay with us

Razor wasn’t sure how he wanted to answer either that he had already napped away most of the day or that wasn’t it strange to sleep with strange children but he was given no chance The two grabbed his arms and began dragging him forward

Before 15 minutes had passed he had been whisked into a house into a dark room and wrapped in a large blanket sleeping on the floor between Nathan and Kiersty’s beds Honestly it was surprisingly warm and comfortable Razor wasn’t sure where these creatures found the material for their blankets but he fervently made a mental note to figure it out

Then after he was starting to doze in spite of his already sleep filled day the door opened slightly

Nathan Kiersty Both here

Yes Mom They chorused and the door started to close but then Kiersty spoke again

Mom is it okay for Mr Bunny Rabbit to sleep over He’s from another world and has no place to stay

The door paused Mr Bunny Rabbit eh Won’t his mother worry

I think he was sent here on purpose Kiersty said

He’s an ambassador Nathan added

Oh Indeed The woman outside the door now spoke with a very amused tone Well then make sure he gets his sleep too Goodnight Mr Bunny Rabbit

Razor opened his mouth to answer but felt a hand clamp over it He turned to find Kiersty giving him a disapproving frown The door closed all the way and the sound of departing footsteps were audible Only after they had traveled a fair distance away did Kiersty speak

She doesn’t know you are actually here She thinks you are imaginary Why were you going to speak up Don’t you have mommies where you come from

Razor Fleetfoot could only shrug feeling embarrassed under Kiersty’s withering stare

What sort of place was this village

Chapter 112

All night Randidly tirelessly practiced the movements of Footwork of the Spear Phantom working on what Mrs Hamilton recommended First he just let the moves flow moving back and forth across the ground however he wanted to letting the steps spiral endlessly forward

It really was an incredibly profound way of moving that was focused on small delicate steps that seemed incredibly light but contained a large amount of power An opponent who witnessed the moves would be endlessly surprised by the large steps that did nothing and the small steps that could instantly cross several meters

Randidly realized that it wasn’t exactly an efficient way of moving in terms of distance His sprinting speed both real and with just a sideways leap was much higher than what he could manage with Footwork of the Spear Phantom Instead the footwork enabled him to end up in a range of very different if close to each other places with the same motions depending on how he chose to apply the delicate power in the steps

So with a direction in mind Randidly plotted out the 10 steps that made up the footwork first without the power then second with the power slightly awed by the 1 meter difference in where he ended up

1 meter might be a rather small distance compared to mountains Even compared to spears it was slightly lacking But in terms of the distance it takes to kill an opponent it was more than enough

Pausing Randidly considered how to move forward Previously he had always done the motions with the power burning quickly through his stamina pool With his continued denial of using the system screens Randidly wasn’t sure how much stamina he was burning through with his moves but based on the feeling in his chest it was decidedly smaller Only a thin warm thread of stamina was required to do the steps without the energy

Such a small amount that he could practice like this almost endlessly But this wasn’t the goal It was to intermix his steps sometimes using the delicate power other times not confusing an opponent

A spear phantom did not value distance speed it valued near infinite mobility in close combat

That then would be Randidly’s goal

Systematically just like Mrs Hamilton recommended he practiced giving himself a deep familiarity with the 10 moves Although he had practiced them mindlessly before driven on by Shal’s threat of violence he hadn’t really thought about them After he left the dungeon he had practiced them in the order taught to him by Shal never really experimenting But now

Now they were toys they were puzzle pieces they formed a base

They were steps leading him up towards a higher level And in his heart Randidly still wondered what he was doing what he was looking forward to But it was fun This path was his own and he would walk it to the end

More than anything he craved the knowledge of what was waiting at the end of his path And he would work himself into the ground in order to be strong enough to triumph over whatever he found there

Almost against her will as if she was being driven forward by someone else Raina woke up once more at the crack of dawn and walked up the mountain path returning to the outlook over Donnyton It really was a beautiful view and a strategic one

She suspected in the future that they would establish a base of sorts up here or at least a watch tower It gave a great view of the different important areas of the town and also of the different avenues that monsters could attack from The only blind spot was to the north near the quarry due to the curve of the mountain but it was still enough of a view to warn of something large heading their way

Taking advantage of the rising light she pulled out her notebook and took up where she left off yesterday adding detail and contour to the valley It wasn’t big yet but Raina had a hunch that this town would experience explosive growth soon This was still the area from which the only visible pillars of light have emerged and now Franksburg’s pillar lay beyond them acting as a beacon for those too fearful of the changes the system brought to head this way the first time

Now though now that they understood that the system appeared to be here to stay

Raina slapped her cheeks banishing these thoughts Then she began to hum as she drew losing herself in the soft slow lines of the valley she now stayed Perhaps someday it would even be the valley she called home

Tykes stilled a strange noise reaching his ears But as soon as he heard it the wind blew covering up any hint of the noise But Tykes was a patient man He had learned to wait quietly all his life So he waited standing in the forest clearing holding his iron ball high looking like a pitcher standing at a baseball mound

The wind continued to blow Tykes started to sweat But his willpower was firm and he refused to give into weakness He had learned a valuable lesson two days ago standing before the Ghosthound witnessing the almost unfathomable depths of strength that a human a man who had been just as normal as him a month ago could reach It was sobering

And it set Tykes’ world on fire If he could grasp that strength

The wind continued unabated the brush and trees rustling incessantly Tykes’ arm was beginning to tremble from the strain of holding the cast iron ball aloft He really needed to talk to someone about getting a lighter model made

But in his heart Tykes knew he wouldn’t because that same weight that made it necessary for him to constantly train to hold it raising his Herculean Strength skill also meant that it would hit the opponent that much harder

Unable to keep up with the strain Tykes let go of the ball letting it fall to the ground with a crash The forest floor would have one more crater Tykes thought gloomily but then he stilled Because the forest had stilled around him too the pesky wind finally gone And without the incessant noise he could hear it just barely A soft humming

A scrap of a melody Still it was more than enough to fill Tykes with a breathtaking longing Itreminded him of an old home the warm smile of his mother the hot oatmeal he ate everyday as a child It reminded him of free and easy laughter

Leaving the metal ball in its new hole in the ground Tykes walked deeper into the forest creeping through the trees treading his way slowly up the slope And as he did so the humming became louder In a way the volume didn’t change but it seemed as if the tune itself pervaded the entire forest every leaf and branch and bush buzzing with the music It pulled him forward almost stumbling up the hill towards the source

As he neared it it seemed as though it became more quiet as if the forest stopped carrying the tune across the distance too him The voice was a little more rough but the pitch was still impeccable Tykes stumbled through a large thorn bush cursing quietly to himself and then froze as he realized the noise had stopped

Looking up he saw briefly trees the rising sun sloping ground Donnyton lying below His eyes took in briefly a notebook and a pencil but then he simply blinked and looked at the humming woman who looked at him with a shocked expression

She was

Beautiful Tykes muttered

As Randidly slowly used repetition to memorize the distances each of the 20 different steps covered 10 powered and 10 unpowered he did not halt his training in spells For the first several hours he had been working on Root Manipulation and Summon Pestilence He chose these two for the specific reason that they required profound control to utilize correctly

So while he stepped he controlled a tightly packed stream of flies zooming to and fro sliding between an obstacle course he made on the spot with roots It was certainly challenging both because of his divided attention but also because Randidly was slowly coming to understand more about the skills

There were some things keeping the insects he summoned or the roots under control or in a specific shape that were hard But if he pushed and focused he was able to keep them on track or at least extremely close to what he wanted

There were other things like keeping the insects in a ball or lifting a boulder with the roots that were impossible either because of the skill level or his current stats Randidly wasn’t sure But it did mean that there were a lot of places that the utilization of his skill was sloppy

If he could succeed on all the hard tasks pushing himself to the limits of his potential he didn’t doubt that his skill level would rise giving him even more potential to draw out It was an endless cycle of intense training for small gains a path of tiny steps But for some reason Randidly couldn’t help but grin

This was exactly what he wanted If there was any benefit of the system it was that it was infinitely easier to see your own improvement Of course by the same token it was possible to see the vast gap between yourself and someone else Which could be discouraging but it could also be motivating

Idly Randidly wondered what the villagers had thought watching him fight against their squads But he supposed it was pointless to wonder From now on he planned on staying away from the limelight whenever possible Perhaps given a few months of intensive training on Randidly’s part the village would gradually forget about him leaving him in peace

He supposed he would always consider this his base When other Newbie Villages formed in the zone he would probably go just to check for signs of Sydney and Ace and also to slowly connect their villages into some sort of trade organization

But until then

Randidly closed his eyes and concentrated He was starting to get a finer sense of mana and stamina as well It was strange how he could feel their relatively minor influences over the strange pulse of Aether in his chest which had become a constant companion but he could And he could feel how he could burn more of the resource to have an extra effect when he cast his spells It was a small thing extremely small But this was after all an endless path of small steps

Eyes springing open Randidly pressed burning as much mana as possible a Ring of Flame exploding outwards around him

The heat scorched the nearby ground leaving charred parts of the ground Grinning Randidly flexed his fingers and began moving back through the 20 steps of the Footwork of the Spear Phantom Intermittently he would release Rings of Flame blowing damage outward Dawn was rising above him but Randidly did not pause he did not tire Because he craved to see the end of this path he was on

So he would tirelessly continue forward

Alana looked down surprised to find the small strange girl that was always hanging around Arbor As always her cheeks were smeared with ash Her brother as he always did was hanging around with a worried look on his face

What was strange was that in her hands the girl appeared to be holding a glowing seed of fire And there was an anthropomorphic rabbit standing next to her looking at Alana nervously

Alana coughed into her hand so as not to stare Er yes

The girl nodded seriously We’ve been given an important mission by the Ghosthound I need to escort this Ambassador and this gift back to their village Will you call one of the squads over to guard me

Frowning Alana looked at the Ambassador Rabbit He smiled weakly back at her Alana’s eyes returned to the three individuals in front of her an Ambassador Where is he from

The Ghosthound’s name gave her some pause and this strange girl certainly had some connection to him due to her relationship with his plant but Alana was still slightly suspicious Why exactly did this person look like a rabbit

The girl pointed towards the Classer compound It’s right this way follow me

Bemused Alana followed the determined girl As they walked through Donnyton Alana saw Devan and his squad and flashed him a hand signal Due to their long hours together during their trip to Franksburg they had hashed out some basic silent communication Not that it ended up being necessary because they were so much stronger than the people there But it was a good way to pass the time

Instantly Devan said a quiet word and his squad moved forward to surround Alana

When he arrived at her side he asked What is it

Alana ruefully gestured to the girl Apparently we are on a diplomatic mission a la the Ghosthound Guard the weird rabbit man bring a gift to his village something like that

Much to her annoyance as soon as Devan heard the Ghosthound’s name his face eased and he nodded tranquilly His whole squad followed suit and they spread out further surrounding the two children and rabbit in a protective formation Abruptly she regretted bringing up the Ghosthound After all she had no evidence that this was actually a mission from him If they ended up going on some wild goose chase

Embarrassed Alana wasn’t sure whether to speak up While she was struggling inwardly they marched into the Classer compound and headed towards the center Multiple squads were training but they parted quickly after seeing the group of them After all Devan and Alana both had quite a bit of influence and the girl’s face was known around Donnyton as being related to the magical tree

But the second looks they received were because of the floppy eared man glancing around nervously Still although it was an unusual sight after exposure to the system people weren’t moved enough by the rabbit man to investigate further and they swiftly refocused on their training

They swiftly arrived at the zone where the entrance to the kept dungeons were where a line of people waited but the girl lead them past that As she walked forward she approached a strange circle of stone on the ground that Alana had never seen before The girl turned around and smiled

It’s right through here The air shimmered behind her

Then she turned forward and took another step The air rippled like water and the girl disappeared The Rabbit followed her a second later After a small glance between themselves the two leading members of Devan’s team followed stepping forward and disappearing

Uh Alana began but after a few seconds one of those two reappeared gave the all clear signal and then stepped back into nothingness Devan and his squad quickly marched into the strange void disappearing before her

Uh She looked around No one appeared to have noticed their group had vanished Donnyton was a busy place with squads constantly coming and going training and disappearing into dungeons So their actions would probably not attract much notice

Should she report this to someone But if the Ghosthound really did send them to do this perhaps everyone already knew

Feeling something was out of place but unsure of what to do Alana stepped forward and was teleported to another world

Chapter 113

Raina hastily put her mask back on blushing furiously She was secretly quite pleased but underneath that was a thick layer of shame Her face as it was now Without this mask

Without saying anything to the man Raina gathered her stuff and hurried down the hill

At least tell me your name beautiful

Whereas she was previously slightly overwhelmed by a strange fluttering in her heart by the strange man now a hard wedge of annoyance drove down and she straightened her back and strode away

You aren’t getting anything with that entitled attitude that was for sure ’ Raina thought to herself

Then she spoke aloud forcing every ounce of her willpower into her words Stay away from me

Her voice was low but the air rang with the imperative in her words Satisfied she returned to the village Perhaps she really should get a class at this rate She had gotten lucky with monsters by which she meant that she hadn’t encountered any But this man arriving reminded her that although this place was safer it was not safe

Lower after she walked almost halfway down the hill almost against her will she stopped and turned and looked up expecting

Well she wasn’t sure what to expect But she saw a now distant figure standing stock still looking down towards her His entire body posture radiated sad puppy dog For a moment Raina regretted what she had done but then she buried that sentiment

After all ’ She reasoned If he really wanted to talk to me what’s the harm in making him work a little for it Like I’ve been working to find out where Randidly is ’

With her thoughts turning decidedly frustrated Raina continued back to Donnyton her eyes on her feet

Alana looked around slightly alarmed There was an odd tension in the air and Devan’s eyes were narrowed They were in a strange little clearing next to a small stream The vegetation around them the grass bushes and tree leaves were various shades of blue while the trunks of the tree looked like obsidian

But what was most strange was that surrounding them were around 3 dozen mother fucking human turtle people aiming crossbows at the new arrivals Everyone was very still Alana’s hand twitched as she forcefully repressed an urge to draw her spear This was extremely strange but there was at least another village So perhaps this was a diplomatic mission after all and Kiersty hadn’t been blowing smoke out of her ass

But her hope dwindled as one of the turtle people caught sight of the twitch and a crossbow pivoted slowly to aim at her

Then the rabbit man stepped forward Razor Fleetfoot reporting I have brought back the representatives of our sister village which calls itself Donnyton

Silence was the only response from the crossbow sporting group of turtles Razor’s smile faltered Devan stood quite still seemingly completely at ease but Alana knew from experience with him that he could spring into motion at the drop of the hat activating Aegis to boost the group’s defensive arrangements

Alana began to run through some mental math Assuming they weren’t boosted by access to the system but were simply crossbows Alana was rather confident that she would be able to withstand the volley of arrows Their armor new improved versions provided by the forges of Donnyton would be more than enough to weather this storm

But if they were system improved weapons

Further lowering her spirits one of the turtles the one that appeared to be a leader stepped forward his green leathery hands behind his back Initiate of the 1st Circle Razor Fleetfoot It appears that you have successfully returned from your scouting mission to the sister village Unfortunately

He paused then his balding green head bobbing a little Or rather fortunately when you didn’t return yesterday your grandmother was inconsolable She has insisted on the draft We cannot continue without more individuals with a class If you were to return perhaps her resolve would waiver

Razor just blinked Alana felt ice cold on the inside But But I’m here I came back

The turtle man nodded serenely with quite grievous injuries He snapped his fingers

Six of the crossbows snapped bolts flying forward to lodge themselves in the chest of a shocked Razor He tried to open his mouth to say something but only blood came out dripping and pooling on the ground in front of him After a few seconds of struggle he keeled over sideways silent the entire time toppling in front of a serious eyed Kiersty

Devan took a step forward and several loaded crossbow swiveled to him

This is an internal matter The turtle announced Once he has died you may return to your village or if you insist you may come to ours for discussions Until then do not move

Frowning Devan remained still but someone else moved Kiersty bent down her mouth scrunched up in a tight line Alana felt a thin thread of pity for the child Although the world was now like this it was not an easy thing to get your first taste of death The girl’s head was lowered and Alana felt a pang as she realized she was probably crying

But when Kiersty’s head snapped up there were no tears in those eyes only fire

Don’t hurt Mr Bunny Rabbit She whispered furiously her small fists clenched at her sides Her right fist started to glow a fiery energy growing slowly larger from her palm from whatever she had clutched there It rose and rose becoming almost blindingly bright First one and then a rain of arrows came shooting towards Kiersty and Devan and his squad lurched forward to block them They managed to get in front of most of the arrows but more came

But as those arrows neared her they burnt up to nothing dissolving silently to ash the strange flames around her body producing no heat but were seemingly utterly impenetrable The air seemed to thrum with her fury spreading out in waves

Instead of lashing out with her anger though Kiersty kneeled next to Razor and delicately began to remove the arrows from his chest and torso As she did so small flames licked at his chest closing the wounds Simultaneously the light around her dimmed until when she removed the last arrow from his chest and the light when completely out

Kiersty swayed then collapsed onto Razor’s chest

Razor sat up blinking and then looked uncomprehendingly down at Kiersty Is it bed time again

Devan’s squad slowly drew their weapons and turned to the crossbowmen whose faces were frozen into masks of fear But they were not looking at Devan’s squad or Alana’s new spear which glimmered golden in red

They were looking at a female rabbit person standing with her hands on her hips in between the turtle people and the group of Donnyton Her fur was a soft brown like the bark of a young tree

What The rabbit woman said very slowly delicately hefting a hunk of iron that was about the size of the club that Dozer used with a single hand happened here

Oh sis Razor said cheerily from his spot on the ground He rubbed some of the blood off from around his mouth and continued I brought the delegation from our sister village back And then oh

Randidly sat on the ground waiting for his mana and stamina to regenerate He had considered using this time to work on another Soul Seed but he still hesitated for a few reasons First without notifications it would be hard to keep track of and control the outcome of the Soul Seed He also wouldn’t be aware of how close to being finished it was

In addition Randidly wanted to grind a lot of skills to raise his general battle prowess quickly Well practice a lot of skills The sooner that he got away from the grinding mentality the better So he didn’t want to carefully limit the exposure the seed would have As far as he could tell they had a spiritual connection to him and it wasn’t possible to hide the seed while he was using skills he didn’t want to be a part of it

The third reason was he still had so many questions about Aether When he had asked Lyra yesterday she had simply smiled and Randidly was able to intuit it just wasn’t something she was able to answer He would have to figure it out himself

So as Randidly meditated he turned his perception inward examining the energies that he could distantly feel It was like trying to parse apart threads of spider silk with calloused hands He could see them when they caught the light but anytime he tried to actually put his hands on them they all but disappeared under his fingers It was incredibly frustrating

But that didn’t mean that the time he had spent training with Lyra in mana control had been in vain He had learned how to approach delicately settling his perception down so even though he was unsure if he really had a strand of that energy he had confidence it was there

Aether was special too It was hot and cold to a dangerous degree It was volcano and glacier sliding through his veins pulsing with the beat of his heart

Randidly’s eyelids twitched but they did not open On closer inspection of his inside he was almost sure that the energy within him had spread very slowly He had felt it pulsing while he trained yesterday but wasn’t sure what to make of it If then Aether really was the work of the system on his body if stats and skills all came from Aether Then more Aether settling in his body meant he had gotten stronger

But that also didn’t feel right Randidly did his best to follow those thin strands of spider silk energy back to his core Because the Aether flowed like water from a spring he held inside of himself

As he struggled and followed it back Randidly could feel fiery runes flare up around his throat and immediately cool to deathly cold His heart beat a little faster sure that this was a sign he was heading in the right direction but that small bit of excitement threw off his concentration and it all fell to pieces

Sighing Randidly shook his head He did not need to rush it even this much was an improvement Once he found the source of Aether inside of himself if he could affect it if it could vastly increase the rate at which he gained strength

Smiling Randidly stood and walked towards Mrs Hamilton who was beckoning him over towards a very strange looking contraption

Chapter 114

There are obviously harder versions of the previous exercises Mrs Hamilton began But today we are going to get the final two that we have currently designed a good test and then start to address areas that I believe can be improved The first exercise will be one focusing on Weapon Accuracy and Fitness

Randidly glanced around Will Lyra not be joining us

Mrs Hamilton smiled sweetly She has her own exercises and training although she is a village spirit she didn’t lose access to her stats and skills As such and considering how weak all of the survivors we found from Turtletown have been it seems prudent that she improve as much as possible so she can survive

Snorting quietly Randidly followed Mrs Hamilton to two strange new additions to the landscape The first reminded Randidly quite a lot of the mobile they used to train vision and weapon accuracy but this one had rings of varying sizes hanging down from it rather than wooden disks The other training ground was a strange series of wooden pillars their heights varying They appeared to be segmented and small pieces of wood stuck out of the sides of them

It was funny to Randidly that Mrs Hamilton had considered Lyra to need more help surviving Out of everyone Randidly had encountered only when he looked at Lyra’s impish face did he feel that she was the only one who wasn’t constantly in danger

Even when he first saw her in that strange moment they first met there was something eminently practical about her A lot of people paid too much attention to what she said and never watched what she did or how she did it She had taught herself how to control mana She had grinded up alone until she could control birds of mana that could rip through the hardened flesh of monsters like it was paper She had learned to teleport she had enough knowledge to attempt to teach others what she did although it hadn’t gone very well in Randidly’s case

And more than anything else Lyra had tracked down Kim Lath and struck when it was weakest usurping the spot as Village Spirit from both it and Nul Randidly was about as powerful as he could be but these were not feats that he could have accomplished They were on very different paths hers esoteric and strange and his

He smiled sardonically Well he was discovering his own path every day But he couldn’t help but wish he possessed a bit of her strange genius so he could master the use of Aether

We will start with Fitness and Weapon accuracy To start simply stand in the center and thrust your spear through the hanging hoops in order Use this spear She pointed to a ugly black stick of metal on the ground that Randidly knew Shal would barely consider worth of such a designation before continuing Once forward once backwards then switch arms Speed doesn’t matter as long as it is consistent This is meant to be a marathon You must finish without any breaks or you need to start again Start whenever you are comfortable

We aren’t waiting for Mrs Hamilton or Sam Regina asked frowning

Only Regina Daniel Donny Glendel and Clarissa sat around Decklan and Dozer were out working and Ptolemy had allowed Clarissa to take over his spot on the council with relief The immigrants from Franksburg didn’t yet have a representative although Regina was of the opinion that they would swiftly integrate into the already established groups and be represented in that way

Which was why Mrs Hamilton’s absence was a problem Without her the NCCs didn’t have representation If they protested

But then Regina shook her head ruefully No need to get ahead of herself It would just be better for Mrs Hamilton to appoint a 2nd in command who could handle stuff in her absences

Glendel blinked and then spoke Mrs Hamilton is still off with the Ghosthound and Lyra helping get the training started Sam is currently testing or torturing the production focused individuals from Franksburg it’s hard to tell

Regina waved her hand surrendering and Daniel straightened his papers and spoke As per the recommendations of the council to this point SP has primarily been used to upgrade our shops and build defensive structures We have also expanded Donnyton’s influence sphere’ which prevents monsters from spawning inside of the city perimeter In addition Mrs Hamilton’s suggestion of the increased energy density zones we could use was a good one it was used on the farming areas and crop yields have increased by 20% as well as some of the crops showing signs of interesting mutations Now that all of these goals have been accomplished we have less of a pressing short term need and still a sizable pool of SP

Clarissa yawned Regina’s eye twitched The former librarian was really playing up her lazy witch’ persona Not that it was harmful but still if she could have a little bit more respect

Seeing that no one interrupted Daniel puffed up his chest and finally got to the point Since that is the case I believe this is a good opportunity to invest in two new buildings The Adventurer’s Guild and the Communications Array

Oh Didn’t you really want to save up for the Cathedral Donny asked curiously

Daniel hesitated and then nodded Yes I did But the Cathedral’s cost keeps increasing It is currently at around 15k SP It seems to be tied to the number of Classers a village has Not only is that a lot of SP its more than we’ve ever had at one time I think it’s better to buy these two other buildings right now

Even though we don’t know what they do Regina said coolly

Daniel stiffened but nodded

Regina knew that Glendel would vote with her and Clarissa supported the building of both of these buildings So it all came down to what Donny wanted

Once more Regina regretted the process by which the council was run They needed a more sophisticated system Everyone else at the table appeared to know this too so everyone remained silent while Donny looked at his hands On his chest a fresh new breastplate sparkled made by Sam with a strange rune carved into it Sam had thrown it away claiming it was Trash and scrap but it was better than anything else they had so Donny had claimed it

It was honestly quite intimidating too There was a strange ferocity about the rune on the breastplate and the longer you stared at it the more it seemed to vibrate with ferocity Shaking her head Regina looked away

Donny coughed lightly For now let’s just get one of the buildings I think we should raise the difficulty of both of our kept dungeons The weaker to 8 the stronger to Lvl 23 I also want a third dungeon which we can keep at 5 so the NCCs can train somewhere against real monsters especially if the city limits keep expanding Daniel which should we get

After a brief hesitation where he considered pointing out that it was impossible for NCCs to go into the dungeon but it wasn’t a good idea to attract annoyance at this juncture Daniel said Adventurer’s Guild

Clarissa nodded her eyes bright and excited Sighing Regina gestured helplessly Then she went to stand the meeting basically over After all her corps of doctors and nurses needed to be honed into more physically fit individuals A lot of the medicine they would do now was healing and that required that they be near the injured person able to go to the front line Which is why she begrudgingly accepted Mrs Hamilton’s absence If she could figure out efficient ways to train

But to her surprise Glendel raised his voice Wait before you go there’s one more thing

The group turned and looked at him Shrugging he said I know not when it happened but sometime last night Kraig left the medical area He’s disappeared from Donnyton

Randidly dragged himself forward towards the barrel of water that Mrs Hamilton had prepared dipping his head entirely into it and sucking it down like a vacuum He probably had chugged 10% of it before he was satisfied and straightened wiping his mouth

Mrs Hamilton was a devil he thought to himself sparing her a sharp glance and only receiving a sunny smile in return

The spear she had provided for the first exercise had been just as heavy as that godforsaken vest and swiftly caused his arms to burn But he knew that she really would demand he do it again if he paused so he finished her exercise his chest heaving She had only shook her head and said words that made a vein in his forehead throb

Aren’t you a little too weak And the whole point was to stab the spear through the hoop without touching it working on your control well I suppose it’s fine for your first try

So they moved onto the next exercise which required Randidly to move around between those strange spinny wooden pillars hitting the pegs in a certain order at a certain angle

See the pegs were covered with 6 letters spaced equally apart on the peg At most points Randidly was surrounded by 3 or 4 pillars each with 9 pegs 3 for each segment pointing out in different directions So usually 3 pegs per pillar were within reach Which meant he had access to 54 letters that could be touched at any one point

The whole idea was that Mrs Hamilton would say a word and Randidly would spell it out by hitting the letters in the right order Unfortunately there was a lot of letter overlap and uncommon letters were only located on one or two of the pegs in the 20 or so pillars and the 180 or so pegs

It was allowed to press a letter and take a single step moving so he would be close enough to the letter he needed This sometimes pushed his footwork to the limits making him use his imagination to move to where he needed to be with a single step

Another problem was that everything was spinning constantly moved by the wind from his steps or from the touches of his hand So not only did he have to look around and try to memorize where the letters were but he had to keep track of them all while they moved

This was still at the limit of possible Then Mrs Hamilton started giving him words that would have him touch the first 3 letters then freeze because it was impossible to make it across the pillar group to the W on the other side

This is impossible Randidly said flatly

Mrs Hamilton chuckled You just don’t think Why did you pick that first E just because it was in front of you If you had thought about it you would have realized that if you moved that direction the W coming up would be impossible

Randidly just gave her a long glance

He had noticed something different about her since she obtained the Soul Skill But this was insane Truthfully no one had ever really understood how much work Mrs Hamilton did handling all the logistics of the NCCs But it certainly required a mind like a steel trap and an uncommon eye for detail And now with the bonuses provided by her soul skill

Her level of insight and planning was slightly intimidating

Randidly broke off the glance and tried again and again and again It was late afternoon before he finished performing at a level that Mrs Hamilton found barely acceptable

Stretching Randidly removed some food from his spatial ring and took several bites swiftly devouring the food Even though they had much increased stamina Aether only did so much in terms of support people with stats and skills still slowly developed an increasing amount of hunger Randidly consumed close to 40 pounds of food a day Luckily both the Wolverine raising and farming was booming otherwise he wasn’t even sure how much more growth Donnyton could support

After he had sated himself Randidly turned to Mrs Hamilton and asked What’s next

Quiet reflection or spell training I need to think a little about how I want to proceed and check in on Lyra I’ll come back around dinner with your training menu for the next week Good luck

Nonplussed Randidly watched her go then wandered a bit away from the training equipment While he calmly brewed potions he created swarms of pestilence he created Walls of Thorns and waves of Spearing Roots he shot Incendiary Bolts and made Rings of Fire He could still feel the small boost he could give his spells by burning a little bit more mana but Randidly didn’t force it now

Instead he just felt the mana expenditure feeling the small differences in the ways it flowed out of him depending on what spell he used They were currently just vague impressions but Randidly had the feeling that as his sensitivity increased he would grow nearer to having the same strange power as Lyra had able to freely manipulate and control mana

After he had repeated the cycle of spells several times he sat down to meditate activating Agony The vicious digging jarring pain became his world but Randidly was used to it now and his powerful will made it possible to ignore the worst of the pain for now Instead it served as a kind of isolation removing him from the influence of outward stimulus The sound of the wind and the warmth of sun on his skin slowly faded away leaving only his razor sharp focus

With his attention inward Randidly focused on the one area of himself that proved that it was possible to control Aether or at least to direct it that strange place where his Soul Skill rotated inside of himself Even now the strange decadent rotting green energy flew around the core of Aether opposite the bright orange energy burning everything the green energy left behind to ash

When he had caused the Aether to move two details of the situation stuck out to Randidly That he wanted to avoid his Soul Skills collapsing into nothing incredibly badly and that in that moment he had a strong image of Aether forming the core of a rotation balancing the two forces

From his experience with the system both of these were logically important The system responded to your desires With a stronger desire the system would respond more powerfully And your perspective on what the system was changed how it behaved It made sense that a powerful and logically consistent image of an outcome could bring that outcome to be

Since he had used Aether to change his Soul Skill why not experiment in that area again Refining the Soul Skill further He likely couldn’t do it immediately but while he was working on Agony and Meditation it was a good way to keep his mind occupied At the moment he didn’t have any ideas on how to do such a thing but Randidly believed that it was due to the fact that he didn’t have a strong image and wasn’t sure what he wanted

So sitting there the energies rotating within himself Randidly tried to imagine what was going on in this cycle

At first he tried to handle one at a time but then when he tried to move them together they crashed and collapsed probably like his Soul Skill would have if he let them encounter each other No if he was going to get the right image he needed to handle them all together

In his mind’s eye Randidly could see a small rocky prairie What was rot What was ash

He watched as grass grew in the prairie and then the rot came eating slowly away at the grasses forming a strange blobby mass as the rot consumed and grew Then the burning came devouring even more completely than the rot could devour burning away all of the biomass leaving only the earth For a short time there was nothing but then grasses began to poke out of the soil and grow and the cycle started again

Grass grew

When there was enough grass the rot swiftly spread growing large and fat and destructive

Then when the prairie was almost entirely rot the fire would come burning it all away leaving the prairie clean Only then could the grass grow again

The energies circled and circled even and steady never growing closer stead in the orbit Randidly watched entranced

Chapter 115

Sam swore and slammed his fist down denting the metal of the work table Tossing the failed engraving to the side he looked broodingly at his hands It was just too difficult to Engrave with his mana pool He couldn’t persist for the entirety of the process and when he ran out of mana the engraving suffered for it Sam hadn’t even finished this version and he knew it would be inferior to his previous attempt which was poor at best

What was most annoying was that most of his morning had been spent putting the fear of god into the new crafting recruits They didn’t take the system seriously enough They basically thought that the world had monsters now but all was mostly the same other than that Just put the effort in and create the equipment

But it wasn’t For whatever reason there were certain actions that the system recognized You had to observe those and learn to use them to your advantage

For example Sam had discovered early on that hammering in sets would increase the quality of a produced item If you hammered 11 times took a break then hammered 11 more times the entire forging process the item might be an extra stat point higher at the end If you just hammered normally you wouldn’t receive this benefit

Similarly putting a freshly made weapon into clean spring water would improve its quality over a weapon that was plunged in dirty water and then cleaned later

There was no scientific reason for these actions to have actual quantifiable effects on the forging process But they were symbolic gestures which the system recognized Whereas prior to the system people who were superstitious were looked down upon But now in the crafting corps at least such little rituals were regarded reverently as a point of pride Only with them carefully observed would the best quality product be created

Regina had wondered long term what sort of effect that would have on the mentality of the crafters but Sam just shrugged That was a lot less important than making quality weapons and armor Sam was much more concerned with what these rituals would become They were simple small things now but as they became more elaborate it was possible that they would manifest themselves as a skill

Of course this was only a pet theory of Sam’s and he didn’t have enough time to test it But a brief discussion with Clarissa had given him some hope She seemed to think it perfectly obvious that such things should happen and then she had hurried off to practice using certain hand motions or incantations along with her spells

In order to make sure the day wasn’t a complete waste Sam briefly considered practicing more Bone Shaping but discarded it His mood was too volatile right now What he really needed was

Then he blinked then frowned then smiled He might not go for it but if he did

If Randidly could take the time to learn Engraving

Gleefully rubbing his hands together Sam ran out of the forge and off north of Donnyton looking for his newest unknowing student

Time flowed quickly past Randidly was numb to it only following the constant cycle of rot and ash The more he watched the more Randidly grew to suspect something was missing The cycle continued unabated but Randidly had a strange feeling in his chest If he could find the source and push towards it

It could have been a minute it could have been a year Time melded and stretched Grass grew rot came ash burnt it all away Then there was nothing for a time

Then the grass grew

In his chest the feeling of wrongness grew stronger and stronger until

Randidly blinked looking up at the sky Something had pushed him down onto his back knocking him out of his trance He straightened but then fell back down surprised by the weakness in his limbs Wincing he struggled to his feet Lyra standing with her arms folded in front of him her mouth in a thin line

Don’t do that again She said coolly If you leave Agony on while you are in that state Your regeneration is monstrous but it isn’t that monstrous Do you know how dumb it would be if you died because you forgot that you had left the skill that burns your health on Fucking dumbass

Randidly opened his mouth to say something then closed it He could see the worry in Lyra’s eyes and he felt rather dumb for forgetting about his skill Even now he could feel his strength flowing back into his limbs It was almost a nostalgic weakness one he had not felt in a very very long time

He hadn’t felt like this since that first day when the world changed and he was casually brushed to the side by a ram reducing his health to nothing instantly

But he had gained two skills from that situation Iron Skin and Meditation which had been invaluable for his survival early on in this system world For that he would be forever grateful to that ram’s ass Randidly chuckled in spite of himself as he raised a health potion to his lips

Lyra scowled furiously Funny is it Well fuck you Go find Mrs Hamilton she has your training schedule We will see how much you laugh then

Several minutes later Randidly frowned down at the training schedule given to him by Mrs Hamilton

Is there a problem She inquired sweetly

Randidly slowly shook his head No I suppose not The first two days were continuations of what they had been doing thus far It would be difficult but manageable After that there was a bump in difficulty each day culminating at the end of two weeks with what Mrs Hamilton believed was his full potential

The difficulty was that Randidly would not be looking at notifications or using PP in that time Therefore the increases would come purely from his skill gains and from mental endurance Perhaps the first increase would be manageable but the 2nd and then the 3rd increase in difficulty all the way to the 12th

No Randidly said again this time much more confident He would walk the path before him to see where it led him There was no point in worrying about it now There’s no problem

Ahem

Both Randidly and Mrs Hamilton turned to find a dusty Sam standing in front of them Without waiting for any real response he plucked the paper from Randidly’s hands and then studied it for a while scratching his chin

Hmm A lot of physical and mental strain Sam muttered to himself eyes flicking up to Randidly This this might not be possible well If you had a hobby

Sam handed the paper back and then nodded seriously You’ve come to the right person I think I know how to help

No one came to you Mrs Hamilton said her expression bright Sam didn’t appear to hear

It’s a bit of a rough time for it but we go back a ways You can come work in my shop a little clear some of the cobwebs out of your head No need to thank me But we might as well start right now

With that Sam started dragging Randidly away leaving a chuckling Mrs Hamilton

I’ll see you tomorrow morning She said waving softly at the rapidly departing figures

As they were escorted through the strange alien village Alana noticed several things

First was that the village consisted of three groups with the two main ones being the rabbit people and the turtle people They fraternized a little but mostly the groups of people they passed heading to the village spirit’s house was made up of one or the other but not often both And their philosophical differences seemed to be at the center of what the group from Donnyton had witnessed

The third group was what Alana believed to be the youth of the village but they were strangely uniform and shrunken with tight grey skin They didn’t appear to be either rabbit or turtle people and Alana was rather mystified by their presence

Finally they arrived and were ushered into a large building There was a circle of benches where several aged individuals sat At the center a grey haired rabbit and a turtle with a long beard sat the former on her feet glowering the latter stroking his beard

Grandma As you requested I’ve returned after making contact Razor began but he was swiftly cut off

You idiot Why the hell did you take so long The elderly female rabbit snapped smashing her fist down on the table Alana’s eyes narrowed slightly Not only was her fist blow obviously strong enough to create a shockwave of force but the table barely trembled This was system enhanced wood

Razor shrugged awkwardly looking sheepish It was just I didn’t know who to talk to It seemed like the people over there didn’t even know that the portal was opening

Hmm Be that as it may your chest young Fleetfoot The turtle spoke his words slow Are those wounds

Razor’s hands balled into fists I’m only wounded because

But this time Razor was cut off by his sister whose hand clamped down on his shoulder The room was very still

Finish that sentence The elderly grey rabbit’s tone was frigid Her gaze slid sideways to the elderly turtle who was looking with apparent concern towards Razor

This woman must be Grandma ’ Alana thought to herself Her eyes scanned to the sides seeing both Rabbits and Turtles in armor standing around It would not be easy to leave this place without their hosts’ assistance And for whatever reason it seemed that the other female rabbit was preventing Razor from telling the truth

Looking at the ground I’m only wounded because I fell down a hill

Is that so The grey rabbit’s eyes floated sideways to Alana So then strange travelers tell us how could you allow my grandson to fall so dangerously down a hill But more importantly how are you willing to make it up to me

With a gift obviously

Alana Devan and Razor all blinked Kiersty who had been carried here unconscious by Devan sat up

We are going to have to go outside though She added Plants need sunlight to grow

Well it’s not exactly simple but it’s not exactly hard either Do you think you can manage it Sam said scratching his head

Randidly looked in wonder at the needle in his hand covered in a network of runes He nodded slowly

Yes I believe so For when Randidly held the needle his normally recalcitrant mana trembled Initially Randidly had been very dubious over whether he could learn this skill especially without notifications That extra hint that flash of knowledge those were what he had relied on thus far to learn skills But he supposed that even without the notifications he was still gaining experience So there was no difference

The second problem that Randidly thought he would encounter was channeling the mana He had never been able to get his mana to so much as acknowledge him But the needle felt like literally a needle poking that impenetrable bubble that had been around his mana allowing the mana to flow freely down the needle to the tip

Of course he couldn’t do anything but basically control the amount that was flowing down the needle to etch with and even that was quite shaky But still Proof of a concept It was not that it was impossible to manipulate mana just that his method wasn’t currently sophisticated enough Again Randidly couldn’t help but admire Lyra’s accomplishments

But for now he furrowed his brow and focused on the iron shield in front of him focusing on flawlessly carving the lines of the Bear rune onto it It really wasn’t all that mentally restive in a way Of all the exercises although the others tired him out and the letters on the peg were endlessly frustrating nothing required the constant focus of this

At the same time it was enjoyable to lose himself in the focus It would make Randidly reflected a nice hobby

Chapter 116

The next day passed in a blur

When he wasn’t being derided by Sam for his lack of mana control he was going through one of Mrs Hamilton’s training games or dodging around Lyra’s mana birds which were becoming increasingly difficult to avoid Between those exercises Randidly ate as much food as he could fit inside of himself and burned through his mana throwing out spell after spell flexing the extra mana to increase the effectiveness He believed that he was slowly growing more proficient in this method but it was hard to tell

Then there were the times that Randidly trained in the individual steps of Footwork of the Spear Phantom familiarizing himself with the moves Only by repetition would the distances he could travel with the different steps become instinct and he would truly be on the path to mastery

Randidly also took time out of the day to practice his spear moves and skills He considered trying to improve the effectiveness of his Ashen Spear skill and perhaps learn the next Kata but Randidly didn’t know where to begin Once more he believed that the spear move was created due to the powerful image that Randidly had at the time

That image was due to Shal’s teaching and philosophies about the spear as well as Randidly’s own previous insights into the power that was Ash Together they formed a powerful penetrative move To develop another such move he would likely have to have more ideas and images about what to do Instead it would perhaps be more effective to simply improve on the moves he had now familiarizing himself with them

Which Randidly hoped would happen naturally during this time of training His ideas about how a spear advances would hopefully change and his meditative moments when he slowly settled and watched the soul skill cycle within himself gave him more and more insights into ash At some point he would be able to combine them he hoped but now was much too early

Instead he just threw himself into the training Unlike training under Shal there was no constant threat of violence but in a way that only made things worse There were moments where Randidly waivered during Mrs Hamilton’s grueling exercise regimen and wanted to quit or ease up Was it really necessary to go to such lengths Was it really possible to accomplish such things without improving his stats

Mrs Hamilton certainly thought so Randidly thought so initially but when he thought about how much the difficulty would increase over the next two weeks

After one of the exercises where Randidly dodged the mana birds he looked over to Lyra who was sitting on the ground His eyes widened as he saw that she grimly glared at him wiping a long thin trail of blood that was coming out of her nose Then she soundlessly stood and walked away

He obviously had noticed that the birds were moving in increasingly complicated patterns that made it difficult to dodge And he had noticed that halfway through just as he was starting to run out of options dodging became much easier He had assumed it was because his knowledge of the steps was beginning to pay dividends which was probably true but if it was also because he wasn’t the only one pushing himself beyond his limits

If Lyra was struggling furiously to grow stronger too

Randidly’s eyes narrowed That was right he wasn’t simply racing down this path in order to see what lay at the end but also because there were other individuals out there struggling forward on their own paths It wasn’t enough to be strong but you also needed to be stronger than the people who mean you harm

This Randidly said aloud watching Lyra walk away speaking quietly so she wouldn’t hear This isn’t enough I need more

Instead of resting Randidly raised his spear and began to practice waiting for the next exercise to begin

Daniel yawned sitting up Although sleeping wasn’t necessary for him any longer he still enjoyed the leisure time So every day at sundown he would lie down for a 3 hour nap to clear his head and lounge on some cushions and pillows he had squirreled away

Setting aside the pile of paperwork having to do with the trading convoy Donnyton was sending south to Franksburg in the next few days Daniel ambled towards his door scratching his butt After all the fact that the person at the door hadn’t yelled meant it wasn’t someone who could truly threaten him

At the same time the fact they dared come to the door was a bit

Daniel opened the door only to find a woman standing in the darkness her eyes blazing with a strange light the Classer that guarded Daniel during the night standing to the side fearfully

Inwardly Daniel made a mental note to go among the NCCs and to start training someone to be his full time body guard This guy randomly assigned to him was apparently intimidated by a

The woman turned to him giving him a face full of anger blast Daniel gasped in spite of himself

Where The woman growled reaching up and grabbing Daniel by his collar Are my CHILDREN

Randidly lay panting on the ground reexamining the day’s training It was rough Beyond rough He could feel the slowly growing ache of sore muscles something that he hadn’t felt in a long time Not since the system had come to this world At no point even under Shal had he pushed his physical limits to this degree

Part of it was the methods with Shal he held on as long as he could and then was knocked senseless by Shal’s brutal spear giving him a chance to rest Here he continued with the back breaking exercises with only small breaks in between Time and time again his focus and patience were tested and he was tempted to give in allowing his body a break

But Mrs Hamilton’s small smile made him hold on Lyra’s scrunched up face as she tried to catch him with her birds of mana made him hold on The image of that group of Classers from Donnyton battered but ready to fight him to the death made him hold on

This was his path And even if it was hard Randidly refused to stop walking it Not for pain not for respite not for even Judgement from the system That was how he wanted to live

Frowning Randidly leaned forward Although he was definitely improving physically it was slow he could barely feel any differences in how he was able to handle the difficulty When training changed

But perhaps there was another solution If he could create an armor of roots with root manipulation

Randidly laughed aloud amused at the image Then he shook his head ruefully Even though he was better and his control was monstrous for his level there were likely even more monstrous mages out there in the Nexus Perhaps one day he would get to that level but for now

Focusing his will Randidly poured his energy into the ground and the roots there responded They pulsed and moved curving up out of the ground inflating with his will twisting into 3x their original size Then Randidly shaped them moving the roots smoothly together forming a hand That hand clenched itself into a fist then flexed itself opening

Randidly pressed harder with his will and a second hand sprang into existence Grunting Randidly pushed even further conjuring a long thin trunk of roots that spiraled upwards raising the hands to chest height splitting and forming two arms

Sweat dripping off of his brow Randidly pressed a little forward and two roots sprang from the ground and spiraled upwards ever so slowly They rotated around each other closely bound winding even tighter Randidly breathed carefully afraid to spoil the spell Maintaining the hands the torso and this new object of roots all at once

To say nothing of the mana expenditure which was quite significant his attention divided between so many different roots in so many different shapes was quite stretched maintaining it all

But finally the spiral had reached a height of 7 feet and the two hands reached forward grasping the spear of roots hefting it raising it Eyes glowing Randidly felt the connection between himself and the strange root avatar more than just the fact that he was maintaining it with his mana

So he closed his eyes focusing on it and he realized that it was feeding him a small bit of information a small fraction of tactile sensation Although it was faint he could feel the root spear in his hands So he gripped it

Then he thrust it forward instinctively aiming for a Phantom Thrust The spear cut quickly through the air but it felt oddly clumsy Frowning Randidly opened his eyes All at once the strain of maintaining the avatar overwhelmed him and the roots started to bulge and twist straying from the desired shape

Snorting Randidly crushed the resistance forcing the roots back into line and then drank a mana potion He would need more mana to maintain this Then he produced his small training spear and closed his eyes

The root avatar gripped the spear with him and Randidly had the extremely odd sensation of controlling two bodies at once But in a way it was simple because he wanted them to perform the same action he used Phantom Thrust

His main body unleashed a thrust that ripped forward through the air with audible speed But once more the root avatar felt clumsy But this time Randidly caught why he felt so strange when he used the avatar

System assist huh Randidly muttered to himself It was small and slight but minor differences in stance posture and source of force that were instinctual for his actual body didn’t occur in the avatar Or perhaps they couldn’t because he was using roots Of course Randidly shouldn’t have any instincts of the sort He had never handled anything remotely like a spear before the system and his training after the system was still quite short and rather haphazard

The only explanation was that the skill levels were giving him training wheels’ that let him succeed more easily He obviously could still improve a lot in his actual technique but these training wheels were also areas that he could improve on because he could observe them in the differences between his normal form and the movements of the root avatar

Randidly wasn’t sure whether it would actually help but then smothered that thought Image was important Of course it would help He would more fully understand the skill increasing the skill level

Which would in turn probably increase the amount of system assistance which would give him more areas to focus on during his training The corner of Randidly’s mouth curled upward

Then he sighed and rubbed his forehead the root avatar falling to pieces Another benefit of training like this at night would be that he would train Root Manipulation at the same time but it was also extremely tiring mentally He would take a break for now then continue later

Chuckling Randidly gathered his things and began walking back towards Donnyton It wasn’t quite a break but Sam was quite insistent that he continue to learn to Engrave His skill wasn’t even to the point where he could control the leaking mana well enough to form an entire rune but it was nearing that point And it was excellent practice in detail orientation even if it was only marginally less mentally draining than the root avatar

Randidly supposed he would need an actual hobby soon But preferably one that would take no time so he could keep up this training speed

Karen mother of Kiersty and Nathan glared daggers at Regina and Daniel What do you mean you don’t know

The two exchanged helpless glances and were about to speak when another figure appeared

Karen I have to take responsibility for this one In all of the recent excitement I lost count of the days It completely slipped my mind Mrs Hamilton said stepping forward with a smile Behind her Decklan’s full squad stood grimly outfitted in leather and steel rubbed in charcoal to dull its reflective properties Annie and a few of the more skilled archers stood with them serious expressions on their faces

What Daniel asked bewildered but Karen was much more direct

What did you forget She demanded

Mrs Hamilton’s smile turned decidedly vicious the smile curling upwards That we have new neighbors

It took a few seconds but recognition finally arrived at Daniel’s brain and he paled immediately The whole troop quickly moved heading to the portal to their sister town The air rippled softly but otherwise it seemed extremely peaceful like a scenic pond

My children wandered in there alone Karen asked her anger giving way to horror but Decklan shook his head

No from what we can tell Alana and Devan’s squad are also missing and likely accompanied her She will be safe His voice was low and sure and Karen visibly calmed down somewhat nodding towards him thankfully

So He continued looking around at his squad Let’s go investigate this other village

In a fluid motion they loped forward low and silent passing through the rippling doorway to another world

Alana slumped to the ground covered in blood Although the sprouting of Arbor and the aura it provided did a lot to change the rabbit woman’s opinion of them it didn’t seem sufficient in her harsh eyes Her grandson’s life was very important A more genuine apology was necessary in order to compensate for allowing such an accident to happen

Inwardly Alana was furious at the whole charade But for whatever reason the people who knew that the injuries were inflicted by the turtles were desperate to hide that fact from the grey haired rabbit And for now Alana was content to fight for this strange animal village defending it for a small amount of time Not because she thought it would be particularly beneficial to the village but it would be very very difficult for Kiersty and Nathan to be protected on that journey

Besides Alana wasn’t a child that cared overmuch for whether something was true enough Real life wasn’t so simple and it seemed the group from Donnyton had just gotten caught between the two strange races here Alana hadn’t forgotten the turtle’s earlier mention of the Class draft they were instituting which did a lot to demonstrate how badly things were going for the village

The compensation ended up being holding off the swarms of monsters that were constantly besetting this village from every side It seemed that while Donnyton had waited quite a while to grow in strength before upgrading to the Trainee tier this village had rushed to that level due to some general information about the buildings available at that tier and what they could do to improve the village’s chances at surviving

Unfortunately the information obtained by this world was rather general they didn’t realize that a Trainee village also would have to cope with Raid Bosses They also didn’t possess someone with the extremely overpowered abilities that Glendel had so they were unable to really locate Raid Bosses until they had established themselves and spawned Lieutenant monsters These monsters were just slightly stronger than the normal mob spawned by a nearby Raid Boss but they also could spawn their own minions and possessed a fierce intelligence that the Raid Bosses lacked

Under the constant raids of these Lieutenant monsters the defenses of this village were slowly being eroded their powerful Classers driven to exhaustion They simply didn’t have enough bodies to hold them off Meanwhile it seemed the turtles wanted to force some individuals to take classes but the Rabbits were unwilling to do so So the turtles needed a way to incite the grandma rabbit to act and also a scapegoat so the village wouldn’t destroy itself with infighting

Which is where Alana and Devan’s squad came into the picture they were the perfect victim Luckily they had managed to preserve Razor’s life or

Alana shook her head It was bad enough already Just today they had already slaughtered 3 such Lieutenant monsters ambushing them as they came to attack the spring that served as the village’s water supply

Forebodingly they were all of the same type of monster and they had spotted more such groups watching from the shadows those Raid Bosses had already established themselves here and were propagating at an exponential rate

The village was aware of this and Alana was able to slowly parse out some things about the situation Whether it was racial or not the rabbit and turtle people were firmly divided about what to do on the issue although Alana couldn’t figure out the details She also asked Cadence who was Razor’s sister about the children and apparently those little grey people at a certain age chose’ whether to become turtles or rabbits

But as Alana asked more pointed questions she had clammed up unwilling to speak further

Groaning at the aches in her body Alana slipped off her shoes and began to massage the soles of her feet

At least the skill leveling was good she mused to herself but then looked up to a knock at the door The door which was just a stone wheel was rolled to the side to reveal Cadence Come there is someone you must meet

Karen glanced fearfully at Mrs Hamilton who had turned away from the portal and began to walk away Where are you going

Unfortunately there are other things I must handle Mrs Hamilton said consolingly But Decklan is smart as well as an incredibly talented fighter He can handle this Trust in Donnyton Your children will return safe

Chapter 117

Randidly swore quietly to himself lowering the bracer back to the work table Once more he had let too much mana flow at once and it had pooled and warped the rune soon cracking the bracer So not only had he failed at the Engraving but the armor was also ruined

Luckily or annoyingly Sam had him working with amateur level leather bracers made by some of the new recruits from Franksburg It had made Randidly want to tell them that even their inept attempts had meaning They weren’t just grinding away at their skill levels They were helping him grind away at skill levels

Shaking his head Randidly refocused on the bracer before him Sam cautioned him to focus on one rune so he had kept attempting the Dragonfly rune It was perhaps the simplest or rather the shortest rune in terms of line length But at the same time the middle section had several graceful loops that required the most delicate mana control in order to execute properly

Engraving weirdly reminded Randidly of icing a cake The medium was already there and it was a matter of controlling how much substance came out on top of it and where Unfortunately unlike icing a cake there was a constant pressure of mana more pushing to come out of the Engraving Needle which needed to be constantly monitored and controlled Just like water too this pressure lessened as Randidly burned through his mana So the pressure was initially much higher than it was by the end of the Engraving

Further calculating things was that even the slightest distraction caused Randidly’s focus to waiver and that waiver either increased or decreased the pressure for mana to come out The outcomes were rather random seeming but Randidly suspected that it had something to do with the type of distraction and how it affected him

However Sam didn’t appear to have any of these problems and was instead limited by his mana pool so Randidly didn’t bring it up for now

Inwardly there were times that he was tempted to open up his Path screen and spend the PP that he had likely gained Hopefully he had gained enough to give him some distributable stats and with that he could improve his Control and Focus which would increase the efficiency of this skill grinding

But in a way that too was the wrong path After seeing Mrs Hamilton’s training Randidly realized it was less about increasing his possible output but giving him mastery of the skills and stats he did have Skill Levels would be gained as he further familiarized himself with the skills but that wasn’t the end goal it was to develop a mentality that let him use his skills to their utmost potential

It was Randidly supposed a classical type of training After all before the system there would always be an absolute wall for humans in terms of what was physically possible They did not have the luxury of raising their stats to run more quickly

Instead they trained to lower the time it took for them to reach that limit of running quickly They changed their running form to maximize their results They lost weight or gained weight or changed their diet to sculpt their bodies all towards this goal of not pushing the boundaries but moving closer to them

But she had a point Randidly admitted At any time he could raise his stats But to make him utilize his stats more skillfully That would require a concerted effort And it was undoubtedly worth it

Setting those thoughts aside Randidly turned to his next bracer But as he picked it up he didn’t yet use the Engraving Needle Instead he closed his eyes and breathed very slowly seeking something He looked deep within himself for moments where he was truly content

Struggling under Shal moving with him through the dungeon

Fighting at night during those early monster hordes being unstoppable amongst them

Letting Agony burn away his excess thoughts fighting outside Franksburg

Challenging all of Donnyton’s Classers holding up that final Inspired Circle of Flame preparing to unleash it

Repeatedly using his new found mastery of Footwork of the Spear Phantom to dodge Lyra’s birds of mana

Randidly grinned Who would have known that he took such joy in training to the point that he felt extremely powerful Although he supposed it really wasn’t that shocking Everyone desired to feel important and capable

Now that he had gotten here he sure as hell wasn’t going to slack off and let go of those feelings

Randidly lowered the needle and began to Engrave

When Alana walked into the low ceilinged hut Devan was already there arms folded and Kiersty and Nathan were curled up in the corner on a cushion An old woman sat in a rocking chair watching them her hair black her ears droopy and greying at the edges But Alana froze as she entered into the room looking at that woman

Since fighting for so long she had developed a pretty reliable ability to look at an opponent and guess their strength This woman was at the level of the Ghosthound maybe stronger

She turned and looked at Alana her face a labyrinth of wrinkles as she smiled Bert The guests are here Bring some drinks

An extremely elderly turtle shambled out of a side door carrying a tray with several mugs Alana blinked the aura of the elderly woman washed away by the tide of bloodlust that sprung from this new arrival His expression was bored but Alana could not avoid the vicious realization that this man could kill her as easy as breathing The edges of her vision began to darken and she couldn’t muster enough strength to even breath

Bert stop that These are guests

It was like that oppressive aura was a bad smell and the woman’s words were a breeze lightly brushing it away Which in a way was even more intimidating The woman smiled at Alana You have questions I’m sure But I don’t involve myself much in the affairs of the other totems Instead I’d like to talk about our village’s Kith Klark’s gift for Donnyton I’ve taken a look at that plant the girl brought over and it is quite unique Useful and attractive I haven’t seen something so intriguing since Bert here was a young man

She smiled good naturedly at Bert who had given Devan and Alana a mug Bert simply glanced at the woman his face inscrutable

I don’t mean to be rude but who are you I don’t understand much about your kind but You don’t appear to be either a Rabbit or a Turtle Devan spoke slowly his eyes locked on Bert the entire while But it made Alana take a second glance at the woman and she realized it was true her ears were smaller and more angular and she could see the curl of a tail around the back of the chair

Excuse me Where are my manners I’m Hess And yes you are correct Typically Kiths in our world have 3 totems each Usually two are dominant while the third takes on a special role in the village Yes I am neither a Long Footed Hare or the Grey Shelled Turtle I am the current Spectral Lynx

Hess put her chin on her fist looking at Devan and Alana with glittering eyes But I did find it extremely interesting that the girl spoke of a Ghosthound It is perhaps fate that ectoplasmic cats and dogs are at each other’s throats constantly is it not

There was only silence to answer her

But then Hess laughed slapping her knee Oh come on did you really think I would push our villages towards war just for a dumb coincidence like that Jeez you don’t have a very optimistic view of the situation now do you That old hare might have as much sense as a barrel of gunpowder and the turtle have as much foresight as fashion sense but I’m very wise I assure you Despite the events I have allowed this past week

Devan looked sheepish but kept his eyes on Bert Alana rubbedthe back of her neck Yes well it hasn’t exactly been sunshine and butterflies between us The welcoming party for us

When the Turtles tried to kill the Hare Elder’s grandson Quite an unfortunate choice that But I think it will ultimately prove beneficial to you

Alana regarded the woman flatly I see

Chortling Hess turned to Bert Bert fetch those newcomers before they cause any trouble I have an idea

Nodding Bert ambled to the door all but disappearing as he rounded the corner Hess turned back to Devan and Alana and made small talk speaking of small matters explaining the details of village life asking about Donnyton At first Alana hesitated but it truly seemed as though the cat woman in front of them possessed no guile she was simply curious

So they began to open up slightly in regards to facts about the village Based on what Hess was saying Donnyton was much much larger than this village which they called Kith Klark They were not the village prior to the system with the strongest warriors but a lucky series of events let them become the first village in their zone to reach the level of Trainee Village Since then they had been struggling to survive and had to withdraw most of their villagers to the inner part of the village There were simply too many Raid Bosses spawning too quickly

Although it hadn’t occurred to her before Alana was forced to admit that Donnyton was much better off than this village even though they hadn’t been forewarned about the approach of the system

It was all because a guardian Ghosthound was there to protect them until they had their legs under them

Randidly leaned back barely suppressing a grin

Engraving of Dragonfly 20% © Wearer of the armor has a small chance of moving more quickly when moving with the wind

It wasn’t all that impressive of an effect but it was a successful completion Randidly’s first even after 3 hours of work He supposed that in the old world this learning speed would be prodigious but now it was slightly disappointing

But then again the point of the training was to make things seem more like the old way of training thereby shifting expectations and results So it made sense that Randidly wouldn’t have been able to take advantage of some of the system assistance from Skill Levels

Randidly brought the finished product over to Sam who looked at it then blinked C C Common rarity

Turning to Randidly Sam glared daggers at him Randidly shrugged helplessly What did Sam expect It was only his first try He had figured an achievement at this level was to be expected

Snorting Sam muttered to himself Probably a fluke Then directed Randidly to return to the bench and keep practicing until he could do three in a row Although Randidly wanted to train some other things Randidly supposed it was fair

But secretly for the rest of the night while he was trying and failing at Engraving he kept a tightly packed ball of Pestilence under the table controlling it very carefully

Randidly’s head throbbed painfully as his attempt cracked another bracer Grimacing Randidly rubbed his temples for a few seconds but then picked up another bracer Although it was difficult the only way to get stronger was to push

The only way to move forward was to continue to walk

Chapter 118

Decklan twitched his brain recognizing a lot of information at once and combing through it It was only a split second of frozen indecision then he continued to creep forward as though nothing had happened

When they arrived there were guards but they weren’t paying very close attention to the portal so Decklan and Annie’s groups slipped away before they were noticed joining the strange blue treeline nearby Annie faded into the foliage slipping away while the rest followed Decklan They found a small clearing and Decklan sent Tera to scout around trusting her to remain discreet

Perhaps it would have been better to just make contact but the fact that Alana and Devan had disappeared for a day meant that this wasn’t exactly a simple situation After Tera discovered the general direction of the village they began to move that way

But as they did so Decklan’s instincts abruptly screamed that something very powerful was watching them His body froze but his Killer’s Instincts obtained at Lvl 30 from his class immediately contradicted that saying he should continue to walk pretending not to notice the powerful watcher After all if the watcher assumed Decklan had no idea of his presence he might not view him as a threat

So Decklan continued to walk cursing himself inwardly for freezing up but doing his best to relax the lines of his shoulders But his worst fears came to pass or at least a version of them An anthropomorphic turtle appeared on the path in front of him bent with age but clearly the source of that oppressive aura

The turtle grunted Passable You detected me and you chose to mask your knowledge rather than act But your execution was lacking Follow me

The turtle turned away and the rest of the group just gaped but Decklan straightened and said And if we don’t

After pausing for a second the turtle turned back and gave Decklan a mild glance Without saying anything he turned away again and began to slowly hobble forward arms behind his back

Grimacing Decklan signalled his squad and everyone gathered and followed neatly behind this strange figure Decklan was frustrated but after meeting that turtle’s gaze he had no confidence of resisting him even if they all worked together

But it seemed that Annie had escaped the turtle’s notice so all was not lost Decklan fervently hoped she wouldn’t do anything stupid

Alana was surprised when Bert returned leading Decklan and his squad but said nothing They all crowded into the low ceiling room Hess smiling at them all

Welcome welcome Bert some more drinks Bert nodded calmly and meandered towards that side door once more Now welcome friends from Donnyton I am Hess one of the three elders of this village Kith Klark Unfortunately the one with the least influence but still

Decklan’s eyes moved from Alana to Devan to the Kiersty and Nathan still sleeping on the cushion in the corner of the room then to Hess Thank you for your hospitality My name’s Decklan one of the leaders of Donnyton’s 3 Speciality Squads I also am a part of Donnyton’s council On behalf of all of Donnyton I thank you for taking such good care of our people while they are visiting your world

To Alana’s ears Decklan’s words sounded very forced and it seemed Hess heard it too because the cat woman smiled lightly

You are welcome But we don’t need to act too stuffy after all the other elders are using you two to play games with each other Hess said cheerily Although their motivations are different Now who wants some cider

The room around her was filled with a heavy silence

Later that night as Decklan leaned against the wall he felt exactly what he was waiting for the soft whisper of a ghost in his ear He listened carefully then quietly began to explain the situation to Glendel

In the early hours before dawn Randidly laboriously created another avatar made of roots forming the body the arms and finally the spear Then equally slowly Randidly had the avatar thrust out with its spear

Randidly raised his spear and with his eyes closed mirrored the action Noticing the small differences between them Randidly tried to adjust his form but after several more thrusts with the avatar nothing had changed The spear thrust was just as ungainly

Smaller then ’ Randidly thought to himself He thrust again with his own spear There were so many parts that felt natural that just happened easily and those were what he needed to systematically identify and understand if he was to improve

The avatar thrust forward with Randidly’s attention focused simply on the way he used the vines to grip the spear Afterwards he thrust with his body

He made a small adjustment to the tightness of the avatar’s grip and tried again

He thrust with his body

He made a small adjustment

Over and over he pressed and pressed starting with the grip tightness moving to the balance of his hands the distance between his two hands

Avatar thrust body thrust

Tiny adjustments

Several seconds of thinking followed by no adjustments

Over and over until Randidly blinked opening his eyes to the warm of the dawn’s rays He grimaced slightly annoyed that he had lost track of time But it was important to do this His training in the Spear needed some organization to it It was just discouraging that it took so long to make such small gains

Almost against his will Randidly grinned Had he really gotten so spoiled in the months he had lived with the system Although he didn’t learn much from the father who was absent most of his life he did remember one of the few visits the man made to him and his mom

It was recently after his parents divorced and Randidly was still young at that point Randidly had asked his father why he had to live in this new tiny apartment with his mother now without him

His father looked at him with his calculating grey eyes and asked If I let you live with me how will you compensate me

Randidly just stared dumbly at him

His father shook his head almost sadly Your mother and her weird fucking names listen to me little R what’s worth having is worth working for Never ask for handouts Then his father straightened and left

Randidly trembled slightly He wasn’t sure why he remembered that man just now but it wasn’t a pleasant feeling He hadn’t thought about them much since he left his mother to her string of boyfriends refusing to return the once a year calls on his birthday from his father That family was dead to him

But still he felt a pang in his heart Because his new family too was probably

Squeezing his eyes shut Randidly cut off that train of thought What he needed now was strength To find anyone who might still be alive To protect the things he held dear

And he would only get that through work

After taking a moment to appreciate the beauty of the sunrise Randidly turned walking towards the training area It would be another long day but Randidly needed it Because his current self Wasn’t enough He craved more

Mrs Hamilton tapped on the table with perfect measure almost like a metronome The rest of the figures around the table Regina Glendel Daniel Clarissa and Sam stood still frowning at their respective fingers Glendel had just reported the strange situation of the other village as well as Alana and Decklan could figure it

Donny and Dozer were both absent going to clear the dungeons next to old Turtletown and Donnyton respectively Now that Turtletown had fallen and most of its people slowly drifted over to Donnyton after realizing their previous town had fallen monsters spewing from that location were becoming a serious problem for the trade route they planned on establishing to Franksburg

Mrs Hamilton’s tapping stopped Best to wait it out huh They should be able to take care of themselves over there

Everyone else was silent After a long moment Glendel spoke The children don’t appear to be in any danger

But their mother Sam muttered his arms folded

Mrs Hamilton sighed Regina straightened and said I agree with Mrs Hamilton This is diplomacy Delicacy and tact is important here

Even when they aren’t bothering with it at all Daniel muttered and he was rewarded with glares from Sam and Regina

Smiling Mrs Hamilton added and their continued presence allows them to intimately become familiar with the strengths and weaknesses of our sister village

The others mulled this over for a short while In other news how is the Adventurer’s Guild building Mrs Hamilton asked

Daniel’s eyes came alive It’s extraordinary Not only does it provide quests but it also appears that there is a function similar to what Nul could provide with skill trials Though unfortunately the selection is much more bland but as more missions are completed the building grows and more options should be unlocked

In addition Clarissa added with a grin glancing at Daniel After the building was created we have seen a higher incidence of Yellow named monsters which seem to be related to quests Often these are quite a bit stronger than normal monsters in the area but you seem to need to accomplish a series of prerequisites to fight them or to barge directly into the area they are using as a lair Nothing bad has happened thus far but some of them are quite near to the village limits

But their bodies are excellent for parts Sam interjected smiling slightly

A bang rang out dragging everyone’s attention back to the center of the table where Glendel sat He looked up at them all pleadingly You are really alright with this Just letting those children stay over there They didn’t seem to mean us harm exactly but Could we at least ask them to return the children

After a long moment Mrs Hamilton nodded Actually that’s a good idea I’m sad I didn’t think of it They will likely refuse and it will make them think they have a negotiation advantage

Glendel blinked They will refuse

Mrs Hamilton checked the sun and stood to go Yes but that’s not the real reason that it wouldn’t work She will refuse to return too

I don’t want to go back Kiersty said with exaggerated patience before Hess even had a chance to respond Adults needed to be treated very delicately sometimes

Devan and Decklan’s squads were about to go out and help with the monster problem that Kith Klark was dealing with but Decklan had taken the time to ask that Kiersty and Nathan be allowed to return to Donnyton

After all there is still a bit more to do here Kiersty added then calmly walked out the door Right as she arrived Bert appeared gravely opening the door for her and giving her a small bow She smiled at him pleased She quite liked this turtle man that gave her cider and snuck her treats all the time

And in addition she didn’t have a bedtime over here Why would she ever go back to Donnyton

Scared and intimidated Nathan as always was dragged out by virtue of unwillingness to lose proximity with his sister He looked so scared that Kiersty almost felt bad But then she shook her head steeling her resolve After all there was a lot of work to do This wasn’t the time to be selfish

Arbor had barely gotten his roots into the soil here There was still much to do and lately Kiersty had felt that her growth had become somewhat stagnant She needed a new activity to distract her and keep her entertained

It was time to evangelize

Chapter 119

When Kiersty walked out of the hut several turtle guards with crossbows scrambled out of the way Originally they had been very disapproving of allowing her to wander freely but Bert had said a quiet word to one and instantly they became well behaved springing to attention whenever she passed

She smiled at them but they were not her quarry she continued onwards down the small path away from the hill that formed Hess’ and Bert’s house Kith Klark was built on a lake with the turtles having raft dwellings on the lake while the Rabbits built low to the ground clay longhouses on the lakeshore There was a large obelisk where the center of the town was which Kiersty had heard was the source of the strange animalistic characteristic they developed

Even with her newfound freedom Kiersty wasn’t that interested in the strange obelisk but instead went to the small clearing to the north of the town where she had laid the seed of Arbor When she had left it two days ago it had barely been a bump in the ground but now when she walked into the clearing she saw a few dozen of the small grey skinned children gathering around the central location where she had planted Arbor

As she walked over the group seemed to notice her and spread out clearing a path to the center glancing around nervously There poking around two feet out of the ground was a small sapling It waved excitedly as she approached which caused the grey children to mutter to each other

Do you like Arbor Kiersty asked simply looking a few of the nearest straight in the eye They glanced at each other but remained silent Shrugging Kiersty walked closer to the tree until she stood over it Then with a strange delicacy she drew a finger up what would be the trunk of this Arbor It curled protectively into her hand rubbing against her like a pet

She felt its confusion and its loneliness being here cut off from the other Arbors But also its growing curiosity and wonder for these new strange creatures around it

Nodding decisively Kiersty took two steps back and raised her arms to mirror the tiny Arbor and began to dance Gleefully swaying the Arbor followed her wiggling back and forth wildly The children took several steps backwards but Kiersty ignored them focusing on Arbor

She was after all the Priestess of Arbor The plant would always be her first priority

After a few seconds of hesitation Nathan walked up and joined her dancing with Arbor They continued like this for several minutes before the silence was finally broken by one of the grey children

What are you doing There was a thread of judgement and derision in the question but more curiosity Kiersty carefully kept her face serious It wouldn’t do for them to know this is exactly what she was waiting for

Dancing Kiersty said matter of factly

But why The grey child said emboldened Although they all looked the same Kiersty had the impression that this one was was slightly taller than the others and put its hands on its hips in a way that made her believe it was a she

Because it makes the tree grow faster Nathan added bless his heart Kiersty continued to suppress her smile feeling slightly warm that Nathan so dutifully answered when and how she needed him to

The grey child snorted and turned away Although the group walked some distance they eventually stopped and turned unable to keep their attention from the strangers that came to their village Just like Kiersty was slightly fascinated with them and their strange bodies and abilities But she had a higher mission right now and had no time to play around

Still now she simply danced feeling Arbor’s happy joy A miracle would come soon she knew They just needed to dance until then

Randidly’s arm trembled as he lowered the spear He had just failed for the second time on the training exercise where the series of rings hung and he had to stab through them at a constant speed Only today Mrs Hamilton had increased the difficulty

First she had raised the weight of the spear by 1 pound which Randidly had thought to be almost negligible but as his first attempt had dragged on it had become increasingly apparent Still he was able to grit his teeth and force through it His arms could handle more than this and he started using Mana Strengthening in order to make up the difference in physical conditioning

Unfortunately that wasn’t the only change she made to the exercise

How about we add a little complication eh Mrs Hamilton had said with a bright smile and she gently pushed the apparatus and it began to rotate The rotation was slow but it was uneven as it slowly ground to a halt and Mrs Hamilton gently pushed it again to start the spinning

To her credit she demonstrated an intimidating amount of control with her pushes without fail they reached the same speed and slowed down over around 40 seconds Unfortunately it was still quite easy to break his constant rhythm while waiting for her to press and also when Randidly hit the edges of the hoops half the time they were knocked to the side resulting in him failing the exercise

Gritting his teeth Randidly started again ignoring the small smile that Mrs Hamilton always seemed to wear now This time he would

But he stopped lowering his spear A strange thrumming resonated in his chest It was strange It did it again a low constant pressure as if someone was tugging at a thread that lead into his heart

Just a second Randidly said to Mrs Hamilton closing his eyes With his senses focused inward he could see more clearly what was going on one of the streams of Aether that lead back to him was vibrating strangely Randidly focused more narrowly but they all disappeared so he could only sigh and remain unfocused

Very gradually his sense of the Aether connections within him returned There was the roiling ball that formed his core spreading energy out through his body Then there was the 4 thin threads that slid off winding to those individuals that he gave a Soul Skill to That connection existed even here feeding them

But then there were two larger ropey connections of Aether Of those two the smaller was the one that was vibrating

one of the plants leveled up ’ Randidly thought with a frown If so there didn’t seem to be much he could do Without notifications he would have no idea what the different options were for the evolution Increasing his plants strength was important but there really wasn’t any need for it to happen quickly right

So Randidly ignored the strange thrumming and returned to the exercise He focused his attention on his hands and arms controlling the spear to make it all the way through the slowly rotating hoops even if it did knock several to the side during his thrusts The important thing was maintaining a steady pace and making it through all of the hoops in order

But as Randidly was halfway through his exercises the thrumming returned more demanding He ignored it continuing to control the spear One of the tricks Randidly was starting to realize was to never let the spear be a dead thing in your hands Instead you needed to move it as if it was a living thing with all of the weight concentrated at the tip Focus there would make the exercise much more difficult but

The resonance sharply rose within his chest a strange ringing that swiftly became so powerful that his physical body twitched Although it was a small twitch it was enough to throw off his thrust Annoyed Randidly turned his attention back inward This time he didn’t examine he just reached grabbing the thrumming connection of Aether

Instantly his consciousness was hit with a wave of sensation Rather than knowing what the upgrades would do or how it would change Arbor Randidly felt them two splitting paths Paths endlessly ever forward he could sense His main impression was only murky but full of strange rotations and symbols a map of Aether listing all of the fated possibilities

Out and out his attention stretched feeling the strange shape of their connection until his head began to pound and the sheer power of the possibilities became too much for him coughing Randidly came back to himself Mrs Hamilton was giving him an odd look but Randidly just shook his head Then after taking a steadying breath he turned his attention back inwards towards the Aether

He grasped the connection again but did not reach any further He just wanted to see the immediate options if Arbor was going to be so demanding But of course he didn’t know the details he just had a strange instinct for the ways these two Aether flows would change his plant

The first was a huge whirlpool spiraling ever closer ever more tightly the outsides gentle and slow but the inner circle viciously powerful The other was more like an ever branching stream flowing from the same source but parting and spreading outward its arms covering an area that was many times larger than the whirlpool

Although the whirlpool was clearly more powerful it was also more concentrated and the feeling that Aether gave Randidly was very different than the river The Whirlpool was anger and greed the river felt of generosity and sharing It was a river of life that a civilization could be based upon

Of course that really did very little to inform him of how this Aether change would affect Arbor but still

Randidly pressed superimposing that second image of how Aether should flow on the connection and watched as it slowly seeped inward altering their relationship

Sighing Randidly returned to himself

Mrs Hamilton yawned Finally ready to put in some work

Kiersty couldn’t contain her smug look but the grey children didn’t notice they were too busy staring slack jawed at the strange tree in front of them

It grew and stretched wiggling as if the only thing keeping it from being 20 feet tall was the small hole it was using to get out of the ground Its branches multiplied and several flaming leaves formed on the tree It settled in about as large as all of the trees are or were back in Donnyton being slightly taller than an adult

But somehow Kiersty knew that this tree had a lot more potential for growth

It grew just like that The vocal grey child asked her eyes wide

Well it doesn’t always grow so suddenly Kiersty allowed But it grows on our love slowly but always growing And I am its Priestess Kiersty You may call it Arbor

Decklan grimaced wiping blood off of his knife It was a worn thing now but it had been given to him by the Ghosthound and Decklan was sure that there was some secret still hidden in its depths But against these higher tiered enemies it was starting to reach the limits of its usefulness He needed another blade

They were stuck in a slightly awkward position right now Decklan and Devan’s squad were over here and were currently being used to mop up the raid parties led by the Raid Bosses’ lieutenants The locals were rather unwilling to let such useful and trained warriors go and so stood constantly guarding the portal

But of course this was only because Kith Klark was basically on their last legs and was only a step away from being wiped out Although their defenses hadn’t been breached most of their industry and food sources were slowly being ripped away by the stranglehold of the Raid Bosses Decklan couldn’t bring himself to hate the covert threat that the turtles and rabbits were using to keep them here

In addition 3 more factors weighed in the favor of them remaining and helping First the council wanted to maintain cordial relations and their continued presence gave them further insight to the strange situation that heralded their arrival Second the council wasn’t sure what would happen to the portal if the village fell

If the portal remained and suddenly Raid Bosses could appear inside of Donnyton at any moment

The third reason was Kiersty’s continued refusal to return which was surprising and an obstacle that Decklan had no idea how to handle Sure he could physically take her back but

The Ghosthound’s plants loved her even Thorn so Decklan was slightly leery of that option

Kiersty’s mother upon hearing the news wanted to come over and drag her back but Donnyton also didn’t want to send anymore people over in case things over on this side became serious As such they were at a weird impasse At the very least the experience was good

Which was increasingly important because after hitting Lvl 30 all of them Donny Dozer and Decklan had hit a wall in terms of leveling Experience was harder to get and you required more He had only today reached 32 and that was after battling against enemies whose level were in the high 20s for almost 14 hours straight It seemed like 30 would be something of a dividing line in the future and Decklan intended to be above that line Meanwhile less combat focused classes like Daniel and Ptolemy would probably have a much more difficult time

There were benefits to the stranglehold that the Raid Bosses had over the area They were not particularly friendly with each other and had clearly defined territories But they also were very stern about newly spawned Raid Bosses in the area and would group up and deal with any fresh arrivals unwilling to see anyone else rise to join their ranks For the same reason they didn’t launch a serious offensive apparently worried about being attacked by one of their own while they were distracted

There were currently 3 Tier I Raid Bosses and 1 Tier II active in the area and

A rumbling distracted Decklan from his thoughts He frowned because it was a rumbling he recognized from long experience in battle that was the noise hundreds of feet made when moving

He left his small burrow house and sought out the others Alana and Devan were already there grim faced and the rest of his squad was waiting for him Tera was wide eyed talking to Annie who was covered in dirt and blood but appeared unharmed

Did you cause this Decklan asked already knowing the answer

Annie winked back at him Well technically no It’s the Tier II raid boss that asshole who’s at fault If he would have just stood still for one more second

The Rabbits and Turtles were panicking groups of them hastily throwing on armor and moving up to their low walls Decklan quickly followed gazing out at the mass of monsters that was coming for the village

Quickly returning Decklan grimaced at Annie If that giant Ape Raid Boss was the culprit why are monsters from the other Raid Bosses attacking too

Annie pouted Because they are dead dummy I figured if I just killed all the Raid Bosses we could go back And I was so close That dumb neanderthal just has such thick fur how was I supposed to know that even an Empowered arrow would just annoy his throat

A roar rang out too close for Decklan’s comfort

Chapter 120

Randidly was distantly aware that Donnyton sent squads to help out their sister village which apparently was a thing but ultimately decided to ignore it He had his own work to deal with and they were adults It was no longer solely his job to defend the village And these opponents seemed to be on their level

Under Mrs Hamilton with Lyra’s occasional assistance the training continued to escalate His footwork drills came under increasing strain as Lyra used more and more mana birds moving in strange beautiful patterns to encircle him The weights he was forced to train with grew and grew

Afterwards he would have sometimes short sometimes long conversations with Lyra answering her one question a day for her assistance The longest day was of course when Lyra had wormed out his intimate relationship with Ace and Sydney and asked him how he had met Sydney

There was a short answer that they were born next to each other in the hospital on the same day and there was a longer answer that he hadn’t learned her name until his best friend Ace had brought this girl back to their apartment after a party and their eyes met both filled with recognition

Strangely as Randidly told this story he found he couldn’t stop and he told her about how the three of them had grown so close and how a shadow had come across Sydney’s life and it made him realize some things about his own life culminating in him breaking up with Tessa and walking home in the underground tunnel when the world changed

Lyra had simply nodded and walked away The next day she asked him what his favorite meal was and he answered honestly veal cutlet with spaetzle and red cabbage In the same manner she nodded again and the training continued

For the accuracy test with the hanging loops to thrust through the spinning speed increased Then he was no longer allowed to touch the hoop but had to thrust through it without disturbing its motion

The strange exercise with letters on the spinning poles grew more complicated as a second set of letters were scrawled on the sides of the pegs painted with a different color Sometimes he could use both but increasingly often he would need to use just one or need to alternate between the two Or Mrs Hamilton would make up an esoteric and pointless order for the colors and he would need to memorize that while calculating how he could move

Soon there were 4 colors and more often than not his movements led him into a dead end where he couldn’t move forward at all But eventually he could push through retrying his exercises By the end of the day he had managed to fit in everything Mrs Hamilton had planned barely and Randidly turned his focus to spells or to meditating on his Soul Skill

Around 2 AM he would then go to work with Sam slowly learning Engraving His skill improved gradually as he mastered or at least managed to achieve moderate success at controlling the flow of his mana through the needle He successfully completed one of each type of rune they had available slowly nearing 40% which Sam told him would be the line to become an uncommon quality item and therefore much more useful to the village

Still Randidly remained just a hair away from that line even after several repetitions

From dawn until Mrs Hamilton had prepared the day’s exercises Randidly went out by himself and created avatars of roots to practice the spear with Form by form detail by detail he carefully examined how the system guided him seeking to understand why those motions improved his skill with a spear and to improve on that

After two days Randidly was forced to make a more sophisticated root avatar so his grip and stance were more realistic so he could continue to refine his form A few days later Randidly had enough control and mental strength barely to manage two Avatar’s at once He pressed and pressed working tirelessly even in his rest hours After all there was no other way for him to follow his own path of strength

When he was called over to train he went slightly begrudgingly bitter and yet excited to see the impossible feats that Mrs Hamilton would set for him Although he hadn’t yet been physically unable to complete anything some had come very close And often he would fail and be forced to restart the exercise

At first these failures didn’t mean anything until one day when a new individual arrived at the scene a strange hunched over and wrinkled man who looked like a turtle For a long time while Randidly struggled through his exercises the man stood with Mrs Hamilton listening to her talking animatedly

He spoke infrequently but when he did Mrs Hamilton’s smile which Randidly had somewhat come to dread spread ever so slightly wider

Finally he completed the assigned task and after a brief water break walked over to the two individuals

This is Bert Mrs Hamilton introduced the man simply He is from Kith Klark Due to our assistance with a little pest problem earlier in the week he agreed to do one favor for our Village We have chosen to have him give you some guidance He is I am told an extremely accomplished fighter

Randidly felt it too there was something slippery about the turtle man as his eyes slowly blinked and glanced at him When he finally spoke what he said surprised Randidly greatly

You have created a skill for yourself

Randidly blinked then nodded

The turtle smiled and it was a small twisted thing and suddenly Randidly swayed slightly dizzy struck but a wave of battlelust from that old turtle But then it disappeared I will show you the exercises I used to develop the skill that made me the most powerful warrior in Kith Klark

So the old turtle did a strange scuttling dance waving for Randidly to join And under Mrs Hamilton’s approving grin he did There were three basic exercises each more strange and impossible than the last They involved squats and tiptoes and spins and rotations

After a single time through the first exercise Randidly stumbled almost falling on his face despite his high stats and his Grace skill He shook his head in wonder

Bert just grinned and completed his demonstration Luckily Mrs Hamilton’s training had familiarized Randidly with memorization so it was quite easy to follow the steps They weren’t complicated they were just designed to be impossible for legs to actually perform

Strength comes from the base Do these and your base will be strong Bert grunted turning back to Randidly But remember to form a skill most important is

Image Randidly whispered and Bert grinned at him and then turned and left

Mrs Hamilton stepped forward I have good news Not only did he provide that but he also had some suggestions as to how we can add some leg exercises to the other activities Oh and whenever you fail one of these training activities you will do Bert’s dance as a punishment before continuing

God I’m tired ’ Randidly thought eyes bright nodding seriously at Mrs Hamilton’s comment his posture one of barely controlled excitement

And although his body truly was approaching its limits he weirdly didn’t feel tired at all So he continued his feet carrying him further following his own path

Glendel closed his eyes and reached for his ghosts feeling their strange whispers all around him It had been almost 3 weeks since the portal to Kith Klark opened In the wake of Annie’s actions all of the monsters from the slain Raid Bosses in the area attacked Kith Klark with a vicious anger Donnyton decided to intervene sending their best squads over to help the defense

It was a long battle but one that resulted in the villages’ victory

More importantly it markedly improved relations between the villages and now people could travel freely between them After several profuse apologies the turtles actually led the way with lavish gifts of armor and crossbows some reparations for their previous shortsightedness Above all else the Turtles appeared to value martial prowess and had a great respect and reverence for the squads of Donnyton especially the numerals after their performance in the defense of Kith Klark

Meanwhile the Rabbits appeared more focused on cleverness and arts and took very quickly to coffee and alcohol two of Donnyton’s luxury exports All were glad when Razor’s grandma was to inebriated to remain conscious at the end of every day But unfortunately she leapt up again in the morning the alcohol burnt off by her vitality to start the process again

There was still the strange incident involving the attack against Razor but neither side wanted to bring up the issue so those who hadn’t forgotten simply filed it away for later As Kith Klark slowly regained use of the surrounding areas they provided Donnyton their own special wares Fish Honey and most importantly for some Spider Silk which they used to create beautifully soft clothes Even now some of the more intrepid farmers were trying to Cross Breed plants to create flowers for dyes

Like a zombie it looked like the fashion industry was determined to rise from the grave that the arrival of the system had placed it

During this time they learned a lot more about Kith Klark their world and culture their strange species and the practice of choosing who you wanted to be at 15 Most interesting about their choosing a breed was that even the system recognized it they were given a Soul Skill based on which they chose which gave them a stats advantage in the long run

1 on 1 it was likely that a Classer from Kith Klark was more powerful if they were at the same level But after weathering their tribulation and dealing with the Raid Bosses’ harassment Kith Klark had only around 150 Classers with about double that of NCCs Meanwhile with the influx of people from Franksburg and the slow trickle of people who wanted to find out what the light pillars and villages meant Donnyton now had around 1200 Classers and almost 8 000 members of the village

The Council finally found a group of decent architects and was currently designing plans for a larger city area if just for the market area that they needed what with traders from both Franksburg and Kith Klark

Franksburg had successfully weathered its own tribulation mostly due to a monstrous effort by Lucifer who apparently had to cut out the heart of the tribulation and eat it in order to prevent it from regenerating

Although their tribulation wasn’t particularly gifted in magic or illusions their tribulation was large and almost unkillable It took 3 days and almost 1000 lives but Franksburg made it And Lucifer for his actions earned the strangely specific class Avenger of Franksburg The Freedom Fighters were very tight lipped about the details but from the secrecy it was easy to see that it was a powerful class

Glendel breathed in and out again listening to the reports from his ghosts

Kiersty was finally released from the house arrest she had been placed under by her mother upon her return from Kith Klark and was dancing with several children and with most of the traders who came from Kith Klark

For whatever reason the Rabbits especially were fascinated with the tree especially the 20 ft tall original planting which was wreathed in flame most of the time due to its boughs being thick with leaves Although a leaf withered and fell every time someone used a skill there were currently 8 sproutings in Donnyton and 2 in Kith Klark and the rate of Arbor’s Blessing spawning had increased greatly So they came and danced enjoying the immaculately kept park that surrounded Arbor

Another ghost whispered distracting Glendel As it had been for the past weeks Tykes stood at the base of the mountain path gazing upwards but still unable to muster enough Willpower to walk up and approach Raina who went up there every morning to draw

Her drawings were actually very popular for portraits and scenery but especially for the changes that she recorded over time that demonstrated the rapid evolution Donnyton was experiencing Some painters involved in the design and construction of the new Donnyton had taken some of her sketches in order to make several great murals They had even interviewed Donny Sam and some of the original Classers getting an idea about how the valley originally looked almost 2 months ago

But of course the most popular items were the sketches of the Ghosthound These were always done in charcoal but there were several different varieties There was even one where he was cooking which made people dubious but when you looked at his eyes Raina had a gift for shading and in those eyes there was darkness rage intensity and more than anything concentration The scenes around him seemed to fade but those eyes remained the same And for that people wordlessly bought the drawings until most people had one such within their home

What was even more shocking to people was that this masked woman who they had thought of as a skilled drawer announced she would be performing a musical concert The whole town buzzed with excitement even Kith Klark’s population was curiously optimistic about this strange concert A sound system was imported from Franksburg in preparation

And ’ Glendel thought to himself It will happen tonight ’

Turning his attention away from Tykes’ lonesome figure Glendel followed his ghosts away from the forges past the areas where the Numeral X was being challenged by the Squad ranked 11th out towards the prairie area where he found the Ghosthound

For whatever reason this was Glendel’s favorite time to watch the Ghosthound the intense and driven man who made this town possible He stood still his hands casually wrapped around a spear three strange creatures made of roots near him Those root creatures each thrust out a spear and then after a small delay the Ghosthound himself followed

This continued almost endlessly every day but Glendel loved it Although his own power was incredible and growing daily when he looked at these strange root beings

It just felt like magic Real magic In a way that Glendel no matter how skilled he was could never match This was the level of the Ghosthound who had created this town and nurtured it to the 10 000 people city that it was approaching being

But eventually as it was his time to scout he turned his attention away flowing around Finding nothing more of note Glendel returned to himself

4 other things of note had happened in the past 3 weeks which could be divided into two groups First a pillar of light had appeared to their west signifying that another village had been founded without any assistance from the Ghosthound Not a day later two more appeared to the Northwest in a similar direction but apart from each other enough that they were clearly separate

After much debate Donnyton’s council had decided that they would wait to send scouts in that direction First because there was always the chance that the village would fall to its tribulation Making contact before they passed that might be pointless In addition there appeared to be a large area in the middle of their Zone where monsters between the levels of 28 and 35 roamed freely

It was one thing to defend a village from monsters of that level It was quite another to wander out into a landscape you knew nothing about and attempt to survive hounded by those monsters So they decided to wait

The second group of news was more happy First Sam proposed to Regina and she said yes

Then choosing to eschew social norms Annie announced to the world that she was pregnant

Both of these bits of news also created excitement for different reasons First because there was going to be a huge celebration and party for the former And the latter because basically no babies or toddlers had survived the arrival of the system This baby would be Donnyton’s first perhaps even the first of the whole Zone

Glendel heard Daniel ask Dozer wonderingly if he thought the baby would get any bonuses for being the firstborn into the world and was promptly punched in the gut

There was also a push by Regina and Mrs Hamilton to change their governing structure but talks had stalled in recent days as they attempted to figure out how exactly it would work In the meantime Donnyton itself just buckled down and prepared for the night’s concert

Daniel looked around the table So we are in agreement The Communications Array can be purchased

Everyone nodded and Daniel did so glad to finally have this He opened up his menu immediately afterwards and was gratified to finally see the Friends option was open Even more exciting was that it seemed there would be chat and parties available through this There was even a social tab that displayed all individuals that you had encountered in the past

Once the Communications Array had been purchased it was possible to purchase Communication Towers which effectively gave people within the area a minimap that displayed different locations of import allies and enemies

Daniel was practically drooling

There was a secret here Randidly knew He carefully watched the rotation of the energies inside himself seeking an answer to it The grass grew the rot came ballooning outward The fire came burning it all away leaving only ash

But then Randidly frowned He focused more pressing his will upon the image going closer to the ash Ash was

Ash was

He could see it glittering darkly on the ground Although all of the biological matter was burnt away leaving only carbon and trace elements

It seemed as though those trace elements were slowly building up With glittering eyes Randidly focused closer watching as the grass grew it rotted away into a bulging mass of filth and then was burned away

Rot couldn’t consume the ash and the grass didn’t grow off of the ash it grew out of the ground and water Instead the ash remained the refined little carbon bits from the burnt rot So as he watched

His Soul Skill was slowly spreading a layer of ash over this area where Aether dwelled Of hardened and refined carbon and other trace minerals But what was the point of that What could ash

Randidly opened his eyes their green iridescent and foreign Unless something could be planted in that ash Unless that bed of ash could nurture something

But then movement in the corner of his eyes distracted him He twisted sideways noticing strange sigils forming on the ground around him He stepped forward using Footwork of the Spear Phantom and the weeks of training paid off He practically teleported 3 meters forward out of the range of the sigils

Except when he looked back they were still there all around him as if they had followed him And just like that soundlessly the spell activated and Randidly disappeared

Dozer looked up frowning

Warning The Tier III Raid Boss has spawned Swiftly discover whether it spawned in the zone of you or your sister village and hunt it down The Village that earns the kill will be greatly rewarded All villages who survive the Tier III Raid Boss will receive a reward But be careful for just like you this Raid Boss has found its own path and wants to walk it to completion

Was it really that time already ’ He wondered But then he shook his head

No rest for the wicked The system was always throwing another monster in front of him that he needed to kill Why would it be any different now

In the distance Dozer heard the celebrations that had happened in the wake of Raina’s concert silence themselves quite quickly It seemed everyone understood their brief respite was over It was once more time to focus on survival

Tsk tsk a single notification and you are already so serious You already look like a father with that grumpy face Annie said yawning as she stretched arching her back provocatively in bed Dozer just grunted turning away before he could get distracted

You shouldn’t fight like that He said simply hoping she would listen to him just this once Annie was many wonderful things but obedient was not one of them

Well obviously I’ll get dressed first

No You know what I mean Dozer said turning back to her and frowning What if the baby

She stood and looked at him her eyes round and sad What about you Will you fight like that Knowing your death means

She trailed off and then just bit her lip Not provocatively just emotionally And for the first time since they had met Dozer saw fear in her eyes

And immediately after that he was hit with a wave of panic He was 20 And going to be a father And he had to fight monsters Teach other people to fight

It was strange how quickly his life had changed In the past Dozer would have gone out and hooked up with some random chick fucking her until his cum drowned out his worries But now he could only close his eyes

They really couldn’t back out now So he opened his eyes and tried to smile saying alright but be careful And stay near me

Annie nodded meekly and walked into his embrace her fingers going to the spot the spell from the Ghosthound had ripped a hole in his bicep as Dozer protected her They stood like that silent and still for several minutes until the summons from Glendel’s ghosts arrived

Then Annie flounced herself doing her best to lose contrite in his field of vision but his enhanced perception told Dozer she moved much more animatedly away from him He knew that she played it up around him but he also knew that she truly felt fear

Annie was not a simple woman Dozer thought as he hefted his huge club over his shoulder but she was his That’s all he needed

Chapter 121

Randidly fell to his knees coughing That was profoundly uncomfortable Before the system came to the world Randidly had considered himself a person with an iron stomach and rock solid inner ear he never had experienced motion sickness With the benefits afforded to him by his Vitality and Endurance he figured it was physically impossible

With the strange shaking feeling over Randidly finally gave into the nausea and vomited

That’s going to cost you extra A voice dryly said but Randidly’s stomach heaved again He cared very little who was talking next to him right now he needed very desperately to deal with the very real possibility that all of his organs had switched places

Ha it is worth The fact he is still conscious is a good sign An amused voice sounded and even stricken by the sickness Randidly was able to wipe his mouth and look up

Shal

An hour later Randidly was wearing a set of robes given to him by Shal and following his master down a cobblestone path Shal was the same as Randidly remembered him a tall athletic man with a spear in his hand He had a third eye closed that was in the middle of his forehead and he had a blueish tint to his skin but otherwise he looked rather like a human

I waited hour after my missive was sent You did not respond but I did not worry The honor of the Phantom Spear Style of the Spearman School was at issue I knew you would understand Shal said with a calm voice striding ahead They had been walking for most of the previous hour moving as soon as Randidly had closed his mouth and seemed well enough to move

So you summoned me here Why Randidly asked slightly annoyed He had prepared himself for spending a month or two training with Mrs Hamilton pushing the limits of his skills in order to gain power It was already almost impossibly difficult to continue and every day found Randidly collapsed on the ground needing to rest before he could even brew a potion to recover but the improvement was definite His degree of control over his spear and footwork were miles ahead of what they had been when he had started

In addition his continued use of Root Manipulation Summon Pestilence and Circle of Flame had vastly increased the power of those spells Especially Root Manipulation Even more intimidating was his slowly growing ability to Flex his mana to create slightly more power in the spell And with his Intelligence nearing 100 a slight extra boost meant a lot

His time spent alone training his use of the spear also had another benefit he was greatly benefiting from this time in terms of getting a more vivid picture of what the spear could do Randidly somehow knew that if he used the first move of his created skill the Spear Advances Ash Trails the powerful image he had gained both from his Phantom Thrust training and also from the root avatar time would result in a drastically increased power and skill level

But now he had been pulled to somewhere interrupting that time

Still Randidly comforted himself at least Shal’s presence likely meant he would receive additional pointers on his spear work Perhaps now he could learn some more techniques to raise his skill even further

Shal simply chuckled I already say it is for the honor of our Style Come I’ll tell you more when we arrive

Miffed Randidly followed after Shal moving along the path through the forest They were winding along through a heavily forested area so much so that only the occasional sun beam could break through the foliage to illuminate the path Shal calmly strode forward apparently content to remain silent the entire way Randidly sighed accepting this outcome

This was the Nexus he assumed A real part of the Nexus And he would be damned if he didn’t gain some information while he was here

How did you summon me here Randidly asked

Shal waved a hand Once you are connected to the Nexus and have access to the friends list you may pay for the privilege to ascend to other worlds connected to the Nexus as long as those worlds aren’t in a Cohort below your own

So this isn’t the Nexus Randidly asked

Apparently his comment was so amusing that Shal turned to him and flashed a smile Ha No pupil this is not the Nexus The Nexus does not exist or at least if it does it is far beyond our ability to reach This is simply my homeworld which is a member of the 5th Cohort of the Nexus Now be still you will want to see this

They walked around a bend in the path and Randidly was shocked to discover that they were at the edge of a cliff To their left and right a sheer rock face dropped down to the crash of strange reddish water A rather dangerous seeming rope bridge led downwards connecting to dozens of other ropes until it resembled a strange spider web

But floating before them taking up most of the area below were boats hundreds and hundreds of boats They all flew sails of orange red yellow and light blue But only rarely were there blues popping out of the surrounding boats

The boats appeared to be tightly lashed together in places and bobbed up and down All around people came and went hopping from boat to boat Shal beckoned to Randidly

Come come we must hurry All will be explained in my quarters Welcome to Qtal the Floating City

After being rushed through a press of bodies as they swung down the ropes to the boat city and rushing across several wooden decks Randidly was led belowdecks on a small old looking boat An old man sitting on the boat spared them a glance as they went below but quickly closed his eyes once more appearing to be in meditation

When they reached the area Randidly was surprised to find that the boat was even bigger down here than he had thought It was a square 5 meter by 5 meter room The only problem in Randidly’s mind was the strange swaying of the location due to being on the water

Shal took his spear off his back turning to face Randidly Now first let us see how rusty you have become

Randidly almost rolled his eyes but obligingly removed his spear from his spatial ring It was not the weighted training spear nor was it simply a wooden pole Instead it was a simple thing of shaped bone made for him by Sam It did not have the weight or size of his previous spear but it was still the spear he was becoming most accustomed to

Shal’s eyes critically scanned the weapon then he nodded At least you have not been dirtying your hands with unnecessary trash A simple spear is best Come

But unlike Shal’s invitation Shal was the one who rushed forward spear raised Gritting his teeth Randidly started using Footwork of the Spear Phantom crossing the distance to Shal and shifting around to his side

Just as he was in position and planted his feet Randidly’s eyes widened Shal all but disappeared reappearing in a position ready to attack Randidly in his blindspot Almost instinctively he moved again dodging to the side

But again Shal was quicker appearing right where Randidly was attempting to move to thrusting towards him Gritting his teeth Randidly swept his spear up blocking the blow It was a close thing too because Shal’s attack was quick but not so quick it couldn’t be caught However when their spears crossed there was only one word to describe Shal’s attack

Heavy

Heavy like a blow from Dozer would be

Randidly spun to the side then activated Haste and Empower using Phantom Thrust But with just a slight body sway Shal was able to avoid the strike and before Randidly could react another thrust rumbled heavily towards him

Changing his grip on his spear Randidly switched to a Ghastly Slash bringing his spear down on the oncoming attack knocking it to the side But in that moment Shal stepped quickly forward twisting and raising his spear again more quickly than Randidly could believe

Randidly used Phantom Half Step directly backwards creating a small amount of distance but when he attempted to reset his stance he bumped into the back wall

Shal attacked viciously aiming for that small hesitation Randidly’s spear flashed forward to meet it and he was able to deflect it slightly Seeing his chance Randidly went for another Phantom Thrust but the ship swayed abruptly making the attack falter

Slightly pissed off Randidly used Footwork of the Spear Phantom and circled around to the side attempting to open up some more space for himself But again and again those heavy thrusts came smashing him back until he found himself cornered desperately lashing out to keep the blows from reaching him

Right when Randidly thought he was going to have to do something drastic to escape Shal stopped stepping backwards Hmph If nothing else you have earned yourself some callouses while you were lazing about Your grip is childish but firm And you have become passable at fleeing Congratulations Come sit we must speak of your mission

Feeling strangely disappointed that the fight hadn’t escalated Randidly moved to the space that Shal indicated After clearing his throat Shal began to speak

On my world you are known by two things Primarily your School which is important for distasteful reasons but most importantly by your Style We are of course the Spear Phantom Style of the Spearman School Our Style emphasized speed and control of distance In this regard you can be considered passably talented due to your skills and fleeing ability

Every 5 years a member of the youngest generation of each Style must accomplish one of many certain tasks in order to maintain the honor of the Style Only then will their Style remain upon the great list for their respective School in our case the Spearman School Shal grimaced Unfortunately the Schools have a very generous definition on who is counted and they use tools granted to them by the System in order to select You have been selected As the youngest in our Style you must accomplish these tasks Now you may ask questions

Randidly pondered for a second Although Shal was rather inconsiderate in how he had done this Randidly supposed he understood This was an important organization to Shal This goal had to be accomplished and only Randidly could do it How many Styles and Schools are there They all have to do these every 5 years

Shrugging Shal said There are as many Styles as there are stars 1000’s makes the Spearman School list every 5 year cycle As for schools there are 4 Spearman Spear Death and Heart

Filing away this information Randidly wondered what else he should be curious about Then his expression brightened If it has to be me there is no one else in our Style Are all Styles so small

No ours is very small The Spear Phantom who founded this Style was my father He has died Only you and I remain Other Styles possess hundreds of disciples at every generation And their disciples typically show more promise than you

Randidly didn’t take the insult to heart His main focus was magic anyway even if recently he had been working very hard to raise the skill of his spear And what are these tasks

Shal shrugged There are several challenges

Shal continued explaining the tasks They seemed focused on different aspects of ability with a spear like speed strength endurance etc but as Shal explained them he ended every explanation with the same sentence this trial is located in the Dungeon

Randidly raised his hands Shal I still don’t have a class Is there anything I can do outside of Dungeons

Blinking Shal looked at him for a long moment Then he spoke No class well that is an issue for another time The deadline is two months In that time there is only one task that can be accomplished without a class to place in the top 8 in the Spearman Northern Province Tournament But

He looked Randidly up and down With your current strength it is Impossible

Chapter 122

Randidly sat in a small side room slightly nauseous from the constant bobbing of the boat thinking very carefully about how he wanted to proceed

As a man Randidly was someone who always carefully returned favors to whom he owed debts He owed Shal a very large debt Shal had protected Randidly trained him taught him to use the spear helped him learn how to distribute stats and much much more Shal was the reason that he wasn’t still struggling in that small room in that first dungeon stuck there forever If he hadn’t come along would Randidly have been able to train up to the point her could survive there

For even if Randidly had managed to survive in the Dungeon it would have taken him a long long time to figure out the possible methods for leaving He would have wandered for quite a long time And without Shal’s strength it would have been almost impossible to escape that dungeon

There was a part of Randidly that wondered whether it wouldn’t have been better to have spent more time training in the time compression of the dungeon while he could take advantage of it But if he had stayed there too long and a Judgement descended

Shal’s interference accelerated things sure but they also focused him on more efficient skills Plus the Spear Phantom skills were the basis of his close combat

Randidly was very clear that Shal went easy on him in their brief spar refraining from even using his skills Even so the thrusts that Shal attacked with were impossibly powerful able to completely suppress one of Randidly’s strikes In addition as Shal stated the Spear Phantom Style focused on speed and controlling space aspects that Shal didn’t even need to leverage in order to defeat Randidly

When asked how powerful the competitors in the Tournament would be Shal informed him that there were 3 main categories Under Lvl 25 Under Lvl 50 and Under Lvl 100 As Randidly would be entering in the Under 25 they would not be nearly as strong as Shal But they would be strong enough to make Shal serious in a fight

Which was not a place where Randidly was now

And Qtal was a small city in the Northern Province There would be 1000s of Spear Users participating in the Regional Tournament fighting to gain experience against strong foes Even if Randidly were to somehow approach a level of skill that would make him a contender there was the very real chance that he would simply be ground down by the sheer number of fights that he would need to go through in order to reach the final 8 of the tournament

Shal opined that a conservative number of required wins would be 100 Across 100 fights one mistake would lead him to disappointing Shal’s expectations and allowing the Spear Phantom Style to fall from the list After all Shal had done for him

But Randidly frowned and shook his head It was pointless to think about now The real question was whether he would be willing to consider getting a class in order to assist Shal

On the one hand Randidly was rather satisfied with the level his skills had reached Not that he wouldn’t want more but he believed that his current strength was enough to earn him a high tiered class It might not be something like Sovereign of Ghosts that Glendel lucked into but it would certainly be a level higher than Knight or Brute

But on the other hand Randidly’s expression darkened The continued threat of Judgement certainly was a reason to avoid staying classless but with his Aether situation solved and the threat of Aether starvation a distant possibility it was the only the cold threat of the system pushing him towards getting a class

And Randidly really didn’t want to negotiate with anyone who could only resort to threats to get what they wanted

Still it would be a risk to refuse to take a class And in his heart Randidly believed he owed enough to Shal that he should consider the option

Ultimately though as he had always known in his heart that was not his path Perhaps if he failed in the tournament he would have time to revisit the class issue and try again but for now Randidly wanted to continue down this path of strength

Then Randidly laughed aloud because he realized that Shal was the one who had set him walking down this path in the first place The more he thought about it the more he believed that Shal wouldn’t even want him to make a decision he was uncomfortable with in order to assist him even if the honor of the Spear Phantom Style was at risk

Shal was the one who had taught him that all he could do is hold tight to his spear and advance pushing forward to the future

Chuckling Randidly brought up his status screen It was a long time coming this use of the PP and he was somewhat eager to see if he had gained a lot Unfortunately the screen came very slowly and flickered in and out of view causing Randidly to frown It seemed that the strange potion also interfered somehow with the display screens Which was slightly disturbing How was there a biological function related to the screens that something ingested could have an effect on the output

But Randidly let that train of thought drop likely pointless to dwell on it at this point Slowly flickeringly the Status screen came into focus and Randidly counted his gains His hands slowly balled into fists

First Randidly noticed that he had gained two skills Mana Engraving and Mental Fortitude The first was rather obvious from his work with Sam but the second made him slightly curious so he clicked on the description

Mental Fortitude Ability to handle mental strain caused by overexertion Ability to recover from mental tiredness increases with skill level Ability to utilize multiple spells at once increases with skill level

Nodding slowly Randidly figured this was probably related to him pushing much more aggressively on learning to control his Root Manipulation and Summon Pestilence It also seemed like he was 30% of the way through creating another skill based on the strange exercises given to him by the old turtle It was nice to see that it was actually working and that the turtle wasn’t just hiding somewhere laughing at him

With that problem solved Randidly turned to look at the amount of skill levels he had gained As he looked at the total next to PP he couldn’t help but grin

In order of increasing magnitude Randidly had gained 3 Skill Lvls in Manual Labor and Cooking 4 Lvls in Potion Making Refine Meditation and Mana Strengthening 5 Lvls in Circle of Flame Calculated Blow and Agony 6 Lvls in Pierce the Skies Shatter the Earth 8 Skill Lvls in Mental Fortitude and Incendiary Bolt and 10 Lvls in Ghastly Slash and Fighting Proficiency

In addition Randidly also gained 13 Lvls in Haste Grace and Eyes of the Spear Phantom 14 Lvls in Summon Pestilence Empower and Mana Engraving 15 Lvls in Phantom Thrust and 16 Lvls in Physical Fitness

But to put the icing on the training cake he had gained 19 Lvls in Bacterial Regeneration 20 Lvls in Spear Mastery 21 Lvls in Spear Phantom’s Footwork and a monstrous 31 Lvls in Root Manipulation

Even so Randidly knew that he had gained something else too or rather it was something that he recognized that he had the strength and execution to push himself farther than he thought he could go and not just when his life was on the line He had the discipline to continue for weeks under than harsh environment reaching new heights

All in all his PP total read 282 Randidly quickly used 37 PP to finish off the Empower I path

Congratulations You have completed the Empower I Path The Strength in your body is ephemeral and you grow increasingly skilled in its manipulation Although the path here was desolate and without reward as you turn to regard the distance crossed behind you you cannot help but marvel on how far you have come Stamina +30 You have learned the skill Battle Intent Lvl 1

Battle Intent Your strength now flows slightly beyond the bounds of your body and is discernable by others Ability to gauge the strength of others of similar or lesser strength increases with skill level Ability to influence others with your battle intent increases with skill level Ability to resist the influence of other Intents increases with skill level Ability to slightly control how strong you seem increases with skill level

Randidly thought the skill seemed ratheruseless currently but it had potential Being able to influence was a rather general statement but anything helped especially in a tight battle And if it could be used to resist the influence of others

The one thing that gave him pause was the fact that it simply said you could resist other Intents without specifying Battle Intent So there were other Intents available

But he could experiment with that at another time For now Randidly looked at the paths available to him

Watcher 0/ Heretic V 0/ Oathbreaker 0/25 Initiate of Ash I 0/75 Path of Carnage I 0/ Fighting Proficiency I 0/80 Root Manipulation I 0/75 Advanced Phys Fitness 0/100 Nexus Traveler Cohort 5 0/50

Again if he wasn’t going to take a class he sure as hell wasn’t going to risk taking Heretic and somehow weirdly ending up with a class through it Watcher he had for a while but didn’t interest him because he already had Eyes of the Spear Phantom Oathbreaker was also one he had carried but he wasn’t sure he wanted whatever rewards an Oathbreaker would receive

Initiate of Ash definitely had some allure but Randidly still wanted to power up a little further before he took that path Which made him consider that he could ask Shal about Patrons and some more information in general about paths If they had some sort of database to inform young individuals which Patrons to choose and not choose it would make a lot of sense Over time there would probably be enough people who made it to the Apprentice path to unlock at least that much and give them an idea of which ones were the best choices based on bonuses and mortality rates

Path of Carnage was still intriguing but was likely a chain path of an unknown length Even though Randidly had over 250 PP left it might be better to put it into subjects that he knew would be beneficial to him taking advantage of the skills and stats in areas where he would use them more often

Nexus Traveler Cohort 5 Path was a terrible name but it was likely some bonus for traveling to a world in the 5th Cohort It was hard to tell whether this bonus would be a big one or a small one but it clearly was some sort of rite of passage or reward so Randidly would probably put points into it eventually But for now

Randidly turned to the options that really drew him Fighting Proficiency I Root Manipulation I and Advanced Phys Fitness With his 245 PP he would have enough to finish off 2 of them but not 3 Which meant he had to pick which two he wanted immediately

Although he believed that he would be focusing mostly on the spear in the future he couldn’t not use the Root Manipulation I Path even though it was counter intuitive After all most of his gains in the use of the spear wouldn’t have been possible without creating the root avatars and using them to check his form And based on the results it was incredibly useful

So the next 75 PP went into the Root Manipulation I path Every 5 Lvls he received 5 mana totalling a sizable 75 mana addition to his pool He also received the completion reward

Congratulations You have completed the Root Manipulation Path Your will moves and the roots follow Roots are the lifelines of plants and you tread freely upon them climbing ever higher on your path For the deeper among the roots you go the more paths stretch before you Root Manipulation has been changed to Root Control All skill levels have been retained

Branching Path You can see in the maze of roots a variety of roots like knives that sink slowly into its prey and syphon the life out of them You also see powerful roots that twist around enemies shrugging off resistance and performing the will of their master Towards which area will you head

If it was a choice between some sort of life sucking root and strong roots Randidly hesitated As strong as the life sucking would be as an effect he knew there would be a lot that needed to go his way in order to take advantage of such a thing Anyway fire was his offensive skill while roots would primarily be used defensively to pierce and bind

As you walk deeper down your path the roots around you grow large and ancient You feel their awareness as you wind your way slowly deeper down this path seeking their implacable strength They have given you their approval You have learned the skill Plantomancy Wisdom and Control +10

Root Control A more powerful version of Root Manipulation Your ability to change the size and shape of the roots has increased

Plantomancy Due to your insights into the ancient life giving roots you can create beings of roots to serve your will The variety and strength of the created plants will increase with skill level Mana costs will decrease with skill level

Seeing the notifications Randidly simply smiled

Chapter 123

But that wasn’t the end of it Randidly still had 170 PP remaining and two very viable paths remaining open to him

Between the two of them Fighting Proficiency had a slight edge because Randidly suspected that it would provide another active skill Meanwhile he suspected Advanced Physical Fitness would provide a passive skill but it would also likely be more generally useful

In his mind these two draws weighed rather evenly against each other making it difficult for Randidly to decide which he would rather use Plus they both were related to physical stats so he probably would get similar stats or stamina rewards from going through the path

Sighing Randidly got up and walked to the side of the room to a small water basin The wood planks underneath his bare feet swayed slowly keeping him on his toes but his high stats and Grace skill were enough to keep him firmly planted on the ground He picked up the basin and took a long drink considering

Well when there wasn’t an obvious option go with your gut

So Randidly picked Advanced Phys Fitness Path because it included the word Advanced in the title and this world placed a great emphasis on labels and tiers and also because it cost more PP which made him think that the rewards might be just a little higher than the other All and all he received 10 Endurance for this one one every 10 levels as well as the completion bonus

Congratulations You have completed the Advanced Phys Fitness Path This path is rocky and varied and the climb is steep but as you stand at the summit you feel the rich air filtering down through your lungs changing you But the path leads ever onward and this is only the beginning Vitality and Perception +5 You have gained the skill Second Wind Lvl 1

Second Wind When under 50% stamina you gain an extra stamina per minute per skill level

Chuckling Randidly dismissed the notification If he continued to stack regeneration passives he certainly was going to have a monstrous amount of staying power in fights The extra points in Vitality and Perception were a nice bonus But like he had suspected he had received a passive skill that was extremely useful It made him pleased that he had predicted the outcome

His final 70 PP he put into Fighting Proficiency I which brought it up to 70/80 Every 20 points he got 1 Str and 1 Agi giving him 3 each by the end

Slowly but surely Randidly began to sort through his gains Both Battle Intent and Second Wind were skills he couldn’t wait to raise in level to useful territory Plantomancy intrigued him but of all the skills it was the upgraded Root Control that Randidly was most interested in

Mostly due to its affinity with how he had been planning to create his skill based on the old turtles strange movements It was clear that these movements were designed to vastly strengthen the legs and core and the further you progressed the more that debilitating strain spread rendering your limbs trembling and weak

But as your body progressed your legs and core grew increasingly powerful and only that strange movement could provide the difficulty you needed to push it further Simultaneously in order to create the skill what was necessary was an image With his new skill he had that image powerful ancient implacable roots holding him up Roots so strong they could hold the entire world bringing life to the tree above them

In this case Randidly

With the aid of this new skill Randidly expected his ability to focus on this image to grow Hopefully the boost he got from spending the PP now as well as this forthcoming skill would be enough in order to stand a chance in this upcoming regional tournament

All in all Randidly earned +125 Stamina +90 Health +165 Mana +6 to all regenerations +10 Endurance +17 Vitality +5 Perception +8 Strength +8 Agility +10 Wisdom +28 Control and +15 Focus In addition Randidly had 22 free stats to distribute as he wished But before he made a decision on what he should do with those stats another notification caught his attention

Congratulations You have reached 100 in the Stat Control Due to this you have the option of starting down the Path of Control Would you like to do so

Randidly considered this If it triggered whenever you reached 100 it would seem that it wasn’t something that was easy to reach but it also wasn’t too difficult The reference to a path made it seem like something he would need to spend PP on but he couldn’t help but worry that he be taken off his current path

In addition he supposed he had a choice about whether or not to take the path If he didn’t would there be other triggers in the future asking if he wanted to take that path For the other stats If there were what would be the one that he would want

His focus was towards Control magic after all Other than that he would likely choose either Intelligence or Agility either for raw power or for speed But this was without any knowledge of what he would gain by making this choice Now that it was in front of him

Ultimately Control was likely his path Randidly decided Through his Spear Phantom’s Footwork through his roots controlling the opponent until he could finish them off with either his powerful fire magic or his spear skills All the rest was just durability and staying power which would allow him to hold out until his control took over

Randidly clicked yes

Congratulations You have chosen the Path of Control +1 Control per level In addition you have gained access to the Path of Control I 0/200 Do not fear this path because this is the path you have chosen But do not tarry for others race forth around you seeking their own path

Randidly grimaced A path worth 200 PP huh That was certainly a heavy burden But the text that went along with it certainly made it seem like an attractive option to finish A path that long was bound to have a powerful effect

What was more interesting was that it included a level bonus The one thing that Randidly couldn’t figure out though was whether it would be useful to Classers After all if they relied on leveling as their primary source of stats they would have already risen in levels and been unable to effectively utilize the bonus

Then Randidly remembered the feature that had gotten him into this dumb situation in the first place He opened up his friends list and sent a message to Daniel saying that he was alright but that he would need to be away for some time Then he explained the path access you received when your stats reached 100 and how it included a point per level bonus

Satisfied Randidly looked at his status screen

Health(/R per hour) 556/731 (+8) (301 (+12

Mana(/R per hour) 12/1044 (107 75)

Stam(/R per min) 601/898 (115 (+4

Vit 89 (+4)

End 52

Str 71 (+12)

Agi 93 (+12)

Perception 51

Resistance 33

Wisdom 56

Control 116

Focus 71

Skills (Soul Skill) Cycle of Rot and Ash Lvl 376

Combat Spear Mastery Lvl 79 Phantom Thrust Lvl 69 Spear Phantom’s Footwork Lvl 66 Eyes of the Spear Phantom Lvl 44 Phantom Half Step Lvl 18 Heavy Blow Lvl 30 Dagger Mastery Lvl 10 Iron Skin Lvl 27 Dodge Lvl 38 Fighting Proficiency Lvl 57 Block Lvl 33 Haste Lvl 43 Phantom Onslaught Lvl 16 Sweep Lvl 34 Spear Deflect Lvl 10 Empower Lvl 47 Calculated Blow Lvl 28 Roundhouse Kick Lvl 23 Edge of Decay Lvl 23 Ghastly Slash Lvl 17 Pierce the Skies Shatter the Earth Lvl 10 Battle Intent Lvl 1

The 7 Kata of the Ashen Spear The Spear Advances Ash Trails Lvl 3

Spells Spearing Roots Lvl 14 Mana Bolt Lvl 28 Mana Shield Lvl 24 Root Control Lvl 61 Arcane Orb Lvl 22 Fireball Lvl 30 Magic Missile Lvl 4 Healing Palm Lvl 9 Pollen of the Rafflesia Lvl 17 Summon Pestilence Lvl 33 Mana Strengthening Lvl 18 Wall of Thorns Lvl 8 Soul Seed Lvl ® Agony Lvl 36 Inspiration ® Incinerating Bolt Lvl 14 Circle of Flame Lvl 13 Plantomancy Lvl 1

Crafting Potion Making Lvl 34 Farming Lvl 20 Plant Breeding Lvl 9 Mapmaker Lvl 7 Analyze Lvl 24 Refine Lvl 16 Extract Lvl 1 Mana Engraving Lvl 15

Auxiliary Physical Fitness Lvl 54 Meditation Lvl 39 Running Lvl 23 Sprinting Lvl 19 Sneak Lvl 23 Acid Resistance Lvl 22 Poison Resistance Lvl 16 Pain Resistance Lvl 20 First Aid Lvl 13 Equip Lvl 25 Pathfinding Lvl 18 Mental Strength Lvl 15 Curse Resistance Lvl 3 Fire Resistance Lvl 14 Sewing Lvl 11 Cutting Vegetables Lvl 2 Manual Labor Lvl 6 Digging Lvl 5 Cooking Lvl 19 Grace Lvl 28 Bacterial Regeneration Lvl 27 Superiority Lvl 3 Mental Fortitude Lvl 9

After all of the bonuses skill and stat he had experienced a huge amount of growth His skill levels were already this high obviously but it was still reassuring to see how much improvement he had achieved over the last few weeks And his new stats especially Mana and Stamina

After carefully examining his stats Randidly put 20 of his free stats in Resistance and then the final 2 in Reaction Now he finally had defensive stats at a level where there weren’t any glaring weaknesses at least for now And with his Agility Intelligence and Control at such high levels he would have very little difficulty holding off most enemies with his spells

Which made Randidly wonder whether he would be able to use spells in the upcoming tournament If he could not that would make things much more difficult But he suspected that it hadn’t been an issue after all not many people cultivated both Stamina and Mana like he did With their finite amount of skills they had to focus in one area with their paths for the biggest benefit

But that was for tomorrow Tomorrow he would get the chance to try out his new skills he would talk to Shal about this tournament and he would explore the strange floating city that he found himself For now

Randidly removed a leather bracer from his spatial ring and an Engraving Needle With his even more powerful Control Randidly hoped that he would finally be able to crack the 40% on the engraving Randidly suspected that if he did so something would happen

But before he did so he took an action that surprised himself The teleportal had interrupted his usual time of taking the black potion and so by the evening he had been able to sift through notifications although they were blurry and strange But now he drank the strange potion again watching the menus slowly faded away He didn’t want to lose this edge he had not taking notifications for granted but instead growing based on how he performed

After he took his usual sip Randidly looked at the potion oddly After all it still appeared full He had never had to refill it the entire time he had been provided it But he supposed it was better that way

Shrugging Randidly put away the potion and got to work

Chapter 124

You have chosen the tournament Excellent Let’s depart immediately Shal said with a wide smile

Eh Randidly said blinking I thought we had two months

Hmph can any trash who desires it walk in off the street for such a tournament No they must prove their worth Come come it will be but a small thing for a student of mine

And so Randidly was whisked off back to the deck level where that strange old man still sat peacefully ignoring their passage They crossed dozens and then hundred of boats passing brunches gay parties children training with spears but most of all they passed men and women sitting in meditation on their boats seemingly heedless to their passage But what struck Randidly most was that aside for some small daggers the only weapon that he saw from the people were spears Always spears

Shal does everyone on your world use a spear Randidly asked cautiously It wasn’t that he didn’t think that the spear offered advantages that no other weapon held The combination of power reach and speed was truly impressive But there would always be differences of opinion when it came to what weapons were best But here there didn’t seem to be a single other weapon

Obviously the Spearman was born here Shal said not bothering to explain further as they vaulted over the side of a boat onto another As the proceeded the type of boats that they were crossing quickly changed Where it was previously a sort of houseboats now they were on flatter barge type boats where small stalls were set up where they sold food or knickknacks But still they pressed deeper and the boats under them grew larger and longer until it didn’t even seem like they were on boats at all but walking on land

They only give away was the occasional falling in the pit of your stomach as a wave large enough to rock these boats reached them

Squeezing through a press of bodies Randidly realized that Shal was not the typical member from this planet They all seemed to possess a strange tint to their skin (red orange yellow and Randidly saw one young woman who was decidedly purple) and a third eye on their brow but Randidly did not see another with the blue tint that Shal had

They seemed to afford him some small measure of respect because of it too When they saw him they stepped to the side quickly moving back to where they were just in time to make Randidly’s passage more difficult No one seemed to care that his skin was human colored and that he only possessed two eyes however No one gave him a second glance

After walking for almost an hour they arrived at the largest boat Randidly had seen It towered over the surrounding boats and from it hung hundreds of thousands of streamers in different colors The banners were covered in a strange scrawl too strange hieroglyphics that Randidly couldn’t read but as he looked the words trembled and shifted swiftly becoming english

They were names he realized All of them names

Setting aside the strange feeling he got as the system compensated so easily for the language Randidly asked What is this place

The Gauntlet Shal stated proudly The largest gambling den in Qtal and in the surrounding area No one Style rules Qtal so the money grubbers have more influence Come you need to familiarize yourself tomorrow you shall fight

And Shal was off pushing people to the side Sighing Randidly followed They moved with and through the crowd climbing up the rather steep ramps to enter into the Gauntlet A man who looked like a doorman seemed to be collecting money from all who entered paled when he saw Shal bowing and scraping letting the two of them walk passed without paying All though many saw this no one commented which led Randidly to believed there was a secret about Shal that he was missing

But there wasn’t time to ask and Shal pulled him forward The inside was set up like a jail with a large thick tower at the center towards which Shal continued Randidly followed and when they arrived Shal began climbing the stairs They continued to climb until they reached the second floor from the top which was a lavishly decorated open area There was food in the center of the room and the outside seemed dedicated to seating

And without walls you could clearly see out from the central tower to the strange prison like area that formed the outside Shal stopped arms behind his back and Randidly walked to the edge In the prison cells opposite that surrounded this tower there were fights

Brutal and bloody fights And from his vantage Randidly could see dozens happening at the same time There were 10 levels The lower levels had more cells but they were smaller and more brutal On the 9th level where they stood there were much fewer the cells much larger more spacious As Randidly looked he realized that not all of the cells were fights Others appeared to be tasks where only one individual silently struggled But there was a strange intensity to it all

Randidly’s eyes narrowed These would not be easy opponents

Unfortunately Shal commented You are too late to climb in the normal manner The only remaining way to receive an invitation to the tournament in time is through the melee Look down

Randidly did so and saw that below him on the wooden ground there were 3 wooden platforms wide things built like a square stage He slowly walked around the inside of the tower and more and more came into view The entire circuit took quite some time as the tower was massive but there ended up being 20 such platforms

They allow a maximum of 3 people per platform All who remain on the platform at the end of the 2 hour period will receive an invitation If there are more than 3 they have 1 minute to bring that number down to 3 or they all will not receive invitations

His expression thoughtful Shal stepped up next to Randidly and clapped him on the back Do not worry All who participate in such a competition are latecomers and trash Even with your meagre skills you should be fine

Such a latecomer Randidly sighed

Besides Shal continued We shall have time today for some more pointed instruction Your form is sloppy and without inspiration It is like you forgot that the true weapon you have is the spear You try to do the work yourself but you are just a man with a spear The spear knows its business

Ah But first Shal said with a wide grin You must obtain your Tassle

A Tassle Randidly realized were those strange banners hanging from the Gauntlet It also seemed like they corresponded to the sails above the boats There was a sort of pride in one’s Tassle so when they showed up at the store the building constructed of bamboo with thick bolts of cloth everywhere they were greeted warmly

And when the attendant saw the color of Shal’s skin his eyes twitched and then he brought at an older man with a thick beard whose skins was a dusky green color

Welcome welcome The man said with a smile How may this one serve you on this day

My disciple shall enter the Gauntlet for the first time tomorrow He needs his first Tassle

Ah such a talented youth The man said but his gaze was greedily running over Shal’s skin I don’t suppose he has learned any of the core Skill Sets

Unfortunately not Shal said his expression turning stony He does not yet have a Skill Set

Oh I see All in good time I suppose Then sir please follow me you can choose from any of the middle tier colors

Randidly blinked speaking up I actually have one

Shal and the bearded man looked at him turning back from the area they were heading towards which was filled with red banners

Shal said nothing but the man smiled kindly Ah you have a basic skill set Unfortunately if it’s of common rarity you won’t be able to do better than

It’s runic Randidly said Then he added But I only know the first movement so I guess it isn’t complete

The two just looked at him Shal’s face had become inscrutable The man’s eyes were bulging

Then then He said finally managing to speak Let us proceed below for a test

The man led the way into a back room down the stairs passed several employees who were talking to each other in whispers and looking excitedly at Shal and Randidly Slightly bemused Randidly just followed

At the lower floor there was another room one with two women sitting in meditation This room was much larger than the one Shal was staying at It was about as large as a basketball court The bearded man hurried over to one and whispered in her ear and her eyes slowly opened her gaze focusing on Randidly

Shal stood next to Randidly gazing meaningfully at him

What Randidly finally asked

I Don’t know what to say I cannot decide So I shall wait until I see your move Then Shal shook his head ruefully Perhaps it is fate that you became my student We both attract far too much attention to ourselves

The woman stood and spoke I will receive your spear move to determine its strength Do not hold back your strength is not at the level that it can hurt me Come whenever you are prepared

Shal stepped back away standing next to the bearded man Randidly found himself standing there with the woman slowly leveling her spear at him waiting calmly After a brief hesitation he removed his bone spear from his ring It was slender and thin but it was a spear and Randidly felt like it fit very well in his hands

He lowered his own spear at the woman preparing

Chapter 125

Randidly hadn’t used this move in quite some time purposefully so as to take advantage of the notification free period to refine his image for this move Even now he could feel the icy hot violet Aether flowing through him making a strange symbol the symbol that was the skill that he had created

And as he thought and believed it changed slightly evolving shifting It was hard to tell whether this change had been a good one but it had been one he had been working on for several weeks

During that time Randidly had thrust his spear countless times It was a heavy repetition not to increase the quality of the thrust but so that his body knew intimately the motions required in a thrust A thrust was to advance to attack to proceed T thrust was to walk forward into battle It was a simple motion but it was the bread and butter of a spear using its strength its speed and its monstrous reach

To thrust was the first reaction of a spear To advance was the only option in some cases

As he stood there in that room in the bottom of the boat his bare feet on the planks underneath him the soft swaying of the waves making the entire structure rock Randidly focused on this searching inside of him for the perfect feeling of advancing That perfect thrust that he slowly grew closer to the longer he practiced

After he had finally settled on that feeling he did not stop there His move was one that required more than just a spear there was also the propulsion of fire that threw him forward Breathing slowly Randidly ran through everything he had learned practicing flexing his mana reaching for that feeling attempting to imbue it into that symbol of Aether inside of him Insidious addicting cold and deadly that energy pulsed burning his insides

But there was one more thing he needed for this image and it was a rather recent addition It was a phrase that Shal had just said to him earlier in the day that had stuck like a burr in his mind nagging at him

It is like you forgot that the true weapon you have is the spear You try to do the work yourself but you are just a man with a spear The spear knows its business

The spear knew its business huh

As he raised the spear in his hands Randidly relaxed his grip using just his fingertips to hold the spear Then he slid his hands into position learned over the long practice with the root avatars Then he steadied his grip and opened his eyes

In his mind he merged all of these concepts into one hold combining all those feelings he hung onto into the move the Aether in his chest roiling and burning

Stance grip mana flex explosion

Crack

Randidly felt the board beneath his starting position crack and splinter as he launched himself forward his whole body a blur Eyes of the Spear Phantom working as effectively as he could manage as the whole scene blurred

The speed he had gained was too much Randidly in the past had struggled with remaining calm as he screeched forward but this time he relaxed After all the spear knew its business

By the time all of these thoughts had flickered across his mind he had arrived at the woman and her spear blurred the blunt end rising to meet him As the spear curved towards him Randidly had a crazy idea

He activated Phantom Half Step teleporting himself backwards a small amount His momentum continued though and he ripped forward through the air his move creating only a brief moment’s delay

It was only a fraction of a second but the woman noticed it that strange unnatural movement Her eyes widened Her spear blurred even faster

Randidly sat up wincing His head was killing him As he looked around it took a few seconds for his vision to stop spinning and for the people around him to settle back into normal motion The bearded man was talking animatedly with his employees The two women were in quiet discussion with Shal in the corner

When they saw he had awoken they all turned to coolly regard him

Randidly had to suppress a grin This certainly was a lot different than the reception that he would have received in a similar situation back in Donnyton He hated people who fawned over him and were overawed by his presence Much better to deal with people like Shal who was practically glaring at him

Shal in fact was the one who spoke first You cheated He said simply and Randidly flushed In the heat of the battle he had forgotten that he was just testing the power of his created Skill Set He had been too lost in the move and reacted naturally when the instinct to use the skill had struck him

Be that as it may in terms of power that move was almost enough to overwhelm my counter even before he adjusted his position The woman said coolly

Shal crossed his arms This was unnecessary A mid tier color will suffice

And it is dishonorable He should wear badges of his strength with pride Shouldn’t you the son of a Spear Adept know that better than anyone else

Shal remained silent and the woman walked slowly over to Randidly Follow me I shall take you to our back room You may pick any color but Indigo or Violet for your Tassle It is the proof of your accomplishment It will draw attention to you but it will also bring to you the respect you have earned

Disciples from small Styles who receive such attention inevitably die Shal snorted but he followed them as they headed up back into the Tassle shop

Randidly was led deeper past the yellows the oranges the reds then the maroons and light blues into an area where there were pinks lilacs blues and seafoam greens For several minutes he slowly walked among the colors helplessly looking around Honestly he had no idea what he was looking for But they were both looking at him with such expectations it was hard to just pick something

Then he saw it

Folded neatly in the corner on the bottom shelf covered in dust was a green A dark green Randidly walked over and picked it up The fabric was rich and smooth and as Randidly unfolded the Tassle he realized that it glittered emerald in the sun It was rich and vibrant silky and fluid in his hands

Is this acceptable Randidly asked uncertainly The woman smiled and brought him a brush

Now bring it to the table and write your name

They spread the emerald Tassle on the table and Randidly looked at the brush in his hand with shock This was

Just like the Engraving Needle he could feel his mana tremble as he held it almost as if they were ready to flow down along the brush and into the Tassle There was no ink but Randidly knew that if he set the brush to the Tassle

More than that though he felt EVERYTHING tremble His health seemed prepared to slide out of him and onto the fabric and his stamina too Even a thin thread of Aether seemed to be flowing downwards to his fingers

Somewhat lost in the feeling Randidly lowered the brush to the fabric and smoothly wrote Randidly After several weeks although he wasn’t a master he had at least a pretty solid familiarity with how to pool the energy when the letters curved and be smooth and light when there were straight lines

But after finishing Randidly he realized that as he was using everything he had much more reserves to spare he had barely used ? of anything So this time as he slowly drew out the words Ghosthound on the Tassle he took his time carefully filling every stroke with energy Letting the health mana stamina and hint of Aether pool like an ocean beneath each letter Letting currents building and grow in the depths of his writing

Suddenly Randidly blinked looking at the words He had finished His hands were trembling and the darkness at the corners of his vision seemed to indicate his health was very low In addition his body felt raw and twitchy as if an electric current had run through him

But before him the word Randidly was spelled simply the writing serviceable and gold on the emerald background

But Ghosthound

Ghosthound was larger and looping filling the entire middle portion of the Tassle with graceful and imposing letters It felt like a challenge to the world a prideful statement of one’s own worth

Shal made a disgusting noise Ostentatious

The woman simply laughed

They left with the Tassle and a matching strip of cloth in the same emerald color which when they arrived back at their boat they hung from the mast As they did so everyone in the surrounding boats stilled and then looked up at the emerald cloth quietly It certainly stood out a lot amongst the orange red and yellow but there were blue and light green flags at least a few of them so why was green such a big deal

Even the silent old man who hadn’t reacted to their arrival shifted and looked up at the emerald streamer for a long second Then his gaze slid to Randidly

Chuckling the man said Seems my old boat is going to be lively these days Then he returned to his meditations a small smile on his face

Randidly had asked multiple times about the meaning of the colors but Shal had just ignored him stating that they would talk in the morning and left leaving Randidly to his own room and his own thoughts

To his surprise he checked his status screen to discover that he had gained 7 levels in the Spear Advances Ash Trails in that single use It seemed that either image was really that important or the fact that he was against that powerful spear woman had really boosted his experience He also received a level in Phantom Half Step

That PP was enough to get another tick up on his Soul Skill earning him +15 Stamina and +1 Agility and Strength

Struck by a sudden thought Randidly closed his eyes focusing his eyes inward turning his attention to that place in his chest where his Soul Skill spun slowly continually rotating around While he watched previously there were slow gradual changes in the cycle as he witnessed rot balloon up the biological matter only to have it burn to ash refining it slowly

But now Randidly checked within himself watching closely After a time he opened his eyes

Yes it was happening The use of PP sped up the process Peppering the soil were now small sand like grains of crystal holding a strange energy within them This was the energy refined from the continued cycle the pure minerals that could be used to enrich a certain growth

To his eyes they glowed emerald eerily similar to the shade he picked out for his Tassle earlier that day

Chapter 126

Randidly wasn’t sure exactly what to do yet with this information about the happenings of his Soul Skill but he filed it away Image was becoming increasingly important and without a strong image of what this would mean for his soul skill he didn’t want to push forward too far Instead he set those thoughts aside and turned to other topics

Namely his new skill Plantomancy In a way it reminded Randidly of his Soul Seed or at least a less versatile version Whereas Soul Seed would imitate any skill he used and grow into a plant based upon that Plantomancy seemed more like the plant version of Necromancy albeit poorly named Plus it likely didn’t require an Aether investment which was why Randidly had recently been so leery about creating another Soul Seed

Well the Aether problem but also that it was much harder to keep track of what was going into the Soul Seed without notifications And he had very much so lost himself in the training these past few weeks

Plus he didn’t really know what to do with Soul Seeds so Randidly didn’t want to commit to making any Although he assumed that there would be powerful benefits from having quite a few plant minions leveled to a powerful state and ready to go he was also unsure of how much help they would be

Thorn had certainly gotten big but as far as Randidly could tell he was a rather lazy plant that would skulk around following Decklan’s squad feeding on the scraps left by it Meanwhile Arbor was busy just gathering attention from the people of Donnyton cajoling them into dancing with it All in all it left Randidly quite exasperated these weren’t the plant minions that he wanted

But perhaps his Plantomancy would provide the answer Randidly desired So he focused on the spell in his mind letting the strange instinctual knowledge fill him He kept his eyes closed too so he could better feel the shape of the Aether that constituted the skill

It honestly did very little to help Randidly in terms of functionality The strange twists and turns of Aether that he sensed remained inscrutable But it did give him a familiarity with its shape the strange place it held in his body and the small trace of Aether that connected that skill to the pulsing spring of burning numb energy in Randidly’s chest It beat like a heart proving he was alive and the sigil that was Plantomancy glowed softly along with it

Randidly’s eyes snapped open his eyes sparkling Although it was certainly a long way off

he couldn’t help but notice that the sigils he had within him for skills seemed to be similar in construction to the runes he made with engraving

But Randidly supposed his level was too low in all respects to consider what that meant currently Instead he channeled mana and used the first Plantomancy formula that he sensed letting the mana move through him He made no effort to flex his mana and instead just cast the spell

It cost 100 mana and out of the wood of the planks that made up the floor of his room on the boat roots began to curl upwards But Randidly did not guide them but instead watched fascinated as the spell twisted them and wrapped them moving them around and through each other wrapping them tighter and tighter almost like a pretzel

The roots bulged and pulsed and on one of the front roots the front parted revealing two glowing specs of mana Eight gnarled legs twisted outward touching the wooden planks the connecting roots between it and the floor withering away to dust

Randidly looked down at his freshly summoned Root Spider bemused It looked back up at him perfectly still Although it was only the size of a dinner plate and made entirely of roots it was still quite fearsome in a disfigured sort of way It was also true there wasn’t a connection of Aether but a mana connection remained between them and Randidly used it to issue a simple command Leap

The thing jumped in a second twisting around midair to land on the ceiling Grinning Randidly had it jump around more before he noticed that the connection between them was slowly waning as it moved the mana he had used to animate it was being used up

Randidly summoned two more and began to experiment After around an hour he sat back

They weren’t going to be that useful in a fight but he could use them for other things The only offensive weapon that the Root Spiders possessed were slightly dull teeth formed of roots They appeared to also have access to a poison that was based upon his Pollen of the Rafflesia but Randidly suspected that although he wasn’t exactly sure how strong the people he would face would be they would be more than enough to endure his poison

But they could be used as scouts or at least as alarms He couldn’t see through their eyes but they would warn of movement and could give him a general impression of what was moving past them enough so that Randidly could discern who it was that was moving In addition they traveled very quickly with their powerful root legs and distance at least in terms of within the city

Not that he needed anything guarded currently but they were interesting for the future Especially after he discovered that flexing his mana while he created one took almost 1 5x as much mana but made them the size of a small dog If nothing else it would be pretty disorienting to have one use its powerful legs to throw itself down off the ceiling and smash into your head from above

Randidly took one last look at his status screen but realized that his experiments had earned him 2 Skill Lvls in Plantomancy which gave him enough PP to finish off Fighting Proficiency

Congratulations You have completed the Fighting Proficiency Path Your path walks through valleys of darkness where violence abounds With your head held high you advance Because although your fists become bloodied with violence it is only thus that your feet can continue to tread And the path leads ever onward towards the next mountain towards the next Haven Reaction and Willpower +5 You have gained the skill Struggle Lvl 1

Struggle Strain against your fate in fights refusing to give him Gives an extremely small passive boost to Willpower when you are faced with adversity Amount increases with skill level

Contrary to expectations Randidly received another passive skill from the other path It looked like one that was more ambiguous almost to the point of being useless Although Willpower was the stat that got Randidly where he was today due to Shal’s need it wasn’t particularly useful in a fight But still every little edge counted Especially when Willpower was one of the first stats that let him grow in this world

As he didn’t have anymore PP Randidly put off the decision in regards to his next path and instead focused on what he should do this night in preparation for the qualifying melee tomorrow

Randidly grimaced God he hated dealing with people And from what Shal said he would be forced to encounter quite a few people in order to make it through In the end he simply had to be on one of the platforms when the round ended But what if someone else came up onto the platform He didn’t necessarily have to fight him but if Randidly didn’t what if more people came up onto the platform If there were too many

Then Randidly shook his head Pointless to worry about strategy That wasn’t his strong suit Better to focus on his other preparations The obvious first choice was preparing consumable stores He had quite a few blue and red energy shards with him as well as 1 or 2 purple and green ones So he could create potions if he wished it

But there weren’t so many that he wouldn’t run out of he used them too quickly As such Randidly planned on simply waiting to make potions until he found a source of potion ingredients Still he was in a good spot for that Randidly suspected that since this was a world that had been with the system for a while there would be places to buy potion ingredients and even potions

It would be excellent if he could even obtain the higher tiered potion ingredients to try or found a recipe book for high level potions That way he could increase his potion skill

But purchasing those would take money Although it was possible that he could obtain some for winning this qualifier battle or that Shal would be willing to give him some cash neither of those options seemed like they would be sustainable in the long run And depending on how much the higher tiered potion ingredients cost

Better to have another plan to handle it himself He had some small amount of the Nexus currency from trading in dead monster bodies to the recycler but that had fallen by the wayside as Sam’s crew grew more skillful at extracting parts from the monsters Better to have a commodity that Randidly could produce that would earn him some extra cash

And to that end there was only one thing that fit the bill Engraving Almost reverently Randidly removed one of the bracers he had worked on last night from his interspatial ring

Novice’s Leather Bracer Lvl 15 Leather armor worked by a novice Vit +1 Health +8

Engraving of Dragonfly 42% Wearer of the armor moves slightly more quickly when moving with the wind Wearer gains Aspect of Dragonfly I

Aspect of Dragonfly Reaction +1 Agility +1

It was truthfully a small bonus The armor that it was on was rather worthless But Randidly suspected that if he went to a local armorer and offered to Engrave his armor for him improving the armor by these two stat points and the small effect Perhaps it would be pretty tempting It all depended on how common engraving was

Randidly held out some hope that it was rare based on the fact it was only obtained by Sam through his rare Soul Skill but sincerely doubted that it was unheard of After all the spear that Shal used had a strange fluid glimmer that reminded Randidly of Engraving although it was a tier higher than he could understand

But he hadn’t seen it anywhere else So Randidly checked the time gave himself several hours and removed a dozen leather bracers from his ring These were the last of his store given to him by Sam in order to practice It was one thing to offer a single option but if he could master all three

He had come close to 40% in the past with Bear but had barely broken 20% with Fish His best option was to focus on Bear for now get that up to snuff and then slowly bring Fish up too He glanced up sighing But he could only work on this for 2 hours After all if the battle was tomorrow Randidly wanted to practice with his spear and footwork in order to adjust to his body with the stat increases from yesterday

His Root Spider hung in the corner looking at him with ambivalence None of its master’s concerns reached it It was simply on orders to wait there until someone other than its master was to come into the room and then inform its master It was a simple life that thing lived

Chuckling Randidly lowered his needle to the leather and began to engrave

Chapter 127

The next morning Randidly walked out onto the deck raising his hand to shield the sun Above him his emerald tassle flapped in the wind the golden letters of his name catching the light and flashing in an eye catching manner

Randidly was chilled slightly when he noticed that all of the surrounding boats had detached the lines they had to their boat They had several feet of berth all around them where the strangely orange colored water splashed

What’s going on Randidly muttered to himself and he was extremely surprised when there was an answer

Heh you’ve certainly stirred up trouble for us

Randidly turned and found that the speaker was the old man still sitting cross legged meditating on the deck of the boat But as Randidly turned to him the speaker yawned and straightened standing up

Good thing too The old man added I was getting rather bored

Is there really something strange about the color I picked Randidly asked curious

The old man smiled It certainly wasn’t a smart choice Has Shal not told you Randidly shook his head and the old man chuckled

Ha obviously not That young one has his head stuck so far up the ass of his spear he cannot see Then come let me explain

It all goes back to the Spearman who had four disciples and was the one who slew the great Calamity that came in the wake of the system Afterwards the Spearman proceeded to ascend to the 4th Cohort looking in his righteous fury for the source of the system that brought such death and strife to his world But to protect the world he left his four disciples the founders of the four schools and ordered them to train our youth well for no matter what he found he had no doubt we would need more strength than simply his for what was to come

The old man flicked his hand and a gourd appeared within it from which he took a long swig looking around Then he sighed and continued to talk The strife between the four disciples is another tale Suffice to say that we followed the disciple who believed the path to power lay through training oneself until you lived up to the the potential inherent in a spear We train Spearman

The founder of our school used a tassle of a color that was named after him Byzantium A dark dark purple He became the master of 1000s of disciples but Styles slowly formed under him A Tassle is the representation of your Style and a Tassle needs color Byzantium also created the ranking system we still use At the top are Masters then Pontiffs the Adepts then Artisans Each is associated with certain shades

Of Byzantium’s disciples not all were talented These ranks helped organize them and tassle colors were slowly selected to distinguish which area you do or will belong to From those disciples and Styles 3 rose to the top Two men and a woman The two men competed fiercely but the woman preferred to train quietly Eventually Byzantium decreed the order of their strength First his own son who triumphed over the other man was given Violet Then the other man who was stubborn enough to rise up from a common background Indigo To the woman who did not compete he awarded Lilac

Time flowed onward and to our horror another Calamity descended but no longer did the Spearman remain to slay it instead all 4 schools held a tournament to select their best and brightest to meet the Calamity They held a tournament

At the end of it two heroes remained One from the Death School with a bone white tassle And a masked individual who claimed to be from the Spearman’s school whose tassle was emerald In the final battle the Spearman school was victorious But in the collision the mask of the man was destroyed And it was revealed that the contestant was that woman who had been given the lilac tassle It was the young woman who was the daughter of the Spearman

Solemnly she looked up at Byzantium and famously said I apologize but I will not fly your colors ’ Shaking his head Byzantium replied Slay this Calamity and you will have earned your own ’

Randidly was scratching his head slightly confused If this color was so important to their school then why But the old man’s next words stilled Randidly

Unfortunately she failed The woman disappeared but the Calamity rampaged for years and our world paid a dear price to slay it

For several long moments there was silence Then the old man continued to speak She was strong true But in the end she wasn’t strong enough Although he couldn’t discredit her completely Byzantium famously included Emerald in the list of colors available to Pontiffs the second highest tier of Spear users even though she was strongest in the world Only Violet Indigo and Lilac were chosen as colors available only to Masters That would be her eternal shame

Moving to the present you may choose your color in two ways One is based on your teacher Shal is an interesting case but he is approaching the Adept tier that is no doubt That should give you access to pale blues and below the yellows oranges and reds etc Or you can go based on your own potential The old man paused Possessing a Runic rarity Skill set before Lvl 25 qualifies as having the potential to become a Pontiff in your lifetime But the color emerald is not deemed honorable It is a source of shame for our entire School The color that failed the world For that you will be targeted

To make matters worse there is another reason to target you The old man said with a smile There is such a thing in our world as rainbow hunters’ They challenge and kill other spear users taking their tassle for their collection aiming for unique and vibrant colors to create a beautiful rainbow collection of tassles Although the Heart School has green tassles commonly they are across the world and difficult to encounter Due to that fact

my tassle is a hotly desired commodity by men who kill other men in order to decorate their mantle Randidly said slowly

The old man nodded

Once more silence descended on the boat For several seconds Randidly considered what the man had told him But again his thoughts were interrupted by the old man speaking

But it is a good thing I think To have pride and to choose your color boldly It is only the young who can make such foolish decisions because only they have the audacity to survive such idiocy

Randidly decided to take that comment as a compliment rather than an insult based on the absent smile on the man’s face and asked What’s your name

Divvit And as he said his name Divvit’s smile was wide and full

So Mr Divvit do I need to worry about people coming to challenge me

Divvit chuckled Well no because technically what will happen is they will challenge the location where your banner stands As it is my boat and as Shal is your master either of us can defend your honor and fight for you Since we are invincible you have nothing to fear

Randidly frowned Couldn’t they attack me while I was off the boat Then come take my tassle later

Luckily not Byzantium made it law that only a duel held under a hanging tassle will enable the winner to collect their spoils from the loser So if they want it they will come here Then Divvit frowned and added But if particularly conservative individuals are offended by the emerald choice they might just attack you whenever and dump your body into the sea But this is likely a small minority And it will take time for them to hear and have their hearts filled with fury over such a small thing as color Better focus on the qualifier for now

Randidly was silent for a moment Can I win this How strong will these opponents be

With a long penetrating glance Divvit looked Randidly up and down before finally saying based on what Shal has told me and what I’ve seen you are about as powerful as someone at Lvl 15 Although you seem to have gained some strength since the two of you sparred

Although there was an acknowledgement at the end Divvit’s word’s still chilled Randidly Lvl 15 A world that was a part of the system for a long time certainly had different standards when it came to strength They likely determined the best path of training the limits before Aether Starvation hit which Patrons to use and raised their warriors to surpass those limits

Most enemies there should be around your level or a little below Most of the disciples with any sort of talent have skipped this step anyway and already received an invitation to the tournament You should likely make it

Divvit’s sentence was a grim one but Randidly didn’t believe that it was really that worrisome Are spells allowed in the melee Are potions allowed

Divvit nodded slowly saying Well yes but most people choose to focus their stats and skills in the single area of the spear but there are those who choose to be both a spear user and a mage and Randidly grinned True he had been judged on his ability to use the spear and been found to only have the strength of someone at Lvl 15 But the Ghosthound was not simply a spear user When compared to his library of versatile spells honestly his spear moves were somewhat lacking

Randidly made a mental note to talk to Shal about spear training more Even if he had the advantage of spells this was a great chance to raise the level of his spear moves in combat with those near his skill level Any advice his master could give him would be important at such a juncture

Ah one final thing Randidly said Divvit quirked up his eyebrow curious

Do you know where I can find a cheap armorsmith

Chapter 128

Claptrap looked broodingly at the short choppy waves of orange water between his boat and the next The past several months had not gone as he had planned

He originally worked as a simple clerk in one of the larger merchant associations in the capital of the Northern Province Deardun content to stand in the sunlight filtering through the window daydreaming about the day that he would become an Artisan level Spearman

In his heart Claptrap always knew that was an almost impossible dream Not only did he possess no distinguishing qualities he also had a rather poor work ethic and the rate at which his spear skills improved was very swiftly outstripped by his peers He had no family who were particularly powerful and no ties to a powerful Style so Claptrap slowly slid sideways from the intense training as a spearman to the more realistic course of becoming a merchant who serviced spearman

There was an ember of bitterness in his chest but the idleness of the days and the warmth of the sun sustained him That was until he met Her the big Her with a capitol H Her name was Ciel and when she first walked into the door of the shop Claptrap worked at she smiled at him

The rest was history

Over the next 6 months a fire that Claptrap hadn’t known himself to possess drove him forward He rose from clerk to assistant manager then finally manager at that location Through copious research he became an expert in weapons and armor able to swiftly determine the value of any high class materials with just a glance

But regardless of the improvements in his life Claptrap knew that their two stations were still far far apart from each other Whereas Ciel could afford to purchase his wares as simple training garb due to the generous stipend given to her by her Style Claptrap could only struggle and smile in silence He had no way to bridge that gap of strength Ciel was the pampered successor to an influential style Claptrap might work for an influential merchant association but he was only a manager of one small store With that standing he could not even let her know how he felt

In his excitement Claptrap confessed his feelings to one of the fellow store managers He was met with laughter Only after a solid 20 minutes of knee slapping did the woman sober up and say Oh you were serious But she’s an actual spear user

So despite the warnings he received from basically everyone in his life Claptrap left the job track he was on which was quite stable but would take a while to come to fruition and moved out to Qtal where the competition required less starting capital and founded his own merchant association Of course referring to it as a merchant association was a little grand at this point It was just him and all the savings he had from his entire life and his parent’s lives as he was the only child of two individuals who had died in a dungeon

But things hadn’t turned out quite how Claptrap had planned Whereas in Deardun everyone sought out high quality armor there simply wasn’t the same amount of upper class money in Qtal Instead what they wanted was cheap and lasting armor that they could buy to protect their life and forget about All that knowledge that Claptrap had about rare materials processes and workmanship was worthless

Instead snarky smooth talking merchants extolled shit as gold and received the sales whereas Claptrap’s shop received less and less customers

But Claptrap perhaps foolishly refused to give in His goal was not to become some two bit con artist He still had some money remaining and his pride With these he would continue to struggle until his dream had truly crashed to the

Claptrap jumped surprised and turned to find a young man standing in the middle of his boat looking at Claptrap curiously Blushing furiously Claptrap stood and bowed slightly To think that he was so lost in his own self pity that he had missed a customer Hello sir how may this one help you today

The young man was strange with a pale pinkish skin that gave Claptrap no clue about his Style’s rank As Claptrap examined him more closely some of that self pity returned The clothes the man was wearing were quite rough well used leathers and furs The leathers appeared to have been worked by someone who had some idea what they were doing but they appeared to have gone through hell since They were crisscrossed with rips and tears

In addition the man’s feet were barefoot That cemented the sinking feeling in Claptrap’s chest

I’d like to make a trade The young man announced and produced 3 leather bracers

Inwardly Claptrap sighed but he was professional and walked forward with a smile Of course but I have to let you know that I very rarely buy wares from But the words caught in his mouth as Claptrap looked down at the bracers in front of him

Because there was Engraving on them In this backwoods town built on the water

Engraving of Dragonfly 52% Wearer of the armor moves slightly more quickly when moving with the wind Wearer gains Aspect of Dragonfly I

Novice’s Leather Bracer Lvl 17 Leather armor worked by a novice Vit +1 Health +13

Engraving of Bear 48% Wearer of the armor is resistant to slowing stunning or knockback effects Wearer gains Aspect of Bear I

Aspect of Bear I Endurance +1 Strength +1

Novice’s Leather Bracer Lvl 14 Leather armor worked by a novice Vit +1 Health +7

Engraving of Fish 40% Wearer has increased sensitivity to movement and hostility within a small area around themselves Wearer gains Aspect of Fish I

Aspect of Fish I Perception +1 Wisdom +1

These are just some examples of my work The young man remarked coolly clearly seeing Claptrap’s frazzled reaction I’m looking to set up a partnership with one of the armor dealers in the area Engraving their wares If you are interested we can discuss compensation

Claptrap’s eyes were bulging Although the Engraving in front of him was at a barely passable level and was of relatively simple runes it was still Engraving The Engraving Guilds were extremely secretive and selective and charged ridiculous prices to have their masters work on weapons and armor basically making sure only the most affluent had access to Engraving

In addition to the guild’s selectivity the average person had no interest in pursuing Engraving because it took so much investment to reach a level where there was a real tangible effect on the wearer Both Aspects I and II were things that people would be slightly interested in but the real power of runes became apparent when they cross the 80% threshold and the III level of the aspect was available

These were all far from that but with some time and training the Dragonfly Engraving could perhaps reach 60%

All of this flashed through Claptrap’s mind in a split second Common Engraving like this simply wasn’t on the market No one was doing it because it was basically impossible for an amateur to learn by himself how it worked and the guilds didn’t want to cheapen Engraving by providing this sort of service

So this young man was effectively offering Claptrap the opportunity to have a product that he would basically have a monopoly on especially around Qtal

Claptrap kept his face studiously casual Ah Engraving I see Well that is interesting I suppose I wouldn’t mind using some of my spare profits to invest in you What sort of deal were you thinking

The young man gave him a frank look then glanced around at Claptrap’s deserted shop Claptrap lifted his chin and studied the sky refusing to balk Finally the young man chuckled

well initially I would give these as a sample and a deposit In exchange you would give me additional pieces of armor for me to engrave for you as well as some of the expected profits so I can purchase some materials The man tilted his head to the side and Claptrap noticed for the first time how green the young man’s eyes were They were were a strange mixture of cat’s eye yellow and forest green

If we can agree on expected profits The man finished simply Claptrap smiled uncertainly but with a hint of hope Maybe this was exactly what he needed to turn his luck around

An hour later after the young man departed with some of his gold and a dozen steel bracers and chest plates Claptrap was more ghost than man Every time Claptrap thought they had agreed on a price that would be to his benefit the other man would ask some seemingly inane questions about the value of the armor or the leather or how much other things could be purchased with the value of such a piece of armor

The most chilling of those interactions was when the man looked coolly up from the initial meagre amount of cash that Claptrap had been willing to front him and had simply said I suppose with this I’ll be able to buy some blue energy crystals

Gritting his teeth Claptrap mumbled out that he must have miscounted and added 3 more silver coins to the pile This man’s intuition was absolutely uncanny How could he so accurately tell when Claptrap was trying to get the better of him

Finally that man left with a sigh as if the whole ordeal left him completely disappointed although they were able to come to an agreement in regards to price Seeing that disappointment there was a part of Claptrap that wanted to offer more but he managed to bind and gag that part of him

After all with the money that he had paid out to the man if he didn’t receive a decent return and rather quickly his business would soon be nearing the danger zone

Ah friend what do you call yourself When the many customers ask who the maker of those fine equipments is what should I tell them

The man shrugged his eyes flashing emerald as he turned away Just tell them it was The Ghosthound

Chapter 129

Randidly arrived back at Devvit’s boat now satisfied with the amount of potion materials that he had managed to obtain from the strange merchant

He honestly had no idea what the currency was worth and asked increasingly direct questions of the merchant called Claptrap but the merchant seemed too proud to answer but felt sorry for Randidly anyway and would offer him more as if as a substitute

Honestly it would have been more useful to just know how much they were worth but Randidly supposed he could be satisfied with just having more money

Shal was sitting on the boat waiting for him and as Randidly arrived his eyes slid open Ah good you have handled your affairs in case your idiocy kills you perhaps I was mistaken about your ability to think Are you prepared The melee begins shortly

Randidly hesitated He would have preferred an opportunity to brew some potions out of the ingredients he had but He supposed he already had enough for a single day Besides he hoped he wouldn’t be forced to go all out and could instead rely on his own passive regeneration skills which he suspected were rather rare This would put the skills under increased pressure and expedite growth

Based on Devvit’s explanation Randidly did have some confidence about being able to manage through this round so he simply nodded and followed Shal as they began the long winding walk back towards the strange colosseum area

If you survive Shal said striding forward ignoring the stares as he walked carrying Randidly’s tassle We shall have the opportunity to train again for a short time I must say your continued Vitality impresses me I had assumed you would have died without my guidance but fear not I shall rid you of all the bad habits you have developed No matter the cost

Then Shal laughed and Randidly had a sinking feeling in his stomach More than the melee he was about to be a part of

the prospect of the fanatical training of Shal was much more intimidating

All of the contestants and there were truly hundreds of them Randidly realized packed into the small area stood still eyes darting back and forth struggling to act casual as everyone came to terms with the fact that they would soon be competing against one another with their lives on the line

For his part Randidly was slightly bemused Being here in Qtal there was clearly a familiarity with death that wasn’t a part of his old world But it was also a world that had been part of the system for at least several generations As such monsters and dungeons had been pushed back far away from the places were civilization reigned supreme

Seeing the nervous glint in most of the eyes of those around him they had fought but they had never fought while stricken with the fear that they would die They had never lost all conscious thought other than the stubborn refusal to die

He had come a long way but Randidly still vividly remembered stumbling back into that safe room covered in acid knowing nothing but fear and the burning pain in his body It was still a chilling memory and a reminder of how unexpectedly your demise could arrive

As the time they waited continued to stretch onward Randidly considered whether to make a statement early But ultimately he didn’t want to deal with the hassle of the attention that would come with it Sure using Agony would probably debilitate most of the opponents around him but it would paint a large target on his back

Although Devvit seemed to think most of the opponents would only be so so that didn’t mean they all would be There was no need to seek those individuals out right now He would find them soon enough in the actual tournament where Randidly would have the benefit of at least another month of training with Shal

Shivering instinctively Randidly turned his focus elsewhere Just in time to see the large brass doors of their waiting room rumble slowly open Immediately everyone was on their feet spears drawn looking around warily

An attendant had explained the rules again earlier 10 Stages only 3 could pass per stage by standing on it at the end of 2 hours After 2 hours if there were more than 3 people on the stage there would be a 60 second overtime If there were not 3 people there at the end of 60 seconds all of those people would fail

And as soon as they passed through the door into the main arena area they would be considered participating and could be attacked at any point by their fellow spear users

Randidly was towards the middle of the group so he didn’t immediately move after the door opened But soon the people in front of him broke into a trot running out in the air and Randidly cautiously followed Very quickly he began to move running just a bit faster than those around him dodging and weaving and within a few seconds he had burst out through the door arriving at the huge arena

The ground was dirt and the walls rose around him covered in strange viewing cells But he kept his eyes on the ground He had no need to pay attention to the cells currently he simply needed to stay down here among the stages

Dozens of people were jogging around Randidly exchanging glances and it was actually one of the men near Randidly that made the first move stabbing towards Randidly’s back with his spear Almost as if this was a spark on oil several other small battles erupted around them as people attempted to sneak attack other competitors and were then sneak attacked themselves

Snorting Randidly drew his spear and knocked the initiator’s spear to the side and then delivered a roundhouse kick to the man’s chest It was easy to see from his movements that he wasn’t really that strong Randidly expected that most of the upper tiered Classers from Donnyton could have taken him in a battle

Using EmpowerRandidly added a burst of speed and got out of the group of infighting that had stalled out very near to the brass doors Most new entrants avoided the growing brawl but others charged proudly forward excited to test their mettle in battle It all seemed very strange to Randidly Defeating opponents at this time was almost pointless there were far too many people to make a dent in the number

So Randidly followed the growing streams of people that began running around the giant central building heading for other stages The stage immediately outside of the brass doors already had at least 10 people atop it and they were battling fiercely Randidly paused for a second examining them and turned away

Some of those people they even gave Randidly pause There were definitely opponents here that would give Randidly trouble Their speed and the way they used their spears were imaginative and the fact he could notice these things in just a cursory examination proved that they definitely possessed talent There were even a few individuals that used spells producing spears of earth from the ground to attack other contestants He made a note to avoid them but another part of him began to burn wanting to join the foolish rush seeking a challenge

In addition to obtaining the qualification to go on to the actual tournament Randidly also wanted to test himself here But he forced that instinct to take a back seat for now The battle was 2 hours long there was no need to seek out trouble so quickly Besides things were descending into madness around him as more and more fights broke out by the area around the first couple stages

As Randidly glanced to the side he noticed two contestants separate and slowly catch up to him one coming up on each side He sighed inwardly but made no move to attack them He was already tired of this type of activity

And just like he had predicted they attacked him both launching themselves forward spears darting towards his ribs with a grace that surprised Randidly The speed was almost too much for him to take

But because he knew the attack was probably coming he activated Empower and Haste funneling powering into Footwork of the Spear Phantom With two steps he avoided their blows and appeared behind the first opponent sending a Roundhouse Kick at his back Strangely that man swiveled avoiding the blow and slammed the butt of his spear into Randidly’s surprised face

Grunting Randidly stumbled backwards as the two rushed towards him

Don’t underestimate me The one that Randidly had attempted to kick yelled furiously and Randidly felt an old familiar spark of anger rise within him hungry and vicious He had originally been running without his spear out in order to attract less attention but it appeared that had backfired These people held too much fucking focus on the spear

So Randidly produced his slender spear and immediately stepped with Spear Phantom’s Footwork appearing between the two They responded well raising their spears but the nearest one was no match for the speed of Phantom Thrust It ripped off half of his neck and he fell gurgling to the ground

Roaring the other charged forward but Randidly used a Mana Strengthened Sweep to pick him up and throw him high into the air Due to the angle Randidly had the man spun wildly too and couldn’t regain his composure before he smashed into the ground with a sickening crack Around them other contestants just swerved slightly avoiding the battle but eyeing Randidly with glittering eyes that made him even more annoyed

Stomping over to the man whose throat he ripped out Randidly glared down at him Fine you want to die Wish granted idiot

The man laughed but it really just sounded like more gurgling and said something that incensed Randidly even further Better to die holding a spear than to hide and never advance towards my destiny

In a very anticlimactic way the man’s eyes dulled and his head fell back Extremely human seeming crimson blood flowed out spreading slowly out around the man’s body Randidly spared a glance for the other man who was struggling to move and seemed to be doing nothing other than mewing weakly

Although Randidly had killed many things since the system had come to Earth and watched many more creatures including humans die this moment would stay with him for a long time Part of it was the almost glee with which these people ran towards their fate Part of it was the acknowledgment that his power was legitimate even here at least at this level

Part of it was how red the blood was staining the ground and as the blood drained into the ground Randidly had an abrupt vision of thousands of people coming here to die their blood flowing outward and down through the boats beneath them slowly reaching the water So much blood that the water in the surrounding area would slowly become stained orange an eternal testament to the dried iron pumping out of dying bodies

Randidly didn’t know if this was accurate but the image helped him understand the people of this world and a lot of the things that Shal and Devvit said in passing clicked together in his mind Here following the path of the Spearman towards mastery of the spear and personal power was everything If Randidly wanted to succeed here and bring honor to Shal’s style in order to repay him for all that he had done

There was only one way To display power

His eyes burning with anger Randidly walked forward leaving the other man to die on his own Fine he would smash these idiots apart and teach them to value their own lives

Or they would die fools by his spear Randidly couldn’t care less at this point

Chapter 130

The grand melee was an event that almost all of Qtal came out for and Claptrap was no exception The administrators of the event opened up the general challenge cells and cleared them out so those without the money or status to make it to the central viewing tower could view by running around through the cells

As per the usual the merchants moved as a band heading towards the highest and largest of the cells creating a tightly packed Special Market where each of the merchants brought their most prized wares sold at special prices to those individuals who came up to their shops

For Claptrap’s part he brought several finely made pieces of armor as well as the 3 bracers engraved by the Ghosthound If he could make a sale of these today

Ah Claps my boy you came too Hohoho tis a good thing our stands are so far apart otherwise I would worry about you stealing some of my customers with your big city acumen

His face red Claptrap turned to face the speaker an extremely fat merchant with a well oiled beard who styled himself Uncle Izzie ’ The space behind Uncle Izzie was filled with a varied spread where every item of armor appeared to be a precious treasure that would be the valued possession of the current master of a Style It was infuriating because Uncle Izzie was Claptrap’s main competition and Claptrap hadn’t been able to best him in a single category since he had come to Qtal

Mr Izzat it’s good to see you are doing so well Claptrap said woodenly

Izzat’s eyes narrowed but his smile remained stubbornly in place Hohoho no need to be so formal call me Uncle Izzie everyone does Are your servants coming later bringing your wares Why is it that you only have a small satchel at your side

Claptrap bit his lip One of the things that annoyed him about Izzat is that he insisted on never using an interspatial ring to store his wares but instead paid servants to physically carry around the armor in boxes in a show of wealth The amount of spare coin the man had was maddening

Embarrassed Claptrap turned away leaving Izzat to chuckle at his retreating back

When Claptrap arrived at his space his heart sank further Although he had reserved it so far in advance why was it so small It was the size of a child’s desk and would basically would have enough room for him to display 5 or so pieces of armor with him hunching behind them Worst of all both of the stands on either side of him were large and splendid covered in fine red table clothes and Tassle streamers of varying colors indicating the high support that they had from their customers

Claptrap made a mental note to ask the Ghosthound for a tassle streamer of his just to have something to display It didn’t even matter if it was red it was better to have something than nothing

So Claptrap slowly removed a high quality ivory helmet greaves that sparkled with gold inlay but in fact were not weakened by the use of the metal and the Ghosthound’s 3 low quality dirty and beaten leather bracers and tried to keep a smile on his face for the meandering customers

It was going to be a long day

Hello Shal

Shal’s gaze slid sideways from his student who finally became serious about the competition and killed two bottom feeders to find one of the people he detested most in the world

Egger He grunted his gaze returning to the window The less he was forced to interact with this pompous prick the better

I am surprised Who knew that you would have the delicacy to train a disciple I suppose even violence obsessed idiots have their moments Egger said stepping closer to Shal so they were side by side as they looked out the window I have 20 trained and tested disciples in this farce I have given them explicit instructions that they are to have one of them on each of the stages We will see whether your disciple will even be able to survive long enough for his Tassle to unfurl

And this was why Shal detested Egger For as children they had been rivals in Egger’s eyes until Shal summarily trounced him Since then Egger had bootlicked his way into one of the larger Styles and had become a rather well respected instructor for new disciples even if he was still a mediocre spear user At every opportunity Egger took the opportunity to lord his training accomplishments over Shal which was received with stony silence

After all previously there wasn’t really any competition But now Shal had a disciple recognized by the world although most of the world hadn’t realized it yet there was another Spear Phantom in training

Normally Shal would ignore him because your ability to train a disciple was secondary to individual strength But there was another truth here that Shal didn’t want to endanger

Shal had never lost to Egger in anything

So despite his distaste Shal spoke directly On this day a Tassle of your Iron Spear Style will be taken by the Spear Phantom Style I will wager

Shal paused considering his opponents financial straights Then he removed an old spear from his ring a huge almost 3 meter long monstrosity that had been forged of obsidian It glittered black in the darkness a huge hunk of black metal the Spear of the Devourer

Egger’s eyes paled and Shal experienced a certain satisfaction All had wondered how Shal’s duel with the Devourer had gone but Shal refused to speak of it But the fact that he had the Devourer’s spear could only mean one thing

Shal enjoyed the expression on Egger’s face as he did some quick calculations over the worth of such a spear and the fear and panic in Egger’s eyes when he realized what a large bet it was But strangely his face stilled and he smiled alright I will bet this hunk of DragonHeart ore as well as a bit of information

Sneering Shal opened his mouth to deride Egger not even wanting to hear the information Although the ore was valuable it was nowhere near as valuable as the spear of the Devourer But Egger continued speaking and Shal froze

I’ll tell you the location of Lucrecia

Shal blinked Then his eyes darkened It is a deal He hissed through his teeth turning back to the melee with fiery eyes

Randidly ran forward passing stage after stage his brooding eyes taking in the vicious struggles going on at each location where more and more people with ideas like his would break off swarming to the lesser populated stages that they would find for themselves hoping to see how well they would stack up against the competition But Randidly continued to jog

Not to restore his condition because he had almost instantly regained the Stamina he had lost in his little fight But because the heat in his chest was slowly cooling to a bubbling anger preparing to blow up again But at the moment he was unsatisfied by the large crowds he ran into

Still time was beginning to drag on Such was the size of the location that he had been jogging for almost 20 minutes and still hadn’t reached the opposite side of the arena It was simply too large more a small island than a boat Although there was already a large cluster of people gathered around the current stage that Randidly was approaching he was sorely tempted to stop and set up shop here

But again that flicker of rage made him grind his teeth and in order to avoid killing all of these spear users Randidly continued to run As he did so he noticed that a slim young woman with spiky red hair was shadowing him not coming too close but also clearly following the same path as him at the same speed

Again his temper flared but again Randidly pushed it down It wasn’t yet clear what this woman’s intentions were But if she planned some sort of vengeance for the two people Randidly had killed

Shaking his head Randidly put that out of his mind This world was different Perhaps killing was just killing here and wouldn’t lead to an endless cycle of revenge

Besides the young woman wasn’t really looking at him with any sort of malice But it was a strange deliberate intensity to her gaze that set him on edge It was strange to him why she would look at him like this when they had never met in the past Perhaps some relationship with Shal

The distance she maintained was enough that Randidly didn’t really have any plans to turn and attack her It would be a waste of time and there were so many other spear users lurking around It was best to just ignore her for now

A few minutes later Randidly arrived at the next stage which was strangely quiet There were fewer people here but also there was only a single man on the stage surrounded by around a dozen bodies The blood was already dried and the crowd around them was milling about looking at each other nervously

But perhaps the most eye catching thing about the stage is that the man standing on the stage was the two spears he held one in each hand both wet with blood His grip was casual his gaze bored scanning the crowd with open disdain

The raw arrogance in his slouched stance ignited the rage in Randidly’s heart even further His hands tightened around his spear Ignoring the dead bodies surrounding the strange man Randidly picked up speed as he ran forward Almost instinctively he activated Haste gaining speed When he reached the edge of the crowd he allowed his rage to just carry him forward activating Mana Strengthening and leaping clearing the nervous group of spear users and sailing through the air

In a rather ungainly fashion he crashed onto the stage sliding slightly on a patch of blood that was still wet But with the assistance of the Grace skill Randidly stabilized himself very quickly then turned to regard the man He had long hair cascading down his back and over his shoulders As Randidly arrived his eyes had narrowed and now he was looking at him with a sneer His skin was a yellow very close to lime green a bright vibrant color that almost made the man look like a clown to Randidly’s eyes

Are you a fool I am a disciple of the Thundercrash Style Leave or your corpse will fertilize rice The man demanded his eyes flashing

Randidly just grinned leveling his spear at his opponent

With a snort the man waved his hand and a strange energy surged through the air smashing towards Randidly When it reached him Randidly blinked and swayed It was like 1000s of ghost spears were surging towards him each with the speed and ferocity of a lightning bolt But Randidly simply frowned and focused and the strange spiritual attack warped and shattered cracking like glass

For a time there was silence as the man’s expression changed from derision to contemplative Randidly tightened his grip on his spear his heart beginning to beat with an increased intensity Finally a spear user near his own level The chance to see how well he stacks up against individuals from a world of the 5th Cohort of the Nexus

You who are you The man asked slowly

They call me the Ghosthound

I am Tartet It would be a great joy to kill you this day Ghost

I’m Dian

Both Randidly and Tartet turned rather confused Randidly’s eyes narrowed It was that woman with pointy red hair Most annoyingly she seemed content to produce a pallet from her interspatial ring lounging on the stage in the corner As the two men continued to stare she straightened and frowned at them

I’ll just take the winner It wouldn’t be fair to fight 3 at a time 2 people would just gang up and kill the third

Chapter 131

Several seconds passed What was most annoying was that in that same time the crowd appeared to regain some of its confidence perhaps boosted by the rather strange turn of events on stage Several spear users edged towards the stage perhaps preparing to ascend joining the increasing number of people on stage

But Dian flicked her hand and fresh wet and red wounds sprouted from two nearby individual’s necks The nearby spear users once more scrambled backwards shocked by the strange turn of events and Dian nodded seriously I’ll keep the trash away May your battle be long and honorable

Tartet and Randidly turned to one another both frowning but

As Randidly looked at that lemon skinned idiot it was hard not to feel his hackles rise In the same way Tartet began to sneer as his eyes ran over Randidly’s worn leathers and his bare feet Perhaps there was a smarter way to handle the situation but both looked at the other and saw a person unworthy of respect They could not both remain on the stage allowing the other to persist

They would need to fight to demonstrate their own worth in their mind And both knew that the other was thinking along almost the same lines but it did not matter It was better this way There was an answer they would only find after crossing spears and both were determined to find the answer they wanted

Randidly moved first his grip on his spear tight rushing towards his opponent But although Randidly moved first Tartet was the one who seemed to arrive to first bursting into a flurry of motion both spears ripping forward in vicious stabs Gritting his teeth Randidly unleashed a Phantom Onslaught barely able to keep up with the amount of blows that the opposing spear user unleashed

Although Tartet’s attacks were stronger Randidly’s were faster and more unpredictable slashing upwards at weird angles deflecting the strangely vicious strikes of his opponent But Randidly was forced to use Phantom Onslaught again and again his stamina rapidly draining down And from the bright fire in Tartet’s eyes it did not seem like he was depleting his stamina at the speed Randidly was

The other had an advantage and it was slowly pushing Randidly backwards No longer did he have any attention to spare for Dian or the surrounding contestants there was only this man in front of him who was infuriatingly competent with his spear

But this didn’t discourage Randidly Instead it only made him want to be able to triumph even more In his chest he felt the stirrings of that frost and lava energy spreading its tendrils through his limbs Although he could feel weariness building up it was nothing compared to the helplessness and fear that Randidly had started with those months ago

Compared to the fear of death this was nothing He had trained for several weeks preparing for just this His spear strikes were accurate and tireless intercepting and deflecting constantly struggling against the other’s overwhelming power

Although his breathing was heavy inwardly Randidly was calm as he unleashed another Phantom Onslaught focusing all of his will on the image he had of the move It was unpredictable endless eternal unavoidable It flooded towards you unstoppable Part of the image was based on the very mental attack that Tartet had used on Randidly But it was an accurate picture of what Randidly wanted Those endless howling spears

It was a small thing but Randidly felt his spear attacks during the move becoming more ephemeral and numerous seeming to come from every direction

To Randidly’s shock Tartet just growled and his spears began to hum and vibrate Then he launched his attacks the spears blurring and unpredictable but also extremely powerful so much so that the entirety of Phantom Onslaught was blown away

Luckily it seemed that the unpredictability cut both ways although there was a split second where Randidly was defenseless Tartet couldn’t manage to change the path of his attacks and the strange vibrating thrusts ripped across his ribs and shoulders inflicting small wounds but failing to fatally wound Randidly

Hissing out through his teeth Randidly relied on Spear Phantom’s Footwork to spin around Tartet creating some distance His opponent’s reaction was quick the other spun around and rushed forward the spears wildly swinging

His mouth firming into a line Randidly planted his feet lowered himself into one of the strange stances taught to him by the old turtle activated Haste Empower and Mana Strengthening and used Sweep his spear whipping around to crash against one of the weird vibrating attack

The power of those blows was evenly matched or even a little in Tartet’s favor but the momentum of his attack had been stopped Or at least that spear had been

While Randidly was stumbling shaken and almost unable to grip his spear due to the aftershocks of the collision Tartet’s other spear ripped forward aiming for his heart For once the strange unpredictability seemed to go Tartet’s way But Randidly simply stepped backwards creating space Tartet leaped forward following

Again Randidly hissed and sidestepped with Spear Phantom’s footwork avoiding the blow but Tartet just spun his eyes burning barely losing any time before leaping after Randidly There was something about him Randidly realized A strangeness a pervasive feel to the air A hunger His spear well spears were hungry and that feeling infused the entirety of his movements

Randidly’s eyes narrowed This was

A skill set A complete one one that was accompanied by a very powerful image Its effect was obvious so much so that even he could recognize it relatively quickly For a moment Randidly considered using a spell but then he pushed that down his mouth quirking up into a grin He would not be able to live with himself if he was walking upon this path only to willingly leave it

Then let’s see which of our images can carry us farther Randidly whispered his feet moving in a strange profound way Of all the things Shal had seen of his he had only received a compliment on one of them that in terms of running away he could be considered to have talent This was the Spear Phantom the warrior who could perfectly control his positioning in battle

Randidly moved to the side and Tartet followed roaring and accelerating Again Randidly slid out of the way and Tartet was forced to twist and leap in a new direction But Randidly was already dodging moving out of the path of those wild spears Now Tartet was roaring aloud his eyes scrunched and furious

They twisted and turned one constantly following the other their speed slowly increasing Strangely Tartet managed to maintain his momentum slowly building in intensity until his tendons and muscles strained and thrummed throwing him back and forth turning on a dime

But Randidly was even more impressive and he felt it or at least the edges of it The utility of these steps in controlling this space that he could use to trick an opponent Tartet wasn’t an opponent that was pay attention to feints but in that moment Randidly felt those steps too the infinite possibilities the steps leading in 1000 different paths First Haste then Empower and now Mana Strengthening he used all of his combat skills pushing his speed further and further leading Tartet on a wild chase

It was obvious to Randidly that Tartet couldn’t handle the speed for much longer Their was a hair of hesitation during the turn where there wasn’t before as his opponent struggled to keep his feet while they danced back and forth But Randidly’s stamina and mana depleted just as rapidly limiting how long he could continue like this

Or it would if not for

His expression remaining placid even as his fury burned hot and proud in his chest he drew 300 Stamina from the rings on his fingers upping the speed a little bit more appearing behind Tartet and finally attacking with a Phantom Thrust

For a second Randidly thought that the attack would hit his opponent without a hitch But then Tartet spun weirdly causing the attack to only inflict a flesh wound and also positioning himself with one spear held high and angled downward the other low and angled upwards

Before he could react those spears snapped forward like the jaws of a wolf one ripping a gash in Randidly’s thigh the other digging a deep hole in his shoulder Just as quick they pulled back into that position and then sprung forward that hunger that pervaded his spear style howling wanting more

But Randidly had already activated Phantom Half Step several times in a row during that split second teleporting himself some distance away He had teleported himself so far away that he was off the stage and tumbled into the crowd

His fall knocked some individuals over splattering them with his blood They yelled first in shock and then in anger and regained their feet and rushed towards him spears raised They were like bottom feeders avoiding the strong but content to attack the weak Randidly didn’t spare them a glance instead he was staring at Tartet

After Randidly retreated rapidly backwards Tartet sneered down at him and then turned away With a clear dismissal Tartet walked cautiously towards Dian

The disappointment in Randidly’s chest was hot and fresh and strangely familiar It was the same feeling he had gotten when he had conceded the match against Donnyton’s Classers It was the bitter truth that his spear skills were not enough alone for him to win here Although he truly had some talent when it came to dodging using Spear Phantom’s Footwork his spear work hadn’t come together enough for him to inflict damage with his attacks He simply would walk into traps in that way

The spear users around him surged closer thrusting out with their weapons their faces gleeful and vindictive Still Randidly ignored them his pulse pounding in his ears

He had wanted this to go differently He had wanted his spear arts to slowly grow through battle becoming peerless in a single day Idiocy

His fists clenched This was a lot like the Donnyton challenges all over again but he had been even more harsh on his inclusion of moves Another difference was that when it came down to it The only thing holding him back was his pride not fear of killing So this challenge would turn out very very differently that Randidly swore

With blazing eyes Randidly activated Agony which smashed outward turning those gleeful faces into stunned and stupefied expressions A dozen Phantom Thrusts ripped out killing the briefly stunned spear users around him

Some of the others were able to withstand the pain but they still looked at Randidly with fearful expressions Dropping all pretenses Randidly drew several potions one Health one Mana and three Stamina and drank them all putting him much closer to an optimal condition His flesh slowly closed the bleeding ceasing Blood continued to pound wildly in his ears The Aether in his chest was furiously pulsing now

Fine Randidly growled hopping back up onto the platform Let’s play for keeps

Chapter 132

Tartet slowed his walk and glanced over his shoulder clearly shocked And Randidly noticed the second that Agony’s range extended to the man because his face immediately tightened

You you are a mage Tartet whispered crossing his spears defensively in front of him

Randidly didn’t bother to answer instead just walked forward his spear spinning slowly With the addition of spells Randidly had no doubt that he would be able to handle this challenger and likely all of the bottom feeders surrounding the stage He wondered why he had been too timid to do this in the beginning This sort of power was exactly what the people of this world wanted He should have recognized it from the beginning based upon the strange tradition of Tassles

It was time for this place to bear witness to The Ghosthound

But before Randidly could attack a strange chime rang out filling every corner of the arena Then a voice echoed outward a low calm male voice who seemed almost bored with his words

We have reached the 1 hour threshold for the Qualifier for the Regional Tournament At current 23% of the contestants have been eliminated either by withdrawing or otherwise There was a long moment of silence as the cold voice continued still bored There are currently 21 individuals standing across the 10 stages As a show of their accomplishments their Tassles will be displayed over the stages on which they stand until they are defeated

On cue long poles slid out from the central tower carrying with them a number of Tassles between 1 and 3 The one above Randidly’s stage had 3 His own a rich emerald with gold lettering A disgusting looking yellow Tassle with black letters that belonged to Tartet

But the final Tassle was just as strange and eye catching as Randidly’s it was red violet and the name of the contestant and Style were written in a sickly white After a few seconds to consider the strange concept of Tassles Randidly lowered his gaze his eyes narrowed It was time to fight Tartet was still gazing upwards his eyes shocked and slightly vacant

Randidly glanced around and it seemed like everyone was just shocked by this announcement Was it his emerald causing trouble again Well it didn’t matter He had resolved himself to taking all of the attention so this little extra was nothing

He would blow away all resistance with force

I’ll say this once If you don’t ready yourself I’ll kill you Randidly remarked coldly and Tartet looked down his eyes focusing

Why are you and her together Tartet mumbled but he raised his spears some of his fighting spirit coming back to him Sensing that some of Tartet’s reaction was actually to the other Tassle Dian’s Randidly turned and looked at the girl

And it was a good thing he did The head of a spear flashed in front of him approaching as fast as a biting snake Randidly jerked his head to the side and was able to narrowly escape with a small scratch Growling he hopped backwards but as he made to land his feet wouldn’t obey him and he tumbled onto his back a strange numbness suffusing his body

Perhaps the snake metaphor was too apt Poison

So it was you Randidly could barely raise his head to look but the voice was female and the soft footfalls from the location where Dian had been standing revealed her To think it would end like this die miserably and let this cycle of revenge end forever

Dian raised her hand and flicked her fingers As she did so Randidly finally saw her weapon it seemed to be more whip than spear a long ropey coil that ended in a viciously sharp and poisoned spearhead And at that moment with his body barely responding to his commands the spearhead whistled towards Randidly’s heart

When the Tassles were revealed the area in the viewing tower around Shal fell silent Egger’s expression turned nasty as he saw that only 4 of the stages contained the Tassle of the Iron Spear Style Which even Shal had to admit was something of an accomplishment even if only the non core disciples of the Style were sent out

But as Egger looked out and finally saw the Tassle with the Spear Phantom Style written on it and the Tassle next to it

Vampyrus Took a disciple Egger said gasping

Shal nodded slowly It had been news to him too But none would fake their association with that Style Even before Shal had acted the Spearman School had turned against them

It appears Shal said slowly That the line of Vampyrus the Devourer has not yet ended

It was perhaps fate Shal reflected that he had bet Vampyrus’ spear earlier with Egger A fate that was very heavy and was now on the shoulders of his inexperienced disciple It would be a trial but

No great spear was ever forged without fire

Strangely Shal found himself smiling Even though obtaining information on Lucrecia was riding on his strange disciple that he had found lost and classless in one of the fiercest dungeons near Qtal Even though the Devourer would not lightly take a disciple and it seemed very possible that that small girl was hiding even more secrets on her body

Besides even if Randidly lost Shal wouldn’t lose hope He would kill Egger and force the information he wanted out of him and damn the consequences

So Shal smiled watching the battle below because for the first time in a long time Shal had found what direction he should be heading in

The whip spear rapidly advanced towards Randidly’s body which even with his prodigious regeneration and poison resistances he wasn’t able to muster more than the most flailing and ungraceful movement It must truly be a powerful poison that was contained on the edge of that blade

But his eyes simply narrowed and Randidly did something that he wouldn’t have thought he would ever do in an actual battle he summoned a root avatar He pressed as hard as he could with his mana and the roots erupted out of the ground twining and spinning upward forming a trunk a torso arms and the spear before the opponent’s weapon arrived And it simply stood there as the spear head sunk harmlessly into its chest before ripping its roots out of the ground and advancing with mechanical steps towards Dian

She frowned No matter how you struggle it will be short That poison would reduce anyone without the Poison Resistance skill to a corpse in minutes Even with that skill someone who didn’t have it at least at Lvl 20 would be weakened for days

Then she stretched her whip spear out and Randidly noticed that the rope was covered in thin blades She threw it forward and the weapon ripped the root avatar in half and continued forward aiming for his chest

But the avatar did not really have any weaknesses As opposed to being weakened by being cut in half it was now able to move in two different directions The roots that had previously made up the legs exploded upwards grabbing the spear whip and pulling it downwards bringing it crashing to the ground The torso pulled itself along heading towards Dian

Tartet who had been watching up to this point stepped forward I do not like interfering in another’s duel but you are weak Ghosthound For that I sentence you to death

Abruptly Tartet his eyes widening stopped speaking The reason for this was the fist sized hole in his chest obliterating his left lung that was caused by Randidly’s Incinerating Bolt It was truly a move that moved too fast for you to respond to it Tartet stumbled backwards spitting up some blood but Dian’s advance forced Randidly to turn his attention away before he could send more than a Spearing Roots to finish him off

Even now the insidious nauseating pain of the poison spread through his body becoming more pervasive with each beat of his heart But Randidly’s body was marshalling its own defenses Not only was his regeneration already quite high but he also had several passive skills boosting his resistance and regeneration He was quite weak and that didn’t look like it would change soon but he could at least move

To make himself even more mobile he created a thick root and pulled it out of the ground and wrapped it around his waist More roots sprung upwards twining around his arms and neck keeping his body in position

What he saw made him frown although the avatar’s torso had crawled valiantly towards Dian by the time they had crossed paths the location of the spear’s cut had begun to fester and foam and nearly all of the body had withered to nothing That poison acted so quickly on just the roots What did that mean it was doing inside of him right now

better not to think of it

And anyway Randidly had more pressing issues Dian slowed as she approached avoiding the waves of Spearing Roots that he sent up towards her legs She was soon covered in dozens of tiny scratches but she was able to use her quick reflexes and speed to move past most of them advancing rapidly towards Randidly

Gritting his teeth Randidly shakily raised his hand and unleashed an Incendiary Bolt His body was getting very close now if he could hold out a little longer

But as Randidly expected because she had seen him use it on Tartet Dian was able to spring to the side buying Randidly a few short seconds but hardly giving him a serious solution to stop Dian’s advance

Seeing no other choice Randidly closed his eyes and focused inward Then he let all the weakness and frustration and fear that was creeping up in his heart rush together and form a ball a hot and violent core within him This woman wanted to truly kill him for some reason he didn’t understand She had ways of reducing him to an invalid But still

But still

He would not stop walking forward

As he opened his eyes Randidly wasn’t surprised to find that Dian had rushed forward crossing almost all of the distance towards him But in that time the strange Aether in his chest began to pound He wanted it He wanted this victory and in that moment it was almost an all consuming obsession

Wall of Thorns

Plants sprang upwards weaving together forming a barrier between the two of them and Dian cursed Pussy Still running and hiding

She lashed out with her whip and was surprised to find that the barrier didn’t fall immediately Growling she attacked again and all of the wall was shredded visibly withering and dying even before the scraps landed on the ground

Dian blinked Randidly was gone

Or rather he was above reaching the apex of the jump of Pierce the Skies Shatter the Earth And at that moment his grin manic he pointed his spear downwards and began to fall his slightly numb fingers curling around the shaft of his spear

Chapter 133

Claptrap had been able to sell his ornate helmet for a decent profit and that would sustain him for a while longer but otherwise It had been a very disappointing market Although plenty of customers had walked past they simply didn’t even notice that he was a separate stand than the two lavish set ups on either side of him

Honestly immediately after he had sold the helmet Claptrap experienced intense regret for he realized just how much of a draw that ornate helmet had been Without its high quality craftsmanship and materials to draw the eye Claptrap’s small stand was just a piece of wood in the eyes of the powerful spear users who would come to this high market

Although it was frustrating no one had even noticed the engraved bracers that he had received from the Ghosthound They simply were too shabby looking At this rate

Just then Claptrap looked up only to frown as he saw a large group walking down the aisle towards the location where his booth was located Located at the front was a grinning man who was clearly being bootlicked by the oily Izzat who was rubbing his hands together in a disgusting way practically drooling at the thought of obtaining such fat sheep

And fat sheep they were because in the middle of their group a towering ogre of a woman stood with a Tassle held aloft a soft soft blue barely more than white It was the Crashing Wave Style who were the largest Style in Qtal and the surrounding area

Well it’s hard to say we do business with a lot of merchants The grinning man was saying rubbing his beard We don’t really have exclusive contracts But of course we are amenable to competitive pricing

Don’t you worry about that Ask anyone Uncle Izzie gives you all you are entitled to and more for a fair price Izzat said his eyes crinkling so far he looked like some sort of chubby night terror

Seeing him like that walking with people from such a big Style it was too much and Claptrap felt something snap inside of him Almost before he had realized what had happened he had slammed his fist down on his small booth cursing his luck cursing himself for running away from Ciel without saying anything even cursing Ciel in a small part of his heart for driving him away from his happy life to this

To be overtaken by this bootlicker

The grinning man turned at the noise tilting his head to the side Most of the surrounding merchants were looking at Claptrap too slightly shocked It wasn’t that loud noises were uncommon in the area just that

had there been a small stand there this whole time

Ah Claptrap Oh Sir this is a minor merchant with which I have some small dealings perhaps we should check his stock Izzat’s eyes had already scanned what was on the table in front of Claptrap and his mouth had twitched slightly after he had examined it all Although Claptrap was sure he was a better judge of quality Izzat was still a wiley old merchant He clearly saw the low quality nature of the bracers on the table And he wasn’t going to miss this chance to humiliate Claptrap He occasionally has unusual finds Anything worth this honored sir’s time Claptrap

The question was obviously a trap a part of Claptrap noticed but humiliation and frustration and rage were all mixed inside of them and they insisted he refuse to back down So Claptrap raised his head proudly and said Of course Would honored sir please examine these bracers

Izzat’s face was twisted between shock caution and excitement as he struggled to understand why Claptrap wouldn’t back off but the grinning man came forward his amused expression still in place The man seemed to know that some sort of posturing was going on behind the scenes but it was clear that he didn’t really mind as long as it was amusing And approaching these poorly stitched bracers he had no doubt that it would be

The man picked up the first bracer

Randidly descended picking up speed and Dian only looked up at the last second her eyes widening with realization Which was good because Randidly couldn’t do much fine spear work yet even if his body was slowly struggling to throw off the poison But Randidly couldn’t care less what he couldn’t do because he was sure right now that there was one thing that he could do

And that was to end this strange poison woman

He landed with a crash Dian just scrambling backwards Unfortunately the shockwave knocked her even farther away disorientating her but only injuring her slightly Randidly pulled on his rings gathering up the rest of his stamina and mana

Several bursts of Spearing Roots ripped upwards and Dian didn’t notice until one had already pierced her thigh wriggling upward in a strange root y victory dance Her eyes widened and she showed a surprisingly decisive personality as she twisted ripping the hole in her leg even more widely but she was able to use her spear whip to sever the roots in the surrounding area

Another wave of Spearing Roots was on its way but she was perhaps just as skilled as Randidly at fleeing She flicked her whip out and following the elongated weapon Randidly was surprised to find it wrapped around the leg of a surprised Tartet who appeared to have just regained his feet mostly recovered

Yanking on the whip Dian’s body blurred sideways out of the oncoming roots shooting sideways over towards Tartet who fell to the ground with a yelp unable to withstand the sudden force Eyes narrowing Randidly raised his hand his Eyes of the Spear Phantom focusing to a pinpoint

It shot forward aimed directly into Dian’s path and she didn’t see it until the last second It struck the hand that held her weapon ripping a hole in her palm and knocking the weapon out of her hand She tried to use what remained of her hand to steady her fall but the hand gave out and her face smashed into the ground her nose breaking with an audible crack

Randidly grinned and pointed Spearing Roots ripping upwards out of the ground ripping through Dian’s armor But she wiggled like a fish and was able to avoid any serious wounds And also with her good hand she had produced a potion a pink one that Randidly recognized as the same type that the Yeti had used that appeared to restore everything to the user He raised his hand to send another Incendiary Bolt but Tartet regained his feet and stood between the two of them blocking Randidly’s line of sight

Ghosthound Spear users do not stoop to fighting with mag

Randidly’s mind was ignoring Tartet considering the options at 1 million thoughts a second Root Manipulation would require more sight to use Spearing Roots had proven ineffective Summon Pestilence took too long Incendiary Bolt would just lose its killing power on Tartet Circle of Flame and Agony don’t have the range

Randidly needed to close the difference and ideally eliminate the interference from Tartet as soon as possible

The Spear Advances Ash Trails Randidly’s eyes burned with the image the explosion of force the purity in a simple spearhead advancing He saw it too the implacable deadliness of Dian’s spear the hunger of Tartet’s spear

But that was not his spear His was a spear with tyrannical momentum A spear that would not stop no matter the obstacle

His was a spear that advances

To his credit Tartet managed to get his weapons up in time activating the strange vibrating spears and even moving to attack his eyes narrowing as Randidly approached But that split second wasn’t enough even for the highly trained Tartet

His body was sent flying like a ragdoll and Randidly flew forward in his wake twisting slightly midair Although he was unable to control his momentum mostly due to the continued effect of the poison but he was satisfied with still moving forward towards Dian Randidly raised his spear and activated Empower and Haste his eyes locked on Dian’s throat There was a strange maroon energy around her slowly spreading outward but Randidly ignored it forcing his will down and wrapping it around his spear almost instinctively

Immediately he could faintly see an emerald energy around his spear and Randidly wondered if this was Battle Intent but it was only a fleeting thought and he used Phantom Thrust The spear ripped forward cutting into the strange energy without any ill effects swiftly advancing towards Dian’s vulnerable throat

Their eyes met Dian’s narrowed and bitter Randidly’s glowing emerald and vicious

This is your fault you pushed me to this ’ Her eyes seemed to say

I only take your life because you tried to take mine ’ His eyes answered

But as his spear ripped forward that energy surrounding it was slowly devoured reduced to nothing leaving only the spear At the last second his spear sunk a fraction of an inch into Dian’s throat drawing blood The second after that all of the emerald energy was gone and there truly was only the spear which instantly disintegrated to nothing within that maroon energy

Eyes narrowing Randidly leaped back his body clumsily reacting to his commands still The energy exploded outwards not exactly following him but more like flowing towards him in his direction He raised his hand to protect his face and continued to retreat backwards Very quickly he had outstripped it because the energy flared then fell back settling around Dian

She looked at him strangely then raising the pink potion to her lips Randidly looked at his hand

Most of the flesh on the front had been stripped away leaving only bloody muscle and bone The rings on his right hand were ruined melted to nothing Luckily his interspatial ring was on his other hand Drinking his own potions Randidly eyed her just as she eyed him

You surprised me ’ Both of their eyes said

Ghosthound Tartet said struggling to his feet panting You fucking piece of shit I’ll kill you for humiliating me like this

But Tartet was wounded too and produced his own potions drinking them quickly The three stood eyeing each other warily Randidly had missed his chance to kill them both due to the interference of the other and it appeared that the other two knew it But it was also clear that to Dian and Tartet it was still 1 v 1 v 1 They would not work together That was their pride

Even so Randidly would have an extremely difficult time His breathing had returned to even and he removed another bone spear from his ring but he had played out most of his hidden moves Meanwhile it was impossible to determine exactly what this strange energy that Dian made could do and Randidly didn’t doubt that Tartet knew another move to make his skill set so powerful

Randidly didn’t know how much time was remaining but it was going to be

Ill fated peasants why do you bleed over my stage

Chapter 134

Claptrap kept his face carefully neutral The grinning man was no longer grinning His face was still as the ran his fingers over the bracer Almost reverently he set it back down and picked up the next one Here too he took his time his fingers deftly tracing the engraved lines that the Ghosthound had left in the leather

Claptrap felt it growing in him like a noxious weed abating his anger It was hope spreading wildly He wouldn’t possibly be taking so much time if it was just for a joke now could he

Izzat was now hovering behind the man but from a distance it was impossible to see the engraved lines filled with a rich and vibrant mana So he could only wonder why this man a member of the great Crashing Wave Style would spend so much time on a piece of leather armor that he could have made himself with barely any levels in his Leatherwork skill

The man set the second bracer down and picked up the third which was the Ghosthound’s greatest with an effectiveness of 52% The man’s eyes tightened but he said nothing taking the time to use his fingers to explore every inch of the engraving Claptrap was starting to realize that he was searching for something but he couldn’t be sure what that was As it was he could only wait

The man set the final bracer down and spoke Madam Adept a moment of your time

Claptrap and Izzat both paled as the towering woman handed off the tassle to one of the other members of her style and walked slowly forward She was one of the Adepts of the Crashing Wave Style Although they had a few dozen Spear Artisans even the largest style in Qtal only had 3 Adepts at the moment And considering her prodigious size and gender

There was only one that fit that description Ivkka the Slow Tide

Her eyes flicked across the bracers then she blinked slowly Is this a joke

Claptrap stood there for several seconds before it became clear to him that in fact she was talking to him Uh no But he didn’t really know what would be a joke about his wares

Then he realized and stammered A a at least I d don’t think so A man approached me saying he was a novice engraver unaffiliated with the guilds

Claptrap stumbled to a stop And from the way that Izzat’s eyes widened he suddenly regret that he had stammered that out so easily where anyone could hear him The Guilds took their trade very seriously and took certain steps to ensure that any individuals with the talent for engraving joined their guild

Or they became unable to engrave in a series of tragic accidents

If Izzat would leak that information or worse try to blackmail him with it

But Ivkka just chuckled her laughter and voice slow and even You need not lie friend I am aware that the guilds occasionally send out their apprentices with a shell merchant in order for them to gain experience But I would never had guessed that the Guilds would come to such a small place as our Qtal

Claptrap couldn’t respond He just opened and closed his mouth Izzat was now looking at him with narrowed eyes calculating Ivkka continued to speak Perhaps then when you are willing to display your true wares we can do business Come Sevven

The grinning man Sevven whose easy smile had returned spared Claptrap a glance before following Ivkka away Hesitating for a moment Izzat decided quickly to scurry after them still interested in a deal But from the stink eye he gave Claptrap over his shoulder this business wasn’t concluded and Izzat still had his suspicions

Abruptly alone and with the gazes of the surrounding merchants on him Claptrap felt very cold Why had he said that

After shivering for several minutes he abruptly put the bracers away and left not even bothering to speak to the event staff He needed space and some time to think what saying that would mean for his business

Would this Ghosthound end up being a blessing or a curse

Despite his high status as the most talented recruit of the Iron Spear Style he had simply jogged around the arena for the first hour content to wait things out He saw many powerful spear users that aroused his fighting spirit but he had received instruction from his master Egger to help the Iron Spear Style dominate every stage

He had even taken to wearing a disguise so he wouldn’t be recognized After all in Qtal and the surrounding areas the most talented disciple the Iron Spear Style had seen in 50 years needed no introduction Just his trademark aura of confidence was enough to make lesser opponents quake with fear

Much to his disappointment only 4 of the stages had the tassle of the Iron Spear Style at the halfway point He shook his head sorrowfully but it could not be helped After all although he had done all he could to assist his fellow disciples they didn’t possess his talent and poise They would never understand the Iron Spear Style like he would

It was a style focused on steadfastness in the face of adversity of withstanding incredible pressure without bending It was perhaps not the flashiest style which disappointed him somewhat but that didn’t matter After all his shocking performance would be flashy enough to make up for any weaknesses in the Style

As he jogged past a stage he looked up to see that the crowd here was rather thin Although there were already 3 people on the stage they all seemed to be heavily injured and were carefully sipping potions while eyeing each other up

Cowards

Seeing the first stepping stone he would take to lead the Iron Spear Style to greatness he moved forward heading towards the crowd Apparently even his talent for disguises was too impressive for as he pushed his way through the crowd no one gave him a second glace He secretly memorized all of their faces with his prodigious memory swearing to repay this slight 1000 fold

As he moved to the front he realized how decidedly pathetic all three of the spear users up on stage were He hadn’t seen any of their moves but all 3 of them had ripped clothes and dried blood on their bodies evidencing their earlier wounds One wasn’t even wearing shoes

Grinning he removed his cape and mask with a flourish revealing himself right at the edge of the stage

No one around him wavered as they stared intently up at the three on the stage And those three continued their strange pregnant silence as if waiting for a sign that they should overcome their fear and resume fighting There was currently no honor here

He would change that

Ill fated peasants why do you bleed over my stage He said stepping grandly up onto the stage with the three cowards For several long seconds they did nothing The closest the pitiful shoeless one didn’t even turn A man foolish enough to wield two spears at once squinted at him then yawned The woman spared the new arrival a glance but then turned back to the shoeless one

He was infuriated To think that these fools would have the audacity to ignore him Well he would show them all how high the sky truly was

He drew his spear which was a beautiful piece of artisanship studded with precious materials to boost its effectiveness It even had a very basic Gazelle Engraving which boosted his Agility and Reaction

With this spear he would

He stilled his eyes locking with the far man’s who used two spears In that man’s eyes he saw a desolate wilderness and a rising storm of spears threatening to engulf him They were endless and hungry those spears like a pack of hyenas and they rushed forward aiming to eat him alive

Sweating he used every ounce of will to dispel the illusion emerging to stagger forward slightly The man snorted looking away

His eyes narrowed To think they would rely on underhanded mental attacks in order to throw him off his game Truly these three were bumpkins because they didn’t recognize him as the most talented member of the Iron Spear Style And obviously the Iron Spear was not one that could be swayed by petty illusions The Iron Spear was a Style that

His gaze met the womans

Her eyes were dark so dark that the irises seemed black from this distance and He found himself unable to look away As their gazes remained locked in spite of his struggles He found that the edges of his vision began to darken Slowly but surely piece by piece his vision was ripped away at the edges consumed by the darkness in her eyes As his gaze narrowed there was less that he could see apart from those eyes and even more quickly he was drawn into them until it felt like he was falling to his death there

Abruptly he blinked finding himself sitting on the ground trembling his spear laying next to him He had no idea what had happened or how long this had been going on for but he was filled with shame and a vicious anger After this he would track down these bumpkins and murder their families in their sleep

We won’t move while you deal with him The woman said glancing at the far man The far man nodded sneering The close man tilted his head to the side

Why me

You are closest The far man countered Seemingly despite himself the close man chuckled

It’s already taken care of

He gritted his teeth and stood furious that this shoeless savage would treat him so jokingly When his spear was deep in the near man’s gut he would

But instead of standing he toppled over and then vomited all over his spear As he struggled upwards his vision began to swim The edges blurring

But he was well trained and his style specialized in defeating illusions so he marshalled his will and created a wave of power that should clear his head Nothing happened

His vision grew dark and he could feel his mouth start to foam The nearest man turned and regarded him for a second The near man’s gaze didn’t inspire illusions and it didn’t consume his line of sight but there was something more intimidating about the mild light green gaze It was a look that demonstrated how little this near man cared about him

It was a look that for the first time in his life made him feel inferior

Poi son He mumbled his fat tongue barely obeying him as he collapsed forward

Randidly tsk’ed inwardly and Dian’s eyes narrowed and Tartet scowled The energy around Dian expanded eating up the Pollen of the Rafflesia that had been drifting towards her For his part Tartet raised his vibrating spears which also seemed to destroy the pollen

Randidly shook his head lamenting the fact that one idiot could waste the 10 or so minutes he had wasted standing here hoping the pollen would drift towards one of them knocking them out and giving him the chance to inflict a killing blow

Uh sir Randidly glanced behind him towards the voice A beautiful woman with long brown hair gestured helplessly I’m just going to remove the trash so

Shrugging Randidly spared the man who pulled out a fancy spear just to vomit on it one more glance Then he turned back to Dian and Tartet He listened very carefully but he needn’t have bothered The woman came on stage and simply dragged the twitching body away swiftly leaving

After she left as one the three of them raised their spears flexed their hands and cracked their necks

Well then I suppose this is a good a time as any to kill you Tartet said lazily Dian said nothing her strangely intense gaze still on Randidly

Randidly was never the one liner type so he simply walked forward a smile on his face as his feet carried him forward on his path

Chapter 135

Tartet and Dian glanced at each other warily Although both didn’t want the other’s help both knew that Randidly’s spells gave him an edge that was hard to overcome with pure spear work As such if they didn’t work together it was highly possible that Randidly could overwhelm them from attacks from too many directions and eliminate them But they also didn’t want to take any concerted actions to stop it

Randidly casually walked forward waving his spear unwilling to give them much time to work out their plan A hole sprung up in the middle of the stage large enough for a child to crawl into And out of that a dozen Root Spiders crawled out skittering over the ground Both Dian and Tartet gaped unsure of what they were seeing

Although he had wanted the Pollen of the Rafflesia plan to work Randidly had never held out much hope So he had been hollowing out a small area underneath the stage in the meantime his two opponents suspecting nothing as he drank mana potion after mana potion and began summoning Root Spiders

The strange creatures began skittering towards Dian and Tartet and both raised their spears ready to meet them Although they didn’t recognize them they did have some sense of their strength and they were only distracting as always the true threat lay with Randidly

Randidly continued to stalk forward walking closer to the two of them The Root spiders circled around them threatening but not moving His two opponents exchanged a glance

Which was exactly what Randidly was waiting for

The ground underneath Tartet erupted thick roots springing out to drag him down into the ground Tartet cursed and struggled his two vibrating spears ripping through the roots but he still toppled forward from his initial momentum falling into the hole which was tightly packed with more Root Spiders They leaped at him showing their teeth

Randidly turned his eyes to Dian That trap would hold Tartet for a time but wouldn’t be able to kill him But once Dian was out of the picture

Accelerating forward Randidly ran his Root Spiders leaping behind him Her eyes sparkling Dian raised her whip spear and swiped forward the weapon extending and slashing outward Without missing a beat Randidly sidestepped and his spiders leapt over the strike

Her face flushing Dian lashed out more But just like his Roots hadn’t worked on her now that Randidly had seen her use the weapon it was rather easy to avoid at this range The true danger was when it was in close quarters and a stray attack could break the skin and once more spread that poison throughout his body

The potions and his own resiliency had been able to drive away most of the effects but there was still a strange stiffness to him that he wasn’t able to shake His body could eliminate it well enough to run but there appeared to be some residue

So he had a vested interest in staying as far as possible from additional damage from those strikes And as Randidly rushed closer he hoped that his Spear Phantom’s Footwork was enough to keep the distance he needed to avoid those attacks

Dian kept throwing strikes forward but Randidly moved between them and the Root Spiders came close enough to start leaping at her Cursing she stumbled backwards slicing them away

Randidly took advantage of the distraction and arrived before her using Haste Empower and Mana Strengthening to push his Spear Phantom’s Footwork to a frightening level of efficacy Raising his spear Randidly aimed for the shoulder she used to hold her spear whip and used Phantom Thrust

Her reactions however were still top notch She spun away losing a tuft of her already short hair as she ducked and twisted through Randidly’s follow up attacked She raised her spear whip but he wasn’t about to give her a chance to use it While summoning Spearing Roots to attack her legs from behind Randidly used Phantom Onslaught unleashing thrust after thrust If she refused to succumb to the precision stuff better to drown her while he had her on her heels

But she continued to surprise him Twisting her feet in a weird way she hopped a few inches off the ground stepping on his Spearing Roots using them to vault over his head and flip to safety

Even so she only had a brief second of respite before Randidly arrived using Phantom Onslaught again But her move had given her enough room to bring around her spear whip and she was currently out of the range of the Root Spiders so she was able to defend against his attack

Or at least most of it Perhaps if it was the only move she would have survived without a scratch But it had been refined through the clash with Tartet and several of his thrusts during the Onslaught ripped large gashes in her shoulders and torso

Gasping she stumbled backwards her eyes flashing With gritted teeth she said You

A blast of fire expanded outwards cutting of her speech and sending her stumbling backwards His eyes glittering Randidly advanced his spear raised After three steps however a spear burst out of the ground vibrating fiercely

Randidly immediately sensed it and dodged to the side but it ripped into his calf severing several very important tendons He hissed in annoyance They would heal but it would take a while

You imbecile did you think that was enough to give me pause Tartet asked bursting out of the ground His scowl seemed carved on his face but as he glanced to the side towards the fellow challenger his eyes narrowed further and the scowl dropped away revealing

A hint of something else Of fear

Panting Dian stood her hand held up in front of her Around her hand that strange energy swirled going faster and faster forming a vortex around her hand slowly growing larger soon spreading to envelope all of her

Do you dare disciple of the Phantom Sect She hissed her expression haughty This is the Path of the Devourer The Greedy Hand Before it all attacks are eaten

Tartet hastily backed away clearly recognizing this move But Randidly didn’t know it But again their eyes locked

Flee before me ’ Her proud gaze seemed to say

My spiders are gnawing on your achilles You cannot move ’ He answered

They both stood there while the energy around her hand grew more and more chaotic As he watched her fingers warped then bent and cracked backwards causing her to groan softly So the strange energy would even devour her A foolish move then

But thinking of his own Agony Randidly couldn’t help but smile Perhaps there was some appeal to foolish moves after all

Most of all Randidly realized that he needed to be true to his image of the spear if he wanted to continue to improve And his spear would advance in the face of anything After briefly considering trying to surround his spear with that strange Intent energy again he swiftly discarded it Dian’s previous intent burnt through his rather quickly and this looked even more fearsome That wasn’t the answer

He had to advance

But perhaps the spear wouldn’t always be the weapon that he chose to use to do so

So Randidly raised his hands reaching deep inside himself

Let me see how hungry that hand of yours really is Randidly whispered Inspiration Pestilence descend flood this land

As his disciple raised his hands Shal narrowed his eyes He had learned a lot of things in his travels had seen a lot of different skills and spells But his disciple was strange When he looked at him he only saw a being that was extremely talented at survival but without many other strengths to speak of

But as Shal watched this battle he was forced to admit that when it came down to it everything else was just applied survival just that skill was enough to let his disciple dominate these two talented spear users

He supposed he should feel proud of the performance but

it was all done so sloppily He was definitely going to beat some sense into that disciple after this

The Greedy Hand brought back some memories that Shal preferred not to think about and put him in a morose mood If he hadn’t been so cheered by watching the three spear users dismiss Egger’s disciple so decisively he might have gotten up and left That move would also pose an interesting challenge to Randidly After all even Shal had struggled against the user of that move although the user was on a completely different level of strength

It was almost impossible to directly overwhelm And without the Spear Phantom Skill set to attack the girl directly

Then Shal heard the buzzing and looked up His eyes widened A huge cloud swirled above the arena so large it blotted out the sun It drifted downward and the buzzing swiftly became a droning A deafening chorus of hatred and hunger

Shal almost chuckled as he watched the millions of bugs swirl downwards in a funnel heading towards that hungry vicious energy in the girl’s hands You certainly don’t slouch when you make a decision do you Perhaps it was fate that we met disciple

Chittering their defiance the bugs crashed into the energy

Chapter 136

Randidly could only focus forward If he would allow his mind to waver his focus to slide to his numerous pains concerns about the result of this Tartet’s presence what he would do after this when his mana was lost to him he would lose his edge and the bugs would collapse into a swarm that would devour everything probably even him These bugs seemed to be about double the size of the normal bugs and quite a lot meaner with sharp pincers

So Randidly did not let his focus waver He was the bugs and they were a spear spinning downwards tighter and tighter thrusting forward always advancing Distantly he could see Dian as her eyes widened at the sight of this calamity that descended from the sky but then the spear probably as tall as a building with a small lake of bugs above that continued fueling it crashed down into that energy that Dian held aloft

Immediately before the bugs arrived Randidly did see how the energy flared around her hand and grew wider the rotation speeding up but then there was only the bugs and the humming filled his very bones as Randidly struggled to keep all of the disparate creatures under control

They were violent and hungry and seemingly all with their little spark of intelligence although it didn’t proceed much past it Unfortunately they were much more poorly behaved than his delightful Root Spiders which so easily followed basic commands

Of course Randidly had no doubtthat 4 or 5 of these would tear a Root Spider to pieces in less than 10 seconds So there were trade offs but as the pounding in his head grew more sharp he wondered whether it was worth it

But he set that thought aside and pressed with every ounce of focus that he had driving those bugs downward in a tight spiral He had to keep them there or they would spread and he would lose the piercing power of the spear image he forced over their forms From that he could feel that even though Dian was able to devour almost all of the bugs she was slowly getting pushed back as more and more arrived faster than her energy could consume

And Randidly had more

With burning eyes he raised his hand and pulled and several thin tendrils of bugs spiraled downward joining the huge spear that crashed into the area of Dian’s figure now completely obscured by the buzzing and droning of Pestilence They made the spear swell growing larger and more vicious and Randidly started to feel some of his insects pelting the ground beginning to eat the very ground out from under her

Randidly could have controlled them to a more offensive direction but it would have taken focus that he wasn’t sure he could spare So he allowed them to continue their mindless feeding on the stone of the platform

Sweat trickled down his brow and he pushed more and more feeling Dian slowly slip farther and farther back Randidly grinned viciously If he could manage to push her off of the stage although it wouldn’t end her for good it would likely push them apart While Randidly would continue onto the Regional Tournament and training under Shal a spear user of this level would not have the ability to impact Randidly any longer

They would not meet again

To his shock Randidly hesitated if just for a split second Large groups of insects exploded outward smashing into the ground and into the crowd around the stage who now drew their spears and threw panicked attacks up at the cloud of hungry death that had escaped their tightly held reins But what use were spears against insects

Several people were mauled to death as Randidly struggled to regather large groups of those rogue insects while keeping up the constant pressure on Dian Luckily it seemed that some good came of his inattention and some of the insects had spread behind her and began to gnaw on the ground It was hard to see it due to the air being thick with buzzing wings and clicking pincers but Randidly could feel it through them just barely Their hunger combined with his previous actions with Root Spiders

Crash

Randidly smiled darkly Just like he had predicted the stage had been hollowed out too much and part of it collapsed It was several meters behind Dian and to the left but it was a much closer goal

With this observable goal Randidly felt some of his determination return and with a yank gathered all of the insects back up into a group throwing more and more down into the spear that smashed into Dian’s energy He could feel it weakening but it had stabilized during that time Randidly had lost control of the insects

With flashing eyes Randidly set about rectifying that situation

Carefully and slowly more and more insects rained down dragging her slowly backwards Minutes passed and Randidly’s jaw was sore from clenching it for so long But he did not relent because his was a spear that would only advance

Dian neared the edge in spurts and long dragged out periods of inaction When she had gotten so close that her heel was only a hair away and although her strange energy continued to devour it was only ? as large as it had been to start Randidly roared clenching his hand into a fist and mirroring it the group of insects above tightened into a stronger formation Then he threw that fist and they descended in a huge crushing wave still as many insects remaining as he had thrown already to be devoured They were seemingly endless and Randidly marveled at the power of Inspiration

But Dian too was not without tricks Her energy surged brighter a flickering defiance in the face of the numerous bugs It rapidly sucked up the ones there and seemed to keen its vicious hunger

When the fist of insects descended however it was smothered

There was no other logical outcome

Randidly felt her in the middle of the swarming insects keeping her energy around her trying to protect herself And he felt as she overbalanced and suddenly tilted backwards driven over the edge slowly falling with only the collapsed stage behind her

Dongg

A familiar bell rung and a voice spoke The qualifier is over All contestants cease attacks so the winners may be determined

Randidly almost shrugged helplessly as his huge mass of insects swarmed but suddenly a coughing man was in front of him holding a spear It was a long ornate thing of brass and the man simply tapped the spear on the ground still coughing and a wave of force flew forward

The insects cracked and fell and then disintegrated to dust

Dian was there covered in bite marks and scratches but she was still falling As Randidly watched she tumbled off the edge and out of sight

The coughing man turned to Randidly then looked at the spot Dian disappeared He teleported over to the edge looked down then shook his head Then the man reappeared on the far side where Tartet stood panting After giving Tartet a brief once over the man nodded then looked at the sky and spoke

Stage 7 will not need overtime There are only 3 individuals remaining on the stage

Three Randidly whispered confused Apparently the coughing man had very powerful hearing because he frowned at him for several seconds

After a while he seemed to relent yes three For although the stage collapsed the piece the girl fell onto was still unbroken It counts

Silent and prideful Dian climbed back over the edge to stand on the stage with the rest of them

Randidly smiled at her showing his teeth like a predator would Their eyes held for several long seconds Then Dian shrugged her own smile narrow and sharp After a moment of consideration Randidly said nothing further It would likely be pointless to argue with this strange middle aged man

And besides even though this woman clearly had a vendetta against him for some reason she wasn’t insufferable like some of the other insignificant characters he had been forced to deal with since coming to Shal’s world

Although it was hard to know whether he only thought that because she was objectively attractive But Randidly didn’t think that was affecting his decision all that much Having strong rivals to push you forward was necessary in his experience His experience reading martial arts fantasy anyway And he wouldn’t be caught unawares by her poison again Randidly would be much harder to kill going forward

Another stray thought popped up as the three of them drifted closer to the middle aged man Randidly wondered what this world was called He assumed it would have a name And it was beginning to get annoying to not be able to think of it as something other than Shal’s World

As his thoughts continued to scatter in the wake of his earlier spell his brain was hit with the brutal sledgehammer of exhaustion Randidly winced recognizing this as a system generated status that represented the fact he had overdrawn himself to control the vast swarm of insects He had only been under this a few times in the past during his Root Avatar training usually after a long night of engraving and it had never been this painful There might be a potion that was able to address this issue but Randidly wasn’t familiar with it

Besides some rest would probably do him some good He had earned it

Chapter 137

A voice boomed out above him drawing his attention upwards The Tassles will now be updated to display the winners of the respective stages To those who have made it congratulations You have earned your way to the Northern Regional Tournament for the Spearman School Bring us honor

Once again seemingly expanded to an even larger size their Tassles unfurled Randidly’s Emerald and Gold Tartet’s Piss yellow and Black and Dian’s Red Violet and White They were all eyecatching each for their own reason especially when compared against the sea of red oranges and goldens that fluttered on the other stages The one other color of note was a sky blue with black lettering which seemed to be on the stage directly opposite theirs on the other side of the observation tower

The old man nodded to them all then gestured imperiously for them to follow and then began striding away walking towards the viewing tower The three glanced at each other eyes narrowed Especially between Dian and Randidly who both felt their own immediate weakness after their previous confrontation and also the other’s weakness If there was any good opportunity to strike it would be now

Violence from you will be met by violence from me The man remarked once again coughing after he spoke not even turning around

Tartet just snorted and walked forward Idiots We have time enough in the tournament Why are you so hasty to die without an audience There is no honor in that

Moving stiffly Randidly walked forward to follow his skin prickling as he allowed Dian to be behind him But he felt instinctively that displaying weakness here was not what he wanted Instead better to let her see how little this bothered him Even though Randidly didn’t know how good of an actor he really was

And when he felt a hand settle around his elbow he barely suppressed his instinct to lash out

You Dian said frowning at him her sharp features narrowed even further as she struggled inwardly with something Finally reaching a decision she lowered her hand and finished somewhat lamely what is your name

Ghosthound Randidly said somewhat at a loss Dian raised her hand and ran it through her spiky red hair which was sticking up in all directions covered in dirt blood and insect ichor Then she nodded seriously and walked away

Somewhat confused Randidly lengthened his stride and followed until all three of them were walking in line

There was a rather tedious ceremony after they ascended to the topmost floor of the viewing tower and each was given a medallion that would serve as their ticket of admission into the tournament The winners from each stage stood seperate 23 in total due to a few stages having less than 3 but all stared at the Stage 7 victors with their distinctive Tassles over their heads

What Randidly found most interesting was that although he was given a cursory glance which was a little more than Tartet’s brief glance it was Dian that received most of the attention But she held her head high and received the stares without batting an eyelash Which was for the best because one of the things that Randidly liked most about his time here in Shal’s world was how little attention he received But it appeared to be slowly changing

Still Randidly remained optimistic After all they would probably go to another city for the Regional Tournament And based on what Divvit said Randidly would be forced to face opponents a level higher even higher than Dian and Tartet With that sort of competition hopefully he would no longer attract attention

But then again Randidly resolved himself to receiving it Because it wasn’t participation in the Regional Tournament that was necessary It was placing within the Top 8 Under the thunderous applause Randidly walked out the the arena struck by how ridiculous this all seemed But then again this was another world And here strength and honor were what earned accolades

Shal eventually found him surrounded by crowds and brought him out When they returned to the boat Shal gave him a long look You have an hour After that the training will begin Do you agree

And although Randidly’s head was really pounding now he nodded Although he was able to use his magic to make up the difference the fight had clearly demonstrated his own insufficiencies especially in regards to the spear Maintaining powerful spells was important but it wasn’t enough His Spearmanship must at least rise to the level where he could hold his own

So after around 30 minutes of silent meditation in his room where the worst of the rebound from overtaxing his mental resources passed Randidly opened his eyes and viewed his skill screen

He had gained 3 Skill Lvls in Spearing Roots 1 in Root Control and Pollen of the Rafflesia 2 in Mana Strengthening and Wall of Thorns 1 in Agony Incinerating Bolt and Circle of Flame 3 in Plantomancy 2 in Spear Mastery and Spear Phantom’s Footwork 1 in Phantom Thrust and Eyes of the Spear Phantom 1 in Phantom Half Step 2 in Dodge and Block 2 in Haste 5 in Phantom Onslaught 2 in Empower and Fighting Proficiency 1 in Calculated Blow and Edge of Decay 2 in Pierce the Skies Shatter the Earth and Struggle and 5 in Battle Intent

Randidly also gained 3 Levels in the Spear Advances Ash Trails he had 2 levels in Engraving from the morning 1 in Physical Fitness Meditation and Running 5 in Poison Resistance 2 in Mental Strength and Grace 1 in Bacterial Regeneration 3 in Superiority and 4 in Mental Fortitude

An excellent haul for a day and a half’s work but this was the reward that came with experiencing several near misses with death And for using his moves on actual people rather than just training alone

And since he currently had no path Randidly considered his options

Watcher 0/ Heretic VI 0/ Oathbreaker 0/25 Initiate of Ash I 0/75 Path of Carnage I 0/ Nexus Traveler Cohort 5 0/50 Path of Control 0/200 Grace I 0/75

There were two changes of note in his options The first was foreboding but Heretic had increased to VI There was no corresponding notification as Randidly scrolled through the still fuzzy notifications affected by the potion but it would bear watching However if there wasn’t a notification there probably wouldn’t be another Judgement soon For now Randidly hoped it wouldn’t be until Heretic X and moved on

The other new choice was the addition of the Grace I Path Grace was a passive skill but it had real tangible effects on his balance and center of gravity It was hard to tell what the path would get him but it was an option

He had gained 73 PP but wasn’t sure which direction to head Path of Control still seemed like the most worthwhile but it came with a hefty price tag And Randidly wanted to focus more heavily on his physical attributes His spells were currently sufficient while his physical prowess was not

Nexus Traveler Cohort 5 seemed like a reward path but was somewhat fishy Initiate of Ash was something he should research more before going into

Weirdly Randidly found himself selecting the Watcher path Although it was one that he had possessed for a long time that was part of the appeal it was likely a short path And he would rather start it quickly and finish it now while there was no obvious option other than Path of Carnage I But that might take a while and it would be good to get it out of the way

When he placed the first point into it to his surprise a fuzzy notification appeared in front of him Apparently it was a good thing that he had waited to take more of the potion

Warning Selecting Watcher 0/ Will result in the loss of the Path These paths are mutually exclusive Do you wish to continue

Randidly hesitated for a small moment and then clicked no If they were mutually exclusive and with a lame name like Watcher Perhaps it would be more fun to gamble on the random one It would likely have a similar PP requirement

So Randidly backed out chose the all ’s path and selected yes at the notification Only to be faced with another notification

Warning There has been an error in the establishment of the path Certain prerequisites have been lost Development of a related path is possible Warning if you continue with insufficient fuel death or other side effects may result Do you wish to continue

After taking a deep breath Randidly reached within himself finding those slender threads of Aether He could see how they spawned from that strange source held in his chest growing thicker by the day The source too seemed somewhat larger pulsing with its sickly light It burned and frothed then frosted and cracked flowing into every corner of him His body was lousy with the stuff

Grinning Randidly clicked yes

Processing

Against his will Randidly’s body shuddered and twisted The Aether in his chest began to burn hot The feeling in his fingers and toes quickly disappeared and blackness slowly consumed the edges of his vision The walls of the small room began to swim and Randidly suddenly felt a pang in his stomach

Perhaps he had just made a terrible mistake

In the next moment the energy in his chest froze solid and he couldn’t breath and his fingers began to dance and twitch filled with a fiery energy He growled huskily the only noise he could force out of his seized chest The energy within him began to pulse not unseizing inside of him but moving with a rhythm Slowly that rhythm aligned with Randidly’s heartbeat

Without counting them Randidly felt the heartbeats slip past until the thrum of blood and energy in his body drove his heartrate and blood pressure up to the point he could feel the pounding in his eyes and he felt like his eyeballs would explode outward

But his chest slowly defrosted and the pressure faded away but simultaneously grew louder thundering in his ears

Failure matching pair not found Expanding database parameters

In his stomach the Aether began to twist and swirl forming slowly into a cyclone It pulled and pulled and although he had always heard it referred to as an Aether Spring within him he had never really understood what that meant But now as the Aether surged upwards exploding out to fill his entire body he knew

All this time although he had drawn some of the Aether most of it had flowed into him and found no avenue to spread It didn’t radiate out of his skin but could only travel through the connections he made Some of that Aether was lucky enough to flow along to Thron and Arbor and other amounts went to Sam Alana Annie and Mrs Hamilton but that was still a fraction of the potential the Aether Spring possessed

After all it was enough to support an entire village

So it had gathered deep within him settling into a strange reservoir packing itself tighter and tighter forming a denser and denser mass of energy waiting it for it to be summoned And now that Randidly beckoned even slightly it all rose exploding to his aid

It began to burn partially of heat partially of cold and Randidly wanted to scream such was the grinding vicious pain caused by the energy inside of him But all of his muscles seized again and he was stuck Without moving with a certain fatality to his mindset he waited in his traitorous body as the energy pulsed louder and louder The veins in his arm stood out like bulging worms and he saw them twitch as the energy pulsed

Failure No matching pair can be found Recalculating

The energy moved again cracking and scattering syphoned off somewhere Randidly took a breath gasping Although his physical condition had improved he still needed to breath

Well eventually for sure but the time he could hold his breath might be pretty impressive now

Warning anomaly detected System warning

The most recent notification appeared and disappeared just as fast as Randidly could read it Then he began to doubt himself because his vision was still vibrating at the edges

Then Randidly froze because he felt something very distinct and very strange He felt hands inside of him They were soft and the fingers were long reaching slowly inside of him and gathering up the strands of wild Aether moving them and weaving them Each finger acted with the utmost dexterity holding various strands in place while the hands moved Their was a grace to its actions that made Randidly shake his head in wonder

Or at least he would have had the Aether allowed him to move

As this process was going on the hairs on Randidly’s body stood straight up but he couldn’t turn his attention away as the hands continued to work on the Aether within him Although it wasn’t something Randidly currently understood it made him wonder

What were these hands doing And obviously more importantly where had they come from

Chapter 138

Randidly could still sense how this was somewhat similar to Engraving But they were so far apart from each other It was like comparing the act of writing a novel to a child learning to write letters There were flows and twists eddies and splits The most important difference was that it felt whole and organic in a strange way The thing that these mysterious hands were creating inside of Randidly was something that was living and could change and evolve It was weaving potential into every line and curve

It was he assumed a path The path that failed to be created previously Which perhaps meant this was some entity related to the system And if someone was going to all this trouble to make it it was undoubtedly a very special one Or at least he hoped so

Randidly’s instincts continued to scream at him because the hands moving inside of him shaping the Aether was an extremely invasive and uncomfortable feeling But he didn’t dare move This being appeared able to interfere with notifications Although the potion Randidly had obtained had been able to do that it was just making them invisible to him That didn’t change the effects of them

This was on the level of adjusting the notifications Randidly was suddenly struck by the strange feeling that whoever this was understood in a very sophisticated way how the system worked And if this person could learn

Randidly resolved himself to try too as those hands moved more and more quickly So he focused inward ignoring the urge to vomit and watched the motions The continued to twist and tie Aether together and then deftly compress it into smaller parts moving onto other things Like so an infinitely complex arrangement made of thousands of runes of the type Randidly had made was pressed into a tight shape

Then the shape glowed

But before the hands departed they moved deeper within him He felt those invisible fingertips on each of his skills lingering especially long on the Runic rarity skillset Then they moved forward and gently landed on his Soul Skill swirling at his core For a long time those fingers stayed there carefully feeling the shape of it tracing its contours almost pulling and stretching it slightly as if to see more

Then after the hands seemed satisfied with his soul skill the hands reached back to the strange shape it had made inside of Randidly and twisted and pulled deftly seemingly tying a knot Then the Aether seemed to click into place

Randidly gasped the hands were gone and his body began to burn

Congratulations Your path (&832h089Ll has transformed into the Lonesome Spear Path 0/100

Randidly collapsed backwards breathing heavily For several long minutes he stared intently at the most recent notification The Lonesome Spear huh

Cautiously he put his remaining PP into it 1 at a time At 25 PP he received the first notification

Congratulations You have earned +50 Health

He received another at 50 PP giving him +50 mana before he settled at 73 Likely 75 would be +50 Stamina but Randidly wondered what the completion bonus would be Because honestly the rewards so far were much less than he expected for something that required the interference of strange mystical hands

Randidly considered broaching the topic of those hands with Shal but he was worried After all it was hard to tell how widespread the knowledge of Judgement would be It is possible that the system would somehow encourage people like him to be hunted

But then Randidly shook his head Shal wouldn’t be like that But still it was a dangerous topic Best to broach the topic carefully

After checking the time Randidly once more returned to meditating trying to restore himself to a better condition in the remaining 10 minutes until he needed to meet Shal Undoubtedly considering his master’s methods it was going to be a long night

Claptrap sat bolt upright scared out of his mind He obviously wasn’t at a high level of skill or physical prowess he had still put quite a few points into perception in order to more effectively examine the quality of armor But now in the dead of night there was a figure standing in the dark over his bed looming like the shadow of death

But then the figure produced a lamp from somewhere and produced a soft light illuminating most of his features revealing an easy smile Claptrap’s heart initially eased because he recognized this man as the smiling man who had been with the Crashing Wave Style but then began to pound because the fact that he had come here in the night

Hello The man said simply You may refer to me as Artisan Dwei We have some business to discuss Nod if you understand

Claptrap nodded woodenly his fear withdrawing somewhat and his merchant mind coming to the fore at the mention of business But that moniker hung in the air between them Artisan Although it was the least of the titled recognition provided by the Spearman School it was still a level that only 1 in 10 000 reached In a city like Qtal very few would go against an Artisan Although there were Adepts present in the city there were only 20 or so of them and they mostly kept to themselves concerned with affairs far above the average citizen

To be visited in the dead of night by an Artisan was an implicit threat But it was also an opportunity because Claptrap still breathed And though panic made him want to hide his face he could also see Ciel’s gentle smile And for her he would do anything He would seize any opportunity he had to

Artisan Dwei chuckled It’s good to see you have some spine I’ll be short As many of those engraved armors you have the Crashing Wave Style will buy them In bulk 10 silver per piece of armor above the usual price for that armor provided the quality of the base armor is satisfactory If the efficiency is about 60% an additional 30 silver 100 bonus silver pieces for any piece of armor that reaches 80% If you can obtain better than that we can talk prices further but I doubt that is possible based upon your previous wares

Claptrap blinked slowly A leather bracer of high quality could be obtained for 15 silvers a few less if he bought in bulk However the sale price was usually around 20 So that meant that he could sell these for 30 silvers each That was a doubling of his initial investment Of course some would go to the Ghosthound but

If the Ghosthound could reach 60% that upcharge of 30 silver

Claptrap could only see golden goins for several seconds Then he shook his head

A problem Artisan Dwei asked his tone casual we believe our offer is very generous And let’s be clear Adept Ivkka was bluffing The Engraving guilds do no such training things precisely to prevent mid tier Styles from obtaining armor with minor engravings and obtaining an advantage

So when the guild does find you Artisan Dwei continued You will want to have some friends to help alleviate the pressure Your Engraver will join the Guilds or die You might be extorted for some of your profits But that won’t be such a loss especially if you have a large amount of goodwill to fall back on with your loyal customers

As Dwei continued to talk Claptrap’s face sank and he abruptly realized how fucked a situation this might turn out to be But his mind stayed sharp considering the offer As it was it truly was fair And he needed more money now to start the engine

Alright I accept I can only provide you with around 20 right now I’ll have to speak with the engraver for more Do you have Claptrap hesitated armor preferences

Artisan Dwei considered No I think not But it might be easier if we keep them separate For example Dragonfly on bracers Fish on boots Bear on breastplates

They hammered out the additional details and Artisan Dwei took the bracers Claptrap had in exchange for almost 400 silver After the Artisan had left Claptrap looked down in wonder at the money

Maybe He whispered to himself and to the stars above There really is hope I’ll see you again Ciel

After hours of working him to his limits Shal considered his disciple You are not as weak as I imagined

The foolish disciple grinned at him It had been a long night of exercises and sparring pushing the newest member of the Spear Phantom Style until he gave out In strength and speed and endurance he continued to display flexibility and poise adjusting to new challenges with an alacrity that surprised Shal

But it only made him sigh No you shortsighted youngling Your strength bodes ill for your chances in the tournament There are things we need to discuss

Shal sat down making himself comfortable His disciple remained on the ground his clothes sticking to his body from the sweat But his eyes were alive and focused That too had surprised him No matter how physically exhausted the boy should be he always had one more spark to meet a new challenge

Shal’s misgivings only grew He gave the boy a frank look You still have not obtained a class

The boy’s body stilled Apparently he understood some of the issues related to this But he nodded slowly confirming Shal’s fears Shal sat back mulling it over for a long time Which meant there was always the option of getting a class Originally Shal had assumed the boy had chosen this avenue of satisfying the obligations of the Spear Phantom Style for glory in the tournament but perhaps

It was just because all the others required a class

When you told me previously I honestly didn’t believe you I thought well it matters naught But your lack of a class and your strength poses a problem

His disciple frowned Why

Ah I am being broad Your stats boy Until today I hadn’t realized much of your strength comes from your high stats I had been assuming you were relying on high skill levels to match those who had leveled to around 20 but your stats equal them They even surpass them considering you have skill in magic as well

Shal sighed again We could have made plans to cover for lack of stats but they are your strength Your weakness is your skill levels What level is your Spear Mastery

After a foolish hesitation his disciple answered 81

Mine sits at 202 Shal said shortly In this tournament it will be strange for one’s skill to not be at 100 And that is just the general The specific skills will be polished to an even higher level You simply do not have the time to make this up without the time dilution of a dungeon The top 8 No perhaps even the preliminaries are impossible for you

Chapter 139

Randidly frowned but said nothing Previously he had the strange impression that Shal’s skill level was closer to his current skill level but perhaps he was mistaken He didn’t like what he was hearing but if Shal was correct If all of their skill levels were over 100 It was a sobering thought And considering how much difficulty Randidly had at overcoming those vibrating spears of Tartet even though he used Haste Empower and Mana Strengthening in addition to the actual skill

If what Shal was saying was correct and his stats were also slightly above his opposition here and would only be on par with those in the regional tournament

Randidly shivered That kind of difference in skill was intimidating He supposed the only reason that he had a shot was due to the varied nature of his magics and he suspected that many were like him and left Resistance as a stat that did not receive very much attention

Shal appeared to be brooding in silence so Randidly asked is there any hope then Couldn’t a Classer just train in a dungeon for an extremely long time before the tournament Years even while still staying below Lvl 25

In theory it is possible But in practice few do To suppress one’s strength overmuch is wasteful and rather pointless These requirements do not come into force very often only 5 years That is enough time for only 5 generations of the best and brightest to become the youngest of the style As for those who are aware they must compete at a certain level due to timing most fear Dungeon Poisoning and would not risk it overmuch It is not safe to rely on the time dilution for too much

Dungeon poisoning

Shal gestured dismissively A word for a body grown fat on Aether The concentration of Aether is naturally higher in a dungeon Almost 5 times as so While in a dungeon the time dilution causes your connection to your village’s Aether to be tenuous but you suffer no backlash as you absorb more from the air increasing your growth anyway Then as you require it less the Aether connection to your village wanes further It will never be destroyed completely but if your body is too reliant on ambient Aether and you leave the dungeon you can expect to be bedridden for months until Aether connection to your village grows strong enough to support you once more

Shal frowned at Randidly In fact I feared you would suffer just such a fate but that it would continue indefinitely for you have no class But I believed that the Aether reward would sustain you long enough for you to find and gain a Class and develop a healthy source The fact that you have continued this far with such strength is confusing

Then he shook his head But I do not begrudge you your secrets Go you may do what you will until lunch At that time we will train again until dusk I must do some investigations We cannot rely on ordinary means if we expect to turn you into a passable disciple

Randidly ignored the insult and asked Before I go is there any information available on Patrons

Shal paused then turned and looked him up and down I had not thought of this Yes Divveltian tells me you have a merchant friend yes Consult him there are some widely accepted Patrons that have passable trials for their Initiates

Then Shal left and almost inexplicably Randidly bowed at his departing back Shal truly was an impressive spear user and had a knack for pointing out the flaws in Randidly’s form that was surprising considering his blunt communication style Well perhaps that was exactly why he was so talented at it

Although the training he had done with Mrs Hamilton had been effective it was hard to say whether it was the training style or the shift in perspective that had enabled that sudden growth And that growth likely wouldn’t have been sustainable the first levels were always the easiest to get in any skill

Meanwhile Shal was a well honed machine If anyone could give Randidly a chance in this tournament it would be him

But it was good that he would be able to obtain more information about Patrons If he ever returned to Donnyton well when he returned to Donnyton it would be incredibly useful for the people who reached the Apprentice path Randidly wasn’t really in the need of advice on which Patrons were good to choose obviously but rather he wanted to know the way the path progressed If the path he had was normal that would be fine but if it was one that resulted in him being teleported to that strange world again

Randidly blinked Speaking of Donnyton

He still took a sip of the black potion daily being increasingly confused by its seemingly endless nature and it eliminated notifications but

Randidly opened up his friends tab and sure enough due to the communications array towers in Qtal his box was filled with friend requests and messages asking if he was okay Seemingly endless There were at least 100 all from different people There were different styles too Raina appeared to write a small diary and send it to him Mrs Hamilton reported the results from the training exercises she developed while watching him

Donny just sent small reports on threats that they had dealt with that day There was even one from Bert the aged turtle that was simply Don’t slack off But perhaps the most adorable were the messages from Kiersty who with frequent misspellings excitedly described how Arbor was expanding and how much his plants missed him

After typing out a quick message to Donny on a strange keyboard that sprang into existence in front of him letting him know generally that he was fine and dealing with problems elsewhere he closed out his friends tab He wasn’t close enough to Donnyton to affect the outcomes anyway so there was no point in reading up on things only to worry about them Better to focus on the present where there were several issues that he needed to address

When Randidly walked out of the boat and onto the deck intending to go visit Claptrap what he found gave him pause The two female spear users who had tested him in the belly of the Tassle shop were now on the deck as well meditating Around the boats most of the other boats had unhooked their moorings and were drifting away and there was a path of choppy orange water towards which their boat slowly floated

Curiously there were two other figures on the boat their heads to the deck in some strange sort of prayer stance of genuflection They also looked oddly familiar

Above them Randidly’s emerald Tassle flapped eye catchingly next to the sky blue of Shal’s He turned to Divvit and asked What’s going on The boat’s moving

Divvit snorted Yes Not only was your performance too eye catching but it also revealed Shal’s presence here With the boat now flying both of your Tassles well Most would give way and let us move closer to the heart of Qtal as is our prerogative But it also brings more attention

Divvit nodded towards the genuflecting figures to whom Randidly turned And who are these people

Almost as if they had both been waiting for this opportunity both smoothly stood one male one female The female had long brown hair braided and curled down her back She was Randidly couldn’t help but notice extremely lovely A dirty part of him wondered how good with a spear she could really be with hips as well endowed as that but quickly squashed that line of thought She was Randidly thought in his second and more relevant realization the woman who had carried that fool’s body off of the stage during the fight

Randidly spared the male a glance then a longer more serious look as he watched him open his mouth

Heh I’m glad you asked The male said with a smug look raising his gem studded spear which had apparently been cleaned of his vomit I am the greatest talent the Iron Spear Style has seen in generations My name is

Err no Randidly interrupted wanting to cut him off before he began running his mouth I guess I really meant why are you here

Sir this one humbly requests that this one receive the honor of being your spear attendant The female said bowing again

The male chuckled evilly and spoke haughtily all the while bowing even lower than the female his nose practically brushing the ground as he spoke Hmph kneel and accept my honorable generosity I too will be the best spear attendant possible No need to thank me for I

Is this normal Randidly asked Divvit as he pointed to the two

Divvit chuckled Their personalities Perhaps not but yes spear users that have acknowledged their own inferiority and don’t have much room for upward mobility in their own Style will attach themselves to talented individuals It is a yearly commitment for them but you may terminate the relationship at anytime You don’t really need to do much for them they are effectively indenturing themselves to you in order to hitch themselves to your social status It is still a bit early I think for you to have spear attendants in terms of strength but

Shrugging Divvit closed his eyes and returned to meditating Randidly just scratched his head But he hesitated for a few reasons

It is definitely not because the woman’s looks ’ Randidly assured himself eyeing her bowing form briefly Then he shook his head If he was to up the training with Shal it would be hard for him to venture away from the boat very often And that was assuming that they remained here for the training Plus he wanted to continue his potion experiments and to fund what he needed to Engrave and both of those were rather time consuming activities

It might be worth it to have these two as spear attendants especially if he didn’t really need to do anything But did he really need them both

Randidly looked at them again and the woman straightened smiling sweetly at him But Randidly’s eyes were on the male who remained hunched over in a bowing position refusing to move He took in his posture the slight tremble to his body and the white knuckled grip on his spear

A drop of water traced down his brow and dripped onto the deck with an audible plop Randidly closed his eyes

Probably just sweat huh Randidly whispered then shook his head It was a little embarrassing how emotional he had gotten since becoming involved in Donnyton Before he had been Well he had been like a ghost Without a personality walking through life But slowly he was changing finding his own path

He was still emotionally withdrawn but he was starting to connect more with people around him More importantly though people were growing to value him It was a strange feeling to have others dependant on him First Donnyton and now these two

Strangely for the first time Randidly was truly thankful for the system and the changes it had brought to his life

Alright I accept Is there a ritual or a form we have to sign

Chapter 140

Claptrap spent most of the morning using the money he had received from Artisan Dwei to purchase leather bracers steel boots and iron breastplates He was able to cash in some of his other armors and use the rest of his savings and got 200 of each which would be a solid start to satisfying the Crashing Wave Style

Then he returned to his boat only to be flummoxed by a simple truth Claptrap had no idea how to contact the Ghosthound He opened his friends list and began to scroll through the previoulys met tab but because Qtal was such a densely packed city and he had also just been at the market at the most well attended event in the last month

Finding the Ghosthound was almost impossible there simply was no way to track him down He would probably have a few days but eventually Artisan Dwei would return At that time if he didn’t have any finished armor to give him

Claptrap shivered Although the other seemed like a personally reasonable person you didn’t become an Artisan by being soft So in the meantime Claptrap needed to

There was a knock on the door to his cab causing Claptrap to frown Standing up he walked over and opened the wooden door finding three individuals standing there

Yo The Ghosthound said coolly rubbing the back of his neck Claptrap almost burst into tears Then he refocused and launched into a rapid explanation of everything that happened with the Crashing Wave sect and how Claptrap may have revealed the Ghosthound’s engraving which might possibly get back to the guilds who would then come out to find him How this might all lead to them tortured in a dark place far away

As he finished breathing heavily he had the chance to look around What Claptrap saw caused his eyelids twitched slightly

Ah these two are trustworthy right He said gesturing towards the shapely woman and the angry seeming man who was opening his mouth The Ghosthound snorted cutting him off

A little late for that isn’t it Don’t worry about more importantly they said they would buy as many as I could make Interesting What’s the price

Claptrap’s face fell He couldn’t’ forget the Ghosthound’s incisive questioning that slowly stripped away Claptrap’s bargaining power Even now although the question sounded innocent he felt the possible profits fleeing away from him

W well the price is dependant on the quality of the Engraving At certain levels

The Ghosthound held up a hand then gestured to the woman You what’s your name

She bowed her lovely brown hair cascading forward to cover her face Her voice was soft and sweet It is Helen

Helen handle the details of this transaction You will probably be doing this a lot for me in the future so uh good luck

The woman seemed to tense to Claptrap’s eyes and what followed was a very awkward series of bargaining between the two of them while the Ghosthound and the other spear attendant watched After a few minutes the Ghosthound sat down and began to engrave right there working while they hammered out the details of the deal and things began to go much more smoothly

Although Helen was very savvy she lacked the sinister and unrelenting quality that allowed the Ghosthound to ask seemingly innocuous questions and still have Claptrap’s confidence in his price plummet There was just a calculating way that he had that made him impossible to fool It was much less stressful for Claptrap to negotiate with Helen but he sensed that for her she was sweating bullets After all if she failed at obtaining a good deal

Luckily she seemed well versed in the subject so much so that they started talking more exacting details on the quality of the workmanship turnover times and cost sharing

But then the Ghosthound spoke interrupting them both right before Claptrap was willing to accept a deal that would have earned him enough of the profits

Oh Claptrap the man said standing and smiling at him Just one quick question

Inwardly Claptrap began making calculations trying to parse out how much lower he could go and still respect himself There was definitely money to be made here but if the Ghosthound insisted on keeping it all to himself there really was nothing that Claptrap could do But when the question was finally asked Claptrap just blinked completely bewildered

do you have any information on Patrons

Err yes Claptrap stuttered Would you like the general Risk Sheet or the detailed

The Ghosthound simply glanced at Helen his mouth twisted into a frown She seemed to hesitate for several long seconds torn between two options very near to each other but after a time she seemed to settle on her answer and said We will take it all Perhaps you can throw it into our previous discussions and we will call it a day

After another quick round of mental mathematics Claptrap nodded and he shook hands with Helen The Ghosthound turned to leave then paused and pulled a long streamer out of his ring

Oh here I heard that if I wanted to show my support I should give you this Just hang it wherever I guess

And with that the Ghosthound took the armors to be Engraved and left leaving a very confused Claptrap holding the streamer And when he looked down to examine it finally noticing its color his confusion only grew This color

He recognized this color The color of the great shame of the Spearman School Why would he Was he possibly connected to that woman all those years ago

As his eyes ran over the gold lettering and the incredibly large and bold Ghosthound across the streamer his eyes landed on the Style affiliation It wasn’t one that Claptrap immediately recognized but it seemed strangely familiar to him The Spear Phantom style huh Why did that seem so familiar

Making a mental note to research it more later Claptrap pushed those thoughts out of his mind Instead he began to consider how to proceed with his purchases Although Izzat had been silent for a single day if Claptrap continued to make such mass purchases he would eventually surface looking for a slice of the pie

If he couldn’t get that

Better to start planning now Claptrap breathed in and then breathed out picturing Ciel’s shy smile He was not a particularly bold man but neither was he a scared one He had always lived his life simply because he was content A few months ago he had found a goal and flailed out searching for a hope Just when he thought it was impossible a hope came flickering into his field of view but now more things followed that hope including the cold threat of steel

Claptrap smiled and began to hum For Ciel he would break this entire world Let them come

Then he shook his head ruefully Confidence and madness was one thing but

How was he going to handle it

Randidly set the last scroll down his mouth twisted into a grin The information provided by Claptrap had been a rating sheet that showed the relative risks of several of the most common Patrons a guide that detailed the training sequence of some common Patrons and finally an encyclopedia that listed all of the known Patrons and some background on Patrons

Patron of Ash wasn’t included on the risk sheet which was initially very confusing to Randidly but his reading in the encyclopedia helped him understand It was unclear what Patrons were but it was clear that different worlds had access to different Patrons Perhaps once more due to their perspective on the subject

There were dozens of varieties of fire Patrons but there was only one Patron of Ash which was addressed in a fairly large section explaining some history and sightings of the Patron and some notable Initiates of Ash From the guide materials Randidly had learned that there were 3 levels given to people who take the Apprentice Path Initiates Anointed and Chosen

These labels were related to how far along in the apprenticeship a person had progressed All Patrons had 3 requirements each name signifying how many requirements an individual had passed

The Patron of Ash encyclopedia entry stated that at one point Initiates of Ash were fairly common There were even some Anointed of Ash But there had never been a Chosen of Ash according to the encyclopedia and many Anointed chose never to advance through the third path giving them access to the third challenge although they would not speak of why

Perhaps it was simply the failures of their predecessors but the book described how many speculated there was more to it than that There was a certain set to the eyes of the Anointed that made the writers suspicious But of course this was only speculation and for now Randidly had no proof

There was a small relief it was clear from the texts that only the 1st and 3rd challenges would teleport you to the world of the Patron The 2nd challenge was one that needed to be accomplished where you were So Randidly decided that he would soon try for the Initiate of Ash path

But before that he needed to get through this strange seemingly bugged path Randidly had seen a lot of things about the Nexus and its system that made him think that it was a programed system of some strange extremely esoteric energy language but the more he experienced the more suspicious he was of whether that was all there was to it The Lonesome Spear path made him dubious

And those fingers

One step at a time ever onward Never stopping always advancing and eventually Randidly knew that he would find the answer naturally But right now

Being here among these individuals who had trained since birth under the system where his strength was only that of a Lvl 15 individual and where his skill level was so far below his peers Randidly was still shocked at Shal’s casual reveal When Shal had told him all that time ago that his skill level was around 50 who would have thought that he had meant his lowest and weakest skills As for his strongest skills Spear Mastery was 202 Phantom Thrust was probably even higher

Randidly shivered but he couldn’t help but smile as the knock came on the door to his room

Disciple Come we begin immediately

At the very least it wouldn’t be boring And being here reminded him no matter how far he had already come the path stretched ever onward Randidly stood and walked out to meet Shal

Chapter 141

This fucking asshole cunt the whole reason I ran away from home was to fucking avoid the smell of leather Now he makes me act like a common merchant

The former star disciple of the Iron Spear Style sat still his face studiously blank as he listened to Helen’s relentless tirade Although she had been extremely well spoken around their master for whatever reason Helen continued her constant stream of mutters and hateful whispers around him

I hate its fucking shit color I hate its vomit smell I hate its old people skin feel Leather should be burnt and leather workers put to death Helen glanced quickly over at him and seemed to see right through his carefully maintained facade But if you say anything about it I’ll bite your cock off in your sleep

Her matter of fact delivery would have previously shaken him but these past few days he had dealt with several blows to his ego that left him largely numb This crazy woman’s swarthy threats didn’t really phase him

As she settled into her repeated rant her fingernails scratched at the railing of the boat while their vessel continued to float unimpeded towards the center of Qtal while he just sighed

A simple two days ago he had been unshaken in his belief that he would change the world Then he had encountered not one not two but 3 individuals who made him feel inferior By the time he had regained consciousness Helen had dragged him off the stage and then used him and other wounded bodies as cover in order to hide herself from the vicious swarm of ravenous insects the Ghosthound had somehow summoned

By sheer luck he had been buried underneath Helen’s other victims and had made it out mostly unscathed Any small joy that he would have felt waking up ontop of such a beautiful woman was swiftly wiped away by the horrifying realization of how many people and how quickly Helen had killed individuals from the surrounding crowd to make a pile of bodies she could hide under

It was likely done in a sneak attack but still If these people were taking part in the qualifier they at least had some accomplishments in the art of the spear That she had casually dealt with so many was unnerving

So he swiftly found himself with 4 individuals who he acknowledged as superior But of course at their head was the Ghosthound

A mage who wielded the spear It was a scary combination There were some people on the planet who chose to become mages but they were mostly in support roles strengthening spear users before and during battles Or they became healers But the offensive powers of the Ghosthound’s skills were no joke They shook the former star disciple of the Iron Spear Style to his core

Then promptly after he had staggered out of the rapidly deserting arena he had been waylaid by his former master Egger who publicly humiliated and denounced him casting him out of the Iron Spear Style for publicly humiliating him and putting on such an embarrassing display as vomiting on his own spear

Adding one last insult on top of the heap balanced on his former disciple’s psyche Egger told him that he could keep the spear after all it had been sullied by his filth

For the first time in 3 years he was Styleless Whereas he had previously seen his path to greatness laid out in front of him now he wavered Without access to the Skill Sets of the Iron Spear style becoming stronger on his own would be extremely difficult

Still although he was lying low currently his pride burned hot and angry in his stomach He would persevere He had sought out that strong adversary who had caused him such a great blow because that was the strength he desired The strength to defy expectations and shock the audience

Although he had currently embraced his identity as the male spear attendant that wasn’t a permanent solution This was just a transition phase If nothing else it was clear that both the Ghosthound and his master were unusually strong He would seize that strength and rise higher than the Iron Spear Style ever could carry him he swore to himself and then he could

Oy you two move aside A cold voice spoke and the two spear attendants jumped Divvit slowly stood cracking his neck It appears we finally have encountered our first guest Now the only thing that remains to be seen is who they are here for

Helen bowed smoothly making the male spear attendant’s face twitch but he controlled it barely That girl certainly switched personas quickly once there was an audience Ahead of them the path through the boats had finally been blocked The boat in front of them was a small one only a raft but a bold bright red Tassle hung above 3 men and a woman

For several minutes the two groups the 3 on the boat with Blue and Emerald 4 on the group below the red Tassle just looked at each other as the two boats drifted closer Slowly the male spear attendant realized that the surrounding boats were filling with shifting crowds whose eyes were locked on the two boats

Neither said anything until the wooden boats rammed into each other with a soft knock

As mine is the larger vessel Divvit said his tone of voice making his superiority clear I suppose the guests may come aboard

The male spear attendant’s face remained curious still but Helen snorted The traditional greeting before a challenge was Honored Guests The fact that Divvit chose not to use it was either a slight a comment on the difference in their social statuses or on the difference in their strength But considering the color of their Tassle it was possible that it was all three

The expressions of the 4 from the smaller boat were stony but they ascended up There was silence on the boat Divvit seemed content to remain still despite the new arrivals

Finally the man who appeared to be the leader among the red Tassle group spoke It is unbecoming They both bear the curse of that man And that color is unbecoming

Divvit remained seated not even opening his eyes

The man’s eyes narrowed If you do not willingly sink your Tassle

Then you will do what Divvit opened his eyes and smiled

Randidly’s chest heaved Mrs Hamilton’s exercises had been designed to allow Randidly to slowly push his body to limits forcing his will to rise to the level that he could fully utilize his physical capabilities

Shal it seemed thought this was a weak and inefficient method

True your stats are higher than your level should possess Shal said standing over Randidly’s bruised and battered body But it has made you bold and shallow You have many flashy moves yes You have a Runic Rarity skillset yes But you do not have the weight of training behind your strikes They are light

This is what you must learn How to face foes who possess that strength Rise and receive my spear

Randidly his arms almost buckling raised himself up He could feel that frosted fire in his chest pulsing slowly If nothing else Second Wind Struggle and Bacterial Regeneration were being well worked even if he barely had enough time to use any active skills against Shal’s assault Because when the attacks came they were too much for Randidly to receive

But he still tried his body slowly regenerating his stance settling down to its normal steadiness Then Shal smiled and disappeared

This was truly the difference in levels His Spear Phantom’s Footwork was at a level where Randidly’s eyes couldn’t keep up By the time he could see where Shal had gone Shal had already attacked This was not a way that Randidly could survive

So instead as soon as Shal disappeared Randidly stepped too heading for the spot Shal had left But immediately the hairs on the back of his neck stood straight up and Randidly threw himself to the side stepping with the skill as fast as he could manage it

It was not fast enough and Randidly felt his ribs crack as what could only be a spear but felt like a freight train smashed into his side As he was sent tumbling Randidly couldn’t help think back to his experience all those months ago right at the very beginning knocked so casually aside

But although he wasn’t yet the one knocking another casually aside he was still very different than his previous self

Randidly pirouetted on his toes spinning around to regard his attacker Shal was already raising his spear again unrelenting but not before Randidly lashed out using Ghastly Slash which with the bonus of Haste Empower and Mana Strengthening managed to arrive before Shal’s attack

But Shal’s spear seemed to slither upwards knocking Randidly’s attack off to the side and then instantly lashing out towards Randidly’s stomach

Using Phantom Half Step 3 times in a row Randidly managed to open enough space for the attack to miss but as his eyes tried to find Shal’s figure he realized that he had once more disappeared

Trusting an instinct Randidly lashed out behind him using Sweep to smash backwards Shal stepped around the attack like he was strolling through a park and struck Randidly sharply in the shoulder breaking the bone His follow up attack was even more vicious ripping a large gash but Randidly gritted his teeth and stepped into it throwing a desperate punch

Shal seemed to be annoyed by this and his spear ripped upward cutting off half of Randidly’s hand But although it was painful Randidly wasn’t stopping now not with the fire burning in his gut

Settling into those strange stances taught to him by the old turtle Randidly settled his weight took a deep breath and threw a punch with all of his strength behind it The butt of Shal’s spear whipped out cracking the bones of Randidly’s hand but it still had enough force to continue onward and hit Shal in the side

Within a split second another blow descended knocking Randidly to the floor

Shal shook his head sorrowfully You do not know the value of a spear so you easily toss it aside A mistake Without it you are but desperate

The ship rumbled a strange wave of power spreading out from above It was enough that Randidly tensed and sat up even though his ribs protested painfully

What was that Randidly asked

Shal chuckled It is what happens when fools do not know their own strength Ignore it and stand Receive my spear disciple

Chapter 142

Holy bitch that was cool Helen muttered and the male spear attendant was inclined to agree The bodies of the challengers slipped silently below the waves mostly in pieces The Tassle sank into the sea drifting out of sight The opposing side’s boat had been split in half and now was naught but kindling as they continued to drift forward

Divvit hadn’t even stood From his sitting position 3 attacks with his spear with the backing of a powerful Battle Intent to help the weapon strike from afar

If this was the power level of the people on this boat it was no wonder that the Ghosthound had grown as powerful as he had If he now had time to train his spear skills up to a similar point the male spear attendant couldn’t even believe it

Sir He started to say but Divvit shook his head

Mine is not your path I can offer you pointers in your training but you have your own strength But for now simply watch it will be greatly beneficial to you

Watch what The male spear attendant said then flushed at how disrespectful his tone had been But Divvit didn’t appear to mind and only cracked his neck

They were truly trash They wouldn’t have stood in our path if there weren’t other forces moving behind the scenes More will come But still

And I sir Shall I also watch Helen said stepping forward with a smile

Divvit chuckled just try to control yourself alright

Helen’s eyelid twitched and the male spear attendant had to cover up his laugh with a cough

After the 30th time that Shal rushed Randidly and knocked him to the ground after that wave of energy passed Shal finally spoke There that is enough for a warm up Do not forget to continue practicing those strange base building dances They are adequate for a disciple of mine Come

Shal walked out of the training room and down the hall Grunting slightly due to his only partially healed wounds Randidly hobbled after him Shal walked past Shal’s room to a locked door at the end of the boat A simple hand press from Shal caused the lock to click open and Randidly followed him inside seeing another rather large room perhaps even larger than the training room

At the far wall there was a strange glyph 3 meters wide on the ground To the left there was a small prayer mat and a scroll To the right there was a chest

Before you lies the inheritance of the Spear Phantom Style Should you not die someday it will be yours But there are tools here to advance your training which you desperately need But first Shal leveled his gaze at Randidly we must speak about Aether How you become this strong without a Class Tell me

So after a brief consideration Randidly decided to explain his suspicions Shal had saved his life and continually helped him Perhaps this gesture was just that a gesture meant to loosen Randidly’s tongue but Randidly couldn’t understand why Shal would care Or more truthfully with the strength Shal possessed even if he did care it was beneath his notice to do something about it when it involved someone he viewed as poorly as his disciple

So Randidly explained how the winnings from defeating the Dungeon Boss had sustained him and catapulted him forward increasing the speed of his skill leveling Combined with Shal’s tutelage Randidly became strong enough to defeat a Tribulation without the assistance of a village and had forcefully suppressed that strange runic tongue absorbing some of its magic in his body

This magic Randidly suspected included a small Aether Spring Ever since he could slowly feel it growing pulsing within him its tendrils spreading throughout his body Truthfully it seemed to have a very positive impact on the speed of his growth so Randidly was thankful for it But the strange energy filled Randidly with worry

After Randidly finished speaking Shal was silent for a long time Then ponderously he said Do not speak of this again What you say is impossible Aether springs from the World Core and from Villages Above all from the Nexus You cannot hold a source of Aether within you

Shal’s gaze held Randidly’s for a long time and there was a strange warning there Although Shal didn’t know where the threat would come from it was clear he didn’t believe it prudent for Randidly to talk about this again Randidly nodded understanding Then Shal turned back to the room

but let us speak generally of Aether It’s exact composition and formation is unknown but one thing is clear Aether begets Aether In the beginning there was but a speck but as people struggled and fought and channeled its power through themselves it grew That is why villages actively seek out strong individuals as they grow in strength and pull more Aether to themselves they also generate increasing amounts of Aether

Most of this Aether is taken by the village as its toll for the strength that it has given them But some remains All Aether is not created equal Ambient Aether is thin and wild and is not amenable to any but the strongest image You can sustain yourself on it but it is difficult to grow with it Meanwhile Village Aether is much purer although it is thickened in a way due to the obeisance you owe to the village you receive it from It is easy to grow fat on this Aether grow strong but the thickness of it resists images Creating your own skills requires extraordinary willpower Rewards from killing Raid Bosses and Dungeon Bosses is also this type of Aether although that thickness results from the Bosses themselves so it is slightly more desireable

The purest form of Aether the most easily manipulatable so that you might grow along your own path is that Aether you earn for yourself through struggle The little that lodges itself in your body slowly pooling in your organs as you struggle That is the wanting When you want Aether it exists At your level it is but a fraction of a hair but Shal walked to the sigil and carefully inspected it After a few seconds he gestured for Randidly to enter

This is a formation that was constructed by my father at great personal cost Like a dungeon it weakens the connection of those inside to their village through a mild time acceleration formation It will only give you about a 2x dilution but it suffocates the Aether from villages It also disperses ambient Aether so the only Aether remaining to you is the Aether within yourself My father used this to eliminate the impure Aether inside of him and create the skill set that earned him the name Spear Phantom He created all 6 moves in a single sitting over 6 days

Shal flexed his hand and a huge black spear appeared It was almost 3 meters long and was formed of obsidian Although this is ostentatious its balance is true and its power should not be trifled with Train with this What you need is repetition to find the image you need for your moves Search for it As your body is starved from Aether you will discover your own path

Randidly took the spear and staggered The weight was ridiculous Based on how trivially Shal had held it his physical stats must be staggering It was no wonder that he didn’t even need to rely on skills to crush him

I will deactivate the formation in an hour There is one other tool here you may use but first you must know this peculiarity Good Luck

Pressing down with his hand Shal caused the runes of the glyph to slowly light up A fog rose and Shal seemed to fade away Randidly turned around curiously but everything faded to darkness All he could see was the glyph beneath him lighting up the thick fog that rose to his calves seeming to spread infinitely in every direction

Shrugging Randidly hefted the spear and got to work To his mind there was only one choice Phantom Thrust So in the strange half gloom he began to thrust again and again After a few minutes of this Randidly decided to summon a Root Spider so he didn’t disturb the formation underneath him and then created a Root Avatar with Root Control on top of it

Satisfied Randidly did this 3 more times Then he began to fall into a familiar rhythm of breathing striking breathing striking adjusting his form All the while he was pondering what Shal had said about Aether and images If the source of the Aether influenced the image wouldn’t that mean that his Aether if it really came from a spring inside of him would already be predisposed towards his images

Wondering whether the 4 individuals connected to him by the unique skill could also benefit from that Randidly continued to use Phantom Thrust Whereas Randidly had previously focused on speed and suddenness Shal’s use helped him realize that that would come with time The increased skill level would naturally add speed and weight What he needed to do with his image was not to address execution but flavor And then he had to want it powerfully desiring that image

But first while he was considering these things he needed to work through the ambient Aether in his body And Randidly felt slightly stupid doing so because for a long time nothing happened He just trained It wasn’t boring but it was frustrating because Randidly wasn’t sure what he was waiting for Was it perhaps impossible for him to receive the benefit of this

Still he persevered and after around 40 minutes he felt it A strange tightness in his chest like his lungs couldn’t inhale asmuch oxygen as they had previously But it wasn’t an oxygen problem His body started to tremble slightly as he continued to train His body urged him to hyperventilate but Randidly squashed that instinct After all it would do nothing to address this problem

Just when he started to feel woozy and began to wonder whether he had taken this too lightly the Aether in his chest began to pulse Softly at first then with increasing fierceness fighting back the weakness Waves of ice and fire pulsed outward making all of Randidly’s limbs tingle Every breath he took now was like plunging his chest into a frozen river and then hopping out onto a bed of coals

His body began to sweat unused to the strange feelings

Although it was extremely distracting Randidly tried to ignore the sensations of the Aether moving within him thrashing around through his body He raised his spear once more

The image the image

Forward Always forward Without relenting His path was his own and he needed to walk it

Randidly thrust and the Aether within him seemed to thrum The sensations intensified and there were pins and needles of ice sliding in and out of the muscles of his arms and shoulders The thrumming grew stronger and stronger and seemed to howl Forward Forward Forward

As his head began to pound Randidly let the root avatars fall away and just concentrated on his spear imbuing every inch of it with his will He felt that strange hazy green energy around it which he believed was his Battle Intent but ignored that for now focusing solely on the spear That image of advancing it was a little unrefined

So Randidly closed his eyes and saw Shal’s Phantom Thrust not the speed nor the power but how the spear in his hand always seemed to be thrusting How the thrust was inevitable How it would advance no matter the cost

The Aether continued to thrum and the pain in Randidly’s forehead continued to grow

Thrust

Sweat dripped down but Randidly didn’t even notice His eyes were closed and he slowly closed down all of his sensory information ignoring it all trying to avoid the chaotic Aether within him focusing on the feeling of that huge spear in his hands

Chapter 143

Shal did not tell his disciple this but he had lied to him he would not be within the formation for a single hour but for 6 hours For his disciple this would be 12 hours of hell Well if he chose that path If he was cautious 12 hours was about the amount of time it took to deplete the ambient Aether in your body if you were not exerting yourself

The point of this 12 hour period was twofold First was to force the boy to confront his own Aether and push him beyond the point his body could stand This would have tremendous positive benefits for his training if he could harness it Especially if what he said was true and that somehow he was a walking village in terms of Aether

What would that mean for his ability to use an image to shape Aether

Even Shal who had long assumed his heart had stiffened and died in a way felt some inkling of excitement If he was really carrying this blessing his disciple needed to get as strong as possible before others discovered it and it became a curse

Another wave of power exploded above but Shal ignored it Divveltian should have no trouble dealing with enemies who came this early He was one of the few spear users who hadn’t received any status designations from the school but Shal’s father had still been cautious around

But Shal knew in his heart that Divveltian was far above the level of the common Artisan Qtal was not a town that could easily push Divveltian around

The second reason that Shal put his disciple into the formation for a longer time was a more cold and calculating reason He had said it multiple times but his disciple did not seem to get it the enemies that would come would be far above his level His disciple had some tricks and a knack for survival but their strength would be at the level that he wouldn’t have that chance

What they needed was the disciple to find a powerful image of the spear and for the time to perfect it This 12 hour period would completely deplete the impure Aether in his body giving him the best chance to develop a powerful image Although there was also a high risk of death Shal was not one to worry overmuch

If his disciple was too weak it was better that he die now before Shal risked overmuch to help him For Shal knew of an answer to the time dilution problem But it would be difficult extremely so and pose extreme risk with Shal bearing most of the risk Even if it worked Shal might be completely out of commission for a long time In the larger city they would need to go to to perform this plan both the people who resented the Spear Phantom Style and Rainbow Hunters would be more common Without Shal’s strength

Even he who knew he was about the Adept level of strength felt some fear in his heart at the thought of such weakness

But Shal’s eyes burned as he stared into the formation He was unable to see his disciple but he wished very strongly for him to succeed

Not for the Style not for the health of his disciple but due to a name he had buried deep within his heart Lucrecia And thanks to Egger Shal now had a location

His father’s actions had earned Shal many things but part of the settlement with the other Schools was that the travel of the Spear Phantom Style be restricted to only the area controlled by the Spearman School who defended them So Shal needed a reasonable ticket to leave their area

Like a disciple who was traveling to enter a distant tournament

It was almost a pipe dream at this point His disciple had struggled at the Qualifier for the Regional Tournament After that was still the Regional Tournament where the true competitors who had been preparing will be waiting At that tournament the top 4 would get a ticket to the Spearman School Hall of Stances and then

Then those 4 as well as the other groups of 4 from the other Spearman School regions would travel to the All School Tournament Which was being hosted by the Death School

Top 4 huh It seemed impossible to Shal but his disciple had an almost infectious optimism about him Besides their current goal was top 8 anyways Just one more win

Shal would risk anything for that win Even the lives of himself and his weak disciple

Lucrecia you cannot run from me forever

Time dragged on and everything began to blur for Randidly Everything began to revolve around the spear He saw it even with his eyes closed It grew and it grew distant like the way your limbs felt when you sat alone in a dark room with your eyes closed

It was strange and weird but Randidly didn’t let that perturb him he simply held the spear and thrusted forward Aether writhing through his body as he moved

The thrust was inevitable it was instant time

Randidly paused hesitating Time huh

His mind moving rapidly in spite of the vicious pain in his forehead Randidly could picture his spear moving so fast that it seemed to move slow somehow bending the laws of time Or using time to simply speed up the time it took for his spear to arrive before his target

But after a few seconds he shook his head banishing that image That wasn’t his spear It was inevitable It wasn’t that his spear used time to its advantage

But that the attack was inevitable and irresistible like time It was coming it was just a matter of time There was a countdown

Randidly thrust out again his spear speed much slower than it was previously The Aether inside of him quivered strangely as if confused

In fact it was possible that his spear actually hurt him with its image of time Trading off the unpredictability and speed for power Randidly thrust again the spear seeming to slow even further

But as he did so he felt instinctively that the attack seemed more like a phantom Drifting and slow sure but when it arrived

As the thrust was fully extended the air seemed to hum with the violent power of the thrust Randidly drew the spear back and thrust again

It was almost if the time power even let the enemy know far in advance that it was coming

The air hummed

But it was an unstoppable force when it arrived

The air crackled and hissed

Again and again Randidly thrust and the Aether inside of him began to move Where before it was icy needles now it was like there was an inexhaustible furnace within his chest belching out smog and heat his body beginning to feel hot and strange his head fuzzy

But he forced himself to continue thrusting again and again Only through repetition of this feeling would he find his answer Randidly wasn’t sure how much time remaining in here he had and wasn’t sure whether it was having an effect on gaining skill levels but it certainly was doing something to his Aether And that something was narrowing his focus to a razor edge

Even as his insides began to feel bone dry and as inhospitable as a desert Randidly thrust his spear now making strange crackling noises as it exploded with force

His eyes glowing emerald Randidly felt the image The inevitable nature of time It approaches sweeping us all away it affects us all it is the the strongest weapon The sharpest spear

For some further amount of time Randidly continued to thrust His chest was a burning volcano The Aether bubbled within him mixing and swirling in strange shapes It was almost unbearable the pain approaching the level of having Shal dump acid inside his body

Then Randidly slowed thoughtful It seemed at present that he had reached the limit of what he could do with this image And it was probably a bad idea to continue to refine this without first checking with Shal Randidly didn’t want to proceed too far down an incorrect path And while he was still within the focused state

Before anything else Randidly sat for a few minutes and let the thundering in his head subside a bit The Aether continued to roil around in him unpleasantly but without him focusing strongly on something it just seemed to flail almost listless

After a suitable amount of time Randidly stood and then began to move through the strange stances taught to him by that old turtle At this point Randidly could persist through one complete circuit of the first exercise and almost all the way through the second The third was still far beyond him

Still Aether swirled lazily down into his legs feeling like a cool refreshing stream driving away the exhaustion Randidly could see what he wanted the image he had since the turtle had done this It was one of the first things he had gained from the system roots

Randidly pictured his legs as ineffable roots thick and durable and sturdy glowing golden with life so strong that it seemed like they would never be shaken Roots so large and strong that they supported a tree strong enough to hold up the sky That was the strength he wanted Privately in his mind he said the word that described what the tree would be

Yggdrasil His legs his base would be the roots that could hold up Yggdrasil the World Tree

That was what he was seeking that strength With it even if his spear skills were below his opponents he would not falter He would not struggle His base was endless His roots stretched so deeply into the earth beneath him that he could not be shaken Energy and life flowed upwards giving him substance He would be eternal

Randidly smoothly moved from the first movement to the second one his legs beginning to tremble Aether surged downward an ice cold river that would grab you and pull you under The kind parents warned their children away from

As he focused on these huge golden roots Randidly moved through the second movement the shaking getting worse But although his chest heaved and large drops of sweat dripped down his face he didn’t cease as he moved his body strangely skittering and scuttling working every part of his thighs and hips

Like a crashing wave he finished the second movement and began the third He struggled onward for several seconds The ice cold Aether sloshed around his legs swirling and probing drawing sigils

But then the wave ran out of momentum and sloshed backwards

Randidly collapsed but he was laughing

Just a bit more He muttered Just a bit longer

Chapter 144

Shal opened his eyes putting his thoughts to the side It was nearly time It was impossible to see what was happening through the thick formations that choked off all outward sources of Aether so it was possible that the disciple had foolishly spent his Aether early on and had since died His body would be perfectly preserved but the spark of his life

It would be a disappointment now as Shal had spent this time gathering his thoughts for how they could manage to pull this off And how he could convince Divveltian to lend them his aid With his help it was possible to pull it off

For the first time in a long time Shal felt a pang of regret that so many bridges had been built and then burnt by his father Very few of their older allies remained well disposed towards them They would effectively be on their own without the aid of any local powers

Sensing time was up Shal prepared to lower the formation

Thank you senior The male spear attendant said bowing It was truly helpful to see your strength

Divvit snorted No need to flatter But fine I suppose I could give you some pointers from time to time Assume a stance

Excited the male spear attendant did so Very carefully and slowly Divvit explained what he knew of the Iron Spear Style its strengths and weaknesses and what he saw in the male spear attendant Honestly the amount of information and insight that he so casually displayed was incredible

Then even more incredible Divvit began describing an image and movement that could possibly turn into a great skill if he had a spare skill for it

The male spear attendant nodded excitedly

Then all that remains Divvit said Is to strike Focus on the image Feel its truth in your body And move If you want it enough the world will respond

The male spear attendant raised his spear but then hesitated These past few days everything that shook his confidence he had pressed it down tightly binding it into a ball Then he maneuvered that ball of tight emotion and put it in the tip of his spear An iron defense and impenetrable strike

A split second before the male spear attendant moved a very peculiar thing happened A strange chaotic burst of energy came from below thick and wild It rampaged upwards and everywhere sinking into the bodies of everyone on the ship almost immediately filling them up with a powerful ferocity and focus

Eyes bright with confidence the male spear attendant struck his spear smoothly rushing forward For whatever reason with that energy filling him he could feel the image A fortress of invulnerable iron Although many have tried to raze it they would only crash against it and fall away

Bulwark of Iron He shouted his cry clear and bright

To his surprise and joy after his strike surged outwards a notification popped up in front of him

Ahahahaha Finally He said excitedly This is just proof this is just the proof I need My strength is without equal A move has been created by I Ro

The deck of the ship was blasted upwards knocking the male spear attendant unconscious

Helen paled seeing the ground explode underneath them What the hell were those idiots doing And this energy could it be

But then she saw two unconscious bodies tumbling through the air One was her fellow spear attendant who was an idiot The other was the Ghosthound Without a second thought she rushed across the boat and leapt up catching the Ghosthound cradling him in her arms as she dropped onto the deck of a nearby boat

As she landed she was almost surprised by how light he was It was easy to forget that although the was tall and his eyes seemed to burn with an intense light he was still just a spear user their age albeit with an ideal body for the spear His hands were large and his limbs were long His shoulders were much wider than hers and his stance was exceptionally low and strong when he attacked

He was Helen admitted to herself a good source of genes for her children if nothing else So Helen had followed an impulse and became his spear attendant

Returning to the boat Helen laid him lightly down on the ground very gently This asshole was probably responsible for the explosion but she studiously controlled any anger she felt It would be simpler if she didn’t display her more extreme side around him

How strange it was that she ran away from home to avoid being tied down by a family as part of a merger between two leatherworking empires but now she found herself with prospects that made her seriously consider seducing him

But then those thoughts fell away as she straightened and summoned her spear Because right now

It was hard to describe She struck forward then moved smoothly into her next stance then into the third stance Extremely slowly she straightened Suddenly flaws in her movements were quite clear She moved through her flowing stances again And then again Then again

Her face grave she continued through her stances for another minute as the last of that energy dissipated from her body It was Aether for sure And

An Aether so pure it seemed impossible She had gained 5 skill levels in each of her three moves over the past few minutes The first 3 skill levels happened the first 3 times she moved after she had the insight into her previous flaws This kind of power

It seemed that she wasn’t the only one that noticed because people were coming to the decks of nearby boats looking over at them with serious expressions Even Divvit the old fart had moved moving a finger back and forth lightly

Shal appeared on deck and he and Divvit exchanged a serious glance But they didn’t speak instead Shal walked over to the Ghosthound then looked down at him

You fucking dimwit

His voice was angry but Helen was near to them and could see Shal’s face It was twisted in a manic smile his teeth clenched in a dead simulacrum of a smile Any other would just assume something had gone wrong in training but the way Shal was looking at the Ghosthound it was the way a wolf looked at a fat sheep Shal was definitely pleased by something

Then Shal abruptly straightened and Helen blinked

Two figures had simply appeared on a small boat to the side of their group’s boat a bobbing sudden neighbor The large light blue Tassle of the Crashing Wave Style hung above the two figures the man slight and silver haired the woman huge and broad

Greetings The man spoke softly his voice smooth

Divvit stood and bowed Honored guest would you bless our vessel with your presence

The man’s eyes slid over the scattered boards and gaping hole left in the deck I think not We were just out for a stroll

Then the man breathed deeply through his nose A good breeze over here Until next we meet friends Then the small boat carrying the two turned and began to float away boats hastily pushing themselves apart to allow them through

Helen scratched her head What the fuck had just fucking happened

Shal looked at his disciple who appeared to still be sleeping peacefully The memories were still fresh in his mind of what had happened an hour earlier as he had lowered the formations that surrounded his disciple

As the formations slowly began to be disabled there was a strange resistance They were running mostly off energy from Shal himself so he was a little stumped as to why the formation persisted after he had cut off its energy supply He supposed that he had never been the one to run the formation for another for such a long period of time so perhaps he had given it too much energy previously

So he reached out with his will and pressed the formations out of existence the light flickering out of them

What he was greeted by was a huge wave of energy that crashed into him as the sweating but standing form of Randidly was revealed Energy surged around Randidly swirling his dark hair and making the air around him almost glow

Seemingly surprised Randidly looked up then smiled lopsidedly and said Shal I think I found a new image Let me know what you think

His disciple immediately lowered his stance and then took a fighting stance Before it even happened Shal’s instincts warned him that a thrust would be coming And a second later it rolled forward smooth and even and strangely slow But as Shal witnessed this spear thrust his eyes couldn’t help but shoot open

That spear

In that spear he could see the cruel smile of his father All his confidence fled his body and for a brief moment he trembled But instinct was more powerful than fear and Shal stepped forward and knocked his disciple up in the air before he could complete that spear thrust Such was his haste that he used perhaps too much strength smashing his disciple’s body up through the deck and into the air

It suddenly struck Shal that the thick energy around his disciple was Aether A thick and wild Aether that seemed to fill his body and whisper possibilities of strength So it seemed that his disciple was honest if doomed If the big Styles figured out about how this was possible to hold in the body

Forget even the larger threat of some system based life form coming to deal with this deviation the people on this planet would kill for the power that his disciple possessed in his body

The detecting and arriving of the Crashing Wave Style so quickly was chilling And from the stance of their leader he was aware that somehow a huge burst of very pure Aether came from this boat Their intentions were peaceful right now but if push came to shove Shal narrowed his eyes and calmed his breathing Perhaps it was good to leave then And the Aether in his disciple’s body gave him hope Perhaps he would get the chance at his long awaited revenge

Chapter 145

Randidly stirred then sat bolt upright What

So you finally wake Hmph well it is good you didn’t perish but you also did not make things any easier for us The formation will be of no more use It will take more time to repair

Randidly opened his mouth then hesitated paling He had damaged the formation That was honestly terrible because although the feeling of Aether that he experienced in there was painful it had been oddly invigorating

Thinking about it Randidly turned his attention inward It seemed that although Aether had definitely spread throughout him with more spindly branches extending into his arms and especially his legs it had fallen back into a dormant state It moved but extremely slowly pulsing only intermittently

Turning his attention to Shal Randidly noticed that he didn’t seem to be that upset that the formation was damaged In fact he almost seemed cheery

Standing Shal gestured and Randidly followed him out of the room with the inheritances For tonight rest and train your other skills

Randidly was slightly amused that he seemed unwilling to refer directly to the usefulness of his spells but he let it slide

Shal continued Tomorrow we will continue with training In the evenings instead of the formation you shall make use of the 2nd of the tools left behind by my father his journal During the night you will be free to continue your other pursuits Within a week we will leave to train at a more advantageous location Settle your affairs you will return strong or in a coffin

And with that Shal left him alone

After a nervous chuckle at the foreboding things Shal had said Randidly sat down and addressed his notifications It seemed the creation of his skill based on the movements had reached 80% which meant it might be possible to push towards creating the move within the week before Shal whisked him off to whatever dangerous location he had in mind for the training

The second notification caught and held Randidly’s attention

Due to your strong image the skill Phantom Thrust can be changed Do you wish to merge the image into the skill Warning based on the quality of the components efficacy of the skill or the image may decrease Do you still wish to continue

Perhaps it would be smart to wait but

Randidly stood and thrust forward The spear was slow and steady but when it finished a wave of force spread outward in every direction buzzing like a deep bass note Even Randidly’s bones vibrated slightly through the force

He also had Sweep and Ghastly Slash Sacrificing some of the speed for a move powerful enough to finish fights and force others to back off appealed to Randidly after being on the losing end of his conflict with Tertet He selected yes

Congratulations Your skill Phantom Thrust Lvl 70 has changed to The Inevitable Phantom Arrives Lvl 35 (Un) Half of the benefits of skill levels retained Skill levels will be slightly easier to gain until the level of the new skill rivals that of the old skill

Congratulations Your skill has become a skill with an Uncommon Rarity Continue to explore further You will find that uncommon starting places generate uncommon paths

Randidly hefted his spear and looked at the sharp obsidian tip The Inevitable Phantom Arrives huh Perhaps that really was the image that he had Always advancing always approaching This Phantom could not be avoided

Also the notification from the system was cute that it encouraged him to create more skills of different rarities and then use their paths But he already had a Runic rarity move It was just far more difficult than he had expected to level it resulting in not really having access to that path yet But it was good to know that path would probably be worth it

Then Randidly turned to the skill notifications He had gained 2 Lvls in Spear Mastery and Spear Phantom’s Footwork 3 in Iron Skin and Dodge (likely from Shal’s earlier beatings) 1 in Haste 2 in Empower 2 in Battle Intent 4 in Struggle 1 in Root Control and Plantomancy 1 in Potion Making 3 in Mana Engraving 3 in Physical Fitness 4 in Meditation 1 in Pain Resistance (It was good to see that the Aether really did cause actual pain) 4 in Bacterial Regeneration and Mental Fortitude and finally 5 in Second Wind

Because most of his time in the formation was used to train up his Phantom Thrust which transformed and the leg exercises it didn’t seem like he had gained much from his time there But it appeared that his regenerative stats had improved due to the brutal style of training that Shal employed

There was a little bit of regret in Randidly’s heart that he hadn’t used that time to develop images for more things especially things that would have resulted in noticeable increases but he set that to the side It wasn’t worth it to dwell on what might have been Better to focus on how things had changed for the better

Shal had been tight lipped about his move that he used but he had indicated he could continue training with it That acknowledgement was worlds ahead of the previous attitude Shal had towards him Honestly he was a pretty poor instructor but he was fair and thorough so Randidly couldn’t fault him too much Besides Randidly admitted in his heart that Shal’s teaching style was almost exactly what he needed to progress so things worked out

From these skill levels Randidly had 47 PP Inwardly he was quite pleased because it would finally be enough to finish off this strange Lonesome Spear path that had appeared within him There had only been the health mana and stamina benefits thus far but it seemed impossible to him those strange powerful hands would create a useless Path within him

So he put the 27 PP needed to finish it off into the path and looked at the flickering notification

Congratulations You have completed the Lonesome Spear Path You hold a spear and walk forward All else is left behind on your journey forward The sky above you shifts restlessly &()#() #( #(RQ#( # (# )#( (# DSF)# (#) A(#) (#( ()#& ( # )(+ )# # K #P(#) # (email protected) # ## # # (email protected)# OL) #(email protected) # (email protected) D

Randidly looked dumbfounded at the notification There was no reward at all But more than that what were those characters And they ended in an emoji

But before he could truly process what had happened his body shuddered That tightly packed ball of Aether exploded surging outward in three huge torrents The first torrent curled upwards winding itself into a spiral that tightly packed itself even more compact and compressed than the original Path had been This small little pellet hovered above the place where his Soul Skill still rotated and was still

The two other streams of Aether expanded twisting and shifting finally settling down in his stomach area where his skills resided Slowly settling the two morphed and shifted until they resembled the skills around them and ceased Curious Randidly prodded them with his focus and nothing happened

Then he focused more intently on those two shapes and two explanations came up

The Weeping Cloud ® Lvl 1 Conjure a small cloud that weeps Those who are touched by the cloud’s tears will experience increased health regeneration and have status ailments alleviated Concentration and Mental Clarity will increase outside influences will be wiped away Size of cloud and efficacy of effects increase with skill level Control increases with skill level

Weather Affinity Lvl 1 Read the winds allowing you to determine the weather and climate in moments Affinity to the natural world and effect increases with skill level

The sky above me shifts restlessly Huh Randidly said with narrowed eyes Neither skill appeared very useful and both seemed difficult to level It would probably provide additional PP over the long haul He supposed the Cloud skill referenced increased focus and mental clarity which might be useful but again these were purely supplemental skills

Randidly supposed he shouldn’t be too greedy He had finally found a new offensive move to call his own and Shal planned on training him over the course of the next two months or something Randidly wasn’t really sure how the time frame really worked There were times when he realized how oblivious he was and how it was slightly unfortunate

Checking his available paths Randidly realized that he hadn’t received anything new After considering for a while Randidly chose to finally begin the Path of Carnage Paths The first one revealed itself to be to 25 and Randidly had 20 PP remaining almost filling it up Every 5 he received a point in strength which was a pleasant surprise after the previous path that ended up being rather disconcerting

Randidly focused his attention inward once more Perhaps it was this small pellet by his Soul Skill which was the real prize But as he examined it and nothing happened he could only sigh The world didn’t revolve around him after all Maybe it was all just a weird coincidence or a mistake

Randidly walked up to the deck The male spear attendant who Randidly still didn’t know the name of was busy being bossed around by Divvit being forced to repair the deck Randidly avoided them heading to the other side

Sitting down cross legged Randidly took a deep breath enjoying the cool night air and the scent of salt water beneath them

A notification popped up that his Weather Affinity had increased a level startling Randidly and then he chuckled realizing he hadn’t yet taken the potion in a while As he removed the strange small black potion he couldn’t help but wonder about it It seemed almost endless the weird liquid that flowed out and into his mouth in exact measurements And somehow after all this time it didn’t seem depleted at all He tried to peer down the neck but all he saw was black

This really couldn’t be healthy but Randidly had a hard time worrying about it after taking it for this long and not experiencing any ill effects He took his daily drink and then placed it back in his interspatial ring

Chapter 146

Afterwards Randidly reached inward and activated his new skill the Weeping Cloud For several seconds nothing happened but as Randidly looked up he saw that a cloud was slowly forming above him His eyebrows rose continuously for the next minute as his mana continued to tick downward syphoned off to form this cloud above him Only after it had taken 1000 mana did it cease leaving him with barely any mana remaining

As he produced a mana potion and raised it to his lips Randidly said Weeping cloud More like greedy cloud

The cloud itself was very small just about the size of their boat and from it raindrops began to fall little pinpricks of liquid that pattered against the deck around him Randidly closed his eyes and enjoyed the sensation It was truly profoundly refreshing Due to the fact that he had used it over here on the far side of the boat he was the only one that was hit by the rain The boats around them still parted allowing them to drift further inward Divvit and the spear attendant were working at the far side out of the area of the rain

For several minutes Randidly just breathed and meditated enjoying the feeling of relaxing It had been a long time since he had felt so at peace Randidly thought it was odd but he supposed that if this was just a way to stabilize his mental health after the brutal training he would be doing that might be effect enough

Strangely as he sat there sitting in the rain waiting for his mana to recover Randidly realized that he missed cooking If he hadn’t chosen this path to power and strength it might have been interesting to just focus on Cooking as a skill seeing how far he could push it It was a fun thought experiment imagining a life spent pursuing the limits of Cooking He even received the very useful Grace from Cooking

After all Randidly started out with farming and cross breeding creating new varieties of plants to help him survive in that dungeon He could create both the ultimate ingredients and the ultimate process to cook them All and all it would be an extremely rewarding lifestyle in its way

Of course that was not Randidly’s path

It was not that he didn’t want it It was that it would never be enough to satisfy him now after all that he had experienced The system wanted to force him to a village to find a class The people here believed that he wouldn’t be able to compete at the level of this tournament He had chosen a color that brought shame to this world and Hunters wanted to slay him and mount his Tassle on their mantle

Although right now he was relying on Shal and Divvit it left Randidly with an increasingly sour taste in his mouth especially after he had been so self reliant in the days he spent with Donnyton He didn’t want to have to rely on anyone else By only using his own strength he wanted to show everyone that they were wrong He wanted to show that his path would lead higher than anyone else’s

One step at a time though Surrounded by the falling rain Randidly produced a leather bracer and a needle Then he began to Engrave The soft rain continued to fall around him cooling him

Helen sat in the shadows of the deck watching the man that she had chosen to enter the service of He was really fucking weird

He walked up on deck breathed a bit sat down appeared to have summoned a small rain cloud and was now Engraving armor Helen had of course known that he could do some of these things The Ghosthound was strangely competent and that is one of the reasons she was willing to enter his service

But he wasn’t like any of the others she had met that had thought themselves spear prodigies arrogant to a fault completely unrealistic about their own strength And of course in some ways he wasn’t different In spite of the level of the Regional Tournament being worlds ahead of the qualifier he didn’t seem fearful or anxious He wasn’t even training in the spear right now just Engraving

Boldly and in the open too Which was sorta fucking idiotic The Ghosthound didn’t seem to understand the danger that being seen Engraving would mean for them all The Guilds took that very seriously Their monopoly was very important to them

Helen crept closer walking quietly It was a skill she had to learn growing up as a member of a subordinate leather working family who served a prominent Style Maybe that was the reason that she so quickly found herself as a spear attendant after she ran away from her family to avoid a marriage This was just all she knew Service

But there was something different about this one He was pure and focused and didn’t seem to take any pleasure in the trappings of strength He had even seemed profoundly shocked when they had asked to be his spear attendants Since then he hadn’t really required anything of them either besides the dealing with the sweaty merchant

He also didn’t talk much which Helen liked

She took another step forward and felt the raindrops on her skin She looked up frowning but as the rain continued to land on her her frown slowly faded away It felt nice Natural and free this rain in a way she hadn’t really encountered since she was a child Like all there was in the world to worry about was playing in the puddles and throwing handfuls of mud

Holy fuck She sighed but then was startled out of her reverie by laughter Her eyes narrowed as she turned to look at the Ghosthound a split second later forcing her expression to careful neutrality If this motherfucker was laughing at her

But the Ghosthound hadn’t appeared to have even noticed her presence he was smiling down at the bracer in his hands For several seconds he simply stared at it his green eyes bright and fierce as he looked down at the bracer Then he looked up and blinked surprised to see Helen

Satisfied he wasn’t making fun of her (for all the Ghosthound’s strange gifts subtlety wasn’t one of them) she smiled sweetly back at him She was surprised how genuine it felt and was even more surprised at the small tug of pleasure in her heart as he beckoned her over

Come look at this He said excitedly I had no idea the efficacy would increase so sharply What do you think

Helen walked over and took the bracer and then inspected it Her eyebrows rose very quickly Holy spear fucking shit

what The Ghosthound said looking bewildered Helen quickly blushed and smiled as prettily as she could inwardly sweating

My apologies I I sneezed This is impressive And it really was Not for the armor but for the engraving

Apprentice’s Leather Bracer Lvl 25 Leather armor worked by an Apprentice but made with poor materials Vit +2 Health +25 Rain Engraved I

Engraving of Dragonfly 61% The wind seems to move with the wearer aiding in both attack and defense speed Wearer gains Aspect of Dragonfly II

Aspect of Dragonfly II Reaction +2 Agility +5

Rain Engraved I The Engraver is developing his own personal process of Engraving and benefits begin to accrue within the armor Mana +5 Focus +1

More than anything however Helen’s reaction to the armor was one of fear The Engraving guilds probably wouldn’t mind extremely cheap knockoffs where the user only received 1 or 2 extra points from an engraving It would annoy them and they would move to deal with it but it would be a leisurely thing

But this equipment his engraving added 2 Reaction 5 Agility 1 Focus and 5 Mana A person might not notice when equipment had an extra one or two points of something but when it neared 10 Anyone would be interested in it even if it wasn’t in the Attributes that they relied on most frequently After all all of the attributes were tied into each other and unless the circumstances were extremely contrived all were useful in battle

Still the Ghosthound stood in front of her a childish grin on his face as he looked at her It seemed he was waiting for more of a response so she said it is quite impressive but do you not worry about the engraving guilds They do not take kindly to others performing their services

His green eyes flashing the Ghosthound just laughed and turned away My path is always forward I won’t worry about it until the obstacle is before me I’ve got enough on my plate as it is Good impressive good

He left humming to himself and Helen sat very still for a while Then she looked up and smiled enjoying the feel of the soft rain It really made her feel relaxed for the first time in a long time Perhaps it was a good thing that she had ended up here

Chapter 147

The days began to run together for Randidly except for one time period the afternoons when he read the diary of the man who would become the Spear Phantom It was slow going because the words seemed to flicker and burn Before his clash with Dian Randidly would have been rather confused about it but now it was clear to him that there was an extremely powerful Battle Intent suffusing the entire book And it was an intent thick with death The first page described the Phantom Thrust in detail and Randidly was chilled by his reading

You are an instrument and the thrust is a natural extension of something much larger than you You are not the message of death but you are the final reminder Know this you bear the spear but in Death’s eyes the victim is already dead You must thrust and remind them of their final and ultimate failure

When Randidly was away from the book although this first passage was extremely strange it wasn’t so bad to think about But with the book in hand the air seemed to howl with the fury and resentment of deceased souls The cold hand of death settled on his shoulders as he read

By the end of reading that first passage Randidly always had a pounding headache and Shal would take away the book

You are too weak to continue further But now you see the image it takes to be strong

There was always a stiffness in Shal’s voice and Randidly had almost asked what his relationship with his father was and what happened to him But the words never made it past his lips He wasn’t sure if it was the set of Shal’s shoulders or Randidly’s own keep to himself personality but he never asked Instead he just nodded and rubbed his head

It was true though the fact that the image was so strong even now was a testament to its overwhelming power It wasn’t just that the image was clear or focused but the entire thing was filled with an unbelievable amount of detail The texture the sound the visions they all were burned in Randidly’s retinas and hung in the air after the book was taken away seeming to linger That was the level of a powerhouse even in this power focused world

It was that level of image that he needed to reach In a way it was natural for Randidly to base his image off of that But whereas Shal’s father had chosen Death Randidly chose Time as the ultimate source of the image Which seemed to make finding a concrete image much more difficult but hopefully Randidly would be able to manage it

In addition Randidly borrowed from the name the system had given his skill the Inevitable Phantom Arrives So when he focused on recovering after reading from the book Randidly conjured images He placed himself on a giant clock Smaller clocks hovered around and below him ticking

Then those clocks stilled and fell silent and the giant clock began to chime shuddering into motion The howling became audible then as a ghastly presence began to swirl far behind him Slowly but surely the giant clock chimes became more ominous and attention began to focus inward on the spear in his hand as it slid forward And as it began to advance that howling grew more vicious and a hungry spectre raced forward at first a tiny speck in the distance but then growing far larger than a man or a car or even a building

Until all that the victim could see was the open maw and the noise was a harmony between the final chime of the clock and the howling of the spectre It took some time but Randidly could feel the Aether in his chest moving as he pictured it Perhaps this would cause the strength of the move to rise another level

So Randidly demonstrated the new image to Shal What followed was the longest and most brutal beating that Randidly had ever received Although he had always known that Shal was strong and fast he hadn’t truly known HOW strong and fast Most of the time Shal was just trying to move just a bit faster with just a bit more strength than Randidly forcing him to his limits and then beating him into the ground

Of course it was always violent because Shal wanted him to realize how dangerous it was to play when fighting When you fought you aimed to kill Or you made a mistake and died So Randidly had grown used to beatings

But this

There were several points when Randidly honestly believed he was about to die He wavered on the edge close to using spells but although his health was brought below 100 and most of his bones were broken Shal made no move to capitalize This wasn’t the normal training Randidly realized It was a lesson that Shal was carving into his body with pain

At the end Shal stood over Randidly with his arms folded Your move is already too slow idiot disciple You are yet weak don’t overcomplicate things If you have spare time to think of extra things we perhaps need more training such as this

Then he walked away Needless to say Randidly admitted that it was perhaps a little unrealistic to try and raise the strength of his image all at once like that Better to focus on one thing and to improve it slowly So Randidly removed most of the images but kept the numerous ticking clocks and also the looming phantom But he lessened the size until it was about the size of person

He made the body look human with half of the face bone and on an instinct the other half feminine As he examined the face his chest tightened Sitting in his inward world looking at the image he had for that skill Randidly looked into a very familiar half face

Sydney He whispered The ghastly spectre smiled Randidly raised his hand and banished the image deconstructing it True Sydney was likely dead but that didn’t mean he wanted her image to haunt him Instead when Randidly created the image for the second time he still stuck with a feminine face but chose his mother

And as he looked at the finished product he felt the change Where it hadn’t been there before the inevitable dread the image caused in the viewer’s chest had grown The air was filled with helplessness Just like Randidly was helpless to prevent his mother from drinking and pilling herself into the arms of men his entire childhood

The more he brooded on it the stronger the swirl of helplessness around his spear became So although it infuriated him to no end to see her and to be partially reliant on her Randidly left the image of the spectre with his mother’s face It was about time she did something for him

The rest of the time during that week was the morning training sessions and the evening magic and Engraving sessions In addition during what spare time he had Randidly would watch Divvit dispatch more challengers or give Randidly’s two spear attendants pointers

It really seemed that many people had problems with them but as Randidly watched more and more he realized that he really wasn’t the target the entire Spear Phantom Style was It seemed that Shal’s father had done something to piss off quite a lot of people because more and more challenges were coming Luckily these were still just probes and no one at even the Artisan level had arrived But to Randidly it seemed like only a matter of time

His Engraving continued to improve but it was only Dragonfly that could get above 60% The other two remained stubbornly at 59% even as Dragonfly increased to 68% All in all Randidly had created 8 bracers with above 68% and this earned him a bit of extra cash that he had Helen use to go and buy him some clockwork instruments There were clocks and wind up toys and music boxes and all sorts of interesting little carefully delicate mechanisms

Randidly listened to them while sitting under his Weeping Cloud memorizing their sound Then he would take them apart and put them back together He even got the skill Clockwork Mastery and leveled it to 7 It wasn’t something he wanted to dedicate a lot of time to but if he wanted to have a powerful image Randidly thought it would be worth it to immerse himself as a true hobby unlike Engraving which had become such a lucrative pursuit

Shal’s brutal training the grinding of the Engraving the stress of being exposed to the diary of the Spear Phantom such was the strain that Randidly was under that in spite of his high vitality he started sleeping for an hour or two every day just to reset his body

As the week went on Shal’s training times extended spreading to encompass strategy in battle ruthlessness and the proper use of the different techniques that Randidly inherited Over and over Shal emphasized cutthroat actions There were no perfect answers just quick ones that arrived at the perfect time

Perhaps later Randidly could focus more on learning how to take advantage of certain actions on his enemies part but for now it was better to slowly just build up instinct for moving At the level that Randidly was moving Shal disdained it was far better to move first

Randidly only had limited interaction with his spear attendants but the more he watched them the more he realized that they were decidedly peculiar people Helen although she was one of the attractive women that Randidly had talked to for an extended amount of time was clearly suppressing herself somehow The other one who Randidly still didn’t know the name of was actually surprisingly skilled with a spear He just spent a lot of time practicing at the side of the boat looking at his own reflection in the water

By the end of the week Randidly had gained 2 Levels of Spear Mastery 4 in The Inevitable Phantom Arrives 6 in Spear Phantom’s Footwork 4 in Iron Skin and Dodge 2 in Fighting Proficiency and Block 1 in Empower Calculated Blow and Roundhouse Kick 5 in Battle Intent 2 in Root Control and Summon Pestilence 6 in Incinerating Bolt 2 in Plantomancy and 9 in Weeping Cloud

He also gained 1 in Potion Making and Refine 4 in Mana Engraving 1 in Physical Fitness Running and Meditation 2 in Pain Resistance 3 in First Aid 3 in Grace and Bacterial Regeneration 1 in Mental Fortitude 6 in Second Wind 4 in Weather Affinity and of course the 7 in Clockwork Mastery

Once more in the predawn light Randidly found himself with a sizable amount of PP after the week At Shal’s request he had waited to train in the strange turtle movement until they arrived at their destination which he was very closed mouthed about

For now Randidly decided to just continue as normal and move through the Path of Carnage paths

He used 5 PP and finished off the first path

Chapter 148

Flickeringly the completion notification appeared before him

Congratulations You have completed the Path of Carnage I You have started down a bloody road but sometimes it is a necessary path You walk forward and you are haunted by your choices You have encountered an Extending Path Continue or receive your current rewards

Randidly figured he would continued on this for a while anyway so he clicked on the continuing path options However it was slightly annoying to see that he received no completion bonus other than the additional point he got in Strength

In addition his previous Path of Carnage I 25/25 shifted to become Path of Carnage II 25/50 Gritting his teeth Randidly put another 25 points into it For this he received a point in Perception at 30 40 and 50 Then a notification popped up in front of him

Congratulations You have completed the Path of Carnage II As you continue forward the bones begin to form piles The path ahead of you is desolate and the future seems bleak To your left you see a small altar of skulls Shall you depart from this path here You have encountered an Extending Path Continue or recieve your current reward

Randidly’s eyelid twitched It did not seem like this would be a very efficient use of PP But he was the stubborn type and now that he had gone down this path he wasn’t going to stop now After all pushing all the way through on the Pathless Path had led him to his Soul Skill which continued to pay dividends Better to just bear the cost So Randidly selected to continue

You have passed the Chieftain’s Alter The rewards for choosing the Chieftain’s Alter +5 Str +3 End and Agi +2 Vit and Per +1 React

How generous of them to remind you what you gave up on Randidly thought with a bit of acid in the back of his throat Instead he opened the path menu back up What he saw caused his eyes to bulge He now had Path of Carnage III but it was at 50/100 So the cost increased too

Unhappy Randidly poured most of his remaining 62 into completing the path He received something at 75 and 100 but it was 2 distributable points at both so he was a little mollified All 4 of these Randidly put into Perception in an effort to raise his ability to contend with the spear users he would encounter soon

Congratulations You have completed the Path of Carnage III The bones flow like seas around you silent and still swamps of blood dotting the landscape This is a path you walk alone you realize You wonder if it is truly necessary or if you enjoy the road you walk That answer is very important To your right you see a wooden cup filled with blood Shall you depart from this path here You have encountered an Extending Path Continue or recieve your current reward

Resisting the admittedly large temptation of the very unappetizing sounding cup of blood Randidly elected to continue

You have passed the Bloodseeker’s Cup The rewards for choosing the Bloodseeker’s Cup +8 Str +7 End and Agi +1 Vit and React Bloodseeker Strike (Un) Lvl 1

Randidly shut his eyes to the rewards and looked at his path page He almost wished he hadn’t Path of Carnage IV was at 100/200 It would require 100 more PP before he was able to accept the reward again Would it be worth it to take the next one if it seemed interesting

But Randidly shook his head refusing to give in his stubborn streak still strong So he put his final 12 PP into this next path and struggled to control his breathing

After all soon Shal would come and it would be time for them to leave Qtal for a time He needed to handle a few small tasks first For the moment Randidly stood It had been a week since he had personally met the merchant Claptrap and he supposed it was polite to tell him what was going on

Claptrap’s eyes widened when he once again in a strange sense of deja vu opened up his door late at night to find the Ghosthound waiting on his doorstep He quickly ushered him in and offered him some rather nice tea The Ghosthound politely declined and spoke explaining how he would soon go away for a time training in preparation for the Regional Tournament

Nodding rapidly Claptrap brought out another 100 of boots and breast plates and 200 of bracers The members of the Crashing Wave Style were extremely pleased with the bracers over 60% and were very interested in obtaining more after seeing the strange Rain Engraved bonus attribute that all of the armor had begun to possess Although it only provided a negligible amount of mana and a point in focus as that process continued to be refined and focused those rewards would only grow

It also seemed to cement in the members of the Crashing Wave Style that this engraver would soon be cracked down upon by the guilds and they began offering more money As such Claptrap had profit projections that left his head spinning Even though his attitude cooled somewhat when he had been approached by various other larger Styles who seemed to somehow have caught wind of what was going on with his armor

At the moment he wasn’t sure whether to start a bidding war or to remain faithful but Claptrap knew he had to act fast But when he produced the large amount of armors the Ghosthound frowned his brow furrowed

You He said hesitation in his voice Is this not most of your supply I’m not sure where I’ll be going but if Shal considers it training

The Ghosthound hesitated there is a chance I may not come back Perhaps you should keep some

Claptrap shook his head Without you I would just go back to being a normal merchant The Engraving is the profit bringer right now No one out here cares about quality and craftsmanship only cheap results And your Engraving

Then Claptrap stopped paling realizing he had just referred to the process that undoubtedly took quite a bit of time and effort as cheap results But the Ghosthound simply chuckled and beckoned for him to continue So slowly Claptrap said

Besides maybe someone like you wouldn’t understand but there are some things you can’t just get normally For some goals you need to risk everything I have one of those goals

The Ghosthound stilled looking at the table Then he slowly moved gathering up the container holding all of the armor pieces too true

Struck by a sudden impulse Claptrap blurted out My goal is a girl I want to become the greatest merchant in the Northern Region so I can ask for her hand in marriage She is quite like you Mr Ghosthound she is the cherished heir to a powerful Style

The Ghosthound chuckled Do I seem very cherished Well anyway good luck to you If both of you feel that way I’m sure you can convince the world

Claptrap shifted uncomfortably Well we haven’t really talked much

The Ghosthound’s clear laughter surprised him You haven’t really even talked much and you already plan on marriage

Well Claptrap said feeling decidedly judged I’ve sold her armor before

This caused the Ghosthound to bend over laughing and smacking his knee which did a lot to shatter Claptrap’s impression of the Ghosthound as a tense and intimidating figure But then as his laughter subsided he turned sideways and gave him a light glance Oh there was one more detail I wanted to discuss with you

Claptrap felt abruptly submerged in ice How could he let this happen again This man was a master of using innocuous statements and questions to get his way How could he have let his guard down for even a second

Trying to keep his expression easy mimicking the Ghosthound’s manner Claptrap simply said Oh

The Ghosthound nodded What can you tell me about the history of the Spear Phantom Style

Shal looked up as his disciple walked into the room Are you prepared

His disciple nodded Of all his disciple’s faults and there were many Shal was pleased that laziness and hesitation were not among them When there was a goal to accomplish his disciple was willing to roll up his sleeves and address the problem although he had no real competency at addressing the issue They quickly went out and removed both of their Tassles

Since they were departing it was right to take them away with them This would give Divvit some manner of peace for a time at the very least Then they began quickly gliding over the boats heading for the large net of ladders that would lead to the cliffs

Another positive quality of his disciple was that he did not tire easily So even though Shal set what he thought would be a rather brutal pace for his disciple he followed without complaint keeping up with him It seemed that his physical conditioning was acceptable If only the fool knew how to use that during a fight

They were given a glance by individuals watching the chains but neither of their faces were well known enough by the wider populace to earn recognition in a place like this Although Shal’s blue tinted skin did attract a little attention

He still regretted allowing his father to convince him dyeing his skin thus was a good idea

After they reached the plateau Shal upped the pace even further and they ran for almost 8 hours until they began to approach a mountain range When they had a good view of an ugly squat castle on the largest of the mountains he stopped and turned to his disciple

ahead lies a system village At a high enough boundary they allow for the purchase of buildings that allow for time dilution At first many villages thought this curious why provide this option when dungeons were free But soon as the Calamity came and its servants many found the time dilution building incredibly useful As a punishment

His disciple didn’t seem to understand so Shal shook his head and continued In this world stats grant you a greatly extended life And power is king those with power felt they were superior to those without So when someone with middling power misbehaves abusing it the rulers were torn Physical punishment and pain was easy to ignore with high stats And they could not spare these men from their armies when the Calamity came all help was needed But also they couldn’t let it slide without action

So imprisonment His disciple said

Shal nodded Yes these time dilution locations became prisons a cooling off period to punish I could not manage to get us in the backdoor so

Drawing his spear Shal began to walk forward heading towards a series of carts on the path below them heading up towards the mountain Let us commit a crime that earns us some jail time

Chapter 149

Dehark leader of the Asura Hyena Style sneered down at the approaching duo with his bloodthirsty troop milling about behind him It was common knowledge that the short road to Tomkat over which they stood was infested with bandits worse than a mangy cat with fleas As such many groups gathered here but the Asura Hyena Style was the most powerful group present and had first dibs on any fat caravans that came past

Still it always brought Dehark some amount of amusement when more bottom feeders arrived trying to make it in life as a bandit after they had failed as a spear user Unlike them he had grown up in this life and had a vicious streak that would frighten weaker hearted children to death But these two carried themselves confidently and the taller man had a blue tint to his skin which indicated a relationship with someone powerful so Dehark stayed silent for now

The new arrivals settled down and made a fire The blue skinned one made a curt gesture to the smaller of the two and the other bobbed his head and walked over to some nearby people Dehark couldn’t hear what they were talking about but assumed they like most waifs were searching for a way to join a larger group But the people they approached were not his so he looked away bored

Inevitably his eyes drifted over to the Willow Tree Spear Style Tassle a warm yellow color which was raised over the far side of the camp The Willow Tree Spear Style was the only group in the area that could rival his Asura Hyena Style and more interestingly all of its members were women Rumor had it that they used to be a well recognized Style in an area to the west but they had lost a confrontation with another Style resulting in their strength plummeting to the level where they could only support themselves by becoming bandits

Dehark knew they were women and knew that they were currently weak his impulse to prey upon them howled within him hungering for blood and soft flesh But he didn’t become the leader of the largest bandit outfit in the area by being hasty The Willow Tree Spear Style had truly been an affluent Style they undoubtedly still had some strength even if it was greatly depleted Better to wait for them to reveal themselves then strike

He watched one of the members of the Willow Style talking with the newcomer who had meandered over towards them It was hard to tell what she was thinking due to the veils all of the women wore but she clearly spoke back Dehark guffawed slapping his knee So they were even so desperate they would go begging women for help Embarrassing

Then the newcomer gave the woman several silver coins The woman waved her hand and produced the carcass of a wild boar They exchanged these and parted

Blinking at the sight Dehark was confused They simply were buying food It was extremely rare for bandits to buy food after all their stats allowed them to subsist on very little even if the hunger was a constant distraction Perhaps these two weren’t desperate so much as foolish

Dehark filed this information away for later and his gaze returned to the golden Tassle and the tent below it For now he waited

Randidly could tell that even Shal’s interest was piqued by the way his nostrils flared as he cooked Even some of the other bandits seemed to wander closer eyes on the roasting pig After rubbing some herbs on it it certainly gave off a very attractive scent

Randidly cut up potatoes and peppers and put them into an iron pot which he placed under the pig Slowly as blood and grease fell down from the pig it fell into the pot and began to boil the vegetables He was unsure if this was sanitary but he knew the flavor would likely be good for it so he let it go

Peaking at Shal’s face again Randidly was surprised to find that his master’s face was quite brooding He opened his mouth to ask what was wrong but Shal seemed to sense it and glanced up at him Shal’s eyes burned with a hot wild emotion before it was quickly smothered Then Shal sighed

You are soft If you remain this soft what will come after will be filled with difficulty

Randidly remained silent Somehow he knew that Shal didn’t mean the fighting When Shal said that they had to commit crimes he was aware of what sort of actions they would need to take And it was true that one of the things they would need to do would be to hurt others Likely without just cause They would use these people as a means to enter into the prison

Shal’s mouth quirked up As if he had followed along Randidly’s thought process he said No you misunderstand This part will not be so bloody although there will likely be casualties What follows will be difficult The minimum sentence in the prison is 100 Years The time dilution is about 400x so that will take half a year too long We will need to break out of the prison And to do that we will slaughter our way through guards by the hundreds

Closing his eyes Shal said I can manage most of the killing on my own but the blood will be on your hands And you will need to locate my spear Only once I have it do I have confidence to rail against that stronghold We have not known each other long but we can be considered to be involved We have done favors for one another our destinies are tied together But if you find that you lack the resolve to kill Leave tonight I will not seek you

Randidly sat silently He was here to repay what Shal had done for him but it was true that didn’t mean he would do anything for him Inwardly Randidly had been wondering why more people wouldn’t use this plan but he realized there were two reasons One it wasn’t necessary Others could use dungeons And two It was essentially giving up your freedom for 100 years of your time even if only 6 months passed in the real world Leaving early was almost impossible

But Shal seemed confident Even so

Why do we do this Randidly asked quietly The boar hissed and spat grease popping off of it The vegetables were really boiling now and Randidly sprinkled some spices into the mixture

For me A chance at meeting someone I’ve been looking for For a very long time For you Shal’s eyes opened The chance of power If you make the top 4 of this tournament you will be given access to the Hall of Stances Thousands of the most powerful Styles have been collected there And if you give me the opportunity I was looking for I will give you the full inheritance of the Spear Phantom You may be strong and you are growing well even without my guidance you would become formidable But

But you would always just be a man who plays at using the spear If that destiny is satisfactory you do not need me But this chance is just tonight If you do not leave I will consider you bound to me We cannot turn back

Randidly looked into the fire for a long time Then he produced a knife and sliced off long chunks of the pig’s flesh added some of the vegetables and wordlessly handed it to Shal After sniffing it Shal nibbled on the edge of some then rapidly began devouring the rest of his plate

After serving himself Randidly sat down He was tempted by what Shal offered His insight and training had helped him improve immensely Setting aside that Randidly wasn’t sure how to leave this planet he considered the hard truth was he alright with killing people to find power

Then he remembered the words of the Path of Carnage and shivered Perhaps he should have taken them more seriously But Randidly couldn’t deny how badly he wanted the power It was what drove him to practically torture himself every day pushing himself to the limit That sense of loss and hopelessness That frustration and confusion as he wanted to find his friends but could find no methods to do so

He craved power to overcome those emotions To protect his small village To resist the system that had invaded his world and killed many of the people he had known

He had been callous in the past He had allowed monster hordes to rage without assisting and many people had died do to it He didn’t assist with whatever problems Donnyton had with its sister village Death had resulted from his inaction

Which was different from what would happen now

Randidly ate more slowly than Shal who finished then belched and lay on the ground in a leisurely manner relaxing After he had eaten his fill Randidly looked at the boar which was barely even dented and then looked at the hungry and predatory looks around them Randidly stepped forward and began to gather the food into his spatial ring when someone spoke

Hey now you have so much why not share with your big brother here Believe me this will go much easier if you stay on my good side A few men stepped forward all holding large spears

Randidly just stayed still but a small fire was lit in his gut The men smiled cruelly and approached

Hehe that’s more like it be good and we won’t fucking shit poison The man said his eyes widening as he stumbled and he quickly produced a potion and gulped it down Randidly shrugged but didn’t stop Pollen of the Rafflesia

Their gazes were tinged with fear now but that was quickly overwhelmed by anger

This isn’t your lucky day kid The first man who had an ugly scar down his cheek said Then he gestured to another of the men My mate has a poison resistance over 30 Weaklings like you who can be countered so easily deserve to die

Something snapped in Randidly then But he didn’t move He simply smiled

Spearing roots ripped up through the second man boring holes in his stomach He whimpered his eyes wide and the rest of the men froze The first man seemed to be rather brave and vindictive because rather than run he spun and leapt towards Randidly his spear slashing forward

He could almost hear Shal whispering in his ear these weaklings did not deserve to die by the spear So Randidly stepped forward and knocked the spear to the side with his hand and delivered a Roundhouse Kick to the side of the man’s knee

That man was far far weaker than Shal and even weaker than the average participant in the qualifier After all hewas not valued enough to even be enrolled in a Style So his knee cracked and popped and he fell to the ground screaming

Randidly had forgotten that this was not Earth Here strength was everything People would kill for a scrap of food With the anger hot in his belly Randidly stepped forward with fire in his eyes Life was not an incredibly precious thing It was worth less than a slab of bacon

That was what the system did It transformed you It transformed your world into a place where you either killed for strength or died to someone who wanted it more than you Just like Randidly’s strength was rising so was the strength of the System aiming against them Shal spoke of Calamities Raid Bosses were growing in strength Eventually the walls of the Zone Donnyton was in would come down

If Randidly had insufficient strength at that point he would never have another shot He was already taking enough of a risk by refusing to capitulate to the system and receive a class for now at least As such

He needed to seize every opportunity presented to him Or he would inevitably die

Chapter 150

Randidly stood panting almost 10 minutes later a dozen or so bodies around him ripped to pieces or devoured by insects or burnt to a crisp or slowly drowning in their own foaming saliva as Pollen of the Rafflesia destroyed their body from the inside

He stood with closed eyes panting Even though the anger had justified this to himself and even now he still believed in those reasons it was one thing to kill another It was entirely different to look at the bodies of those you had slain and lay their spirits to rest inside of yourself But Randidly stood there and struggled slowly adjusting his mindset

He had killed before and will kill again That was definitely true But today especially in the wake of being presented with the choice by Shal it felt like he had stepped on a path of death But in his heart Randidly knew that this was bound to happen All those months ago when given the choice he chose this

When he selected rot and got Pollen of the Rafflesia and Edge of Decay

When he had chosen the path of the stinking corpse lily

Still it hit him strangely now Perhaps it was their weakness They were much weaker than him Just average people here the dregs of society And he had killed them for envying his meat

After a few more minutes his breathing slowly turned to even Randidly opened his eyes the green in them dark like a shadowed forest Then he turned and began walking calmly over towards the woman who had given him the meat

In this world displays like this were common There was no need to feel embarrassment or shame Those around had simply backed up while it happened and picked through the bodies as Randidly departed showing their callous treatment of death This was a fact of life to them

For a second Randidly regretted leaving his spear attendants back in Qtal They really were rather convenient for avoiding interactions like this But it would be useful The faction the woman clearly belonged to seemed rather normal And perhaps it would be good to appear friendly after killing those people for relations here as they waited for caravans

Then Randidly sighed He had no fucking idea how to deal with interpersonal stuff Was it weird that he transitioned so quickly from killing to going to offer food But he was already walking over so it seemed strange to just turn around The woman had noticed his approach and was gazing at him

Randidly’s frown deepened What if she thought it was some sort of courting ritual Well he supposed it wasn’t worth it to worry One of the few sayings he had taken away from his mother was that humans are only big enough to hold emotions for one person so worry about how you feel and fuck the rest And do your best to feel good that’s all life is about ’ The point had wandered at the end but he had found worrying solely about himself and leaving other people to their own feeling involved less interaction on his part and appreciated it

Hello again He said simply walking up to the woman Another shorter woman had approached as he came and was standing nearby leaning on her spear

The woman he had spoken to nodded serenely and then said nothing

Scratching his ear Randidly just said it I had some extra of the boar you gave me Here as thanks for helping me No one else would

Randidly waved his hand and produced a pot with quite a bit of the extra meat and vegetables The woman nodded as if this was the most normal thing in the world and took it Then she bowed to him

I appreciate the gesture Mr

Ghosthound

Mr Ghosthound then If you need any more wildlife please come find me My name is Jade You appear to have the Cooking skill which is rather rare but appreciated We of the Willow Tree Spear Style will be willing to sample your cooking anytime

Randidly shifted awkwardly and nodded No problem Then he turned and walked back to Shal

As Shal seemed perfectly content to rest Randidly removed bracers and began to Engrave Time slowly slipped past It was frustrating but he didn’t seem to be able to get above 60% for now with the other two types of Engraving But he kept using all of his mana to make a Weeping Cloud and attempting it Shal didn’t even seem to mind as his face lost a lot of its lines as the soft rain landed on him

About 3 hours after they arrived just around the time Randidly was switching over to playing with his Root Spiders to pass the time a caravan rolled past Randidly stood but Shal shook his head Confused Randidly looked at him

This is not the quarry for which we wait Do not worry it will come within the day

Meanwhile the largest group present with rust color armor rolled forward headed down towards the caravan Several people from the caravan separated from it getting off their horses and walking over to meet the bandits

This road is very special Banditry is encouraged here on most caravans Brave and foolhardy and desperate merchants use this road The other routes are relatively safer but take much longer It was a lesson made by the founder of Tomkat who had a very large disdain for merchants

Randidly watched as the bandits split off too an exact number equal to the defenders continuing forward Then they battled in a group the bandits quickly overpowering most of the defenders except for one That individual fought valiantly until 3 bandits ganged up on her and stabbed her repeatedly killing her

Aside from that very exemplary individual who died just like that the rest ceased fighting with just wounds Randidly felt slightly sad for that young woman who died just like that for some strange reason that he couldn’t understand

There seem to be some rules Randidly asked Shal snorted

The playacting of the weak Worry not when you make your move you will not bother with it

Randidly’s eyes rose My move

Shal leaned back and closed his eyes again Of course we wish to be imprisoned in a place that cannot contain us if I reveal my strength they will place me in the highest tower without a hope of escape So I am just a companion of yours Keep yourself ready They may arrive at anytime

Mulling this information over Randidly settled back down around the fire they had made The bandits returned guffawing and happy having been paid off by the caravan to let the rest of them pass

With nothing else to do Randidly returned to Engraving But he was swiftly interrupted by a familiar voice

Mr Ghosthound are you engraving

Randidly looked up sharply The figure was basically indistinguishable from all of the other members of that strange Style due to their golden robes but the voice made him confident it was Jade He also felt slightly guilty for so blatantly practicing Engraving after Claptrap had implied that it was extremely dangerous but he didn’t really think he would be here long enough for it to matter

So to her question he hesitated but nodded That seemed to put her very deep in thought All of a sudden Randidly recognized from Shal’s stillness that he was paying very very close attention to what was being said

Jade bowed to Randidly then and then to Shal twice We had recognized you Artisan Shal but hadn’t known how to ask for your help But for the son of the Spear Phantom we would pay a high price for your

Not interested and I don’t have time Shal rolled away ending the discussion

Jade turned back to Randidly Please Mr Ghosthound At least come see my mistress We can offer significant help with your studies She glanced meaningfully at the bracer in his hand

Randidly thought it weird that she would ask about engraving so directly and now was playing coy but he also knew something strange was going on He glanced at Shal When Randidly had asked Claptrap about the Phantom Spear Style he hadn’t known anything but promised to investigate It really seemed that Shal’s father was quite the notable figure

We require nothing right now Jade quickly said as she saw his glance But in the future if you acquire the strength to assist my Willow Tree Spear Style Simply a promise

Randidly kept his gaze on Shal who hadn’t moved but was breathing normally again Honestly he was quite tempted by the offer especially if it would help his Engraving Not really because he desired the money from selling them but because Engraving was undoubtedly a powerful skill As he developed it the effects grew increasingly powerful Someday he would need to work on his own equipment and it would be extremely useful then

Also if he returned to Donnyton with this knowledge It would become a powerful weapon and source of trade If he really would embark on this path of blood in order to obtain power it would be good to help build something with that power

Well I suppose hearing her out wouldn’t hurt Randidly said slowly Shal didn’t move So he turned and followed Jade back towards the main tent of the Willow Style

Dehark’s glee for a good haul was wiped away as he watched the newcomer approach the tent of the Willow Tree Spear Style An insidious and acidic jealousy filled his heart He had ignored it when the newcomers demonstrated their power but perhaps he had been too merciful

But then again if this gave him a lever to use to get into that tent

Gritting his teeth Dehark forced himself to do nothing as that young man proceeded into the tent that he had fantasized so often about over the last few weeks He forced himself to remain cool and calm

His mind began to tick as he turned to look at the horizon This

This would not go unpunished Dehark smiled showing all of his crooked and yellow teeth

Chapter 151

Randidly left the tent 15 minutes later feeling elated but strangely sad

The old woman who sat in the tent carefully tended by several women due to her enchanted wounds that wouldn’t heal spun a very sad tale A year ago they had been one of the two most powerful Styles of the Engraving Guilds in the Spearman School Domain But they had been betrayed and attacked by those who wanted their engraving symbols

For their Willow Style did not have many of the basic animal runes nor many of the elemental symbols that would add magical power to a weapon’s attacks But they did have a very particular and powerful method that very few other Engraving Styles had they knew how to Engrave a skill into a weapon or armor

At its most basic it was like a gun with limited bullets It had a certain number of charges which once used would deplete it and cause the Engraving to disappear At higher levels these charges recharged slowly and used indefinitely

At the highest level the skill would grow like a normal skill slowly growing stronger But this was only when the Engraving was made by a master

The old woman sorrowfully explained that they had escaped with their lives and these methods burning all other records to ash as they fled Although they could hide here living as bandits it was extremely difficult

For they had broken and their power scattered they had nothing They needed hope So even though it was only for a promise of assistance and support they had given Randidly two things the first was a very large set of volumes that detailed the very complicated and formulaic way that basic runes worked and how they were discovered Theoretically the woman stated one could use these basic principles contained in the book set to create your own runes

The second object was a short list of runes that they had discovered This included the Oxen Rune which increased Vitality and Resistance the Dolphin Rune which increased Intelligence and Control and the Preying Mantis which increased Perception and Willpower But the most valuable rune was the Shadow Rune which was divided into 5 grades each version even more simplified But even the basic Grade V Shadow Rune made Randidly’s eyebrows rise rapidly The mana required for it was about double his mana pool

For obvious reasons they weren’t willing to give Randidly any of their more complicated runes or their Skill rune method It almost seemed foolish to him that they even told him about it But when he looked at the old woman and the rest of the skinny women desperately slurping at the tasty food he had provided he realized that his was just flailing desperation

They needed something some hope to hold onto That old woman didn’t know if Randidly could become that but offering this small information was better than doing nothing at all even though helping Randidly along on his Engraving path might lead the investigations from the Engraving Guilds back to them

So Randidly returned to the fire inwardly torn It was just a promise but He took promises very seriously He didn’t want to feel like he owed anything to others Sitting down he took out one of the books given to him by the old woman and looked at it for a long time Then he simply sighed

His eyes hardened He had already resolved himself to take the path to strength He couldn’t afford to waffle back and forth while the system continued to throw curveballs his way If he wanted Donnyton and in a larger sense Earth to survive

Following this train of thought Randidly turned to Shal What is the Calamity

Shal didn’t even open his eyes There is no meaning in speaking of it

Randidly frowned I’ll go back to my own world eventually and I will want to prepare If I knew something about it

As always you rush to judgement Shal straightened looking over towards the road I wish I could tell you but you cannot understand it Here look The Calamity

As Shal began to speak the words shifted and suddenly Shal was saying something in a trill and clicking language He talked for a minute while Randidly’s eyebrows rose and then shrugged at him

as I say no point in speaking of it The system will prevent you from learning information before your time Just know that it is powerful The only individual in the history of our world who can rival it was the Spearman That alone should give you an idea of the power it possesses

Shaking his head Randidly settled back to his thoughts What he really grew to fear was the System itself It somehow detected the content of the speech and reversed the translation function however it worked in real time That made him wonder about what it meant for him refusing to get a class and the Heretic distinction Clearly if it really wanted to prevent him from doing something it had no qualms about doing it

Then why was he allowed to continue without a class Or rather it wasn’t that the system wanted him to take a class but he was just walking a path that would be dangerous but with a high payoff

Although this wasn’t a normal situation very few individuals could rival what he was doing just for lack of Aether But the Judgement system was in place for a reason If they didn’t expect this to happen why would it have been created Or rather exist Randidly wasn’t so sure he wanted to think about the beings that were capable of creating something like the system Besides it seemed strangely without a purpose It had come to Earth but Randidly still didn’t know why

Suddenly he remembered his conversation a few weeks ago in Franksburg with the professor where he flippantly responded they were giving up control

Of what ’ The professor had responded

Now as Randidly thought about his decisions to sacrifice the lives of others in order to find power he could do nothing but clench fists But surely the system wasn’t here to drive individuals to moral bankruptcy Likely that was just a side effect of another goal the true goal This wasn’t even close to the core of the system There were 4 more groups of planets beyond this cohort And perhaps it extends even further than that

Randidly asked then what is the system Why does it comes to worlds What is the point

Shal snorted Hmph fool I have had a small speck of respect for you because you did not immediately ask this That is gone The system is the system It comes like weather Perhaps someday it will pass It gave us tools we didn’t have before but our goal will always be the same perfecting the spear Even before the system came our world chased this ideal seeking previous Spearmen the individual who defeated the Calamity was not the first but likely the greatest Do not ask question you don’t have the power to understand Focus inward idiot disciple

Randidly opened his mouth then closed it Shal’s answer might not have been designed to answer the question but it did contain some information From the way Shal was speaking it seemed that they didn’t know It came and it changed their lives But ultimately it was secondary Then Randidly wondered how long the system had been in this world but decided against asking It seemed Shal was done with interaction for now

Perhaps after the shock of the switch passed Earth would be like that too Accepting the existence of the system finding a new normal It almost made Randidly sad in a way But he supposed that even he couldn’t deny that the system’s arrival had done much for him It gave people a path

But another part of him whispered that path came at the cost of millions of lives Sighing Randidly looked down at the book After a bit of hesitation he opened it and began to read

Time passed quickly as Randidly used Root Control to burn through his mana and studied the book The beginning chapters laid out very generally some theories about engraving and how it worked What Randidly was most interested in was when it described how Engraving was perhaps a simplified version of the way that Aether changed human bodies

However any attempts to Engrave on a living body resulted in horrible monstrous disastrous results As such the other half of the introductory chapter listed some things that you shouldn’t do with Engraving Aside from Engraving living creatures the rest was rather self explanatory But what it did seem to indicate was that the reason that Engraving didn’t work was the issue of image whereas objects couldn’t do anything but allow the image of the Engraver to be impressed upon them living creatures could have their own images

Because as the text seemed to indicate there didn’t appear to be any uniformity in what shapes and patterns created effects What was really important was what the Engraver thought it would do

This was complicated by a living recipient because the different images merged and changed which was combined with the apparently agonizing pains of having your body engraved upon This pain warped the image the recipient had even further moving it far away from the original goal

Randidly found it rather interesting but he didn’t think attempting it sounded anything like a good idea Better to focus on learning the background information in order to improve his regular engraving

But footsteps distracted Randidly causing him to look up A bald man who appeared to be the leader of the rust colored bandits was walking up to their campfire with a sinister smile

Welcome companions Are you new to the area The man said extending his hand towards Randidly I am Dehark We in this business must maintain relationships lest any accidents happen

Randidly distastefully took the man’s hand and some of his distaste must have shown on his face because Dehark’s face tightened After glancing at Shal and probably realizing that even getting one of these people to acknowledge him was a feat Dehark said Well I just came over to welcome you and to give you a bit of a gift a caravan is coming down the road and as the newbies you wouldn’t usually get the chance at an easy mark like this But I like the look of you two I think you will go far here So want to handle this one Stick it to those fat merchants

Dehark smiled manically at them but Randidly just looked at Shal Yawning Shal straightened and held a hand up to his eyes Then strangely he smiled Yes why don’t you let us handle this one Disciple you will go and you only need to make sure to do one thing

Randidly tilted his head to the side and Shal continued You simply need to kill one of them Do what you must to do so Hold nothing back Ah take out your spear and give me your ring

After he handed over the ring Randidly nodded and walked passed Dehark who seemed to have frozen the smile sliding off his face

K k kill one of them The man muttered to himself but Randidly ignored it As he walked forward he removed the large obsidian spear from his ring the one Shal had given for when he went into the formation He hefted it enjoying its weight which was greater than even the Spine Spear that Sam had forged for him

Just a single life

Just a single step on his path

But he must because a spear that stopped advancing would be destroyed

Breathing evenly Randidly advanced towards the caravan

Chapter 152

Dehark was sweating Watching the slender man walk forward down the hill towards the caravan he quickly turned to the lazing man with the blue skin You you don’t really think he can kill one of them right They They

The man grinned up at him Yes they are some soldiers of Tomkat Attacking them is akin to challenging the honor of the city An act of defiance the First Spear of Tomkat does not take kindly to

But Dehark was flabbergasted his knees trembling If he were to seriously harm any of them this whole camp

Would likely be hunted down and tortured for 1000 years The man said seemingly with relish Dehark stumbled backwards eyes wide Sure he had spent the last several years building up power here upon this spot in the road driving away most of his competition or absorbing them But if someone seriously challenged Tomkat’s soldiers it wasn’t just the perpetrators the whole group they were near would be hunted to stomp down any spark of resistance

The strength and forces he had built up thus far were not worth his life It would be best to flee

Then a thought struck him and Dehark turned back to the slender man running forward towards the caravan A lone defender after a brief hesitation came out to meet him seemingly shocked

Perhaps there was nothing to worry about If it was just some superficial wounds the soldiers would not pursue the matter After all it was understandable for a young and foolish man to throw himself at them to test himself Some a select few with talent might even impress some members of the soldiers and be invited to come apply for a foot soldier position which was the dream of many

This was originally why Dehark had maliciously encouraged them to go challenge them The soldiers would likely beat them into the dirt breaking their spears and ravaging their bodies It would be a good lesson and demonstrate why they needed someone like Dehark who was a good leader

But the blue skinned man had spoken with such confidence And watching that slender man’s back as he ran forward to meet the spear user on a horse

Dehark quickly beckoned some of his lieutenants over and made preparations to break camp immediately

Randidly ran forward his eyes narrowed A grizzled veteran of a man with grey hair was riding out to meet him a brutal frown clear on his face As they grew closer Randidly realized there was a very official seeming regalia hanging off of this man’s chest Not just typical merchants then or guards These were something more

But Shal had seemed confident that Randidly could handle it even if he had implicitly said it would require his spells to do so Either way there was no way that Randidly was going to let him down after they had come this far What would come later would be even worse

When they came within earshot the man began to speak

Leave and I will forget this foolishness The man said with a snort clearly dismissing Randidly

Perfect he was arrogant too That would make this so much easier Randidly said nothing and raised his spear and that seemed to signal something to the soldier who snorted then examined Randidly a little more closely His eyes narrowed as he looked at that spear though as if he had seen it before Randidly adjusted his grip appreciating the strange warmth of the obsidian in his hands

If you insist

But Randidly already created Spearing Roots that ripped up into the belly of the horse and higher stabbing towards the man Filled with fear and pain and roots the horse attempted to rear upward and screeched

The man however responded very quickly flipping expertly off the horse with a grace that made Randidly worried

The Incendiary Bolt however that hit the man’s right hand mid air and blew most of it off did much to alleviate these fears Unwilling to pass up the chance Randidly ran forward noticing how although the man’s eyes widened he quickly shifted his grip to his left hand and raised his spear to meet Randidly’s

Their spears clashed against each other twice very quickly and Randidly soon realized that he was rather overmatched Even with the man on his back foot and reeling missing a hand his strikes still had enough power to smash Randidly’s strikes to the side

If he wanted to actually kill he would need to keep pushing

At this point there was no hesitation only resolve He would kill For his path that led towards strength this man in front of him needed to die

A Circle of Flame blasted outwards smashing the man backwards His stats seemed sufficient to keep it to a stumble but in that time Randidly had summoned a Wall of Thorns behind the man and ran forward As he moved he waved his hand and Summoned Pestilence the air filling with the buzzing of hungry insects

The man regained his stance just in time to get hit in the face with 100 chittering bugs which quickly dug into his nose mouth and eyes biting into his flesh The man roared and stumbled backwards right into the wall of thorns several of them sinking deep into his flesh

Randidly leveled his spear and prepared to strike

The man screamed again as more Spearing Roots stabbed upward into his legs But now his spear was moving shearing away the roots and the wall killing insects by the dozen Within around 2 5 seconds the spear and the seemingly powerful Battle Intent around it had defeated all of Randidly’s spells and he turned forward ready to face another

But of course this time there was only a looming spear The Inevitable Phantom Arrives Randidly whispered his smile a coy one The air around them darkened Clocks ticked incessantly The spear grew larger and larger and behind it was the ghastly phantasm of a woman Randidly’s mother her smile pitiable and final Before that smile before that spear all one could feel was helplessness

In a battle composed only of spears a 3 second windup for a strike is almost impossible to manage But luckily Randidly had many tricks up his sleeves to give him the time he needed

The man didn’t have time to block and the spear crashed into the man’s chest ripping open his flesh and destroying the bones and nearby organs The man’s body spasmed and leaned forward but then it froze and the man slowly looked up his chest cavity a mass of gore seemingly somehow still alive

You The man started to howl but Randidly stabbed with his spear again and again using Root Control to reach up and grab the man’s body tearing away strips of flesh that he was cutting away slowly ripping him to pieces

Randidly even used Phantom Onslaught just ripping into the man’s body before he slumped forward Even then Randidly cut off the head and sent a few dozen insects eating down through the neck before he was satisfied

All at once everything he had done hit him and all Randidly could smell was the man’s blood on his clothes the weight of his head in Randidly’s hand As quickly as possible as instructed by Shal he stored his spear into his ring and used Root Control to take the ring and throw it back towards Shal He was about halfway there through the relay of roots when there was a dull roaring and Randidly could just see a wave of Battle Intent sweeping towards him and then he was unconscious

When Randidly awoke he was in chains Surrounding him were several other unconscious prisoners lying in a wooden cart He instinctively checked for his ring panicked when it wasn’t there then remembered he had given it to Shal

Ah good disciple You wake we must speak quickly

Randidly looked to the side and saw Shal also bound in the gloom Shal continued to talk Here take your ring back Keep it in your mouth until we are inside

There is good news and bad news The good news is we are in but the bad news is that I was recognized I will be bound in a place that even for me will be difficult In addition I will not be able to teach you while I remain there So we must change our plan From my investigations you will be tortured by Battle Intent for 100 years before you are sent out to the badlands This is too slow You will need to escape prior to that and flee to the badlands Once there you will need to discover your own means to assist me in escaping from where I am kept to the badlands Only then can the training begin

After you have reached suitable levels or if you have taken so long there is no other choice we will break out It is that simple A few pieces of advice you will soon learn the trick of the Battle Intent torture It will not work against you But I recommend you bide your time

Second when you make it to the badlands avoid others as much as you can They may kill you to alleviate boredom

Randidly blinked very slowly his head still pounding from getting hit with the Battle Intent earlier A ring rolled across the wooden floor to him and Randidly leaned forward and picked it up with his mouth Then a thought struck him and he froze

Should we have really discussed it with all these people here Randidly whispered glancing around

Shal nodded Ah good you are learning Obviously not It is why I kill them before you awoke

Looking around slowly Randidly suddenly realized that they were perhaps too still around him There was no movement Not even the rise and fall of chests The dim lighting had hidden it before but dark stains surrounded the spots where these men lay In a way it was chilling But in another it was eye opening

Randidly stared at one of the still bodies pondering Is this really the only path to strength But Randidly stayed silent brooding over the dead shadows around him Even if it wasn’t this was his path And he refused to believe that it wouldn’t lead to strength if he followed it until the end

Chapter 153

They arrived and cloth bags were put over their heads Their hands were bound with a strange metal that felt extremely cold to the touch and resisted even Randidly’s extreme strength They were hurried off on what Randidly could feel were cobblestone streets and then they finally arrived at a place where their bags were removed

It was a courtroom They were tried as bandits who assaulted the soldiers of Tomkat and were found summarily guilty They didn’t ask for a defense but did ask whether Randidly as the perpetrator would claim any style as his own

Randidly was standing up front as the one who committed the crime so he could not see Shal’s reaction So he stood silent considering for several seconds But this was a world where you bore your strength and pride everywhere you went This was the land of the Tassle

So against his instincts Randidly lifted his head and said I am the youngest generation of the Spear Phantom Style

There were some mutterings amongst the guards and the group was quickly rebagged and whisked off In his brief time with vision Randidly was delighted to see that it seemed none of the women from the Willow Tree Spear Style had been captured or the other big bandit group that belonged to Dehark It was only the loners and the weak that had been swept up

Although he felt a small amount of pity in his heart for these people Randidly couldn’t bring himself to care overmuch He was just glad he had not immediately brought doom to the Willow Tree Spear Style immediately after they had given him a gift

They were brought to another room or at least Randidly was and he was roughly searched They appeared to be looking for an interspatial storage device but although they were extremely rough they were not thorough Tucking the ring under his tongue worked Which honestly made him wonder about how this prison continued to be effective but the bag was once more placed over his head and he was whisked forward

He felt it when they passed into the area where time had been altered It was like stepping outside on a humid day Even if the heat hadn’t started to get to you the very air seemed to cling to you Further and further he was dragged by guards until he was thrown roughly into a room The door closed and there was silence

Randidly lay there uncomfortable with his hands bound behind him but waited a bit longer to move After a while realizing he was done being moved Randidly stretched his arms and brought his legs to his chest getting his hands around his feet so that he was now bound by the metal handcuffs in front not in back Then he removed the cloth bag from his head

The room was dark so dark that even with his improved eyes and Eyes of the Spear Phantom it was very hard to see But he could faintly make out complicated lines drawn on the floor in a strange formation It seemed oddly familiar but Randidly couldn’t place it Instead he straightened and sat down to meditate

That first night passed slowly as Randidly almost curiously experienced his first night in prison He focused on meditating and Mana Strengthening straining against the handcuffs But it truly seemed like they were made of a very powerful material It was far beyond his ability to break at present

The only activity of note was that at one point footsteps began to draw closer Randidly instinctively tensed waiting for this Battle Intent Torture to begin But the footsteps came to his door and there was only a soft click Then the footsteps went away

Randidly blinked confused But then the floor began to glow the formation had been activated Increasingly nervous Randidly settled down to wait

After 12 hours of waiting he had at least one answer he knew why he recognized the formation somewhat It was a variant of the one that Shal had It isolated Aether in the air allowing none into the small chamber At this point Randidly felt slightly dizzy and the Aether inside of him began to stir Carefully extremely carefully Randidly reached for it removing only a thread and drawing it into his body More began to rise countless threads reaching to bore into his body but Randidly concentrated and pushed them back

Some of what Shal had said made sense now This was why this wouldn’t work on him This was likely an Aether starvation type torture coupled with the Battle Intents that were to come He would be weakened and then assaulted After all the physical toughness of most warrior’s in this world was high but Endurance couldn’t completely block damage done with Battle Intent That had been impressed upon Randidly by how he had been knocked unconscious by that furious wave immediately after he had killed that soldier

Still after repeated exposure to Battle Intent wouldn’t

Then Randidly froze finally seeing the cruelty of this type of torture Being exposed to this would fuel rapid growth especially because it would involve pain and a powerful desire to escape that pain with strength But to fuel that growth

The body needed Aether Randidly wasn’t sure what would happen when a body wanted to grow without Aether to fuel it but he suspected it would be similar to what would happen to a starving man if he tried to perform a high intensity cardio workout The body would be driven into the ground

Equally chilling was the mental effect When you realized it was your desire that was causing you this grief it would likely slowly chip away at your will as you flinched away from the pain

Randidly gritted his teeth This was why he needed strength Because people like this existed Because methods like this existed to hurt people Then again he had murdered someone to get here so it wasn’t like this was being used on innocent people

Randidly smiled sardonically Sometimes being too self aware hurt him It hindered his ability to dedicate himself righteously to a thought process like this made him realize that there weren’t any true evils in the world Everyone was struggling under the same yoke although they went about it in different ways

So Randidly sat still not conserving his Aether per se but attempting to keep his Aether from exploding upward in force filling him and igniting his growth like it had done previously True he wanted to train while he was here but he could afford to take it slow He could gain an understanding of how much Aether he needed and only allow that much to flow up into him It would just take time and experience to narrow it down

Eventually morning came and with it his torturer Randidly was surprised to find that it was a youthful looking man who seemed rather bored with the procedure The man would open the door to Randidly’s cell while the formation remained active jingle the keys to his handcuffs and throw attacks at him There was a physical component which was painful but possible to withstand but there was also the much more dangerous Battle Intent component which battered Randidly’s very perception

Even though he had known what was coming the strength and maliciousness of the strikes caught him by surprise It was designed to slowly maim and bleed a person’s psyche driving to madness and hopelessness

Randidly had a lot of respect for the torturer too Battle Intent relied very heavily on image and the images that ravaged Randidly’s consciousness were off decay and death Bodies decomposing filled his vision as he was hit with those attacks Flesh dissolving bones grinded to dust all returning to the still and cold earth In a way it was extremely painful for Randidly felt his body go through all of those physical sensations even though it was a purely cerebral experience while he was enduring the Battle Intent attack Within his chest Randidly could feel his own vastly weaker Battle Intent marshalling itself and being wiped out before it could even move But every time it was shredded by the powerful Intent of death it reformed more condensed stronger and more full

Still that strength was far behind the torturer’s

Eventually after several hours the torture stopped the man growing bored and leaving And Randidly collapsed breathing heavily Even though he had known even though he had prepared for a dangerous way to gain strength Never would he have imaged that it was through being tortured HIs lips curled upward He supposed that all life was torture why should this be any different At least this was honest

He was slightly concerned with how morbid his humor was turning but it was hard to be concerned about it when he was struggling to control the Aether within his chest He let several threads rush up and merge into his body strength flowing along his limbs He felt his mind settle into a more formidable structure and he felt the energy of his Battle Intent purify itself and grow more robust

Randidly continued to meditate channeling energy through his body The day passed much the same as the previous one had with Randidly using Meditation and Mana Strengthening to struggle with the bonds on his hands At the same time as the previous day during the following morning the young man arrived again and once more struck Randidly with his Battle Intent

This time Randidly’s own Battle Intent was able to defend his inner core from any damage preventing too much dizziness and nausea But even then he felt his abilities being slowly ground away until after an hour his intent was depleted

Time stretched onward leading unto the future

Randidly continued through this cycle slowly memorizing the timing and schedule of the the guards using the free time to practice other skills and moves His mana based attack were simply absorbed by the formation creating a more powerful isolating effect from Aether in the air This was perfect for Randidly’s purposes because he was rapidly gaining experience in controlling the Aether in his chest preventing enough from leaking upwards for the torturer to notice

Aside from the torturer Randidly only saw a small slave boy who brought food around every week This food Randidly ignored because it was just slop and stray traces of vegetables His Vitality was nearing 100 and it was more than enough to allow him to continue without sleep or food But he did find himself fantasizing in his spare moments about his favorite dishes from before the change came to Earth

He was a little too hesitant to produce a spear from his ring which he still kept under his tongue but there was a point that Randidly grew tired of just using spells and he began to bring out bracers and Engrave them

Weeks passed and as his Battle Intent was continually brutalized he finally got both the bear and fish Engraving over 60% He even began practicing the new sigils he learned from the Willow Tree Spear Style The animal versions he now had over 40% although not much more than that Meanwhile he made a few attempts at the Shadow Rune but its complexities continued to elude him and even after these weeks of grinding his Meditation wasn’t enough to give him the requisite amount of mana to accomplish the full Engraving in one sitting

Tortured mentally plagued by the vicious Battle Intent powerfully associated with death Randidly continued to grow He repressed his own intent at one point after about a month keeping it from struggling against the invading intent because it was nearing the level of strength it needed to fight back

But he resisted struggling against his mind’s natural instincts to defend itself But he needed more strength before he broke out He needed to grow here So he Meditated Engraved and his Battle Intent grew increasingly dense and viscous All the while time flowed slowly past

Chapter 154

After almost 2 months when Randidly felt rather confident that his own Battle Intent had grown to the point he needed it to he finally made his attempt to escape To his surprise it went extremely successfully When he lashed out with his Battle Intent smashing aside the mental attacks from the young man rather than panic the young man just smiled and took a step back Then he walked away leaving the keys to Randidly’s manacles

Nonplussed Randidly walked out of his jail cell and into the hallway There was even a very convenient path out of the hallway and into the outer world which Randidly quickly took The jail in this strange space was on a high mountain and Randidly was forced to quickly slide down the outside of the mountain to escape There he reached the Badlands as Shal had called it and encountered some new struggles

After all he quickly realized that the castle torture was meant to be possible to escape And below were the powerful spear users who could manage it The hot and dry scrublands with low plants was lousy with spear users constantly fighting against each other and against Randidly if they noticed him

His first fight went probably exactly how it should have gone he was ripped to pieces Afterwards the rather humongous man who had put his spear multiple times through Randidly had scratched his head in confusion What are you doing over on the Northern face of the mountain You are so weak You barely qualify to be in the East wait are you new

Nodding was a struggle with the mangled wreckage of his body but he managed it Then the man laughed and introduced himself as Marco Polo and offered to escort him to the correct location

So Marco Polo basically ignoring Randidly’s confused protests dragged him along on a journey to the Southeastern face of the mountain which Marco believed to be the best place for him The strength was arranged in a circle the strongest were in the West and the weakest in the South with East and then North being transition locations between them

Well we have nothing else to do until our sentences run out Marco would say Why not try and kill each other It gets the blood flowing There’s no sex and no wine here what else is there to life

As Randidly watched Marco effortlessly crush person after person they ran into on the journey he had to admit the man was very skilled with the spear even if he wasn’t very charming or eloquent His huge body vibrated and jiggled with every word he spoke It was hard to remain serious when faced with Marco’s ridiculous comments but Randidly couldn’t help but admire his blunt personality

If you make a mistake why admit it Better to double down insert doubt into the enemy Marco would say That way he might make a costly mistake later and die

Randidly would just roll his eyes but he admired that unashamed attitude It wasn’t something that he could personally manage Ever since he was young Randidly had been very concerned with following rules and remaining reasonable To Marco these actions held no value all that mattered were results and anything you did to achieve them was reasonable

The area around the mountain was huge As they encountered more and more spear users Randidly realized there were probably thousands of people here What was most interesting was their strange attitudes towards each other Initially they were extremely violent and murderous But rather quickly it would be easy to see which in the battle was superior and they would quickly finish the fight and then behave like old friends swapping stories and sharing a meal

Almost wordless during their journey Randidly settled into the role of cook making food for the two spear users Although he wasn’t practicing directly he did learn a lot about fighting with the spear by watching all these fights

By the end of their journey Marco encouraged Randidly to fight and after he did so and lost Marco would step in thoroughly enjoying his superiority After all this area was far too weak for him to be located in

All in all it took almost 4 long weeks of running through the badlands for them to arrive at a level where Randidly stood a chance The biggest reason it took so long was because traveling too close to the prison was inadvisable the guards sometimes patrolled the area immediately around the mountain preparing for people who like Randidly planned to break back into the prison

When they finally reached an area that Randidly could survive in Marco Polo seemed disappointed and vigorously shook Randidly telling him to come visit him Then he ran forward back around the mountain avoiding going through the extremely domineering Western area where Marco would be the one crushed during fights

Randidly had been taking the potion still keeping any notifications from distracting him so he took this opportunity to examine his current status His time in the dungeon had given him great gains in several areas which gave him a sizable amount of PP He put this into the Path of Carnage but it wasn’t enough to reach the next milestone so he settled down to continue his training

The next several months were a bloody time for Randidly Unlike Marco Polo he couldn’t overwhelm the spear users in the area He considered avoiding them but it seemed like Shal wouldn’t want that Rather it was better to fight and train even if it wasn’t in the most efficient manner At the very least it would increase his killing edge making him more decisive in fights

But most of the spear users here had been here for a while and had much higher Skill Levels than Randidly Still Randidly’s stats seemed to be enough to give him a fighting chance Unlike when Marco had fought the fact that Randidly had low skill levels became very apparent to his opponents who seemed to view him with derision for it

But despite that despite the weaknesses in the way he fought Randidly started winning fights He learned to see a chance and seize it He learned to predict his opponent and to use his particularly unique blend of skills to trick and overwhelm opponents In his heart he wanted those victories and as he desired them they began to come to him

The Aether pulsed like a molten heart in his chest catalyzing his growth It was a very beneficial time for him

But the real problem was how to accomplish his second goal Breaking back into the prison and freeing Shal giving him a teacher once more These desperate fights against the wandering spear users was useful but it wasn’t what would give him the most power

Although this confusion tortured him for a long time Randidly stumbled across an answer almost on accident During some downtime Randidly had finally managed to create the Tier V Shadow Rune and it referenced some very interesting text

Quality Leather Bracer Lvl 30 A piece of leather armor worked by a talented individual End +2 Health +25

Engraving of Shadow V 31% Shadows seem to gather around the wearer of this armor concealing him from the eyes of others Effectiveness of surprise attacks increased Reaction +1

Randidly sat back on his heels It had been an exhausting process to create this piece of armor The fact that the percentage was already above 20 was a surprise to him but a pleasant one But it seemed that there was more possible here It did not create shadows around it yet but it might if the quality increased

And in that increased quality there seemed to be a possibility for secrecy perhaps at the level that it could allow Randidly to sneak back into the prison and free Shal But with all of his effort only resulting in this

Shaking his head Randidly settled into the long haul This wouldn’t be as simple a process as he thought

Dart yawned bored at his post Although the position within the prison paid well it was extremely boring Tomkat’s criminals those that possessed the requisite power that the First Spear chose not to just execute them basically escaped within the first few weeks or died and then fought each other to alleviate their boredom rather than trying to fight through and gain their freedom back Afterall while the prisoners by and large didn’t trust each other the guards lived and trained as a unit They were not forces that could be compared

Suddenly Dart’s eyes sharpened and he looked very closely at the badlands below In the twilight after dusk he had sworn that he had seen a strange movement A shadow that detached itself from its position and approached the base of the prison But as he continued to scan the ground he could not find the culprit

Sighing Dart just shook his head The boredom here was even getting to him causing him to see things He couldn’t wait until it was time for him to depart and return to the real time He had a rather serious girlfriend and had been dubious about spending these 6 months away from her But although it was 6 months from his perspective he would seem only to take a 1 week vacation to her

Dart’s face turned ugly Which would be fine if it wasn’t for Calln Calln was a childhood friend of hers that always seemed to hang on her arm and point out Dart’s weak points and flaws Not a talented Spear User himself Calln worked in the administration of Tomkat in an important if without honor position

In fact it was only due to Calln’s prodding that he had came here for the stint Now that he was here Dart wondered if that wasn’t exactly what Calln intended It was just a week but

Feeling slightly dizzy Dart leaned against a rock for support and took several deep breaths It was hard this guard duty He found himself dwelling and brooding more and more He couldn’t escape his disgust for Calln and his fear that that sleazy man would use this opportunity to drive a further wedge between him and his girlfriend

He must have been more upset than he realized because Dart leaned forward and vomited As he straightened slightly concerned the rations for the prison were bad but not that bad Dart found himself face to face with a shadow A shadow with piercing green eyes and a cruel smile

The shadow’s spear was silent and as it entered Dart’s body everything slowly began to fade to blackness As he fell forward Dart recognized that this

This was the end But to his surprise his last thought wasn’t a curse on his killer After all Dart was a spear user himself This was the life they lived That shadow bore him no ill will their paths simply crossed and Dart’s destiny turned out to be the lesser of the two

No what filled Dart’s heart was a burning fist of resentment for Calln for the weakling that dared to whisper in his girlfriend’s ear He hoped that fucker died a torturous death due to illness slowly wasting away

To die by the spear It was the greatest honor But to die weak and a burden on your loved ones

Such a man would never appeal to a woman Not in a thousand years

Chapter 155

After killing the guard Randidly evened out his breathing and removed another bracer from his ring He had been able to successfully engrave 3 bracers with 60% efficacy of Shadow V He had originally assumed only managing it once would be fine but the elemental rune was not a Skill Rune after all it was just an elemental one and using it as a tool to hide came at a high cost

Engraving of Shadow V 60% Shadows seem to gather around the wearer of this armor actively concealing him from the eyes of others Surprise attacks are more effective and the wearer as a small of amount of precognition in regards to incoming attacks Reaction +5 May consume the energy of the Engraving to double the efficacy of the concealment for 10 minutes

At its base the 60% efficacy did make it seem as though people viewed Randidly as though he was in deep shadow They needed to squint and focus on him in order to make out the details of his person This was profoundly useful in a fight where vision became quite important but a watchful guard was still able to spot out Randidly with just wearing the bracer especially while he moved

But he had spent the last week slowly edging closer only at night spending the day meditating and fine tuning his ability to use roots through Root Control even further But ultimately there was a danger zone the area right around the guard’s position was patrolled rather often So he needed to cross that very quickly

There had been a moment when Randidly had tripped losing some of the easy grace with which he had loped across the outward perimeter making a small noise and some unnecessary movement and the guard seemed to notice Randidly had frozen wondering if activating Phantom Half Step a few times would be necessary to rapidly approach Even then it was difficult to say if he would make it in time Perhaps the Spear Advances But the noise and explosion would likely reveal his position anyway

Luckily the guard seemed to have his own concerns and very quickly looked away from the position where Randidly was standing as still as he could Which was good because there was a time limit on the bracer’s shadows and it was swiftly approaching During that time Randidly snuck up the rest of the way and killed the man without letting him make a sound

But perhaps the most disturbing part of the attack had been the intense way that the man had stared at Randidly as he was dying as if he was trying to send a message That man had unfinished business Randidly could tell but now died unsatisfied and angry

It was chilling The regrets and desires that the man died with seemed to hang in the air The man had somehow wanted Randidly to carry them forward but he couldn’t even communicate them So they could only hang in the air and eventually dissipate Although it did certainly seem that some of those desires settled on Randidly’s shoulders weighing him down The same way he could feel the life of the guard he had killed to make it here curling around him

Closing his eyes Randidly promised himself he would not die like that He would pay his debt back to Shal and then return to Donnyton Even if he had to kill to make it so There he would seek out the people that created the system and make them pay for driving so many people to an early grave And for what

It was frustrating that the system prevented him from learning more from Shal what was to come The Calamity loomed and Randidly could do nothing to prepare To help Donnyton prepare

Which wasn’t exactly true Randidly supposed He had largely ignored the messages from those in Donnyton most out of disinterest Lyra’s out of increasing unease at the inane things she talked about but he had sent Sam the runes he obtained from the Willow Tree Spear Style

Randidly grimaced Another debt to repay But that would be for another day life was not so fair that everything would work out easily or even in a way that was palatable to us For now Randidly could not even help to stand against the powers that sought to eradicate that Style

Replacing the consumed bracer with another one with efficacy about 60% he continued deeper into the prison As he dodged past patrols and slipped around corners Randidly began to realize how little the guards actually seemed to care about people breaking into and out of the prison Just like the way his torturer had let him leave once he had broken out of the formation even dropping the key to remove his handcuffs the guards just seemed to want to keep of the facade of protecting the prison

There was only one area where the guards were actually thick and serious looking in the area where Randidly believed the portal out to the real world was Honestly the prison administration didn’t care so much what they did while in here The only reason they had been brought here was the thought that they were too valuable as spear users to simply kill It was the punishment of the monotony for 100 years coupled with the Aether Poisoning they would be subject to when they left returning to the thinner Aether density of the general world

Luckily the higher powered prisoners weren’t kept in that area They had their own private small cabins almost like villas where they were forced to sit wrapped in those chains of a material that Randidly could not even warp in the slightest

Unfortunately the area was more heavily patrolled and Randidly had to go to the windows of each cabin and peer in checking for Shal So he was forced to burn another one of his bracers to escape a rather sticky situation where two patrols had come from both directions forcing him into a corner

The cabins were seemingly endless and some were empty so it was a rather dull exercise of tension Still it did wonders for Randidly’s sneak skill so he couldn’t really complain

Finally after 3 hours of combing he located Shal His master’s eyes flicked open almost immediately as Randidly stood up against the bars

You I am surprised I had doubted whether you would ever have the means to make it here Come break open the door and retrieve the key from the wall then I will be free

Randidly shook his head His master was definitely going to give him a complex whether he meant to or not Shal was a master of the backhanded compliment But then Randidly turned his attention to the door regarding it dubiously It was made out of the same material as the handcuffs and probably far beyond his ability to physically damage But perhaps

Randidly raised a hand and shot an Incendiary Bolt into the lock It practically bounced off completely failing to damage the metal and burned a small hole in the ground before sizzling to a stop

Shal chuckled and Randidly gritted his teeth It really seemed that being trapped here for a few months had brought out Shal’s mean streak Randidly took a deep breath calming himself Then he created a root and tried to burrow upward into the ground beneath Shal’s hut prison

Unfortunately the whole structure appeared to be made of that strange material that resisted damage and he was unable to penetrate it In addition It seemed like ALL of the ground in this area was covered in a layer of the stuff preventing Randidly from being able to create roots at all Huffing in annoyance Randidly left Shal to his chuckles and began to walk around the small hut There were a few times over the next 10 minutes when Randidly had to stop his search in order to avoid patrols but all in all he had completely examined the house

He was forced to set aside all of his grand plans of breaking in by force He finally admitted to himself that it wouldn’t be feasible even with Inspiration to lift the entire little house up and rush out before he was mobbed by guards

Inevitably the quick and dirty answer was easiest Randidly created a Root Spider and used Root Control to warp one of its limbs stretching it and twisting it to reach through the small holes in the bars and move towards the key

But as it did so a small metal disk detached itself from the ceiling and swung down making a buzzing sound The metal disk cleanly sliced through root which began to immediately decay and wither unnaturally After 2 seconds the root had turned to dust and some of that decay followed back along to the Root Spider clinging to the small window Soon it too was just a pile of dust and Randidly was left blinking

Ah perhaps I forgot There are alarms and defenses to prevent such things Shal flicked his fingers at Randidly dismissively which was basically all the movement he could manage bound up as he was It is impossible for the current you Train for a few years and then return I have already calculated your deficiencies accept them and move on I have no choice but to wait

And with that Shal closed his eyes

After weeks of being tortured by Battle Intent chased down by spear users with more skill than him systematically dismembered for sport and finally arriving at a place at his correct skill level and feeling humiliated how close to the bottom he was Randidly was very tired of receiving attitude Shal’s most recent comment made him snap and he narrowed his eyes

Fine then so there are traps Let’s see how powerful they really are

Shal kept his eyes closed for several minutes then slowly opened them still sensing his student hiding on top of his small cell His mouth twisted upward the fool refused to admit when he was beaten It was a quality that could kill him any day now but would serve him well if he managed to live long enough for Willpower to matter

Honestly Shal preferred it this way Breaking down his student’s will and then building it back up from scratch would result in a more powerful resilience It would just take some brutal violence in the mean time to accomplish it effectively And at least the bare minimum in desire from his disciple to be strong but the boy had shown something at least close to that

As for the waiting it wasn’t much of a problem for Shal After all he finally had it after so long of wandering around lost He had been a shell of himself when he had first met Randidly barely able to withstand mental attacks from those orc shamans Acquiring a student had shaken him a bit and caused his memories of the Spear Phantom Style to turn away from his father and turn towards the fact he now had a student

And with that student here there was hope that he would find her Meet Lucrecia and cut her to pieces inches at a time until she died sobbing and

Shal blinked His student had dropped back down from the roof and was approaching the door The air seemed to still and as Shal watched the boy’s eyes changed from a deep forest green slowly glowing like a fire flickering into life and then spreading until his eyes were a brilliant emerald with flecks of violet

Then his student raised his hand

Chapter 156

Shal opened his mouth to say something but his student’s frown simply deepened Chuckling Shal shook his head but remained silent He supposed that everyone deserved the chance to fail Especially foolish students

Once more his disciple created one of those strange root creatures which skittered up the bars of the prison But as Shal watched his disciple created another And then another And then another Soon a dozen of those things were clinging to the wall

His disciple breathed in and then breathed out And then roots exploded almost a hundred of them rushing forward towards the key Instantly this time the small defensive disk flew down quickly splitting into 5 pieces to rip through the roots more effectively His disciple’s eyes narrowed but he did not lose his nerve and the roots split and spread branching and crisscrossing before Shal’s eyes moving in a strange mesmerizing pattern

Something clicked in Shal’s mind watching his disciple manipulate the roots He knew that his disciple had put points in his spell focused areas in order to increase his destructive power In a way Shal was disappointed but he knew that it was a shortcut to power Shal would eventually beat those bad habits out of him and he settle on the spear but it was just a disappointing fact of life for now

But as he watched those bewildering and smooth movements of the roots Shal realized how much his disciple had truly put into his mental stats specifically Control Shal had already noticed that he appeared to possess a knack for spotting incoming threats and responding delicately towards them but he hadn’t really pushed that issue in training But now his mind was racing With this much control

Of his father’s 6 moves Shal had mastered 4 of them and that was mostly because that was how many he had mastered before it had all happened and he had lost himself in the wake of that tragedy Now if he dedicated himself to it while they remained in this prison Shal had no doubt that he could master the rest

And once he did the 5th move the Spear Phantom’s Embrace would likely be the other move that he taught his foolish disciple who focused too much on mental stats It would not possess the bloodthirsty aura of his father’s move but Shal was mildly curious what the boy would do with his own strange images

Of course that wouldn’t help Shal deal with his own problems when he left this place Perhaps the boy could help but it would be rough going especially to recover in time to meet Lucrecia

But Shal’s eyes refocused as even though the small disks were furiously ripping through the roots more and more were branching outwards just clogging up the air Unlike previously his student didn’t just let the severed and withering roots go away he pushed them forward from behind the rot shooting them forward It severely reduced the speed of the root growth but it still made the air thick with them

Through the densely packed roots Shal could still make out those glowing emerald eyes narrowed in concentration

But those disks were merciless They cut and cut and cut pushing the roots slowly back until the air was empty and all of the Root spiders were rotted away Except one

And from that one a thin root emerged running around the window and up to the ceiling rushing to the corner then sliding along the wall over the key now slowly dropping down

As soon as the other roots were destroyed the disks noticed this small root but by then it was too late The root flicked lightly and the key spun through the air flashing as it caught the light of the small illumination stones in the wall Shal opened his hand and caught it

An alarm began to sound Shal’s fingers twisted and he expertly flipped the key up and positioned his arm so the key slid into the lock clicking into place Then he saw the small smug smile forming on his disciple’s face but Shal just sat there unmoving

You must turn the key for me obviously I cannot reach Shal finally said savoring the way the smug expression was very quickly wiped off his disciple’s face Ah yes this was how it must be done Let their confidence grew a small bit and then crush it so it could be rebuilt later stronger and more durable than ever based in truth rather than youthful hotheadedness

Also hurry Shal said almost bored The guards will arrive shortly

Randidly gritted his teeth He would swear that Shal seemed pleased at his newfound helplessness as the alarms blared and undoubtedly people were rushing over to this location That amount of roots were close to his mental limits and already he had a headache beating behind his eyes But perhaps now that he no longer needed to remain sneaky

First things first his mana Randidly removed several mana potions and quickly downed them Within around 10 seconds his mana was almost back to full but Randidly just pointed to the sky and created the Weeping Cloud and continued to drink the potions

Slowly mist formed and condensed above him swirling together as he restored his mana then quickly spreading and creating a light and refreshing rain Around 14 seconds had gone past since the alarms began to ring and Randidly could detect the barely discernable clomp of heavy footsteps approaching

With the rain hitting his back his headache melting away Randidly cracked his fingers and got to work He continued to drink mana potions as he made a stream of root spiders and sent them towards the approaching guards to hide and strike Hopefully that would buy him some time Then he placed more on the wall of the prison

Taking several deep breaths Randidly reached inside of him and felt the pulsing Aether that frigid lava that strange source of life Almost instinctively he began to move in those strange leg movements given to him by that old turtle evoking the image of powerful ancient roots The Aether stirred almost as if it were growing excited

He still remembered some of the things that Mrs Hamilton had told to Lyra as they had raised Lyra’s ability to manipulate her birds of mana It was not about controlling each individually but in fact the opposite All you had to do was set up certain patterns to lessen the load on yourself and concentrate on what was important

So while most roots began to move forward in zigzag patterns one root did the same but with all of Randidly’s will and strength within it In a barely discernable way a dense green energy formed around that root proof of his time spent being repeatedly assaulted by Battle Intents

It seemed the disks did not notice the energy which Randidly realized would have been a dead giveaway They did however seem to remember his previous trick because two started at the outsides of the roots instead of cutting right in as they had previously as if checking for any sneaking roots Meanwhile the rest charged forward heading for the area with the thickest density of roots

As Randidly planned all ofthe roots split off diagonally but one which straightened and rushed forward The disks swerved towards the larger groups all but one and Randidly’s gaze grew heavy But he had planned for this and prepared for it he just wished he wouldn’t have to take this risk

So as the thin root and the spinning disk of metal rushed towards each other Randidly concentrated his will in the tip which began to glow a deep emerald as all his intent moved to that one area He felt that even this small root was connected the larger tree of life Yggdrasil as his legs trembled and he moved through the motions

As the two items crossed paths Randidly twisted the edge of the root with his will avoiding the initial slice of the disk and smashed it on the flat side with as much strength as the thin root could muster It did send the disk skittering but it wasn’t that far

It was just enough

That root burst forward in a surge of speed rushing towards the key The other disks seemed to notice this streaker and angle themselves downward to intercept it but the other roots cut across blocking their path The disks finally arrived ripping through everything but it was too late The root settled on the key and turned it

Randidly could hear shouts of surprised very near as guards were likely waylaid by his Roots Spiders he did not have much time remaining The strain of using Root Control so much and so fast was wearing at him but the cooling drops of the Weeping Cloud did a lot to control the fraying edges of his consciousness

Shal stood and the chains fell to the ground He walked calmly to the door and opened it apparently freely leaving from the inside Then he held his hand out to Randidly My spear

Randidly blinked then remembered the strange spear that he had seen inside his ring He had been curious about how it had gotten there but he had been so distracted by surviving in this place that he hadn’t really put any thoughts to finding out the answer

He removed it from his ring and marveled at it for a second It was the blue of ice a long slender spear made of sort of strangely flexible crystal almost like a plastic Both ends had spear heads which were a dark indigo The spear was strangely long springy and light based on what Randidly knew from Shal he sorta would have expected exactly the opposite sort of spear as his weapon of choice Probably something like the heavy spear of obsidian that Shal had given him to use that almost seemed famous based on some people’s queer reaction to it

Shal took the spear and spun it It hummed strangely in the air then settled into his hands naturally like a hug from an old friend

There was a gleam in Shal’s eye that Randidly had never seen before he had always been slightly morose sardonic and even dismissive in the way he had spoken to Randidly But what was in Shal’s eyes now was joy And hunger

The guards rushed forward 20 men who looked just as talented as the man that Randidly had killed to earn their place in here and Shal was silently laughing raising his spear

Then it began to blur and Shal simply walked forward Randidly following with an awed expression in his wake

Whereas the original Spear Phantom focused on death as the source of his image and Randidly had chosen the inevitability of time Shal was something different Shal emphasized pursuit and adaptability His was a Phantom that could float through walls and under doors chasing you to the ends of the earth in order to finish the attack His spear bent and twisted almost like the wind working around spears to slash off arms and slice off feet

In their wake they only left a trail of moaning bodies Randidly did notice that Shal was very careful to not kill any of the guards and that probably made sense This prison was meant as a punishment but the jailers did not pursue anyone who escaped from their individual cages After all they would be forced to return to use the portal or else be stuck here forever

That might change however if a spear user went on a murder spree while they were leaving their cell Prisoners killing each other was unfortunate and against the stated goal of protecting talent but ultimately acceptable It was just proof those prisoners weren’t strong enough to be worth protecting Killing guards was another slight on the First Spear of Tomkat which would be met with equivalent force

So they left without any fatalities and were curiously undisturbed after meeting the first group of guards Together they once more descended into the badlands which would be Randidly’s home for a long while

Chapter 157

Shal seemed to possess some understanding of how the badlands worked and had Randidly lead him back towards where he had managed to achieve equilibrium As they returned to the Southeast area the disgust on Shal’s face grew but he said nothing

They settled down in Randidly’s camp after driving off two of Randidly’s weaker rivals with a glare from Shal and Shal instructed Randidly to prepare for the true training would start after he rested

This did not include a time but Randidly knew he would have some time to himself he usually did in times like this so he took his time to brew mana potions and sit under the Weeping Cloud without moving allowing the strange recuperative qualities of the cloud to influence him It really was a profound ability and one that he relied on both to break Shal out of prison and to Engrave at the height of his strength Hopefully he could improve it to the level that he could receive a path for it because Randidly knew that it would benefit him greatly

After he had recovered his peace of mind he looked at his notifications The most exciting one was the notification that the created skill based upon Bert’s leg movements had reached 90% That meant some concerted effort on his part would push it to the next level But at the same time Randidly was willing to take his time and really refine the image for it without pressing forward They would be here for a while after all so there was no need to rush to finishing

Shal would be very annoyed if he wasted this effort which even Shal acknowledged could lead to a useful skill Then he looked over his stats throwing his PP into the unending pit that was Path of Carnage Lately it hadn’t even given him anything for putting PP into it it was just a black hole In his heart Randidly realized it might be better to take the 500 PP reward from the most recent Path of Carnage V and leave but there was a part of him that wanted to stubbornly refuse He had been gaining quite a lot of PP recently and it looked to continue for a while although his growth was slowing down somewhat At the same time

What if it went on forever

Randidly took a view of his full status screen

Health(/R per hour) 556/1010 (+8) (377 (+12

Mana(/R per hour) 12/1249 (118 75)

Stam(/R per min) 601/1140 (148 (+4

Vit 111 (+4)

End 56

Str 88 (+12)

Agi 109 (+12)

Perception 82

Reaction 77

Resistance 53

Willpower 79

Control 149

Focus 104

Paths Newbie 7/7 P Def 10/10 M Supp 10/10 Risk Taker 15/15 Basic Physical Fitness 20/20 Trainee 15/15 Wandering Survivor 20/20 Pathless I 5/5 Pathless II 5/5 Pathless III 10/10 Pathfinder 15/15 Disciple of Shal 37/37 Pathless IV 10/10 Pathless V 15/15 Pathless VI 15/15 Pathless VII 20/20 Pathless VIII 20/20 Pathless IX 25/25 Pathless X 50/50 Pathless 100/100 Mana Bolt Path 25/25 Phys Fitness 25/25 Evasion 35/35 Phantom Thrust Path 40/40 Spear Mastery I 50/50 Monster Slayer I 1/1 Monster Slayer II 3/3 Heavy Blow Path 20/20 Monster Slayer III 6/6 Monster Slayer IV 12/12 Monster Slayer V 25/25 Potion Making I 25/25 The Monster Slayer 100/100 Entangling Roots 40/40 Meditation 35/35 Frontrunner 100/100 Apprentice Path 50/50 Fireball I Path 50/50 Potion Making II 35/35 Spear Mastery II 75/75 Phantom Thrust II 75/75 Empower I 60/60 Root Manipulation I 75/75 Advanced Phys Fitness 100/100 Fighting Proficiency I 80/80 The Lonesome Spear 100/100 Path of Carnage V 415/500

Skills (Soul Skill) Cycle of Rot and Ash Lvl 901

Combat Spear Mastery Lvl 96 The Inevitable Phantom Arrives Lvl 47 (Un) Spear Phantom’s Footwork Lvl 79 Eyes of the Spear Phantom Lvl 59 Phantom Half Step Lvl 29 Heavy Blow Lvl 36 Dagger Mastery Lvl 10 Iron Skin Lvl 42 Dodge Lvl 53 Fighting Proficiency Lvl 66 Block Lvl 40 Haste Lvl 56 Phantom Onslaught Lvl 25 Sweep Lvl 36 Spear Deflect Lvl 10 Empower Lvl 53 Calculated Blow Lvl 30 Roundhouse Kick Lvl 31 Edge of Decay Lvl 32 Ghastly Slash Lvl 29 Pierce the Skies Shatter the Earth Lvl 15 Battle Intent Lvl 34 Struggle Lvl 19

The 7 Kata of the Ashen Spear The Spear Advances Ash Trails Lvl 13

Spells Spearing Roots Lvl 17 Mana Bolt Lvl 28 Mana Shield Lvl 24 Root Control Lvl 73 Arcane Orb Lvl 22 Fireball Lvl 30 Magic Missile Lvl 4 Healing Palm Lvl 12 Pollen of the Rafflesia Lvl 18 Summon Pestilence Lvl 33 Mana Strengthening Lvl 38 Wall of Thorns Lvl 10 Soul Seed Lvl ® Agony Lvl 37 Inspiration ® Incinerating Bolt Lvl 27 Circle of Flame Lvl 24 Plantomancy Lvl 25 The Weeping Cloud ® Lvl 23

Crafting Potion Making Lvl 37 Farming Lvl 20 Plant Breeding Lvl 9 Mapmaker Lvl 7 Analyze Lvl 24 Refine Lvl 17 Extract Lvl 6 Mana Engraving Lvl 53

Auxiliary Physical Fitness Lvl 59 Meditation Lvl 56 Running Lvl 25 Sprinting Lvl 19 Sneak Lvl 43 Acid Resistance Lvl 22 Poison Resistance Lvl 21 Pain Resistance Lvl 23 First Aid Lvl 16 Equip Lvl 25 Pathfinding Lvl 18 Mental Strength Lvl 17 Curse Resistance Lvl 15 Fire Resistance Lvl 14 Sewing Lvl 11 Cutting Vegetables Lvl 2 Manual Labor Lvl 6 Digging Lvl 5 Cooking Lvl 29 Grace Lvl 38 Bacterial Regeneration Lvl 35 Superiority Lvl 14 Mental Fortitude Lvl 29 Second Wind Lvl 15 Weather Affinity Lvl 19 Clockwork Mastery Lvl 8

His list of skills continued to grow and it was getting extremely monstrous The amount of PP he could gain over the course of a battle was extremely high simply due to the breadth of skills he could rely on True he had spent several months in here training his spear skills in battle and raising Mana Engraving to above 50 His gains in Battle Intent were also paying dividends Now he was starting to see how Dian could have her intent be so powerful that it could devour his inspired spell

Randidly looked up sharply and was surprised to find Shal standing there

It is time He said simply Nodding Randidly stood and followed him

The next 3 weeks became a blur of pain Randidly never had a chance to fight anyone else in the area because he was constantly dueling against Shal who would harp on his every weakness in his stance and never hesitate to strike at it Time after time Randidly was knocked to the ground his bones shattered

Still Shal just looked at Randidly Randidly gritted his teeth and pushed himself up He wasn’t truly an interesting person before the system He was quiet and disliked interactions with others Without the pressure of classes he never would have met Tessa Without being forced to have a roommate he never would have met Ace Sydney

Well Sydney was a special case They were always connected in a way

But he had been bland sleepwalking through life Then the system had arrived and crushed the previous world and left chaos and death in its wake But also a path that led to power Where before Randidly had just been a quiet guy as he founded Donnyton and interacted with others he slowly discovered his identity he was someone strong

Shal had showed him the basics and then needed him to return and use the strength Randidly had borrowed from him to do him a favor In that Randidly stubbornly found a new version of himself he was a man who would keep his word

No matter what it took That was a type of strength he wanted to possess

So even though his body was barely able to keep his limbs in working condition despite the furious pulse of Aether Randidly stood swaying He settled into a fighting stance and lowered his spear to point the tip at Shal And so it would begin again

Some of Randidly’s previous rivals were curious and watched from afar but after seeing Shal move none dared approach It annoyed Randidly but Shal was clearly too powerful to be here even when he used a regular spear and not his personal spear

As they expected the prison did not pursue them even though Shal was a prisoner a few tiers higher than Randidly So they remained in peace with no disturbances

About a month and a half after they escaped Randidly had grinded his skills mostly Spear Mastery Spear Phantom’s Footwork the Inevitable Phantom Arrives and Bacterial Regeneration enough that he reached 500 in Path of Carnage V and received the familiar notification

Congratulations You have completed the Path of Carnage V Everything around you is blank and barren The loneliness of your path lays across your shoulders like a cloak Your hands stink of blood You finally arrive at a crossroads To your right the path leads towards the keeps of your enemies To your left the untamed wilderness stretches unending as far as your eye can see But before you a rusty sword sticks out of the ground Shall you take the sword and depart from this path here Shall you head to your enemies keeps Shall you head into the wilderness You have encountered an Extending Path Continue or recieve your current reward

For several long seconds Randidly hesitated with his finger over the option to select the sword but then he sighed and lowered his hand He couldn’t bear the thought of remaining on this path without receiving the greatest reward for it There had to be something further

But the next thing would be Path of Carnage VI How could the 6th stage really be the last one Still he would not choose the sword Instead he considered what to take of the other two Sure he did want to be able to attack the keeps of his enemies but that might include skills or qualities that a leader would require That wasn’t truly him He preferred throwing himself into the unknown So he chose the left path into the wilderness

You have passed the Warlord’s Sword The rewards for choosing the Warlord’s Sword +12 Str +10 Agi +5 Vit and End Quelling Blow (Un) Lvl 1

You have passed the Path of the Conqueror Yours is not the bloodletting that inspires others to follow you

Randidly checked and sure enough Path of Carnage V 500/500 was now Path of Carnage VI 500/1000 He could only grit his teeth swearing that he would resist the impulse next time to choose the longer payoff After all if he didn’t receive anymore benefits from this path some very useful paths were beginning to pile up while he remained here

But these things were put out of Randidly’s mind training took all of his attention and effort Shal wasn’t trying to kill him he was just trying to keep Randidly as close to death as possible without crossing that last line At this Shal was very very good

Blood routinely filled Randidly’s lungs His legs were sliced and lacerated and his arms trembled Shal had Randidly use both training spears and the larger obsidian one attempting to master different methods but Shal seemed only endlessly disappointed Still it was obvious that the training was having effects

The most obvious one was how quickly Randidly now sprung back from near fatal blows His body seemed to leap to healing with alacrity earning Randidly Shal’s grudging admiration

Truly you were made to be bullied Shal commented on one of the rare occasions the training stopped long enough for a meal Randidly was too tired to even answer

But it was also clear that his spear arts were progressing even if it wasn’t at the rate that Shal wanted Through repetition and brutal training this was slowly being made up one strike at a time So exhausting and brutal was the training that Randidly largely dropped all of his Engraving He still trained spells when he could mostly the Weeping Cloud to recover but anything more he just didn’t have any gas in the tank

Chapter 158

This process continued until a familiar face arrived looking for Randidly Marco Polo At first Randidly was excited that there would finally be a distraction then he was worried that Shal would kill Marco for interrupting and there was indeed a long moment of tension as Marco Polo arrived his jovial face falling as he saw Randidly reduced to such a miserable state hanging onto life by a thin thread

Still Randidly reflected as Marco slowly turned to Shal it probably wasn’t apparent but the thread was thin but strong It had served him well thus far He just seemed extremely pathetic

But something passed across Marco Polo’s face very quickly and he bowed slightly Shal nodded in return It seemed that they instinctively recognized their relative strength and it was not close Shal was more powerful than Randidly had expected

What he had also not expected was that Marco would quickly come around to the idea of training Randidly and bring his own exercises and tortures to the table More along the lines of Mrs Hamilton Marco believed that repetition outside of battle would have a powerful effect on building up things like endurance and muscle memory so more exercises were worked into the routine

In theory Randidly was all for it he was tired of being almost murdered for hours on end In practice he swiftly was filled with dread by the exercises that Marco suggested Often there would be heavy penalties associated with deviating from the exercises of failing at balance or improperly following instructions which were much worse than simply being attacked These were designed to inflict pain

As the brutal training now with Marco Polo’s assistance stretched on first one month then two and his skill growth slowed Randidly was forced to wonder whether Shal had a point he was a rather talentless individual when it came to the spear But he tried to ignore those thoughts Which was rather difficult when Marco took to expressing them constantly

Ah boy boy you are truly cursed To have such a powerful master yet be so unworthy it is a hard burden to bare Fear not I will encourage you no matter how pathetic you may be

A hot flame of rage and humiliation began to burn within Randidly constantly driving him forward The sighs and snide expressions from Marco were even more motivating that Shal’s brutal glares

There were moments when it got so bad that Randidly considered murdering them both with spells so they wouldn’t expect it But he was forced to admit that it probably wouldn’t work especially on Shal And it truly seemed like they were doing it to help him

However sometimes it was very hard to remain focused on this fact especially when they constantly discussed how disappointing he was It was purposeful Randidly knew but that didn’t mean it didn’t affect him

Time continued to flow on until it had truly lost meaning to Randidly but he believed it to have been around 6 months since they had come down to the Badlands and started Shal’s training At that time something else changed he was allowed to fight other people

The local spear users had been aware of Randidly’s hellish training and largely made fun of him During that time Randidly transformed that chemical hot anger and turned it on those others of whom he was insanely envious To freely wander without constantly training all day So it was with great enthusiasm that he began to wander afield and challenge people

He won

And he won again And again

Honestly Randidly felt very little challenge from them He perhaps hadn’t realized it because each skill had only gained about 10 or so levels even after all this training but when 20 skills gained 10 levels that was the difference of 200 skill levels It was quickly starting to add up

He was also pleased to see that fighting in battles and testing out different things that he had thought about while training once more added a bit more to the speed with which his skills grew Hoping to prolong this effect he began taking the black potion which still remained strangely full much more frequently completely cutting himself off from notifications He submerged himself in the feelings of fighting and violence searching for efficiency and grace

They were eventually forced to move from the Southeast to the middle of the East where Randidly once more began to struggle But Shal and Marco Polo were unforgiving teachers They pushed and pushed demanding constant advancement Slowly bitterly he fought and continued to win

It was now mostly due to the accumulated experience of having constantly fought for so long and the growing realization that Randidly possessed a body that could withstand damage much better than most of the people he faced Very quickly he realized how to force exchanges that were perhaps even a little in his opponent’s favor but his superior regeneration passives quickly enabled him to fight through it and grasp victory

But the string of victories was not to last Just at the edge of the Eastern area before the Northeast there was a wall of Spear users who beat Randidly back again and again and again and again leaving him bloody and broken in a way that was much more dangerous than Shal or Marco Polo

Finally his master relented and he trotted back exhausted Shal walked over to him and held out his hand Your spears Give them to me For a month you do not deserve to even hold the weapon after that performance

Randidly gritted his teeth and glared up at Shal But Shal’s face remained impassive Marco Polo happily ate off to the side seemingly oblivious to the whole exchange They stared at each other for several seconds Randidly did not move But neither did Shal

Finally while grinding his teeth Randidly handed over the obsidian spear and the dozen or so remaining bone spears Sam had made him for training Shal simply nodded and left

For several long minutes Randidly sat looking at the ground shame pumping through his arteries instead of blood But Randidly felt very clearly that he had hit a wall The difference in strength between him and those spear users was like the difference that existed between him and the people from the Southeastern area now It was the difference of skill levels in the triple digits With it feeling like he wasn’t improving in Spear skills perhaps it was a good idea to take a break

It was just bitter to admit that he was weak

Shaking his head sadly and trying to shake a strange melancholy Randidly produced a bracer used Weeping Cloud and began to engrave

Shal sat next to the strange fat man and watched his student Engrave They both remained quiet for a long time Shal thought the focus on Engraving was foolish especially considering how much trouble they could truly encounter if the guilds discovered it but it was hard to worry about such things here

Marco coughed and then sighed That boy is monstrous

Shal allowed himself a small smile He had always expected that within his disciple’s body was something more than a talent for running and it had been true Although he didn’t have any natural affinity for using a spear he quickly picked up the ways to commit acts of violence and had a sharp mind for battle tactics

It had been slightly daunting to train him at first due to his strange ability to recover so quickly which was why Shal allowed Marco Polo to remain although he was leery of staying around him a man who clearly recognized Shal and Shal’s school But he was skilled enough and gave Shal some time away from the zombie that his student was becoming so it worked out

Has his skill always risen so quickly And his recovery Marco Polo continued to speak shooting small glances at Shal The only response that he received was a chuckle Shal had some guesses as to why his growth was so quick but Shal respected his disciple’s secrets The amount of improvement had been quite staggering however

So much so that it was somewhat of a hassle to travel all the way over here to an area where there were spear users that would defeat them His disciple was distinctly too clever for his own good learning to rely on his superior physical capacity to bully his way here That was a dead end and Shal had rushed them forward as fast as possible to get away from that so Randidly didn’t develop any bad habits

Now that they had made it to a very distinct line in skill it was time to settle and allow some of the training he had gone through to sink into his bones Already the attitude seemed much improved All that was left was to finalize the images Shal smiled and closed his eyes

Marco Polo sat silent for a long time then spoke hesitatingly Did you truly simply come here to train I suppose that this is filled with skilled spear users but to come here and throw your disciple to the dogs like this I do not know any other Style as crazy as yours

Shal’s eyes snapped open and he shot Marco a glare losing control of his Battle Intent for a second The man paled and fell backwards scared out of his mind

I I Didn’t mean

No worry not What you say is true Shal closed his eyes forcing the anger down After all the reason that all this was necessary was revenge A revenge he couldn’t let go of now that he had smelled The Spear Phantom Style only attracts those with unearthly determination and drive Those who do not accept the bonds of the world

Allowing himself a small pleased smile Shal looked over at Randidly and said barely audibly Even our youngest member

Chapter 159

It really was only a month but Shal forced him to remain calm for a month It was annoying at first but as Randidly let go of the shame this month really let him focus on mastering his increasingly high Control and Focus stats Where those didn’t boost his damage in quite the same way as Intelligence it let him cast the spells more quickly and accurately which in a fight was more important

After stalling out in the spear it was also nice to gain some relatively easy levels in some of his other skills pushing them to the forefront Of them all Randidly chose Incendiary Bolt as his main focus to allow him to have enough direct target damage to get him out of any sticky situations This tournament would be mostly 1 v 1 after all and would likely give him an edge against most opponents

At the end of the month Randidly was once more allowed to use spears but the training had mellowed somewhat with Marco Polo taking over most of the direction while Shal sequestered himself in a small tent Randidly was curious but could only shrug One thing at a time

So he allowed Marco to beat his bad habits and hesitation out of him So much so that although his skills and stats weren’t changing much what had changed was the way that Randidly looked at fights

Fights were fast brutal things Especially against Donnyton Randidly had taken advantage of the fact that he was faster and hit harder than everyone else His consumption of Stamina was prodigious but it almost allowed him to succeed despite the fact that he was facing dozens of people

Marco emphasized a similar strategy in his battles He showed Randidly what to look for in an enemy’s stance to show weakness and how to move into an opponent’s blind spot They were not exactly the things you needed to grow strong but Marco emphasized how what was more important than power was results These would let Randidly fight against those who were more powerful than him and they came from a man who had struggled his whole life with nothing but a spear

This world was cruel and Marco had grown strong without relying on the teachings of a Style There weren’t any skillsets that he could rely on but he had a wealth of experience that made it child’s play for him to dismantle Randidly time and time again no matter what he tried

Slowly through blows and laughing advice Randidly’s body absorbed some of that experience seeing the world in a new way in a way driven by the possibility of violence It was illuminating in a way even as a part of Randidly wondered whether he would truly be able to return to a world without violence anymore

That thought kept him up late as he Engraved under his Weeping Cloud If the world returned to how it was before what would that make of him

But these thoughts were quickly banished After all he could not afford to waste this chance The system was here now and Randidly had obligations to uphold What if’s held no meaning in front of facts

More days blurred away and finally Shal left the tent and sought Randidly out immediately removing him from a training session with Marco Polo and dragging him back to the tent When Randidly walked in he looked around and was surprised to recognize the strange formation the diary of the Spear Phantom and the unopened chest the three inheritances of the Spear Phantom Style

Shal coughed lightly Our training will change again for a while You will spend most of your time reading from the Spear Phantom’s Diary Specifically the pages on the Phantom’s Thrust the true version of the Phantom Thrust you knew and the page on the Phantom’s Embrace The Phantom’s Embrace

Shal hesitated his expression lost in the shadow of the tent When he spoke it was slow Of the 6 moves of the Spear Phantom the Phantom’s Embrace is the only one which can be considered defensive In addition it requires mostly a control over your Battle Intent to an almost obsessive degree My father managed it with simply his overflowing bloodlust but

With glowing eyes Shal said I believe you will find your own path For your own safety do not read the other pages

Then he left and Randidly sat down to read With gritted teeth he managed to read the introductory page once more which described the Phantom Thrust His Battle Intent had grown much since the last time he had attempted this and it bore the brunt of the vicious image of death that sprung from the pages keeping Randidly’s focus on the words

After finishing he took some time to breath slowly digesting the words thinking about how they could apply to his own move the Inevitable Phantom Arrives The Aether in his chest started to stir As he slowly refined the image the ticking the half rotted face of his mother the helpless fury his breathing slowed and then stopped

But the Aether in his chest began to pound faster and faster

His eyes opened glittering and he carefully picked the book back up and after a small hesitation turned to the page dedicated to the Phantom’s Embrace

All resist the Phantom for they know he steps in the wake of death like a shadow

A strange crashing filled Randidly’s head He had figured that there would be a sharp increase in the power of the images as the moves went on from one to six but even still Howling filled his perception and he could almost feel it almost see it the black leather of Death’s Robe as it walked before him The silence of an old battlefield bereft of life

Randidly groaned softly his body betraying him as his Battle Intent was chewed to ribbons by the waves of powerful imagery that were surging from the small diary in his hands His eyes went so blurry that he wasn’t able to read any further than the first line but the image of the robed Death grew stronger and stronger

And to Randidly’s horror Death paused and slowly began to turn

With a snap Randidly closed the book and backed away his chest heaving Like a power plant shutting down the howling in the air didn’t disperse immediately It just gradually grew more dim as more and more of the machinery of it disengaged It took a long time for the tent to seem completely silent long enough for Randidly’s breath to finally return to him

Although he had been filled with fear in that moment now Randidly was simply solemn the book seemed to be covered with remnants of that ominous image The leather was worn but seemed to curl up like dead skin The thin book contained unimaginable weight

As Randidly was staring at the book Shal returned

Why Randidly asked simply

Shal’s response was to grin so it seemed he understood Yes you saw it didn’t you The edge of him The presence of the Spear Phantom You ask why but

Turning away Shal walked over to the far edge of the tent and touched the closed and locked chest All the rest I can teach you But those 5th and 6th stances Although I struggled

Shal’s hand tightened on the lock I am unable to master them When I see the Spear Phantom’s image when I see my father’s face I am filled with rage With fury over his foolishness I cannot bare to be heh well it is not important

Turning back around Shal gave Randidly a meaningful glance Although this is my Style I have no pride for it But the weight of responsibility has snuck on me To have you immediately start with the 5th move is to see if you can ever inherit that man’s mantle For it is a thing that I do not want

Then Shal stalked passed Randidly out of the tent leaving him speechless

Time continued relentlessly forward and Randidly’s training broadened and became more universally exhausting Time with the diary then sparring training with Shal then challenges against those spear users that had stopped him previously then resting and training his spells in a continuous cycle that left him empty and thoughtless from exertion

Once more Engraving fell to the side but Randidly couldn’t be concerned about it He no longer knew how long he would remain here The still air and heat of the badlands began to seem like home Shal seemed continuously unsatisfied with his performance even as he slowly was able to beat those previously insurmountable spear users If Shal’s criticism wasn’t enough it still remained comically easy for Marco to predict and foil Randidly’s every attack and movement

After being in the prison for almost a year Randidly had finally reached a decision that he had been dreading for a long time He had gained quite a bit of PP and it was enough to push him up to finishing the Path of Carnage VI

Congratulations You have completed the Path of Carnage VI The wild expanse has been endless around you but although you have found no reward you continue forward The wind whispers of death while the ground sucks up any sweat or blood you shed Before you lies a mountain to your right Ahead of you the path continues but is shrouded in a mist of blood You sense your hands are not so bloodied that you can survive the path through the blood mist Shall you ascend to the summit of the mountain Shall you head further into the wilderness You have encountered an Extending Path Continue or recieve your current reward

Randidly frowned It really did seem like he could see what the path reward was describing But not only was there a blood red mist in front of him blocking his path

There was also a golden gate upon which stood a tinkling bell In addition there was a sign with an arrow that pointed up towards the mountain While frowning Randidly reached out his metaphysical hand and touched the gates

A shock smashed into him knocking his physical body as well as his metaphysical one several meters back Annoyed but very used to being injured by now Randidly stood back up and glared at the gate that glowed serenely He took several breaths to calm himself

Not only Shal and Marco but now Path rewards even thought they could bully him What in the actual fuck

Chapter 160

But there really didn’t seem like there was anything that he could do The golden gates blocked his path and the reward advised him that he couldn’t survive that way Perhaps it was just making extra sure that he understood that wasn’t the way he should go

Either way Randidly was getting very good at bottling up his anger and using it to fuel his fights so he just accepted the option and clicked to ascend the mountain And in a flash he was there standing on the mountain path a grey seething land around him seemingly barren Randidly turned and found that the path behind him had disappeared

Sighing Randidly turned and began to walk forward Hopefully this wasn’t as traumatizing as his time being transported to the Patron of Ash’s world He slowly ascended climbing up the increasingly steep mountain path As he did so the air became chillier and he could slowly make out more landmarks around him It seemed that the higher Randidly climbed the higher the peak loomed above him Gnarled twisted trees bare of all leaves populated the mountain side twisted and angry

If he looked at them for too long Randidly was sure that they began to quiver slightly and were a touch away from coming awake so he hurried onward heading further up the path It was full of jagged turns and cutbacks but Randidly followed it shifting more from walking to climbing clinging grimly to slate grey stone faces as he ascended

He seemed to walk forever and the trees grew thicker and thicker below him crowding around the spot where he ascended almost staring up after him

After climbing for a while he reached a ledge and that was where the wind began to blow At the edges and backend of the wind there seemed to be a voice whispering to him but as he would listen the wind would howl even more loudly making him grit his teeth There were many parts of the climb that were difficult physically even for him but no matter how Randidly concentrated he could not manage to use any skills

So he simply closed his mouth and forced himself to continue

After the wind came the snow first a sprinkling of it then thick waves almost as if it was getting dumped from above on him The chill quickly sank to his bones and Randidly felt very bitter about the fact that he couldn’t use any of his many fire spells to drive away some of the cold

He could only slog on pushing is way through the deepening snow By the time it was waist high Randidly stopped panting looking up above him Still the summit loomed much closer but also much farther away with this difficult to handle snow in the way

Sighing Randidly looked down and then froze Slowly his hand trembling from the cold he reached down and touched the snow rubbing it between his fingers

It was bone shavings They weren’t cold either just filled with a frigid hateful energy Randidly looked slowly up and the summit seemed to curve in a vicious way like a murderous blade Lowering his gaze Randidly pushed forward moving through the shavings of bone

He definitely could not have done it before Mrs Hamilton’s training because the whole thing left his body trembling with exertion barely able to continue His physical potential was completely wrung out of him Even then if he had not spent so much time reading the words of the Spear Phantom the vicious cold rage of the shavings might have overwhelmed him and ground down his will to nothing

And what would happen then Randidly wondered as he moved forward on a path the bone shavings slowly falling away even as more softly fell around him Would he just remain here

Randidly reached the summit and looked around It was a small little valley here with a pond that was frozen over Sighing and shaking his head Randidly walked over to the pond his feet so numb by this point that he couldn’t even care Deep within the pond laying on the bottom some strange item looking like a strange sphere pulsed with a blue black energy

Randidly went down to his knees and punched the ice It cracked but barely Growling he looked around He spotted a dozen or so skeletons leaning up against the rock wall their arms crossed looking exceedingly peaceful So Randidly walked over and took the bones from one of the skeletons and then returned to the pond

But has he did so the skeleton began to hum and wail somehow making a ridiculous racket even in death Randidly ignored it and began to use the bone as a pick to dig at the ice This continued for a while before the bone shattered into small pieces that were unusable

So almost helpless Randidly returned and took more bones The wailing grew louder The bones continued to break Randidly had to move on from the first skeleton to the second Now that one began to wail and the first continued to make noise even though all Randidly had left was the skull

Slowly after an hour of work and all the skeletons he had cracked and scratched the ice enough to finally make it to the bottom A strangely lopsided sphere half dark blue and swirled black and white sat there almost breathing Randidly just shrugged and grabbed it

Congratulations You have obtained the Heart of the Wandering Butcher End +10 Str and Agi +7 Per and React +5 You have learned the skill The Pervasive Chill of Death ® Lvl 1

Warning Pervasive Chill

Contacting Ad

Randidly narrowed his eyes as he reappeared in the tent and the warning notification and the follow up notification was snuffed out right before his eyes What was more disturbing was that when he checked his status he hadn’t received any such skill Annoyed Randidly closed his eyes and focused his attention inward There was the Aether Spring some disturbingly thick branches extending outward inside of him

There was his Soul Skill still swirling endlessly refining the rotten biomass into that strange emerald material

There was that small core of energy that remained as a reward from the Lonesome Spear Path And right next to it a small chilling orb of hatred and rage bound into a small ball of energy Surrounded by a disturbingly familiar golden chain that included a tinkling bell

Are you fucking kidding me 1000 PP for this

Although it took some time Randidly managed to force down his anger Then he turned to the next step which was selecting his new path Hopefully something actually useful

A vein in his temple twitched and Randidly took several deep breaths promising himself that he would take his anger out on the next spear user that Shal let him challenge

Heretic IX 0/ Oathbreaker 0/25 Initiate of Ash I 0/75 Nexus Traveler Cohort 5 0/50 Path of Control 0/200 Grace I 0/75 Basic Mana Engraving 0/100 Weeping that Falls like Rain 0/200

The big change was that Heretic had shifted to Heretic IX And sure enough when he looked Randidly found a notification among the sea of skill increases saying that he should turn back take a class or else he would face the consequences etc It just made him sigh There was no way that he would at this point or any way that he could

But he would need to be more careful about not having notifications if it was possible for him to be attacked by a Judgement

The new arrivals were the Mana Engraving and the Weeping Cloud Paths and of the two Randidly felt the draw from both Especially the Weeping Cloud path He relied on the Weeping Cloud heavily in order to recover from the mental strain of all of the training In addition it was his first path from an non Common rarity skill But after blowing 1000 PP for nothing it was hard for Randidly to justify another huge expenditure

Instead Randidly checked how much PP was remaining Seeing it was enough he quickly chose and finished off Oathbreaker which he had for quite a while Every 5 PP earned him a point in Willpower which was a nice state of affairs after this most recent path debacle

Congratulations You have completed the Oathbreaker Path You have broken your vows and left your shackles lay fallow behind you You feel no shame but only a righteous anger Your path is more important than any bond that they may force upon you Forward you continue because the path is long and continues ever onward Resist +10 You have gained the skill Rejection Lvl 1

Rejection May resist compulsions geas foreign influences healing status ailments and other unnatural states Likelihood of success depends on skill level

Randidly smiled wryly An old remnant of his time with the King Constance huh Well the Willpower and Resistance would help him so he didn’t mind it And although this current skill seemed unreliable it did seem broadly applicable which would probably help

With his few extra PP he put them into the Grace I Path That would likely give him a positive return based how he felt it improving every aspect of how he moved

Once more Randidly lost himself in the training Time passed slowly as his body his mind and his spirit were brutalized day after day Slowly but surely Randidly felt himself growing less angry more grounded He almost seemed to enjoy the abuse throwing himself into it with wild abandoned Shal pressed him harder and harder as they slowly made progress into the Northeast area fighting constantly Marco would destroy Randidly’s stance with easy shattering his confidence

Then he would read words left by a spear user sure but two dozen or so years ago and he would almost pass out every time he tried to read that first line on the fifth page It was depressing

But there was progress He pressed and pressed and he was able to gaze for longer and longer on the back of Death before it paused as if it noticed him and then slowly turned forcing him out of his focus

Knowing that Shal secretly observed the process Randidly refused to give up Shal’s relationship with his father was clearly complex and Randidly understood that He hated his own father Hated him with every ounce of his being But somehow he knew that if his father had left him a job he would have dutifully completed it This was that same thing for Shal he would look for an heir for his father’s legacy even though Shal wanted no part of it

But that didn’t mean Shal wanted it to die And so Randidly continued to try slowly moving forward word by word

The second anniversary of their arrival in the badlands came and went and Randidly’s eyes were slightly glassy worn to the edge of sanity But still he pushed Everyday and those days he found himself slightly improving Randidly pushed harder seeking not just improvement but results

And the amount of sentences he could read slowly grew one word at a time Soon he could make it through half of the page without being forced away Then 3/4s then 4/5s slowly approaching the complete picture for the move that Shal could not master

The Phantom’s Embrace

Shal looked at the fire brooding Marco Polo sat next to them as his disciple once more tried to read the diary There had been progress Significant progress But while a lot of it was in his disciple’s spear skill the scariest part was the things that were hard to quantify

Randidly’s recovery speed His work ethic The viciousness with which he wielded a spear His spells his tactics in a fight

His stance his Battle Intent

His disciple’s personality too was slowly changing under the incredible pressure that he had handled for the past two years Becoming more centered around gallows humor more sardonic pessimistic Randidly had always been reserved and this Shal appreciated but it was growing to an almost ridiculous degree The boy barely spoke a word if not directly asked a question He would just wait for the order of the day and then throw himself into it

This might be his limit Marco commented looking carefully at Shal

But Shal just nodded This was true His disciple was settling too much into life here and gaining bad habits through repetitions This was probably as close as they could come to getting him battle ready More skill levels would be useful but

But it will still take some time to leave Shal said aloud gazing up at the mountain on which the prison sat The preparations And ideally we would want another powerful individual one willing to offend and attack guards in order to cause a distraction

If you need a distraction like that I have an idea

Both Shal and Marco turned surprised Randidly stood there rubbing his chin his voice raspy and his eyes somewhat gaunt

Chapter 161

Helen looked around disgustedly at the boat Without the presence of the Ghosthound and his master’s Tassles hanging from the boat they basically encountered no trouble They simply drifted no longer progressing deeper into Qtal but also not drifting farther out

It was widely understood that although those two were no longer here it did not mean that they would not return So the circling vultures stopped challenging them but they didn’t stop watching them Which removed the only activity that Helen enjoyed from the daily routine of the boat After all the challengers were just starting to be around the Artisan level and Divveltian still managed to defeat them without getting up from his seated position It was inspiring

Meanwhile both Helen and the male spear attendant continued to train It was almost infuriating to train next to that idiot because he seemed to be filled with an almost erotic fixation with training ever since he had been sent flying in that strange energy incident Sure he seemed to have developed a move but it was fucking weird that such a painful event in his past now seemed to animate him Being knocked out and cartwheeling through the air finally landing in the river did not seem fun to Helen

Although perhaps that was just the kind of sicko that the male spear attendant was He liked that everyone was too busy paying attention to the Ghosthound to even remember to fish him out of the river So the near drowning was pleasurable

Sighing and shaking her head Helen wondered how she had landed among such weird company They definitely weren’t her typical crowd

At first it was enjoyable but now Helen wanted just ONE of these male idiots to take an extra second to gaze at her face or to catch one of them dipping their eyes downward for a quick peek at her assets But they didn’t Not one of them seemed to care that she was a woman

Fucking prude ass bitches She muttered gazing out at the water But then she turned because something strange happened Divveltian stood

We must go He said seriously and she found herself nodding quickly right along with the male spear attendant and immediately rushing to get her things Because even if she was unsatisfied with the conditions she would still follow them

She had made an oath But more importantly they were strong In this world that was the ultimate draw

They snuck away leaving their boat without a single Tassle ghosting out of the city of Qtal across the decks of other ships Then they trekked across the countryside and Helen muttered furiously to herself the entire time wondering where they were going why they were going there and why fucking Divveltian set such a ridiculous pace

She realized that some of it was heard by her two companions but they simply ignored it The male spear attendant because he seemed to fear her which was the correct response in her mind and Divveltian because it seemed to amuse him which only irritated her further But there was really nothing she could do but follow

They traveled quickly going through the short road to Tomkat They encountered bandits twice but Divveltian simply had to look and was able to send most of them packing Their cross country run continued and several hours later they arrived in Tomkat

It was a smaller city than Qtal but only a little yet it was a city with a much higher average strength of person Whereas Qtal was a city filled with large families of poor and struggling Styles Tomkat was an austere mountain city filled with highly trained spear users Although there was no one at the Pontiff level Adepts were much more commonly seen in Tomkat usually passing through on their way either to or from the Central Region from the capital of the Northern Region

Rumor had it that the First Spear of Tomkat was a top level Adept very close to breaking through to the Pontiff level Even spear users at the level of Artisan would be tempted by the opportunity to train under such a figure

When they arrived after a brief stop in the markets as the other group that was overrepresented here was the merchant population Divveltian led them towards a small squat walled off area in the Eastern side of Tomkat

He then exchanged a quiet word and a coin with an old woman who smiled took the money and beckoned them into her home They were led up to the attic which allowed them to clamber out a window and onto a rather cozy and comfortable roof area And there they began to wait Divveltian assuming his typical sitting position the male spear attendant seemingly oblivious of their change of venue immediately resuming his training

Helen blinked and stared from one to the other Were they really just going to just sit here

For the first time since she had become a spear attendant she made no attempt to control it as her face twisted into a scowl She marched up to the Divveltian and said What the fuck are we doing

Waiting He answered not even opening up his eyes

Helen crossed her arms She began to tap her foot Her teeth were grinding in a very audible way as she struggled to control her temper Divveltian just sat there Minutes ticked past

Why Helen managed to say sliding the word out between her grinding teeth

To break Shal and the boy out of Tomkat’s prison Still his eyes remained closed and he raised his hand and began to move his finger like the conductor in an orchestra barely paying attention to her

But at that answer her eyebrows shot upwards

To to break them out of the prison Helen sputtered her mind reeling Even the male spear attendant seemed to know what that meant and his training slowed and then stopped They both gaped at the sitting man

He of course continued to move his finger and the air around him was filled with a strange music and the ghostly images of flowing spears Although he appeared to be doing some sort of training this was one of the moments were Helen couldn’t control her mouth And didn’t really want to

Breaking them out of prison Are you fucking defective That’s a direct challenge to the First Spear’s honor He will personally come to deal with the neanderthals that attempted such a thing He is almost a Pontiff He will fuck us to bits

The images fell away and Divveltian slowly opened his eyes Strangely when Helen looked into the old man’s eyes the image of floating spears was even more powerful there so vicious that she stumbled backward her instincts warning her of something terrible impending in her future Divveltian just chuckled and closed his eyes again

There is a large difference between a powerful Adept and a Pontiff As long as it is the former we should be able to manage it But of course if you feel fear hide Otherwise sharpen yourselves At this level you simply need to stall small fries until we get them out The actual heavy lifting will be done by them We are just the getaway team

The male spear attendant nodded seriously to Divveltian’s words and then began to work on his created move Helen sat back on her heels feeling like she should be furious about the idiocy they displayed but

A very deep animalistic part of her the part that was the source of her anger and vitriolic words was shivering with pleasure Although it was incredibly dangerous this was exactly the sort of disobedient and domineering thing that her inner part wanted But Helen had survived thus far through caution and through a careful monitoring and regulating of that part of herself

This was not a cautious move But maybe that was why the Ghosthound had an irresistible draw on her Because he was a man who stepped forward against impossible odds spitting in the face of fate He risked his life and seemed to revel in it This prison break was just another typical day for him

And she wanted that life It was something that she could not resist

So in spite of herself she began to train working on her three flowing moves that had given her so much success in the past Even now she could still feel small wisps of that strange energy clinging to her helping her improve at a pace that would have been impossible in the past It came in spurts and epiphanies and it too was a gift from the Ghosthound

Acidically whispering the ways she would kill all of them for putting her through this Helen smiled and prepared

Claptrap looked with a horrified expression out across the boat

It had been an excellent week The Crashing Wave Style was very pleased with the improved quality of the armors But of course Claptrap only had so many and he knew that the Ghosthound was leaving soon

But he had hoped to get another batch finished The profits seemed to dance before their eyes

However when Claptrap went to visit he found that the Ghosthound was gone And his old man protector And his master And his two spear attendants

But of course the boat wasn’t empty As with any boat without a Tassle it seemed Mr Izzat had annexed it opening another branch shop at this location

Chapter 162

His idea was a simple one and both Shal and Marco were intrigued by the prospect And because they really didn’t have any other choice they decided to run with it to use the descent of the Judgement as a distraction to escape

Marco seemed to want to ask a lot of questions about what a Judgement was but some very direct looks from Shal silenced him before he could even open his mouth Randidly admitted he wasn’t entirely sure how powerful it would be but it would surely be some sort of distraction

So while Shal upped the intensity of the training with Randidly Marco left heading into the Western area to see if he could find any fish who would bite at the possibility of an escape plan They didn’t have much hope but with the number of guards they needed to force their way through it would be better with more powerful individuals on their side And as some of the people in the Western area were approaching the Adept level it was well worth their time to recruit

But months dragged on and although Randidly had received many more Skill Levels increasing and spending his PP there was no change in the Heretic Path Randidly held out hope that it would tick forward when he finished the Grace I path it did not although he received an interesting move for his completion bonus for the path

Congratulations You have completed the Grace I Path Your steps are light and even and although the path is slowly falling away around you you maintain your pace You have your goals and although the trials may be difficult you will not halt Willpower +5 Stamina per level +2 You have gained the skill Body Control Freeze Lvl 1

Body Control Freeze Stop your current movement becoming completely still Time it takes to completion decreases with skill level Stamina consumption decrease with skill level Small health penalties may apply that decrease with skill level

The move sounded interesting and after he finished it he was able to experiment a little with it during fights The first time he used it even Marco was slightly taken aback and Randidly was able to actually land an attack on him He was swiftly defeated however and each subsequent use was less and less effective

But still it proved the viability of it as a move in high level fights

After that Randidly poured his PP into Fighting Proficiency II 0/100 which he unlocked by getting Fighting Proficiency up to Lvl 80 The constant battles were certainly dealing dividends in a lot of ways He slowly pushed his way into the Northeast region where there were a huge amount of spear users at his level who used very different fighting styles Some of them were even members of respected Styles of the Spearman School and Shal encouraged (basically forced) Randidly to challenge them all testing his limits

The real problem was that there didn’t seem to be any change in the Heretic Path But after thinking about it it did indeed make sense Usually the Heretic didn’t really notice his quantitative increases It was qualitative that was the issue That last time what brought down the Judgement was not the PP but the evolution of his Soul Skill and the creation of his unique skill

Randidly was also aware that he was not training his self taught skill currently and wondered whether that was a good thing He consulted with Shal who just shook his head in disgust

One thing at a time my idiot disciple You are not a genius You simply have good teachers

So Randidly let it lie for now Besides Shal was right The entire reason he had grown this strong was due to Shal Which was why he would put himself through such hell in order to help him They had been in the Prison for so long that Donnyton had faded from his mind mostly Lyra was just a pretty face he had difficulty picturing Meanwhile his life as a normal person before the system began to fade into the shadows at least partially

As his life faded away some parts of it began to stick out His relationship with his parents Sydney and Ace His loneliness and frustration

For much to Randidly’s surprise that loneliness was beginning to come back They had been in this prison for too long with a lifestyle that was too austere He had radically changed his situation but his body and soul weren’t so easily swayed During his brief breaks he reminisced fondly of those days when porn was readily available It would be nice to have some sort of relief from the constant training

But although he allowed small indulgences Randidly never swayed from his path forward Strength was always moving further away Everyone else was reaching for the same survival you were There wasn’t time to waste

So he worked towards having the Judgement descend in a controlled fashion He slowly began practicing the moves taught to him by Bert He was a little rusty at first but he swiftly regained the tempo for those exhausting moves He focused on the powerful images of roots inside of him even going so far as to create huge roots to look at and feel adding detail Slowly and surely he felt the Aether within him beginning to pulse

In order to see the changes he stopped taking the black potion for a week working tirelessly on the move It was coalescing in his chest and just as he received a notification that the self made move was 99% finished a notification popped up

Warning you have long walked upon the path of the Heretic but you are rapidly approaching a crossroads That path lies through a Judgement of greatly increased power

This gave him hope but he knew that this was just the first of two warnings If he truly wanted to be sure he needed to get to the second So Randidly threw himself back into training this time focusing on Engraving and spells especially Incinerating Bolt still in order to deal with the Judgement

Marco Polo returned during this time with positive news telling of a few individuals who would be willing if Shal would demonstrate his strength as proof it was possible Shal snorted but went along with Marco leaving Randidly alone The small spark of loneliness inside of him grew but he continued to ignore it instead throwing himself more violently into fights with nearby spear users

There was something about battle it was peaceful It helped him come to terms with his situation or at least work off some of the related aggression from being stuck in the same place for all this time During those fights Randidly started to realize that everyone else was the same They fought and fought with almost a crazed gleam in their eyes but it was because the alternative was shutting down and just losing yourself to the unending boredom

Randidly wasn’t sure if this imprisoning punishment would do much to teach spear users what they did was wrong but it would surely act as a deterrent

And it would drag out the ferocity and potential of those spear users thrown into the lion’s den that was the badlands

There was a strange moment once while Shal and Marco were gone Randidly maintained his camp along the inward circle of the badlands nearest the prison although the competition was more fierce here A group of people escaped from the prison 4 of them and hurried away with light pursuit from the guards behind them

As they ran towards his area Randidly glanced over and activated Eyes of the Spear Phantom looking to his North As he thought the individual above him Teliph a man with bandages over his eyes and an annoyingly firm defense also saw the escapees and also turned to look at Randidly They smiled at each other

Fresh meat needed to be taught the ropes

So when they arrived Teliph and Randidly moved towards the 4 walking casually towards where they were hyperventilating The 4 quickly noticed them and scrambled to their feet

Randidly doing his best Shal impression lowered his voice and growled Produce your spear and take a stance

And for effect he removed the huge obsidian spear that once belonged to the Devourer The four just goggled doing nothing Randidly hesitated unsure of what to do but Teliph stepped forward and struck with his weapon cracking the sternum of the closest one That man fell backwards moaning but the others produced their spears and leapt to their feet Randidly rushed forward using a simple stab and the leader stepped up to meet him

It was a beautiful counter that man used and had their weapons struck it definitely seemed like the counter was so powerful that it would have overwhelmed Randidly and dealt him a grievous wound But Marco had taught Randidly that was not how the game was played

So instead Randidly twisted his attack and used Ghastly Slash causing the other’s counter to miss and shearing off the man’s leg

The rest were easily dealt with and Teliph coldly explained that the weak gathered in the South the strong in the West and how the circle worked and then left Randidly left too but he couldn’t help but notice the bitter tears those men cried as half dead and sleep deprived they were forced to get up and leave

Back at the camp Randidly sat for a long time remembering everything that had happened to him since the system came And even though he had come so far there were still many individuals in the North and West more powerful than him But he couldn’t deny that flash of joy in that fight defeating an enemy who had superior Skill Levels

He liked this strength

Stoically Randidly resumed his training Because the other thing that those men reminded him of was that failure was not an option right now Losing a fight sometimes meant losing your life and that was everything

Chapter 163

It was another few weeks but Randidly finally received the notification he was waiting for although it came in a form that was a little different than expected

Warning you have long walked upon the path of the Heretic but now the cusp of the crossroads lay before you Proceed directly to the nearest Village for assistance Should you proceed Judgement shall descend in all its glory

Also available to you is the option to proceed down the path Heretic XI Doing so will transform you but still allow you to exist within the realm of the system Please see the nearest Village Spirit if you have any questions

Randidly frowned The last part was new although it was basically information that he had already intuited about the Heretic Path The only question was how this transformation worked It almost seemed like it was not a class but something else

Either way Randidly wasn’t willing to give in and find out at this point Especially because preparations on other fronts were proceeding so well for the breakout 2 men and a woman had returned with Shal a small slight man with a mustache a woman whose skin was a brilliant golden color and a scarred man In addition to them Teliph approached the group and asked to be a part of it offering to be Randidly’s Spear Attendant in exchange and Shal shrugged and left the decision up to Randidly

Picturing the brutality with which they attacked those new arrivals Randidly nodded and gained himself another spear attendant Later when he was alone with Marco Randidly asked why Shal seemed ambivalent about Teliph’s presence

Marco chuckled That one is very close to the Artisan level without the benefit of a Style behind him Taking him with us if he survives the escape and giving him access to some sort of teachings would produce a powerful ally in the future

If he’s close to the Artisan level Randidly said slowly Does that mean that I am also close to being an Artisan

Ah likely not Marco said shaking his head The tests for the different levels are very specific You are a combination of a lot of things Your many small strengths make you resourceful and resilient The Artisan test involves a single skill with requirements of a certain level of offensive or defensive power and also the ability for spectators those not involved in the fight to see the image associated with a move Your offensive power is likely approaching that level but when you can produce an image anyone can see that’s a whole order of magnitude higher

Mulling this over Randidly focused on training specifically on image training The Aether within him swirled slowly gathering but instead of allowing it to come together to form the skill he kept it apart slowly refining the images he had within him Something was slightly off about it some area he instinctively knew he could improve but Randidly couldn’t find it

Well it wouldn’t matter until that day But that day swiftly arrived and the group of them each wearing two bracers Engraved with the Shadow rune began their trek back into the prison Shal and the 3 others from the West led the way and with their speed and offensive power it was child’s play to cross the distance and break into the prison incapacitating the nearby guards

They quickly ascended the mountain and made it to the prison proper The tallest tower was the home of the portal out and was heavily guarded The portal itself was on the top on a flat open area with a view of the surroundings but each of the 10 levels that lead up to the top was teeming with guards To the North was the guard’s quarters to the Southeast the basic cells where people were tortured by battle intent and to the West was the villas for the powerful prisoners

Surrounding the portal tower were several small watch towers with three people constantly keeping an eye on the other towers and the main tower for people trying to climb up

Their plan was relatively simple Shal the woman and the scarred man would head to the guard’s quarters and challenge the warden who was rumored to be at the Adept level This was relatively common and happened occasionally and wouldn’t cause much of a stir Or at least it wouldn’t raise the alarm After all sometimes a prisoner got too big for their britches and wanted to test themselves That was why the warden was here to put down such uprisings

And he was an easy target Unlike killing the rest of the guards killing the warden was accepted by the First Spear of Tomkat although he wouldn’t be pleased and you would be forced to finish out the rest of your sentence But an influential position would be waiting for you under the First Spear when you got out

While the guards focused on this challenge to the warden the mustached man with Randidly on his back would activate the shadow bracer and attempt to climb quickly up the central tower Marco and Teliph would distract the watch towers on the side Once they ascended to the top of the tower the mustached man would kill any guards nearby and Randidly would call down the Judgement

There was a very easy way for them to lose this gamble if a single guard passed through the portal with knowledge of their attempt and made it out the First Spear of Tomkat would be warned Because of the time dilation he would only have a small warning before they arrived but that small warning was infinitely dangerous Afterall they were dealing with an Adept a vindictive one with his livelihood at stake he would not be willing to let it slide

Shal walked calmly forward followed by Tekni the woman and Sharshar the scarred man Guards parted whispering excitedly They hadn’t seen this before but they had heard about it A challenge to the warden This would be a good day Finally some entertainment

An old man with greying hair stepped out of the crowd holding a huge extremely thick spear His smile was small and sharp and he walked calmly to meet them Well well well It’s been about 30 years I think since someone has dared challenge me Good good And you come with more than one of you Excellent otherwise this would be no fun

The warden attacked as Shal had expected rushing towards Tekni The woman raised her spear and attacked back very quickly their spears blurring as they clashed time and time again To Tekni’s surprise although she prided herself on her power she was forced back with every strike Shal narrowed his eyes Truly this man was an Adept and not a freshly advanced one

Shal hated himself for this strategy but there was nothing he could do Breathing in and out he focused on his spear feeling the suppleness of the wood the elasticity and strength within it Slowly the spear began to move independently of his hands almost as if it was alive The Style he and his older brother used to dream about all those years ago The Spear with Poisonous Fangs Style

This is for you Pronto ’ Shal thought to himself then rushed forward striking viciously The spear moved unpredictably and the warden grunted as he turned and tried to deal with the strange strikes from Shal This split of attention gave Tekni some space and she began unleashing powerful blows upon the warden as well

The scarred man stayed behind eyeing the nearby guards ready to intervene if necessary But the battle continued without any changes Shal’s unpredictable attacks pushed the warden back but Tekni’s stamina was waning and as she needed to keep taking longer breaks or slightly less intense rotations in her attacks the warden would have more chances to strike both at her and Shal

Shal gritted his teeth smiling viciously The other problem was the level distance It wouldn’t surprise Shal to know that the Warden was level 70 His stamina seemed endless and his base stats were high enough to resist their combined attacks without using anything more than a basic defensive skill To be a young Adept is impressive but to be an old Adept is less so

But an old Adept would rarely lose to a young one no matter how large their potential is For the backing of stats and high stamina did more to change the space of the fight than the power of an image

Is this all The warden seemed almost disappointed and Shal snapped and began unleashing strike after strike his spear twisting and bending curving around blocks and defensive moves He used everything he could earning himself several small wounds upon the warden pushing him farther and farther back But although this was a Style Shal had thought more and more about as time went on and he had slowly refined it it was missing a very critical ingredient

He had not yet created the skill set that would serve as the backbone for the Style

Well I think we’ve played around for long enough Children it’s time for your spanking The very feel to the air changed This was the power of an Adept The warden stood still smiling but behind him the air seemed to ripple and a man wrapped in chains appeared roaring the man hefted a heavy iron spear and thrust forward even though the spear too was wrapped in chains pulled in a dozen different directions But such was that image’s strength that it could resist the force of those chains and thrust forward with the spear

The warden smiled arms behind his back For as an Artisan is judged by being able to allow spectators to see their image an Adept is an individual who can strike with their image unleashing an actual attack without even moving

Sharshar rushed forward crossing his arms in a defensive posture the heavy image of a stone outcropping appearing behind him as he blocked the warden’s attack But that image shattered to pieces and Sharshar was run through completely unable to resist the power of the warden After spitting out a mouthful of blood he collapsed coughing

Ha I appear to have broken one of my toys Ah well there are two more so Then the warden paused Clouds were swirling above the central tower where the portal was As he looked on he could feel the temperature slowly falling

A distraction He asked turning to Shal

Shal simply smiled The warden snorted It won’t matter if I kill you Your strength is insufficient

Perhaps Shal said slowly feeling a very real sadness in his heart But then he closed his eyes and shifted something inside of himself letting go of the Spear with the Poisonous Fangs Style Slowly at first but then more quickly a figure appeared behind Shal walking slowly forward The image was blurry but his skin was blue and he wore a long cloak covering his features His spear was perhaps a little shorter than average but straight and clean a very unadorned weapon

But what caught the eyes was the smile even through the shadows of the cloak’s hood That smile was all cruelty and the promise of violence As Shal slowly opened his eyes his third eye the one on his forehead slowly trembled and twitched open

I wonder then if you can handle the strength of my Father The cloaked man behind Shal laughed spinning his spear A beam of bright blue light crashed down from the clouds hitting the top of the tower where the portal was located A wave of cold spread outward frost creeping slowly down the top of the tower The warden’s expression turned grim

Chapter 164

Randidly stood in the shadows at the edge of the villa area with the mustached man He had asked his name earlier but the man had been completely silent In fact now that Randidly thought about it he didn’t think he had ever heard the man speak So they stood silently waiting

Then the man nodded Marco and Teliph made their move and the gazes from the people on the watch towers turned away from them They both activated the shadow engraving burning its energy but giving them the benefit of a shroud of shadow which would make it very difficult for people to spot them especially while they were distracted by other things

However they would need to move quickly because as soon as someone realized there was a challenge to the warden and a distraction at the watchtowers at the same time they would likely shift to a more defensive and on edge focus So while they were distracted in that small window of time they rushed up to the main tower

Although the mustached man was smaller than Randidly Randidly put his feet into these strange stirrups they had fashioned from leather and gripped the man’s shoulders They began to rapidly ascend with Randidly slightly numb as the man managed to keep a grip in the very small ledges between blocks of that strange almost impossible to destroy material It was not even something that could be done with stats there was definitely some sort of grip skill involved here

Although he wanted to peer around at the watchtowers Randidly stayed as still as possible just holding onto the man’s back They ascended quickly rushing up towards the top of the tower The man’s movements were swift and sure They passed the 2nd floor the 3rd the 4th Randidly inwardly breathed out one worry that he had they would certainly make it to the top before the shadow engraving ran out of energy

And it even as they passed the 6th and then the 7th floors there was no cry of alarm No one appeared to notice them as they scaled up the side of the tower As they approached their goal Randidly turned his attention inward focusing on the Aether that swirled within him Those powerful moves that lowered center of gravity that image of verdant golden roots glowing with life the powerful roots that supported the World Tree Yggdrasil

But there was something missing Something vitally important He could create a skill and it would be powerful but it wouldn’t be quite what he wanted right now His heart and Aether began to thump growing in strength and he felt a few drops of sweat trickle down the back of his neck He didn’t have time for perfection right now but at the same time

Inwardly his stubbornness rose forcefully to combat that He DID have time for perfection That was what he was striving for Not enough strength but to be truly strong Anything else would be an endless disappointment He wanted to dismiss this feeling out of hand but

There was something about this moment that the dissonance in his move was extra apparent climbing the tower It felt off somehow like he was missing something But what was it

They rushed up past the 9th floor with still no problems No outward problems anyway The watch towers were silent their gazes elsewhere

Those life giving roots those powerful support beams What was he missing

They leapt over the 10th floor entirely landing on the top level where the portal sat A squad sat off to the side chatting while two women stood right next to the portal looking bored Several other guards milled around going about their daily duties peering over at the disturbances It appeared that no one had made the connection that they were coming

And the shadow engraving was still in effect so the few people who spotted their arrival seemed to squint and frown as if they couldn’t decide what they were seeing The mustached man took advantage of this and threw two spears like javelins the first woman near the portal being hit in the gut and knocked backward the second actually beheaded by the well thrown spear Then the mustached man rushed forward heading to block off the portal

Randidly threw up Walls of Thorns everywhere to confuse and block the sight of the guards making a rather sudden maze then focused inward a small smile on his face Because as soon as they landed on the roof and Randidly had gotten off the man’s back and stood on the ground he had realized it what he was missing The critical part of the image

He wiggled his bare toes against the stone savoring the contact Aether began to roar in his chest as it began to swirl A huge wave surged up from within him rising to create this new skill With his eyes closed he could see it from his feet through the tower stretching downward those golden roots continued growing thinner and thinner branching and spreading soon covering the entire area The ground around him was filled with those roots with which he was connected He was just one part of the network

Then the strength began to flow upward from the very core of the world up the golden roots flowing into his body

Because the roots did not simply begin with him The World Tree Yggdrasil might hold up the sky but it sat on the earth and drew its power from the core of the planet It was a piece of something much much larger than itself And that was why it was strong

Randidly smiled and clicked yes More notifications popped up But the one at the top was what he was waiting for The guards were now hacking through the Walls of Thorns and the mustached man continued to fight attacking them while they were distracted trying to keep them away from the portal He was strong but so were they and they had numbers More guards rushed up from below

But the distraction was coming

Warning you have tread too long on the Path of the Heretic Although you endured through the previous Judgement no longer will it be so simple Heretic X is now open to you For this you must face Judgement Due to your affiliation with the Patron of Ash the Judgement of the Patron of Frostbite descends Know that even if you endure through the Judgement more will follow Proceed directly to the nearest Village and speak with the Spirit to repent

Due to this being your second infraction the Judgement’s power shall be greatly increased closer to its power on its home world The minions of Judgement will spawn endlessly When you die a high level dungeon will be created from your corpse Rejoice

Randidly frowned and spit on the ground When he died huh The clouds above started to darken and swirl and there was an immediate drop in temperature Fucking Patron of Frostbite

But Randidly’s eyes went on to the other notifications

Congratulations Your own personal skill has been created You have created the skill The Golden Roots of Yggdrasil Lvl 1 Due to proceeding to a different Cohort than your home planet to create the skill all bonuses associated with the record of creating an Ancient skill are lost

The Golden Roots of Yggdrasil Lvl 1 Your legs are the roots that connect you to the fires of the world Passive Effects Knockback and stun resistance greatly increased per skill level Mana Regeneration increased while touching the ground Effect increases with skill level The effectiveness of each point of Vitality towards Health Regeneration increases while touching the ground Effect increases with skill level Active Effects Costs 50 Stamina per second The passive effects are doubled Offensive and defensive physical skills are slightly more powerful Effect increases with skill level

Randidly breathed in and out feeling it Even now without the skill active he could feel small golden tendrils running up from the ground through the building and to his bare feet filling him with life and energy Increased Health Regeneration and Mana Regeneration huh And it seemed like the health regeneration bonus was based per point of Vitality so it was a much more powerful thing and would improve with the skill level and with increases in Vitality

But increased Mana Regeneration all the time would also be extremely useful especially for training Especially combined with Meditation

Randidly’s thoughts were cut short as a guard ripped through a nearby Wall of Thorns cursing The man didn’t appear to see him likely due to the continued influence of the shadow engraving and Randidly also had something he wanted to test out Randidly lowered his stance switching the skill to its active component Immediately those thin golden tendrils of energy thickened and swelled rushing up towards him through his feet

At the same time his legs began to trembled from the exertion of staying in such a posture Raising his spear Randidly used the Inevitable Phantom Arrives Hopelessness filled the air a layer of bitter frustration Clocks began to tick and the guard looked up finally noticing his face twisted in confusion But then he saw Randidly’s mother half of her face ripped and rotted away smiling sweetly and his eyes became filled with horror

She drifted forward and Randidly’s large obsidian spear ripped forward filled with the inevitable power of time Gritting his teeth the man shifted raising his spear in a defensive posture but Randidly felt those golden rivers of power rushing up through his feet move to his spear point concentrating there Their weapons crossed and there was a sudden gasp as Randidly’s thrust shattered the man’s spear

He watched shocked as the attack penetrated his chest ripping through his heart Immediately his eyes dimmed and the man slumped downward

Chest heaving Randidly shakily stood taking off the active effects of the skill Based on the speed of the response Randidly guessed that the guard was actually quite similar in skill to himself Not an Artisan yet but with high stats and skill levels But with Randidly’s skills with one attack

Randidly had realized before how important skills were But finally after all this time he made the logical connection with how everyone else struggled to make skills and this Aether within him freezing cold and scalding hot and singing with a strange ethereal energy made it simpler for him to create his own skills If he could continue to create powerful skills with it

But then a beam of pure frigid energy crashed down hitting the top of the tower and destroying most of his Wall of Thorns and Randidly was forced to focus on more immediate matters

Chapter 165

Randidly grimaced He fucking hated the cold And this was not the invigorating cold of Aether this was a restrictive controlling cold that tried to devour him frost beginning to form in restrictive waves on his body

As it did so it became harder to move but then a skill deep within him pulsed coming alive refusing to be tied down by the ice The effect eased somewhat enough for Randidly to move and remove some potions and drink them It was the Rejection skill that he had obtained with Oathbreaker Path It was interesting that it could be used in this way but Randidly didn’t have much time to be thankful because another blast of cold surged outward even more powerful than the first descent The cool mist billowed outward pressing him towards the edge of the tower and Randidly dropped down onto his stomach to keep his purchase on the durable but not very friction causing material

A strange low horn sounded and Randidly rolled his eyes and stood pulling the giant obsidian spear out of his ring and several mana potions After a brief grimace in the face of the swirling wind he put two of those back and removed a few stamina potions After all he still had a few hundred of both mana and stamina in his storage rings Now that he had been here for two years his store of materials was running low

Better to save potions where he could Although he wouldn’t hesitate to burn them if it was necessary to escape it was hard to tell if that would be possible yet Better to save his cards for a more important moment

The bitingly cold wind was still carried an edge of frost and there was a definite effect on his movement but Randidly was still able to lower himself into a stance the passive version of the Golden Roots of Yggdrasil engaging to boost his mana and health regeneration Out of the swirling mist several tiny yetis hopped forward their furry bodies covered in a thick layer of crystal clear ice armor

Snorting Randidly used Ghastly Slash to rip through the armor and their bodies beneath it but not before one of them was able to shriek Immediately clicks and whistles filled the dense air and Randidly began to glide to the right Until he saw what he was up against

But very quickly he encountered another larger group of little yetis waving axes and greatswords of ice Randidly quickly cut down those enemies too but not before cursing coming to this world Not for any grand reason but just that he had become incredibly used to fighting against enemies who used spears

He had lost a bit of his edge against monsters from constantly fighting against people these past two years It was an annoying reminder about the limits of training with Shal At the same time

Randidly’s feet blurred as he pushed Spear Phantom’s Footwork to its limit almost seeming to teleport a meter to the left and right as he continued to rush through the mist The clicking gathered behind him and he felt confident that he escaped the encircling yetis His speed wasn’t something they were prepared for

Shal was very good at one area and Randidly had progressed tremendously under him in that area For now that was more than enough even though the time sink was quite something Without the light of the real world Randidly was secretly very worried that his sense of humor had died Withered and wizened it now was a corpse of its past self

Randidly stepped on something and froze his move instantly doused in frozen water The mustached man was beneath him covered in a slowly growing layer of snow the right side of his body crushed by what must have been a giant hammer His face was already blue and not the blue of Shal’s dyed skin but the blue of frostbite

A chill that had little to do with the descent of the Judgement ripped through him

Although they could simulate it as well as possible Shal and Marco could not give him this strange feeling The fluttering heartbeat the quickened breath The strange thrill that you could only experience if your life is on the line Dancing on a knife’s edge over the precipice of failure

Foolish warrior you have allowed me to return A low familiar voice rumbled and Randidly looked up to find the Yeti’s huge hulking form above him looming out of the snow covered wind This time he was already covered in his ice armor holding two hammers of ice For now I will end your sacrilege Your sins will bind you to the ground like chains

As the Yeti raised its hammers Randidly hopped backwards skidding slightly over the icy ground He winced not this shit again He briefly considered using Circle of Flame to melt the nearby ice but based upon the continual dropping of the temperature that wouldn’t be much help Randidly couldn’t imagine it would continue forever but

Even this much was enough to significantly impact his movements in a fight

Surging forward the Yeti swung with his right hammer which glowed with a strange golden swirl of energy that Randidly vaguely recognized it was an Engraving Randidly didn’t want to find out what sort of effect it had but his extremities were already numb and his rapid mental calculations made him feel like there was a small chance to dodge but a much better chance to block the power of the block Even if the Yeti’s power had doubled or tripled since their last meeting

Yet Randidly still hesitated until it was basically too late to dodge and then raised the spear to block with a frown There was something he didn’t like about that Engraving But finding out sooner was better than waiting until he had to experience it a time that might cost him his life so

The weapon of ice met the weapon of obsidian and both screamed their displeasure as the materials clashed Luckily this didn’t last very long as Randidly was thrown backwards smashed away by the weight and force

Such was the power of the blow that the wind was knocked out of Randidly and he struggled to find his breath as he slid over the iced ground of the tower towards well what he thought was the edge The wind was still so thick with snow it was hard to be sure Luckily Randidly crashed into a group of mini yetis who were knocked aside like bowling pins

Randidly stood and rubbed his head The power had definitely gone up probably by a factor of 5x But there didn’t really seem to be any strange effects from the golden Engraving unless power was the effect

Rolling to the side Randidly lost his train of thought as the Yeti appeared behind him and smashed downward with a ice hammer After gaining his feet once more Randidly watched as the Yeti faded back into the blurry snow

This is my realm Here you cannot win And I will slowly strip from you your stolen gifts

Randidly twisted and slashed with his spear using Haste Empower Mana Strengthening and the Active of the Golden Roots of Yggdrasil Still the clash sent Randidly stumbling which was profoundly annoying Randidly much preferred when he possessed the superior strength in the fight

But that wasn’t how he had spent the last two years training

As the Yeti came to follow up with another attack with his other hammer Randidly used Spear Phantom’s Footwork and moved a meter to the left his spear Sweeping towards the Yeti’s leg It was annoying but the strange creature had more than enough time to see it based upon Randidly’s slow movements The cold and ice were very restrictive

Suddenly he regretted spending so much time on the Carnage path that netted him so little He probably would have put some PP into the Initiate of Ash Path Maybe there was an ability there that would help resist all this fucking frostbite

As it was the Yeti dropped both his hammers which crashed to the ground and knocked the Sweep upwards with one hand while striking Randidly’s chest with the other Again as he struck the Yeti’s hands glowed with that golden engraving So it wasn’t a thing on his weapon but a larger engraving on his person

Again the attack was strong and Randidly stumbled backwards his bones definitely fractured but he had experienced much worse in his time with Shal in even the lightest spars But the Yeti seemed very pleased

Perhaps you finally see it Each of my strikes severs one life you devoured to become a Heretic Do you feel your hope slipping away I will grind

Randidly lashed outward almost fully recovered through the Yeti’s strange monologue his balance regained Unfortunately although it penetrated deeply through the ice armor and scratched the Yeti the wound was a shallow one and this action seemed to incense it further

The Yeti bellowed and charged towards him unleashing a flurry of blows

Randidly’s eyes narrowed He had grown up a lot since his last fight with the Judgement He also didn’t really expect to be able to compete with it in strength but some stubborn part of him wanted to try However now that that bit of stupidity was out of the way and the Yeti was talking about a weird effect of its attacks Randidly didn’t plan on taking many more

He was trained to be a successor to the Spear Phantom So it was time that he began acting like one His steps quickened and more and more he shifted slightly to the side effortlessly leaning out of the way of attacks Ghastly Slash was his quickest attack and he used that time and time again to harass and wear down the ice armor

But this didn’t even seem to matter to the Yeti After all all of the wounds were only small surface cuts and his ice armor reformed very quickly in this swirling snow storm They were at a strange impasse albeit one where Randidly was slowly being pushed back

And that slowly was becoming increasingly quick as the coldness seeped into his bones His fingers were tired and numb and the Yeti’s implacable gaze remained locked on him

Chapter 166

That was the real change Randidly slowly realized as their fight continued The Yeti’s strength had increased by a factor of 5 but that could be explained by having access to a greater portion of his actual stats and skill levels After all the attacks were faster but its speed hadn’t increased as much as Randidly’s had Randidly was able to maintain his defensive posture to his training but it was slowly being chipped away even as the Aether pulsed in his chest

Because Randidly realized the Yeti was like him or perhaps not like him but an individual who practiced both physical and mana based skills And mana based skills were its forte

He hadn’t realized it until it was too late but whenever the Yeti swung its hammer a wave of cold was rushed forward And sure getting hit with it once or twice didn’t mean much But by the 20th time

They clashed again the Yeti smashing sideways with his hammer Randidly leaned back grimacing and the edge of the hammer knocked against his chest with its passage doing minimal physical damage but greatly strengthening the thin layer of frost across his body

Randidly growled and felt the Aether heat up within him He narrowed his eyes and pounded on his chest shattering the small bits of frost and getting some blood pumping through his body Shifting his stance Randidly wondered how his feet managed to survive this being bare He supposed it had to do with his high vitality but he definitely had no feeling in them right now But still the executed the Spear Phantom’s Footwork perfectly somehow pushing through

Then it struck him that it was perhaps those warm life giving tendrils of energy that wound up through the ground and into his feet spreading the energy he had drawn from the Earth beneath him into his limbs

But the Yeti interrupted his train of thought again as it pointed with its hammer of ice and a beautiful crystal clear flower bulb formed both to his left and right Grimacing Randidly leapt forward right into the Yeti’s arms as those bulbs bloomed and a deadly wave of cold blasted outwards from them freezing the ground solid for several meters

It really did seem like the Yeti was toying with him because it didn’t rely on those tricks too often only now and again to drive Randidly closer to it for a close quarters fight where it could use those weapons and its hands covered in a golden Engraving The surety and focus it had on those methods of attack was unnerving

Randidly still hadn’t figured out the effect but the Yeti kept emphasizing it so he remained wary When Randidly was forced to leap towards him the Yeti thrust his attack forward simply smashing the head of the hammer towards Randidly’s shoulder

Gritting his teeth Randidly galvanized the Aether in his body as best he could to resist the creeping cold that surrounded him Randidly hopped to the right He dodged the first attack but then the Yeti ripped horizontally with the hammer looking to knock Randidly’s head right off his body This was also dodged relatively simply but then the Yeti once more dropped his hammers and rushed forward arms raised in something like a boxing stance

Just as he was about to back up he noticed that more ice bulbs formed behind him slowly spreading their frozen petals and blooming creating an instantaneous cold snap that Randidly had no interest in being a part of So instead Randidly rushed forward lashing out with a Roundhouse Kick

The Yeti took it to the chest and was hardly phased Instead it just stepped up and started to throw hooks and straights smashing blows against his shoulders and stomach Randidly used the spear as best he could to block the attacks but the Yeti was so large and the spear was so unwieldy up close that he realized it was useless instead Randidly put the spear away and began to dodge and weave through the blows

With its hands continuing to glow with that strange golden Engraving the Yeti struck again and again earning himself many glancing blows and an increasing number of serious ones that sent Randidly staggering seeing stars But as they continued to fight as the cold began to wear on him and Randidly was growing increasingly worried about his ability to hold on the Yeti began to frown

You how many lives have you taken in order to walk this far down this path

What was more surprising than the statement was the fact that Randidly’s own heart dropped and he smiled bitterly as he heard those words He had not forgotten the innocent lives he had taken He had not turned a blind eye to the fact he chose a path that made him willing to kill for strength Even in the Badlands he had broken and shattered the lives of other Spear Users in order to discover his own strength

In a way Randidly was able to justify it in the moment because he knew they would do the same to him to grow stronger and they bore him no ill will for being stronger than them But when the facts of what he had done were presented to him

Some of his sensitivities from pre system Earth had grown numb in this place but not all of them

But then the Yeti continued to speak and Randidly realized that there was some misunderstanding going on here

these strikes should seal the Aether devoured from others Why is it you haven’t gone through withdrawal

Both of the fighters paused looking deeply into each other’s eyes for an answer Randidly’s mind raced Aether devoured from others Was that possible

Well from the way the Yeti was talking and its confusion now it definitely was Which would explain more broadly why the Heretic Path existed Randidly was not the typical recipient of it he just found himself here because

Because he had his own Aether spring that wasn’t the system approved source of Aether But why

It seemed however that the Yeti was tired of Randidly’s lack of answer and was determined to beat the answer out of him if he had to Which was becoming increasingly likely as the chill worked its way deeper into Randidly’s body even as his mana was directed elsewhere As the Yeti began to stalk forward and bulbs of ice formed behind Randidly so close that at least one of them would blast him with its cold snap slowing his movements even further Randidly considered throwing away his Plan A

But then a voice alleviated his worries

Yet again foolish disciple I find you without a spear

Randidly suppressed his grin and said seriously I was just biding my time Waiting for you to finish

Shal snorted Randidly glanced at him Although Shal appeared to be covered in blood none of it seemed to be his there were no wounds on his body Behind him the woman Marco and Teliph stood Randidly didn’t need to ask what happened to the other man

From the look in Shal’s eyes Randidly also didn’t need to explain the mustached man’s absence this level of casualties was expected Hmph you have become dull from overtraining against weaklings Since you were simply biding your time you likely need no assistance to

Obviously Randidly said with relish finally activating the roots he had been so carefully controlling The whole tower shook and then chunks of it fell away as the roots Randidly had been working within the stone work wiggled back and forth destroying the material that held the impenetrable material together

The Yeti yelped as it fell down the ground beneath it collapsing Then it began to howl and roar Not all of the tower collapsed just large chunks of it but the overall structure and shape stayed the same After all Randidly was worried about whether the portal would be maintained if he destroyed the tower Plus the core of the tower was made entirely of that material and Randidly didn’t even know if he could destroy it But he had certainly brainstormed this method to rid the upper floor of any obstacles

Some parts of the floor seemed to be like a half built tower where chunks of the material fell away after Randidly used his roots to destroy the mortar that held it together The rest was relatively untouched although Randidly destroyed most of the lower floors causing the confused guards who were still on them fighting against the mini yetis to crash into a heap at the bottom

Randidly did his best not to think about how many of those men and women died during the fall although it was becoming increasingly difficult to avoid feeling weighed down by their lives

Unwilling to respond to Randidly’s small bragging as the Judgement was sent falling to the bottom of the tower Shal simply walked forward with a snort The others followed although Teliph gave Randidly a strange glance Sighing Randidly followed He felt suddenly very tired and it wasn’t just the cold although that still persisted annoyingly

They walked towards the center of the tower and swiftly found a few mini yetis and the portal But as they were approaching the flickering thing the roaring from below grew louder Shal gave Randidly a withering glance

Buy us some more time If it follows us directly out it might complicate things Shal whispered shortly as he led the rest of the group towards the portal Almost unwilling Randidly went back to the edge of an area where some of the masonry had fallen away to get a better view of the carnage below It wasn’t that he didn’t believe getting rid of the Judgement was a good idea but

But when looked down through the hole in the upper layer seeing how he had basically destroyed most of the floors he could only think of the guards that he had killed Randidly’s face tightened Fucking he knew He knew this was necessary He wanted the power that he could only get by walking this path So why was it so difficult to accept

The Yeti howled upward finally done playing finally displaying the full majesty of a Judgement Bulbs of ice formed and bloomed all around it Huge draconic wings of ice stretched from its back It bared its teeth at him as it raced upwards

Fury filled Randidly’s chest an urge to kill but there was another part of himself a part that had been asleep quite a bit for the past two years but it was beginning to grow increasingly active that just sighed he was only angry because he was upset

Shut the fuck up Randidly whispered his eyes narrowed He raised his hand and shot several Incinerating Bolts downward His training in that regard had paid dividends because they managed to make it through the wave of cold surrounding the Yeti and punch holes in its dragon wings Its flight path faltered but then the creature bellowed and the temperature seemed to immediately drop as if in response to its call

Randidly threw down 7 more incinerating bolts ripping hole after hole through its wings but with the boost of the cold the ice reformed and although Randidly’s attack had stopped it briefly it now began to beat its wings and ascend upwards It was only 2 floors away and it reached out its hand 5 ice bulbs shooting upwards

I said Shut The Fuck Up Randidly’s voice was cold and his eyes burned emerald He felt the power of Inspire fill him and he used it to unleash a huge Incinerating Bolt that ripped downwards towards the Yeti

Chapter 167

Whereas there had previously been a powerful force pushing the temperature downwards now this huge bolt a car size block really of burning incandescent metal ripped downwards railing against the cold and holding it back Such was the proximity to the Yeti that its eyes could only widen and a few dozen bulbs rushed forward to block

But the bolt punched through and even as it was cooling it still remained a very large very dense chunk of metal

It was so large that it pretty much was the same size across as the Yeti’s body and smashed it into the wall of the tower which trembled Then both the bolt and the Yeti began to fall

Unfortunately from the way the Yeti was blinking it was not dead but Randidly couldn’t really care As he felt his mana wither and still inside of him cut off by the after effects of using Inspire he only felt profoundly tired It was time to go home He turned back towards Shal who was standing next to the portal and felt a pang in his chest

To Randidly home was Donnyton But it was not yet time to return there There was more to do here on this world for Shal

Teliph shook his head What was that strange thing

A diversion Shal said coolly He waited until Randidly walked over and then beckoned to them all Grab each other’s hands It is the only way for us all to cross at once Do not be shy Come it is time to break out of here

As the alarm began to sound Helen looked sharply up Holy fucking shit They actually are doing it

Do not speak so quickly Perhaps it is just another training exercise Divveltian said wryly but he was standing too from the first time since they had come here a few days ago his expression a mixture of wonder and worry

The male spear attendant walked out of their small bedding area yawning scratching his ass Helen restrained the part of her that wanted to rip him to pieces and settled on a scathing glare That seemed to get the message across because the fool jumped up and then ran back into his sleeping quarters quickly putting on his armor

An explosion sounded from the prison portal area and there were shouts in addition to the ringing alarm Divveltian’s face fell

They seem a bit more spirited than I would have expected We must go He ran and leapt off the roof on which they were staying Helen waved her hand and gathered all of their things into her interspatial ring revealing a partially dressed male spear attendant and then leapt after him A split second later the other spear attendant followed mostly out of necessity Helen suspected

The coward didn’t want to be left behind

They raced along the ground towards the high walls Luckily most of the guards were distracted by what was happening within the fortification and didn’t notice their approach and ascent They quickly knocked the nearby guards out careful to inflict no lasting harm It wouldn’t do to earn the ire of the First Spear of Tomkat

Well at least anymore than they already would by doing this Helen thought with a gleeful little smile on her face Then they waited as the commotion slowly made its way towards their position by the gate Only a minute later Shal ripped around the corner followed by the Ghosthound and 2 men and a woman They all had grim faces and the Ghosthound’s spear was covered in blood

As soon as they appeared Divveltian gestured wildly and Helen and the male spear attendant began to heave on the wheels of the gate slowly opening it After a few moments of exertion they stopped because all they needed were those few inches The escapees ran forward their speed filling Helen with a sense of awe She couldn’t help but notice how the Ghosthound had somehow seemed to become more dense That was the only word that she could think of to describe it He seemed not more compact but more self contained and controlled

But there was a strange volatile energy to his movements she didn’t remember And to be honest it made her eyes linger and something primal in the back of her mind have a very certain kind of hunger

Still now wasn’t the time and she tore her eyes away from the lines of his lean muscle to scan the sky Which was convenient for she saw a middle aged man appear looking down at them all as if he were regarding ants

Impudent The word echoed out and it seemed as if the sky had suddenly filled with thousands of glistening spears pointing down towards them hanging over them like a death sentence But as soon as that image appeared there was a snort and that image was battered by the image of the apparition of death standing over them all cloaked and stooped Then that figure turned and gazed at the middle aged man its bony face locked into a crazed grin

Shal sailed upwards shooting to meet the middle aged man while the rest continued to rush towards the gate

The middle aged man chuckled Heh your image is as formidable as promised Shal of the Spear Phantom Style But as you are not yet an Adept

A strand of music filled the air strangely beautiful and melancholy like a lost child Beside her Divveltian flexed his fingers The middle aged man was smashed to the side with a grunt knocking him out of the sky and towards the ground

Although the blow was unexpected he managed to regain his footing so he landed softly on the ground rather than crashing into it He gazed at Divveltian with a complicated expression You That is not a style that belongs to the Spearman School Sir Adept who grkk

Once more the middle aged man was interrupted as a spear pierced through his body He looked on aghast at the apparition of death that stood mockingly before him grinning Shal floated downward his arms crossed

The middle aged man’s face tightened If you were an Adept this whole time why would you allow yourself to be imprisoned

I had my reasons Shal said coolly Behind him the Ghosthound and the other escapees passed through the gate and continued running Divveltian gave Helen a meaningful glance and she grabbed the male spear attendant and leaped after them

Shal regarded the man in front of him carefully He was still the First Spear of Tomkat a very experienced Adept If he truly wanted to turn this into a fight

But from the tightly controlled fury in the man’s eyes he was still willing to back down from all of this Inwardly Shal felt some of his own fury begin to disperse

We will leave now Do not follow us Shal said calmly and the fury in that man’s eyes sparked

But who will pay the debt that is owed for the lives of my men The First Spear said spitting out the words Two adepts are powerful in tandem but if you think I cannot

In 6 months if I yet live I will return Shal said calmly At that time you may hold my life in your hands a week for every guard that has died

The First Spear seemed to wilt closing his eyes True this was a proud man but this was also a man that had a deep abiding loyalty for those beneath him Tomkat was a proud town a polished strong town Shal and his student had done much to unravel that strength It would be difficult to recover from

Still the temptation of having another Adept beneath him was too much The First Spear nodded Which was for the best For as Shal turned and began to lope away the dizziness started his vision swimming He gritted his teeth and made it through the gate He had heard the rumors sure but it was quite another thing entirely to feel the effects of Aether Starvation It made Shal wonder whether he would be recovered in time to exact revenge if he ever had the chance to do so

Divveltian fell in beside him giving him a knowing glance Shal grinned as best he could You finally have seen the path Congratulations on becoming an Adept If I had known I wouldn’t have barged onto your boat

I wasn’t Divveltian said calmly Not until that student of yours produced that strange energy It helped me see my image more clearly than anything I have ever encountered

Shal fell into brooding silence for the rest of their run even as they passed the others and gathered into a larger group They continued running for several hours until they were at a small clearing halfway between Tomkat and Qtal They likely would not be disturbed here

So shoulders heaving Shal walked up to Randidly Why did you kill the guard

His disciple’s face tightened and he just shrugged helplessly Shal chopped down with his hand faster than his disciple could react to shattering the fool’s collarbone To his credit Randidly didn’t make a sound and barely trembled from the blow simply enduring it passively Which somehow made the punishment unsatisfying

The rest of the group stood around looking at the ground The new spear attendant and the female one seemed to be having a gaze standoff as they attempted to determine their relative status underneath Randidly As Shal struggled to control his anger he tried to clarify his issue

As we exited the prison There was a guard You killed him Shal kept his voice low and even

In his disciple’s eyes he saw the whole story the flash of bitterness then the anger then the smooth resignation When his disciple answered his voice was low and casual in a way that made Shal sick Yes If he didn’t raise the alarm It would be easier to escape It was necessary

It was necessary Shal said slowly savoring every syllable In that moment he didn’t see his disciple He saw an image far in the past years after Shal and his brother had giggled and whispered about the Spear with the Poisonous Fangs Style his brother his spear wet with blood standing defiantly over that young girl’s body Lucrecia standing next to him

It was necessary

You don’t understand the value of a life Shal said coldly advancing towards his disciple fury pumping through his veins like blood

Chapter 168

Randidly burned with shame He didn’t understand the value of a life Wasn’t this all because Shal had made him swear to stick with him through this process Wasn’t all of this the repayment of his debt

So when Shal came violence in his eyes Randidly responded in kind wordlessly rushing forward and activating Empower and Haste His shoulder was already mostly healed the pain nothing particular to speak of If Shal wanted to fight

But the Shal Randidly was facing now was very different from the Shal that usually sparred with them Although Shal was usually impossible to pin down the current Shal seemed to phase out of existence before Randidly’s very eyes This

This was Spear Phantom’s Footwork At a level that neared 200

Randidly felt his arm snap in half and the sharp flash of pain that followed and grunted But he did not stop because that was not how he had been taught He lashed out with his leg hoping to catch Shal in the back of the knee but Shal was already gone His other arm now fell limp this time with the shoulder joint absolutely smashed to pieces Shal began to speak his disdain clear

Perhaps I have driven you too hard I forget how soft you started Two years of violence Shal seemed to pause there as he once more disappeared and smashed Randidly’s knees and ankles Two years of violence have taught you that killing is necessary but not why You are blind You fear the killing as you should yet you resent your fear and you kill more to show yourself that you do not fear You wound yourself pointlessly pridefully Well let me show you What you truly need to fear

Shal continued to systematically destroy Randidly’s body and Randidly grunted tears forming in his eyes This was all because of you Randidly wanted to say but his jaw was broken and his tongue was ripped That old slowly waking part of him shook his head sadly

No it’s not ’ Randidly said to himself You chose this Accept it or go mad ’

Randidly collapsed unconscious

Helen stood calmly over the body of the man she had watched tortured and eviscerated before her very eyes Again she thought it remarkable both how peaceful he seemed while asleep and the crazed violence that had been in his and his master’s eyes earlier that day There was some deeper lesson going on between them but honestly Helen didn’t really give a fuck

After all it wasn’t like she was some fucking angel Some lessons were hard to learn Some lessons had to be taught the hard way It was a violent world she had grown up in but it was all she knew Strength was power

And power was everything

The Ghosthound stirred his eyelids flickering His black hair had grown long in his time in the prison hanging to his shoulders and he now had a bristly beard like a jobless merchant Helen’s lip curled up in distaste That would need to go if she was do to what she thought was necessary Both for herself and for him

So when he awoke Helen held up a razor and a bowl of cream and cocked her head at him in askance For several seconds she was held there by his emerald eyes where a whirlwind of emotion seemed to seeth Then it slowly settled Then his eyes roamed over her lingering quite long on her neck and chest She held still now actively trying to suppress the shiver

It was strange how much similar gazes from men had disgusted her in the past And now she felt a hot sliver of enjoyment from the attention Her mother had always said she would understand the use of her looks someday and well

Perhaps today was that day

FInally the Ghosthound nodded and Helen moved closed trying her best to not wrinkle her nose at the absofuckinglutely disgusting smell Holy christ had he bathed at all in his time in prison

Helen supposed that was a dumb question She honestly didn’t even know the last time she had bathed They had been waiting for these fuckers to break out of the prison after all But there was a clear disparity between them in terms of smell and it was a problem

One disgusting step at a time

A downside of increased Endurance was how resilient the hair became The Ghosthound was no exception She carved more than she cut slowly cleaning his neck and face After 10 minutes she had mostly completely the process and she leaned back satisfied with her work But again she was caught by his gaze

With his dark hair pale skin and almost glowing eyes the Ghosthound regarded her The look in his eyes turning decidedly hungry Her heartbeat sped up but she let nothing show on her face She slowly cleaned the blades she had used taking her sweet time Stroke by stroke she wiped the last razor clean

The whole tent seemed to be pulsing now filled with a strange need Helen couldn’t believe how much it was carrying her away She tried to think of how covered in blood and sweat the man was but all she really ended up doing is looking up and once more finding herself pinned down by that gaze It was a light green now like mint and chemical fire

Helen took a calming breath and then said Take off your clothes

She delighted in the way his eyes once more filled with wild emotion need panic fear hunger confusion but then it all passed and there was a slow and sure confidence that filled his gaze He smiled almost lazily What

Waving her hand Helen produced the washtub she carried around with her everywhere It was just big enough for a grown man to submerge himself in and then she began pouring hot water into it to fill it up

Helen’s parents hadn’t been rich but they hadn’t been poor Style less folk either She had some ways to procure steaming hot water at the drop of a hat You Helen said simply Are taking a bath

Randidly wasn’t sure what he was feeling But he knew that the bath felt very very good right now Shal’s words earlier in a way they were echoing so loudly around in his head that he couldn’t even hear them Randidly’s consciousness slipped under them focusing on other things

Like how soft and warm his spear attendant’s body looked in the dimb light of the tent How good the hot water felt as he scrubbed himself clean He couldn’t remember the last time he had taken a bath Even though it was becoming increasingly popular in Donnyton towards the end he was too busy training with Mrs Hamilton

Then he smiled and shook his head From their perspective very little time had passed It had probably only been almost a month since he had left Donnyton their time It felt so surreal The way that time could change perspective It was incredible

Releasing a long breath Randidly allowed himself to float underwater Then he emerged stepping out of the comfortable water of the tub to the chill of the air His spear attendant stepped forward offering him a towel

Her service was strange and the fact that he was just naked in front of her was strange for a variety of reasons The most important of which was it had been two years since he had seen her He didn’t remember her name at all And yet she so easily came forward to help him

Randidly didn’t think he remembered her being this helpful but he supposed he didn’t really have an experience like this before either

At least if she was going to look at him naked it was now It was a small vain thought but the system had done wonders to improve his muscle mass and definition He didn’t look crazy strong like he actually was due to the increased stats but every inch of him was covered in tight muscle

The spear attendant stepped forward a strange look on her face

What Randidly asked wondering what she wanted to do for him now

She frowned at him It’s my turn Move

Randidly laughed out loud and moved off to the side Shaking his head he sat down and pulled out a leather bracer He was thinking too much obviously but it was an amusing distraction But now better to concentrate on something

A strange soft noise caught his attention Almost by instinct Randidly turned around The spear attendant had taken off her robe and let it slide down Every curve of hers hung there for his eyes She very deliberately met his eyes and then smiled at him Then she turned away and walked slowly to the tub and hopped into it her hair floating in the air behind her

Randidly’s physical reaction was immediate He spent several minutes just looking down at his bracer trying to calm his breathing He obviously wasn’t a virgin but this

In his mind because he didn’t know her name and had somewhat of an employer/employee situation

But after a few minutes she splashed out and stood walking over towards Randidly Drops of water clung to her as she approached Almost unwillingly Randidly stood both literally and figuratively and watched her approach She offered him a small smile

The towel

Randidly wordlessly unwrapped the towel and handed it to her She looked down at his hands and towels and then slowly took the towel her hand lingering on his for several seconds

But while that was happening Randidly noticed a slight tremble in her hand Some of the need and lust fell away and he looked at her This beautiful woman with a spear user who she believed to be superior to herself doing all these rather forward moves and he had just stood there

As she gazed up at him he could finally see the hesitation and fear in her gaze Like everyone else she was afraid of rejection and wasn’t really sure how to proceed

There was a part of Randidly that wondered why this was happening or what it meant but there was another bigger part that just wanted it And ultimately

It had been a very long time since he had sex

So Randidly stepped forward and put his hands on her waist gripping just tightly enough to feel his strength She gasped and dropped the towel Then hope rekindled in her eyes she looked up at him

After receiving that look Randidly promptly picked her up and carried the woman whose name he still couldn’t remember to bed

Chapter 169

The next morning as Randidly yawned and sat up he admitted to himself that he had been very emotionally irresponsible lately He couldn’t simply tough everything out Better to deal with things in a smart fashion rather than brute forcing his way through everything both physical and mental problems

This training in the prison had been to give him the tools to be able to handle most problems but deconstructing them before he had to was far smarter and more efficient He had spent far too much time wasting his effort in the past In that moment Randidly resolved to be more intelligent about his fights

He looked around but the female spear attendant was already gone Any evidence of their previous night’s engagements was already cleaned He wasn’t sure if that was a good sign or a bad one but it meant that it was a problem that he could deal with later Instead Randidly turned his attention to his status screen

He had only 49 PP to distribute right now because he had used many immediately before they attempted their breakout but what he paid attention to was not that number but the level of his Soul Skill Cycle of Ash and Rot More specifically he looked at how it had changed during his time in the Prison Randidly’s mouth twisted in a grin It had been two years but

Helen Randidly said aloud shocking himself He felt a flash of delight at remembering a name then a smooth sense of relaxation followed by a wolfish hunger Then Randidly shook his head annoyed He didn’t even know what last night meant It would be foolish to try and hope for the next time Although they would probably spend a lot of time together as she was his spear attendant

Again Randidly was forced to shake his head and force those thoughts down and away It did him no good to fantasize about that now Hopefully he would be able to find her later and somehow work it out Anyways

Randidly refocused on his PP using 10 to finish off Fighting Proficiency II

Congratulations You have completed the Fighting Proficiency II Path The path ahead of you is long and filled with violence but you stride forward with confidence As you proceed the sky begins to darken and a comet splits above you A huge chunk of glowing metal crashes to your left while several small orbs of power fall to your right Branching Path Will you choose the large chunk of metal or the smaller orbs of power

Scratching his chin Randidly wondered if there was something like a superior answer here It probably depended on what the reward was But if it was a question of whether he needed a single powerful skill or several smaller useful ones Randidly’s strength without a class came from those skills growing More skills as long as they were useful was probably better

Anyway he already had several finishing’ moves in terms of power Now it was just a question of training those moves to the point that he could use them commonly in a fight Randidly hadn’t forgotten that he had his own Runic Rarity Skill Set although he had left it rather untrained during his time with Shal After all it was best to focus on the things under Shal that would improve the most And that was the Spear Phantom skills

So Randidly opted to go after the smaller orbs of energy

You have selected to pursue the orbs of power On the ground are three orbs two gold and one clear As you touch the clear orb you feel a strange sensation of power and control fill you Skill Upgrade found This powerful shard of energy can be used to upgrade one skill You will be forced to imbue the shard of energy with an image in order to determine the efficacy of the upgrade Warning use on skills associated with a powerful image may result in an inferior product Which skill will you upgrade

Randidly grinned Not only was this a useful reward but it also proved that there were other types of rewards out there not just things like health and stats He wondered what sort of things could be upgraded

Anyways for his first Upgrade Active Skills would likely be a better target just because he relied on them more directly during a fight Besides the effect on a Passive Skill might not be all that noticeable until much later and Randidly was very aware that even after all these improvements he had a tournament coming up that would likely push him to the limit

Although both Haste and Empower were moves that were Active they ended up being more passive in nature and therefore discounted The Inevitable Phantom Arrives and the Spear Advances Ash Trails were probably already wrapped too tightly in an image for them to work Spear Phantom’s Footwork and Eyes of the Spear Phantom just weren’t anything that Randidly could get excited about Sure they would likely improve his performance further but

And he was slightly worried about improving any Spear Phantom skill in general so

Then Randidly smiled Ghastly Slash would likely work He already used it a lot as his fast attack in fights to throw off the opponent’s tempo If he could strengthen that the knowledge he had gained from Marco’s tutelage would become all the more useful The skill had been strengthened previously by his images to be changed to Ghastly from something but it didn’t seem like that connection was currently very strong

So Randidly closed his eyes and focused his attention inward in the veritable forest of Aether Engravings in his chest that caused him to have the ability to access skills After a bit of searching he located the one for Ghastly Slash floating the lines of it burning white hot but fading to blue at the edges

There wasn’t really any way for Randidly to actually tell which was which but when he looked at them he just knew Then he looked down at the strange clear energy in his hand and it seemed like an empty snow globe waiting for a scene to fill it Breathing slowly Randidly focused on what he wanted

It was rather simple and direct one but for a quick attack that was best It was the image of a clock its hands still Then powerfully the hands moved

Tock

The image was short and sweet but the powerful echoes filled that clear energy shard With his Battle Intent Randidly made those echoes resonate thrumming with power Then very gently he pressed the shard of energy into the sky and felt something inside of him click

Congratulations Your skill has been upgraded from Ghastly Slash Lvl 59 to Idiosyncratic Cut (Un) Lvl 59 You have absorbed the two golden spheres of energy Stamina +100 Stamina Regen +15 per minute

The golden energy spheres didn’t disappoint either Although his Stamina pool was becoming rather difficult to keep track of regeneration was always useful for prolonged fights Randidly then produced a training spear and used his new move

Randidly blinked Then he tried it again

When he swung as soon as he activated the skill his spear would resonate with those echoes and a powerful ticking noise would be created His spear would basically complete ? of the swing instantly which was impossible but it happened Randidly grinned slightly Which meant that he only needed to swing the spear ?’s of the usual distance for a slash As Randidly experimented it seemed that the power was decreased in a proportionate fashion but this wasn’t his power move This was a move that he would rely on to set up his finishers

But after several Cuts Randidly found himself exhausted his chest heaving Curious he waited until he recovered some stamina which was very quickly now and used the move Then he grimaced 75 stamina was a rather hefty price tag to pay Well Randidly supposed that was why the reward also included pretty big gains to his Stamina pool and regeneration Although he gained over 3 stamina per second and a pool of over 1400 Randidly still wouldn’t be able to regenerate through using this move very much

Randidly’s available paths hadn’t really changed although he wondered about that Most of the Spear Phantom moves must really be at a high level before he could get a path in them He supposed this made sense as they were likely part of a skillset that was definitely not common in rarity

Between Engraving and the Weeping Rain Path neither would have much of a concrete effect on his current performance Well Randidly did want to make himself some personal armor with Engravings on them but that was for later And besides the Weeping Rain had a lot to do with his success in Engraving anyway Really hard to tease apart which would be more useful

But ultimately he chose to put points into the Weeping Rain Path for a very simple reason It was an uncommon rarity skill

So Randidly was very pleased to discover that after he put 5 points in he received a point in Willpower After another 5 he received a point in Resistance This continued until he put the 25th point in

Then he froze his whole body trembling A small burn started in his chest which rapidly expanded into an inferno

Chapter 170

Warning Your Soul Skill has become unstable If you continue to feed it the effects will worsen Calculating effects

Error unrecognized Soul Skill Adjusting Parameters

Expanding Search

Isolating comparable Soul Skills

Match found Adjusting Parameters Calculating Effects

Warning death may result from the usage of an unapproved Soul Skill Consult with a Village spirit for further assistance

While the notifications appeared before Randidly the pain in his chest continued to worsen Gritting his teeth he closed his eyes and rode through the pain refusing to fight against it but also refusing to lose consciousness He just let the experience flow through him

He did this because he could see what was occurring within him and was worried that cracking down too forcefully would worsen the situation In his image of what was occurring with his Soul Skill the constant rotation of grass rot and heat burning it all to ash had produced a thick layer of those small emerald crystals which now filled the soil At the moment those crystals were glowing emitting a strange green light seeming furiously hungering for something

That power they emitted excited the forces of rot and ash causing them to rotate faster almost attempting to give those green crystals what they wanted As they rotated faster a powerful suction force was created drawing nearby items in Randidly’s consciousness towards the Soul Skill Fortunately his actual skills seemed to be immune to the strange happening Randidly looked wildly around inside himself but both the small golden pellet he had gotten from the lonesome spear style and that strange murderous death energy were completely still locked in place by familiar tiny gold chains

Randidly expression turned grim Someone was forcing him a certain direction He wasn’t quite sure exactly was but he abruptly regretted choosing the Rain Path Because if they were trying to get him to do something very specific

Because if they were trying to strong arm him down a path that he didn’t feel was of his own choosing

Well Randidly wouldn’t be able to help himself After all he did not negotiate with terrorists His stubbornness wouldn’t let him

But for now he could only stand still and bite his lip to keep himself from screaming This was an entirely different sort of pain than Shal’s tortures one that stemmed from the fact that the two forces that made his Soul Skill were rotating so fast that it was threatening to tear him apart from the inside out They pulled and pulled an pulled and the suction grew and grew

But nothing was shaken free Randidly’s consciousness was relatively clean So after a time the suction passed the energy and light faded from those emerald shards The forces of rot and ash slowed in their rotation until they returned to something like their normal speed Sighing Randidly relaxed slightly

Whoever had caused this well he kept his face carefully casual in the aftermath in case that individual could spy on him After all he had felt those hands within his body If those hands were related to the golden chains that had forced him to the reward for the Carnage path and had caused the reward to turn into a strange energy that currently hovered within him

It would lead him somewhere And with gleaming eyes Randidly hoped that at the end of the road that individual was ready to play hardball because he wouldn’t hold back He would break their plans and burn their carefully prepared path to the ground

But he needed to let that burning resentment go and carefully added the remaining 14 PP to the path There was some activity as the emerald shards seemed to pulse slightly but it didn’t set off a chain reaction which relieved Randidly At least for now he wouldn’t have to experience that mental anguish again

After adding all of the PP he relished in the fact that Randidly had gained 1128 Skill Levels in his time in the Prison It had been two years so any less than that might be embarrassing but it meant that he experienced a huge amount of progress both in terms of skill levels and stats Most of that was in his combat oriented Skills but he also had a large amount of improvement in the passives as well

Randidly looked over his status screen pleased

Health(/R per hour) 556/1307 (+8) (470 (+12

Mana(/R per hour) 12/1439 (130 75)

Stam(/R per min) 601/1450 (201 (+4

Vit 137 (+4)

End 66

Str 105 (+12)

Agi 126 (+12)

Perception 100

Reaction 90

Resistance 74

Willpower 115

Intelligence 100

Control 185

Focus 140

Skills (Soul Skill) Cycle of Rot and Ash Lvl 1514

Combat Spear Mastery Lvl 108 The Inevitable Phantom Arrives Lvl 68 (Un) Spear Phantom’s Footwork Lvl 92 Eyes of the Spear Phantom Lvl 74 Phantom Half Step Lvl 43 Heavy Blow Lvl 59 Dagger Mastery Lvl 10 Iron Skin Lvl 47 Dodge Lvl 56 Fighting Proficiency Lvl 81 Block Lvl 45 Haste Lvl 69 Phantom Onslaught Lvl 37 Sweep Lvl 54 Spear Deflect Lvl 10 Empower Lvl 77 Calculated Blow Lvl 64 Roundhouse Kick Lvl 36 Edge of Decay Lvl 39 Idiosyncratic Cut (Un) Lvl 59 Pierce the Skies Shatter the Earth Lvl 33 Battle Intent Lvl 61 Struggle Lvl 39 Body Control Freeze Lvl 6 The Golden Roots of Yggdrasil Lvl 4

Spells Spearing Roots Lvl 32 Mana Bolt Lvl 28 Mana Shield Lvl 26 Root Control Lvl 87 Arcane Orb Lvl 22 Fireball Lvl 30 Magic Missile Lvl 4 Healing Palm Lvl 12 Pollen of the Rafflesia Lvl 20 Summon Pestilence Lvl 53 Mana Strengthening Lvl 48 Wall of Thorns Lvl 16 Soul Seed Lvl ® Agony Lvl 37 Inspiration ® Incinerating Bolt Lvl 64 Circle of Flame Lvl 39 Plantomancy Lvl 29 The Weeping Cloud ® Lvl 56

Crafting Potion Making Lvl 37 Farming Lvl 20 Plant Breeding Lvl 9 Mapmaker Lvl 7 Analyze Lvl 24 Refine Lvl 17 Extract Lvl 6 Mana Engraving Lvl 60

Auxiliary Physical Fitness Lvl 64 Meditation Lvl 62 Running Lvl 39 Sprinting Lvl 19 Sneak Lvl 46 AcidResistance Lvl 22 Poison Resistance Lvl 21 Pain Resistance Lvl 29 First Aid Lvl 16 Equip Lvl 25 Pathfinding Lvl 18 Mental Strength Lvl 17 Curse Resistance Lvl 15 Fire Resistance Lvl 14 Sewing Lvl 11 Cutting Vegetables Lvl 2 Manual Labor Lvl 6 Digging Lvl 5 Cooking Lvl 30 Grace Lvl 39 Bacterial Regeneration Lvl 64 Superiority Lvl 18 Mental Fortitude Lvl 38 Second Wind Lvl 29 Weather Affinity Lvl 32 Clockwork Mastery Lvl 8 Rejection Lvl 11

It was hard to remember what it was like when he started out Now he really felt like the system was an important part of himself It had helped him find his strength and his relationship with the world Slowly he felt himself growing as a person Again the image of those guard’s bodies falling below crushed in the tower as they escaped appeared but Randidly frowned and forced it away Not yet

He stood slowly and then stretched Now was time to find Shal His teacher had challenged him the previous night personally in a way that was aimed to unravel Randidly to get at any flaws in his character Luckily it hadn’t worked But Randidly wasn’t perfect He wasn’t sure what to do with his talent for violence So he could only do one thing seek help from his elders

The First Spear of Tomkat’s face was grim as he heard the news

Most of the guards inside the prison were dead It was confirmed that the warden had been slain prior to the escape too likely by Shal In addition a strange creature calling itself a Judgement had set up camp in the prison and was waging a slow cold war on the surviving prisoners who had banded together with the guards to survive The creature was getting pushed back but was a powerful mage which was making things difficult In addition there was a constant flood of tiny minions from its position which was complicating things greatly

They were making headway now but weariness was growing among the men in the prison Although it was probably too late for the First Spear to intervene with the time difference

It was not an ideal scenario The First Spear tried to remember that no matter the losses if he had another Adept in his employ he could recoup them But this was progressing past a loss of face this was a significant blow to his city in a way that didn’t make him angry just worried

But as he dismissed the guards what was driving the First Spear insane was the why of the situation Why had Shal gotten himself thrown in prison on a small matter in the first place He had read the report his disciple had killed a guard a foolish move that was designed to annoy his officials but because of the disciple’s age and strength they found it prudent to throw them both into the prison for the 100 year term Let them strengthen there then come out and be miserable from Aether Starvation for several months at which point the First Spear of Tomkat could recruit them

Why had Shal remained a captive The prison was not designed to hold Adepts Adepts could attack with their images without moving If one was an Adept escape was child’s play all the restraints simply blocked movement If you were powerful without it the cage held no meaning

Why now Why were they moving now

At least for this question the First Spear was able to obtain some answers The Spear Phantom Style had to accomplish certain goals in the next few months in order to maintain access to the light blue color spectrum that Shal used But of course the youngest generation of the Style had to be the one to accomplish it After a bit of research it seemed that youth a fellow called the Ghosthound and made it through a qualifier and would be going to the Northern Regional Tournament A top 8 finish there would be sufficient result for the honor of the Spear Phantom Style

So perhaps the prison was chosen as a training ground in order to give the youth real battle experience against other spearman Which seemed like a reasonable method if one that was extremely reckless in that it offended the First Spear of Tomkat a slight he would not soon forget

But Shal’s face as he tendered his promise this was not a reckless man If anything he seemed desperate

Sighing the First Spear beckoned over a servant There was one thing he wanted to investigate Although he didn’t know where the term was from those who fought against the strange Judgement creature testified that it kept referring to a Heretic which stirred a half forgotten memory in the First Spear So he would consult with his contacts in Deardun and figure this out

Why had all of this happened to him

The First Spear of Tomakat’s face was grim as he stared down at the blade of his spear His grip tightened on the shaft

Chapter 171

Helen stood over the small stream looking at her body’s reflection in the clear water Always her mother had pushed her into taking care of herself encouraging her to exercise in order to sculpt herself in certain ways push her chest up her hips out Use oils and stretches to make her skin soft her body supple

There were certain tangible benefits to her spear usage due to her mother’s influence specifically her 3 movements that someone who hadn’t take such care of their body couldn’t hope to mirror But as Helen slowly realized what was happening that she was fattening like a pig in the more feminine areas she grew to resent her life her mother and what she saw as the path her family wanted for her Still she couldn’t work up the nerve to directly contradict them so she slowly subverted their efforts

She would not be a plump wife that was kept at home

So she had gone above and beyond her mother’s training regimen until her body was almost impossibly elastic and strong Helen never had the pure strength to rival some of the other spear users especially those from the family she served but there was a grace and control that she had over her body that allowed her to hold her own She even attracted the attention of a traveling Adept who gave her some pointers on the training movements she used From that she was able to create an Uncommon Rarity Skillset that was all her own

Helen wasn’t sure whether the interest was actually due to her skill with a spear or the lewd way that old man had watched her practice but she couldn’t bring herself to care In this case the skill set was worth some of the shit she had to sift through to get there

Although it annoyed her parents her success was such that she would not be just the wife of a leatherworker But then her mother had begun to set her sights higher On the family of spear users that they served There were even several lesser disciples that had been interested To buy herself time Helen had asked for the chance to enter the local qualifier to test her skill Her parents had assented reluctantly worried but tempted by the possibilities for marriage that a high finish would bring their family

So Helen had traveled to Qtal quite far from her home and the rest was history

Now she stood there looking at her reflection in the water her hands tracing the faint bruises on her shoulders and hips from the Ghousthound last night The fucking fool didn’t know his own strength But she had invested enough in Endurance that it hadn’t actually hurt really It was cute in a way how wild he had been How out of control and vicious

Her reflection had a smile on its face She didn’t hate that about him

Why do you smile desert flower

Helen cleanly turned around punched Teliph in the gut watched as his expression twisted into shock and he doubled over and then sauntered away

Randidly found Shal sitting around a small fire meditating His master did not look up when he arrived so Randidly sat down and began to meditate as well Ever since he woke up he felt wonderfully refreshed and he wanted to hold onto this feeling for a while So he didn’t supplement the meditation with Root Control but just sat there allowing the energy within him to slowly gather At the same time as he meditated Randidly revelled in the warm energies flowing up into him from the ground beneath him In that moment he truly felt in tune with the natural world

The silence between them lasted a while until Shal slowly opened his eyes You have overcome your fear No at the very least turned to face it Heh You are a much quicker learner than I was

Almost sighing Randidly nodded It would be hard for him to come to terms with the killing But it was both something that was sometimes necessary and something that he would prefer not to do especially if it was just for power Even though without that power he and the people he cared about might also die But the logic could not find an answer There wasn’t an answer He would need to face every situation as they came and find his answer

And of that Randidly was not a afraid

But before you fight with the name of the Spear Phantom Style you must answer What is the value of a life Shal’s tone remained low and harsh and his eyes seemed to bore into Randidly

Randidly took a breath and then thought for several seconds about it Then he said A life is worthy of respect My own life is invaluable to me as every life is to the person it belongs to To take it away is a grave disservice and a heavy burden and

Haha Enough Shal said shaking his head You are foolish but at least you understand it is much more than you can handle to bear the weight of another’s life No need to bore me to sleep with platitudes We leave in an hour Prepare

And just like that it was over with Shal turning away and going to speak with the woman Artisan who came out of the prison and Marco After some discussion it seemed the woman was ready to go her own way and bowed to both Shal and Randidly before leaving

As they gathered supplies Randidly found himself face to face with Helen Their eyes met Randidly flushed then opened his mouth to say something but Helen stone faced walked past him whispering Don’t you say a fucking word

After Randidly had recovered from his jaw dropping he shook his head and smiled He supposed that was for a best It wasn’t until after that he had realized how much he had needed that as an outlet to relax and release aggression In a way it wasn’t personal he supposed so it would be silly to expect it to be anything else

Besides he didn’t feel feelings he thought just a powerful animal attraction to her body So it would be pointless to push the issue Better to just let it pass

After they packed they loped forward running to Qtal They were going to stay in Qtal for a short period before proceeding to the Northern Region capital Deardun in a few days Which would give Randidly time to give Claptrap some of the Engravings he had been working on during his time in the Prison and probably experiment with a few related things

They made good time and arrived at Qtal in a few hours Guided by a strange instinct Divvit led the way moving towards his boat as if by sixth sense They swiftly came upon it only to find that it had somehow been taken over by a merchant who had gaudy decorations and torches everywhere making it look like a walking funhouse

As if not the least bothered by the fact that someone else was in his home Divvet walked onto the boat and stomped his feet twice

The one who dares lay claim to this boat come raise your Tassle so I might sink it into the depths of the sea Divvet’s words echoed and several figures appeared on nearby boats whispering to each other But no one came from this boat’s interior Divvet’s face darkened

So they almost wordlessly began to toss all the shit that someone had taken great care to set up on the boat right into the sea There were even some valuable seeming equipment and materials But under Divvet’s furious eye no one dared to take any of it for themselves There seemed to be some dishonor associated with what was happening here so Randidly simply followed the lead of others and threw everything into the sea

Such was the value of the items that some people from nearby boats dived into the water and began to grab some of them but Divvet sneered down at them and began dumping more stuff down onto those people

If they fucking want this trash let’s help them drown in it Divvet said and the spear attendants jumped to it with alacrity Mostly Helen began to throw heavy items down at the swimmers very effectively At one point she seemed to knock a flailing woman unconscious who then had to be rescued by another swimmer

Rather pleased with the situation Divvet gave Helen a pat on the back

Shal beckoned Randidly over as the game continued with enthusiasm This is one of the rare times I shall say this but rest Once the fights start in Deardun they will not stop for a week You must prepare provisions and materials to last you at least that long Be thorough The competition is difficult to survive

With that rather confusing tidbit Randidly walked down into his old cabin which was filled with barrels After moving them all up to the deck he settled into the small wooden room and began to breath Then he grimaced

It was strange being here His Golden Roots of Yggdrasil couldn’t reach up through the water so he felt oddly tired all of the time Still it seemed that Deardun was on the continent so at least there wouldn’t be that problem during the tournament

Randidly carefully removed his last remaining bracer that was Engraved with a Shadow Rune with over 60% efficacy He looked at it for a long time frowning It was true that he knew that there would be problems with the Engraving Guilds but that the small time nature of the things that he was doing would probably mean their response would be too slow to catch him before he went back to his own Cohort

But the Shadow Rune was possibly different Some of the effects from it

And this was even the most basic version of the Shadow Rune So Randidly made the decision not to share his ability to produce the Shadow Rune with Claptrap It was likely for the best Besides considering the new varieties of Runes that Randidly had obtained he didn’t think that Claptrap would have any complaints

Randidly began to consider 4 specific ones The Gazelle which added Agility and Perception The Ox which gave Vitality and Endurance The Dolphin which produced Intelligence and Control And The Preying Mantis which would assist in Willpower and Focus With these 4 in addition to Bear Fish and Dragonfly he could cover a lot of types of stats at once

But before he actually began to Engrave Randidly read some of the technical guide left to him by the Willow Tree Spear Style matriarch The knowledge was pointlessly obtuse it seemed to Randidly but he pressed forward feeling absurdly like he was studying He had been able to read some during his time in prison and as he pressed forward then he was able to finish the first volume of the set

He didn’t feel any different but he definitely knew a lot more about how to layer energy in deep curves and how it assisted the efficacy of the Engraving Then after he finished Randidly snapped the book shut and checked the time It had almost been 24 hours since he used Inspire so he would have access to his mana once again soon So he walked up towards the deck to Engrave After all the soft rain of the Weeping Cloud was part of his process now It was a part of what was necessary

Chapter 172

Randidly got up to the deck and went to the far side keeping as much space between him and the crazy ones throwing armor at people swimming in the water Around 30 minutes later as they continued dumping items something inside of him relaxed and mana began to pool within him once more After a time he wiggled his fingers and felt the 1000 mana leave him for Weeping Cloud

Then he sat cross legged and began to Engrave Using the greaves because that was what he had the most of remaining Randidly tried each of the 4 new runes It wasn’t a long process as his control and efficiency in manipulating the mana within himself had improved overmuch which Randidly believed to be a product of his leveled Battle Intent Something about that mental weapon carried over to Engraving and he was able to do it much more efficiently

Although this was just his first time for each of them all came out with an efficacy in the high 30s Which was disappointing in a way because they had very little value to Randidly below 40 but he supposed he shouldn’t be too put off His first attempt all that time ago had turned out below 20 And each additional point could only be earned by the weight of repetition and experience as his understanding of Engraving grew

Almost as a warm up the next Engraving that Randidly did was a Shadow V To his delight it reached a 67% efficacy which was his highest ever with that rune He could feel himself progressing on understanding the method for smoothing and filling the energy in a way that made him slightly excited His mind was still so clear and he focused it to a razor edge

Now was the time

After breathing and steadying himself Randidly began to Engrave much more carefully and thoroughly than he had done with the previous Engravings Not because he wasn’t taking them seriously but because he honestly didn’t understand the nuances in those runes yet It was impossible for him to tell which portions were important to emphasize That was why Engraving was such a tedious process The important areas in the runes were different Sometimes attention should be given to the swirls and curves making sure they are smooth Sometimes what you needed to do was focus on the straight stretches making them immaculate Sometimes the extra effort should go towards places where the lines cross ensuring that energy at that location was exceedingly deep

There were a million small details that couldn’t truly be learned through the manuals but they would make the information retention much easier No the foundation had to be made through effort and repetition

And in terms of Engraving for Randidly the Dragonfly symbol was the one with which he was most familiar So as the rain fell on his skin prickling like tiny chilled needles he calmly and evenly Engraved a Dragonfly onto a bracer

Almost instinctively his breathing became extremely even and slow to the point where a normal human would have suffocated But for Randidly with his exceedingly high Vitality it wasn’t even something that he would notice in such a short period

Even though he took his time the Engraving was finished in 15 minutes and he held the completed work up for his examined by his animated expectation a spark of excitement in Randidly’s heart

Apprentice’s Leather Bracer Lvl 25 Leather armor worked by an Apprentice but made with poor materials Vit +2 Health +26 Rain Engraved II

Engraving of Dragonfly 80% ® The wind seems to move with the wearer aiding in both offensive and defensive speed A thin layer of air is wrapped around the wearer protecting them like an armor Wearer gains Aspect of Dragonfly III

Aspect of Dragonfly III Reaction +7 Agility +10

Rain Engraved II The Engraver has developed his own basic personal process of Engraving and benefits begin to accrue within the armor Mana +15 Focus +3

The bracer seemed small and worn but to Randidly it was the culmination of two long years of effort Engraving might be a support skill but he would never have been able to prepare so many potion materials without the money he earned from it Let alone breaking out of the Prison even freeing Shal would have been impossible without the Shadow rune and the benefits that it provided to him

Randidly made a mental note that the debt that he owed the Willow Tree Spear Style was even larger than he thought and carefully placed the newfound bracer into his inventory Although he would make his own armor soon Randidly was confident now that he could repeat this accomplishment

Seeing that the rest were still occupied with the material dumping Randidly informed a frowning Divveltian of his plan and then headed out across the nearby boats heading for Claptrap’s boat It was a rather short trip and when he arrived Randidly hesitated briefly because it was clear that Claptrap was meeting with someone else He honestly didn’t really know what to do about it

But Randidly’s natural social awkwardness had been greatly ground down by his two years in the prison training so Randidly just shrugged and pushed through the door

Both the figures looked up at him the figures being Claptrap with his rather skinny fat body and a rather slim man who wore a smile on his face When Randidly entered Claptrap’s eyes widened and his smile stretched from ear to ear

You’re still alive He squeaked running over to Randidly and giving him a large hug Randidly awkwardly patted him on the back Sure they were kinda business partners but this level of affection seemed a bit insane Maybe Claptrap was more emotionally needy than Randidly had originally anticipated

The smiling man laughed and walked over Ah you are the wonderful Engraver who has so helped my Style I am Artisan Dwei of the Crashing Wave Style Claptrap was just assuring me that you would arrive with the new batch of armor any day now

Randidly’s eyes twitched almost imperceptibly Was there a hint of a threat there Randidly wasn’t sure of what the man’s actual strength was but he was an Artisan which made him wary Again all the people inside of the prison at the Artisan level had been stronger than Randidly but they had been there training through constant combat for dozens of years as they served out their various sentences

Still with access to dungeons who knew how much this man had trained

Then Randidly shook his head banishing the thoughts and shook Artisan Dwei’s hand It was better to not make more trouble than he had to deal with especially now

Yes here Randidly unceremoniously dumped the 300 or so Engraved armors on the ground careful to keep his few Shadow rune attempts to himself Still there were quite of bit of each kind with most being over 60% efficacy His eyes glittering Artisan Dwei stepped forward and began to check them all

Claptrap sprinted over with a ledger his eyes glittering drool coming out of his mouth and Randidly hesitated for a second but grabbed his arm Then with a flourish Randidly produced his 80% efficacy bracer and offered it to Claptrap Perhaps this level of efficacy would cause problems for them the same way the Shadow Rune would but Randidly figured that while the efficacy problem might be more of an issue it didn’t have much more room to grow As long as the rune was still relatively basic the Engraving Guilds would likely respond but take their time doing so

A rune on the level of the Shadow Rune might draw undue attention much faster

Oh Oh oh oh Claptrap said his face flushing red His hands trembled reverently as he looked down at the thing It might seem like a small boost after all the 60% bracers usually gave somewhere between 10 and 14 extra stats while this gave 20 plus the extra mana But the two highest stats were very relevant to the combat focused nation that they were a part of

In addition to get an extra 10 stats from only a single piece of armor It was an accomplishment that people were willing to pay money for Money on the order of a few hundred Silver

Randidly leaned back slightly reassured by the fervor and enthusiasm with which Claptrap entered into negotiations with Artisan Dwei for the bracer They quickly outstripped their previous cost structure and began talking in a very direct way about values and what markets Claptrap would have for have for such a powerful piece of Engraving apart from the Crashing Wave Style

Randidly didn’t really care very much for the money aside from providing for his potion making which he expected to be very generously overshooting right now so he said very little aside from informing the two others that he could now make the Gazelle Oxen Dolphin and Preying Mantis Runes

Artisan Dwei finally battered down Claptrap and they settled on a price and they worked out what the Crashing Wave Style would want for their next order Then Artisan Dwei turned to Randidly

It is a strange thing but over 80% efficacy there is the chance that some pieces will have an extra ability We will pay very heavily for those pieces If you continue to improve I’m sure you will find that ability

Then Artisan Dwei stored the equipment handed over his money and prepared to go During that time Randidly turned to Claptrap

Were you able to learn anything about the Spear Phantom Style

Claptrap flushed then shook his head I asked around to a few people but I’m honestly not very popular around here so

I know that story Artisan Dwei said his typical smile fading away He looked seriously at Randidly Would you like to hear about the founder of your Style It is not a pretty story

Randidly shrugged Life is not a pretty place

Artisan Dwei chuckled and then walked over to a small table in the corner After Claptrap had brought them all a glass of wine the Artisan began to speak

Chapter 173

I heard this story from the current patriarch of the Crashing Wave Style which is an offshoot of the Endless Sea Style based in the Capital of the Central Region He told me that for a long time before more information came out Shal was widely idolized by the young elites in the Capital for his heroism in defeating the Devourer But by the end they just ignored him like everyone else Still that comes later First and most importantly there was a man who would become the Spear Phantom Aemont Because Shal’s story is only a small part of following in the footsteps of his father

No one really knew Aemont’s family but he enrolled in a small two bit Style and worked hard to learn it So hard that the people around him were shocked After all this was the Capital of the Central Region There were thousands of Styles fighting viciously over the new recruits that came to the capital seeking their fortune putting their life on the line with just their spear Those that had talent and dedication would go to the larger Styles If this boy was here and had such an excellent work ethic there could be only one explanation he had no talent with the spear

Which was true in a way Aemont was serious but clumsy The Spear was not his weapon But he did have two things very early on in his career while most others might train for years to obtain Those were two skills Battle Intent and the very amorphous Struggle And Struggle Aemont did

There were rivalries and duels grand challenges and tumultuous relationships but for our purposes going into that might be a bit tedious It is enough to say that by the time he was 25 Aemont’s name was known throughout the Capital although it was only whispered After all Aemont refused to participate in the rather gaudy Exhibitions’ hosted by the powerful and affluent Styles of the Capital He was a poor man even then with his success with the spear and his Tassle was a threadbare red piece that was so worn it almost seemed to be grey

But Aemont did fall in love with a woman who was one of the chosen disciples of the Endless Heat Style Luckily for him she liked him too Slowly this very poor man from a Style that didn’t even have a skillset was hanging around a woman who would inherit an Ancient Rarity Skill Set At first the elders thought it was just children playing around and thought nothing of it then the woman became pregnant Now the head elder at the time was furious but he knew the female disciple was a stubborn sort so he had a genius idea To set the terms of him being allowed into the Style as an honorary disciple to legitimize the relationship

To set impossible terms

So Aemont was brought before the elder and the elder told him the wonderful news about the pregnancy Aemont a normally stoic man smiled like he would be satisfied dying right there and then if it came to it Which was exactly what the Elder wanted

Then the elder continued to explain that there were some negative rumblings about Aemont and the female disciple from the other elders That they weren’t a proper match due to their difference in social status And as Aemont began to frown the Elder told the much younger man that he had an idea perhaps if Aemont were to accomplish a seemingly impossible task the elder could help Aemont sway their feelings If there was irrefutable proof of Aemont’s abilities even those stubborn elders would be able to do naught but give in

What sort of task ’ Aemont asked and the elder said well how about going to the frontlines and slaying a 90932njk2389 ’

Randidly blinked aware of how the words had twisted midair and reverted briefly back to a language he couldn’t understand He wondered what sort of secret the system was trying to hide from him this time Something from the frontlines huh A war with who Randidly wondered

But Artisan Dwei continued to speak and his words once more became understandable so Randidly didn’t do anything other than file the information away for later At first Aemont was dubious but the Elder shook his head sorrowfully and asked if there was anything else Aemont could think of that would be irrefutable proof of Aemont’s strength Aemont could only remain silent

The frontlines were much more active in those days and the #% # kldsa were lousy with 90932njk2389 so obtaining an opportunity wouldn’t be difficult What was difficult was the task But Aemont had gotten this far by relying on his two skills of Struggle and Battle Intent and this was no exception Aemont went and spent a year at the frontlines despite the female disciple’s pleas A year later he returned Older and stronger and tired but without accomplishing his goal

But now his resolve was set He visited his now several month old son and spent time with the woman he wanted to marry in front of the world Then after a week he returned to the frontlines To the Elder’s horror the female disciple was once more pregnant Now it was extremely difficult for them to ignore the relationship between the two of them because two sons had been made and were staying in the Capital on their property But there was nothing they could do all of the younger disciples were enamored with the children showering the babies with affection

And there was the continued problem of Aemont By all accounts he found and challenged 90932njk2389 to combat quite frequently And although he was never able to slay one he did survive which is more than most can say He was formally enlisted and began to rise within the army ranks After his second year on the frontlines Aemont once more returned and although he was covered in scars his sons filled him with youthful vigor This time he remained for a month meeting and fraternizing with the young disciples who were swept away by this powerful young man with stories of the front lines

But after that time he was forced to leave But not before kissing both the eldest son Pronto and the younger son Shal on the forehead Then he was off

But Aemont did not return immediately to the front line He still possessed two open skill slots and planned on using one to learn a skill that could push him to the next level For after all even if he had the power of an Artisan without a skill with a powerful image he would never be formally recognized as an Artisan and his potential would be greatly diminished So he sought out a powerful individual who could teach him a powerful skill It is unknown who he found but he came back wielding the powerful skill Wrathful Sickle which powerfully influenced his later images

That year he did not return from the frontlines Nor the following year It was only 3 years later that he returned But when he did come it was with the head of a 90932njk2389

Of course the Elders did not want Aemont to be formally recognized so they acted quickly while Aemont was arriving Some took it upon themselves to cut off the growth from the base the female disciple was killed Furious Aemont gathered up his sons and fled leaving the central continent and heading to the north Rumors say that Aemont walked out carrying his spear burning with fury and the aura of death while his elder son Pronto carried the much smaller Shal like a baby in his arms

Strangely no Elder came forward to admit to causing the crime In the aftermath the Head Elder instituted a brutal inquisition at first secret but then increasingly public as they could not locate the culprit The Endless Heat Style even formerly apologized to Aemont granting him an honorary discipleship for him and his sons But it was too late Aemont would never in his life return to the Central Region

So Aemont settled in the Northern Region and seemed content to settle down and live a peaceful life But two things nagged at him refusing to let him retire First the situation on the frontlines turned sour So sour that it was believed for a long time that Central Region would finally commit a few Pontiff level Spear Users Second a string of strange deaths in the surrounding area to Aemont of monsters livestock and even other people led him to believe that the culprit behind his lover’s murder had followed them But the culprit was a coward and refused to move while Aemont remained protecting his sons

For two years as the condition on the Frontlines deteriorated Finally seeming to break under the stress of the realization strange antagonist wouldn’t strike while he was there and his will eroded by the pleas of his former comrades Aemont made a decision he would leave his sons under the protection of some of his powerful friends he had made in the North and return to the frontlines in the Western Region

Although they were only one year apart Pronto and Shal were very different in their development Pronto was hale and healthy seemingly developing at an impossible rate Meanwhile Shal was weak and uncoordinated with the body of a toddler even though he was almost 8 years old So Shal was sent to a Style in the Northern Region affiliated with the Endless Heat Style where Aemont knew he would be cared for Meanwhile Pronto went to stay with the powerful Haelthing who would aid in his spear instruction while Shal was gone

Years passed and Aemont began to return from the frontlines less and less His sons grew Shal seeming to finally settle in and grow properly becoming a talented if mean tempered youth Meanwhile Pronto grew more and more wild and powerful his moods becoming violent And at the same time there started to be some very strange rumors going around about Haelthing That there were numerous disappearances among people traveling through the lands his Style controlled That he was practicing a very forbidden sort of magic there

That he had become a Devourer who consumed the lives of others in order to refine pure Aether from them Or as the system refers to it Haelthing had become a Heretic

Randidly blinked That’s possible Devouring someone else for Aether

Artisan Dwei waved a hand Well that is what the story says At least the popular versions Others have the Devourer doing other things but it all involved an evil magic transported here from one of the inner Cohorts And it all involved sacrifice to power it

Chapter 174

So anyway while his one son was slowly being warped by exposure to the Devourer and the other was growing up slowly both with a barely present father Aemont continued to fight on the frontlines And he won and won and won Perhaps the story wouldn’t have ended so tragically otherwise but Aemont was a profoundly competent spear user With just the one skill he was acknowledged as reaching the Adept level and given a promotion and control over a larger group of men

That was the worst fighting the front lines had ever seen And Aemont was the reaper who kept back the hordes But it wasn’t enough We were still losing At that point the central region did demand its powerful Styles send Pontiffs out to push back the enemies Because some of those sent to his area were from the Endless Heat Style Aemont took his long overdue break returning to his sons

He stopped briefly in to see Shal and the people there urged him to investigate Haelthing There were deaths and disappearances so much so that Haelthing’s Style was almost destroyed from fear and defections Aemont’s face darkened but he said nothing Instead he simply had a long talk with Shal

Aemont stayed with Shal for several days giving him very specific pointers about spear use Then Aemont went to see Healthing It is not known what they exactly talked about but is rumored that although Aemont confront Haelthing he was tempted and distracted Even his son Pronto whose mental illness was growing increasingly noticeable could not distract from the goal that consumed Aemont perhaps in his eyes the army was his new family And for that family he needed strength

So when Haelthing offered the use of his isolation matrix Aemont accepted For 6 days he stayed within meditating and when he emerged he was a changed man When he stepped out into the air shrieking ghost flowed around him The spectre of death lingered in his shadow The lightest touch of Aemont could steal away one’s life from weak opponents The years of fighting on the frontlines watching allies and enemies die in droves it had paid dividends in a way For Aemont had spent 6 days in that formation slowly refining the Aether that had embedded itself within him for 20 years

He had become the Spear Phantom

His return to the frontlines was as a walking Catastrophe He destroyed the resistance of the enemies on the frontlines Beneath the Pontiffs sent from the Central Region Aemont very quickly became the number 1 spear user on the Western front

But he was recalled from the frontlines by news that could pierce his martial heart his son Pronto had fled from Haelthing’s care wounded and blubbering about evil skills and forbidden rites So with a heavy heart Aemont returned Pronto had fled to Shal’s caretakers where he refused to talk with anyone other than his family preferring to lock himself in his room refusing to take visitors When he arrived Aemont interviewed both his sons for Shal had been the one to find Pronto in the wilderness and heard the truth for himself Then he waited for Pronto to recover and because he was a strong young man in his own right at this point the two of them then went to the lair of the Devourer for vengeance

Before he left he gave to Shal a chest and a book which was all the belongings that Aemont owned aside from a sizeable amount of pay that was uncollected from the army and formerly established the Spear Phantom Style naming his sons Pronto and Shal as his heirs For a few weeks he trained Shal in the Spear Phantom Style its moves and intricacies Then he proceeded with the eldest son to disappear off the face of the world

The area around Haelthing’s lair grew to be a zone forbidden for travel Some local powers sent scouts in but none returned Still if one did not enter into the zone nothing happened The zone was not spreading and no monsters wandered out of that area either As the local powers were busy sending spear users to reinforce the front lines they opted to leave it alone for now despite the danger So the land was just avoided for 5 years The only reason that 5 years ended was Shal he marched into the base and slaughtered Haelthing Unfortunately he found his father and brother had already been slain

Or at least that is what people originally thought and why he was so widely heralded in the initial few years after he returned bearing the spear of Haelthing the Devourer But when experts went to investigate they discovered that it appeared that Haelthing had been dead for years likely by the hand of Aemont There had been a great battle sure and there was a body there but it was so mutilated that it was impossible to tell who it was And the body of Aemont the war hero was also discovered peaceful and undisturbed as if he was simply taking a nap It was like his very life had been stolen from him

So some of the accolades fell away from Shal for there were too many pieces missing from the story And he refused to speak of the situation which didn’t help his reputation He opted to remain in the Northern Region and he was barely seen training for 20 years rather he was primarily seen just sitting brooding remaining in Qtal as most of the previous family friends due to his mother and father drifted away fed up with his behavior

Even if people were initially skeptical of what happened a few duels he got into in fits of anger in the aftermath convinced them that he was exceedingly powerful But to then sit and brood for 20 years That was the actions of a weak willed man Although his potential was great Everyone concluded it would all come to naught

Artisan Dwei gave Randidly a meaningful look I am not sure why but it appears your presence has awoken Shal from his slumber But based on how things fell all is not resolved in his path Be careful

And then he left leaving Randidly and Claptrap alone Claptrap sat back in his chair almost glassy eyed his mouth forming a large O I can’t believe wow

Shrugging Randidly stood He thanked Claptrap took some of the leather armor that Claptrap had obtained while he was away and returned to the boat As Randidly strolled back Randidly noticed that he was being watched And based on the crazy Battle Intent the other was throwing off it wasn’t with good intentions

Still Randidly made it all the way back to the boat with no incident so perhaps he was being too paranoid He had done that with Artisan Dwei too immediately assessing him as a threat before anything else Randidly grimaced It was a habit he had developed in the prison which he would likely need to work on Although being prepared to fight at anytime was good acting too ready for a fight would bring more fights to him Although he had improved greatly Randidly was under no impression that he was unbeatable

Especially considering he had only been strong enough to get into the Northeast area of the prison The North and West were dominated by people far above his skill level But now that his Spear Mastery was barely over a hundred and the other skills had risen by about 20 each hopefully Randidly would be able to hold his own in the Regional Tournament

Shal had been very tight lipped about that issue simply giving him a scathing look when he had asked So Randidly let it slide for now Shal obviously wanted the top 8 as much as Randidly did probably more He had wanted it enough to call him up to this Cohort which was quite dangerous At the time Randidly had been quite weak From the talk around the camp Randidly had been able to gather that there were still monsters here but that they often were much much stronger and forced back to certain areas

If he had wandered into one of those places

When Randidly arrived at the boat he found someone else had beaten him there and was standing there with his hands on his hips yelling at the top of his lungs What is this How dare you touch my wares You’ve doomed yourself I will crush every little

Enough Divveltian said his voice carrying a strange weight to it even though he was standing 5 meters away at the edge of their ships deck and the yelling man was on another ship

When the vocal wave hit the small portly little merchant looking fellow he froze and then hiccuped Randidly watched then bemused as the merchant seemed unable to control his body and began to twitch The twitching became increasing violent until the merchant keeled over forward and fell in the water

Shaking his head at the idiocy Randidly leapt over back onto their boat

It seemed that the water had done some good because the fool resurfaced but in addition to spluttering he once more began yelling Yes yes Enjoy it now You have no idea who I am I’ll crush this little enterprise like bugs hrrkk

The man’s head jerked backwards as the nameless male spear attendant managed to hit the drowning merchant in the head with a bar of iron As the merchant began to bob unsteadily looking ready to pass out and really die Divveltian walked over to the male spear attendant and clapped him on the back

To think I had written you off as a talentless retainer Boy never give up your dreams

What do you mean talentless retainer The male spear attendant asked frowning By this point Helen and Teliph had walked over to him as well

When I first met you I directly assessed you as no threat to me Teliph said with relish Then he sighed dramatically But to think your manipulation of garbage had progressed to such a degree

Helen interrupted him before he could get a word in edgewise Even I am intimidated at your talent as a merchant If I had a daughter of marriage age with some sort of physical handicap I would gladly offer her body to you and know she would be well cared for if physically unfulfilled

You The male spear attendant’s face hand gone completely red and he stepped forward and stabbed towards Helen with his spear She chortled and twisted spinning around the attack and past the male spear attendant Then she kicked the back of his knees knocking him off his feet

You are as graceful as a fucking heart attack Learn to read the mood asshole She said teasingly Teliph and Divveltian laughed Although the corners of Randidly’s mouth twitched upwards he kept his eyes on the man in the water who was being fished out by some servants It was a hard habit to break the calculating

Fool disciple Will you simply moon about all day Come there is more training to do Shal rumbled his voice coming up from below Sighing Randidly turned and trotted into the belly of the ship But of course Shal was right There was always more training to do

Chapter 175

After mocking the male spear attendant for a while more Helen moved off to the side There had been a strange feeling when she had dodged his attack A fluidity and grace that almost seemed like a movement similar to the three she already had Then she smiled at her own foolishness To inexplicably have inspiration now After she had already improved so much in such a short amount of time A 4th movement would be too much to ask

But if she could parlay this into fucking raising her skill level even further

The performance of Randidly and the other two at the Qualifier had proven to Helen that while she might be able to hold her own against them for a while those individuals were cut from a different cloth Whether it was pedigree or the support of a powerful style or an impossibly powerful skill

Or the determination and willpower that made one’s eyes absolutely burn like green emeralds even in the darkness even in the face of despair

Then Helen grimaced God she hated how fucking sappy she was getting lately After a single night with a man An enjoyable night sure But still Just one night Although she had been tempted several nights since But Randidly hadn’t done anything but make moony eyes at her ever since and scratch his head and she would be DAMNED if she was the first one to bring it up If he wanted something he could man the fuck up and say it

So Helen distracted herself by moving through her three movements And once again taking her greatly by surprised she gained skills levels A lot 7 in 4 hours of work especially in the third movement which was the most offensive of the three movements

Helen let her form drop and she stared solemnly at her spear Before coming here she would never believe the sort of results she was receiving seemingly just by being around these training obsessed idiots Even that worthless male spear attendant swiftly got over his humiliation from earlier and was now training although he took the time to shoot glares at her

When he thought she wasn’t looking of course But that was just how Helen wanted it Too many looks and he would be too dumb to even deal with Too few and there wouldn’t be enough spirit within him to enjoy crushing This was the perfect balance

Still Helen knew why he threw himself into training so viciously Unlike Helen and likely everyone even the strange new arrival Teliph the nameless spear attendant didn’t possess a Skill Set Although this was a small thing it determined a spear users future It was a pretty accurate barometer of their future potential A person with a skillset could grow much much more quickly than one without

The rarity of the Skill Set was important but it was almost a bonus A higher rarity skill set would increase the power of the skill but make it more difficult to level and make the image perhaps more unwieldy Although a Common rarity skillset would be laughed at in terms of power it would still be a skill set and the image would be quick and easy The growth speed would be fast

If one still had a choice between a 3 skill Uncommon Rarity Skill Set and a 4 skill Common Rarity Skill Set many would go with the Common Rarity It just made sense in terms of a person’s future potential

After all a Skill Set was technically only one skill in the eyes of the system Spear users had been abusing this for generations to make an aristocracy among their youth where as many skills as possible were Skill Sets giving them that much of an advantage over everyone else Not only were there path benefits but the flexibility of the elites was a level higher than the average spear user They had skill slots to spare for things like resistances and passive skills

Which was why Randidly tempted her in terms of sources of genetics for her offspring Helen slowly repeated the phrase pounded into her head by her own mother A skill from the mother a path from the father

Then Helen pursed her lips Of course the results were fucking random and limited by prerequisites and the like But typically a child would be born with an innate skill from her mother and have access to a path from her father The skill would be direct inheritance the child received a skill that the mother had Which was why Helen had been innately talented in terms of Leatherworking from a young age and obtained access to related paths way ahead of her peers

She of course took great joy in refusing to invest PP in those paths and squandering her once in a generation potential Her mother’s disappointment was the sweetest nectar and her father’s fury was how she learned to behave

Which is why it made sense when she obtained the Building Fury Path on her 15th birthday Which had proven to be a much more useful and fruitful investment Helen believed It certainly had fucking made kicking the asses of all the handsy leatherworking boys much more attainable

She wondered what sort of skill a child would be likely to inherit from her Ideally it would be the Skill Set but anecdotally that was incredibly uncommon Although the Skill Set counted as one skill for the purposes of the class skill limit each skill also counted individually as well as the Skill Set seeming to have an even lesser chance of appearing

Still any of the 3 movements that Helen had would be a fucking blessing to a child More so than Leatherworking Even by the time the child was ready to get the spear user class their mastery over the Skill would lead to future accomplishments More power early meant more opportunities more dungeons more pure Aether from which to focus on your own image it was a cycle that reinforced itself

But really what Helen wanted to know was completely unrelated to her

What sort of path would having Randidly as a father open for a child

Shal sat in meditation watching as his disciple gritted his teeth and read from the diary of Shal’s father Shal knew in his heart he hadn’t been fair to Randidly as they left the prison The killing of the guard was unnecessary but made sense given what Shal had been teaching him about life Given that Shal had okayed the battling and sometimes killing of those inside the prison Given that Shal had encouraged Randidly to kill the guard originally in order to earn themselves a berth in prison

Those had been necessary in Shal’s mind in order for them to go down this path For at his core Shal knew the truth Shal did not fear that Randidly was becoming like his father Shal feared that he himself was making that transition A man who viewed his children and lessers simply as tools

For he remembered something said to him a long time ago in one of the brief times that Shal had seen his father after he had become the Spear Phantom It was one of the last times he saw him leading up to Shal’s father’s trip to see the Devourer

Why did you let him get like this Shal asked tears in his eyes wringing his 12 year old hands

Slowly Shal’s father turned and regarded Shal Then to Shal’s surprise the most unrelenting and stiff man Shal knew sighed The cruelty and the powerful aura of death that the man carried with him vanished them if just for a moment And he said It is easier to walk down the path of strength first and then worry about integrity later only once you have the power to defend it

That Shal found himself encouraging Randidly down a similar path 50 years later disgusted him But there was a fire in his chest that he couldn’t put out And it had a name

Lucrecia

His disciple gasped and dropped the diary Calmly waiting Shal watched as Randidly groaned stretched walked around a bit then sat back down with the diary Continuing along with Shal’s ridiculous request of keeping with just the 1st and 5th entry The proper way would have been slowly immersing in the different Battle Intents for the 6 moves one at a time slowly building up a familiarity with the Style and hopefully mastering them all someday

But Shal had tried that path When he trained in the moves of the Spear Phantom he slowly pushed himself deeper and deeper focusing on his foundation And of course that didn’t turn out well enough to be proud of He had only managed to master 4 of the 6 moves

What was perhaps even more frustrating about the whole ordeal was that those 4 stances were enough to absolutely dominate those below the Adept level The sheer overwhelming power of the image that his father had created was ridiculous And so very different than the father Shal remembered growing up with Even then there was a darkness to him but it manifested itself as a tiredness not as the vicious unrelenting authoritarian that he became in later years even as he was rarely around

In fact Shal had only received one week of instruction in the Phantom Spear Style from his father in real time Some of that had been stretched through dungeon but only up to a month Perhaps if he had more he could glean some secret some trick or insight that would allow him access to all 6 moves

For all of this was for revenge Partially against his father perhaps even a sliver of revenge against his brother Pronto but most of all revenge against the woman who set them on that tragic path

This was Shal’s gamble with Randidly On the one hand Shal hoped that Randidly would really be able to master the Phantom’s Embrace That would increase his disciple’s chances of surviving in the tournament to almost assured It was however his disciple and there was always a chance he would fuck it up

But the real goal was not to increase his disciple’s strength but to see if building a bridge without the foundation is possible If that was true

Shal’s eyes burned The third eye lodged in his forehead stirred

If that was true Shal would skip the 5th and proceed to the 6th the Breath of the Spear Phantom

Chapter 176

Randidly gritted his teeth and forced his gaze to follow along with the words on the page of the diary

And as Randidly read the words it was there Or rather he After hearing the story about Shal and his history especially of his father Randidly could see the man His small smile his broad shoulders his short dark hair Unlike Shal his skin was not dyed blue but was a dull red color

From his shoulders hung a long leather cloak that was shredded at the edges But his eyes

But his eyes burned and as Randidly read that first line he appeared and and began to float towards Randidly

They flinch away from his touch as fear erodes control of their very body Perhaps if they were able to remain equipped with their faculties their struggles would have meaning But before the Phantom

Randidly’s body began to tremble The approach of Phantom carried with it an aura of death that was palpable almost as if Randidly had inhaled the scent of a rotting body The air became increasingly warm and fetid and Randidly clenched his fists He refused to give in even as the image drifted closer

before the Phantom all other things break and scatter The path he walks is long and wide It is multifarious and insidious a small step to the side But once those people step upon it for whatever reason they have doomed themselves At that point although they may struggle

Roaring Randidly created a spear of Battle Intent and threw it at the Phantom Although it may have just been his imagination he thought the Spear Phantom smiled at him and then disappeared

The next thing he felt was a thin cold hand on his shoulder tapping lightly as if to take his attention Refusing to back down Randidly backed around and faced the Phantom finding it standing there its arms spread wide Its leather cloak was open flapping lightly by an ethereal wind revealing not the human torso Randidly had been expecting or even a skeleton’s body but a face a sleeping one

At first Randidly thought that the face was Shal’s but the longer he looked the more the subtle differences between them began to come to the surface This was was softer and warmer than Shal’s Although the nose was the same the cheekbones were less prominent and wider

Randidly was frozen suddenly very confused what he was looking at A face rather than a torso underneath the cloak Somehow it was incredibly disturbing This was still the image conjured by the Battle Intent right

The eyelids of the sleeping face trembled then blinked open its long beautiful eyelashes fluttering As the eyes opened Randidly continued to stare wondering whether the androgynous face was male or female

I’m

Now Randidly blinked because the face spoke its lips moving thickly clumsy and rusty from disuse

The eyes opened further and they were pure black and wet like spilled ink The Phantom continued to stand holding that cloak open his smile slowly fading away to a frown His eyes furrowed into an angry bunch

although they struggle it is too late For the very path they walk is their end As soon as the spectre of death tempted them into its realm they lives begin flickering like candles their blood seeming to drip out of their mouths and pool on the path behind them The path

I’m so hungry The weary chest face said and then it began to open its mouth and suck its inky eyes locking onto Randidly The Aether inside of him trembled as if some outside force acted on it causing Randidly to take a step backward instinctually

Immediately the Phantom itself let its arms drop its smile returned Its fingers grew and grow growing and surrounding Randidly forming a cage that began to press inwardly crush and bursting his organs leaving him

Gasping Randidly dropped the diary again For several seconds the very real Phantom pain remained his body feeling as though it had been annihilated But then it slowly passed likely blown out of him by his heavy breathing Shal sat there regardingly him coolly

That is quite enough for today I think He said simply reaching down and taking the diary Then he left Randidly there laying on the ground

After his breathing had calmed Randidly closed his eyes and tried to focus on remembered what happened That face that looked similar to Shal’s on the chest of the Phantom its inky black eyes the strange change in the Phantom the longer that Randidly looked at that face That face was even able to cause some effect on the Aether within him that Randidly struggled with at the best of times

And that hunger in its blank eyes

Randidly did now have a more concrete ideal about the Phantom’s embrace as a move although he wasn’t sure how it worked It was a skill that produced an overwhelming psychological effect and pressed your opponent backwards It turned the momentum of their fleeing against them becoming increasingly powerful the more that they attempted to dodge

But if someone did not flee or did not attack it was useless

However the face didn’t seem to fit into Randidly’s impression of the move It felt like that was a larger part of the image within the book and less to do with the actual skill Or perhaps even it was a spectre of whatever the 6th move of the Spear Phantom was

Either way this was far beyond the current Randidly For now he could only concentrate on the goals that would yield positive results So he stood and began to practice the Inevitable Phantom Arrives His strikes were slow and even but even though he hadn’t gleaned any true insights from his studying of the 5th move of the Spear Phantom his Battle Intent was increasingly strengthened by the exposure

The ticking grew louder His own temporal phantom became more definite and Randidly began to add more and more details Almost unbidden small memories of his mother floated to the surface As Randidly remembered how worn her clothes always were when she wasn’t going out the robe the phantom wore became threadbare and grey

He remembered how she smelled like honey and flowers just starting to rot and how she smiled almost as if she was apologizing with her eyes while her mouth was stretched wide And as these details began to accumulate in the image Randidly’s feelings about the image balloon outward in his heart

With Aether thundering in his ears a vicious icy flow Randidly’s rage and frustration that he had buried for years began to surface filling his image with potency

Randidly remembered how he had sat in his room in the dark for long hours afraid and confused by the long nights of laughter his mother had with strange men even on weekdays The way he would hide in his room while the men were there even as he grew hungrier and hungrier But he refused to allow himself to be dragged out and paraded out in front of them

He remembered the men and their callous hands and their patronizing smiles and their eyes all for his mother It igniting something hot and vicious inside of Randidly Helpless stuck torn by emotions dragged in 1000 directions

As Randidly focused more and more on that small boy his arms wrapped around his knees sitting in the dark the ticking grew louder and louder almost to a deafening degree With each tick the hours would slide past the child’s hunger would grow more desperate and gnawing But the laughter tinkling and light and low and dirty grew louder and louder a droning noise that began to rival the ticking

Abruptly Randidly became aware of the fact that he had been standing still and he thrust out with his spear not bothering to use Haste or Empower just thrusting forward with the spear And as he completed the motion now much quicker than it had been when he trained before he went into the prison there was no feedback no cracking of the air no vacuum created

There was just silence and a strange sensation in Randidly’s hand that his spear was as heavy as the world Randidly sighed letting the silence grow This was part of his image too the powerful silence that surrounded that boy in the darkness The ticking was scary in a way because it demonstrated the passing of time and the inevitability of resisting time But by the same token the silence was even more horrifying

Because in that silence time could twist and morph becoming an abomination that no longer obeyed objective rules but stretched to fill subjective spaces In that silence that darkness even a minute felt like an eternity

The Aether was howling within him now and he held that image in his mind for several minutes feeling as thin tendrils of Aether split off and flowed down into his skills strengthening them slowly

After a while the sensation ceased and Randidly checked his status screen

He had gained one Skill level in Spear Mastery 2 in Empower 1 in Body Control Freeze 3 in Engraving 2 in Rejection but then 7 in Battle Intent and 11 in the Inevitable Phantom Arrives

Randidly distributed the PP he earned netting 3 Resistance and Willpower but as he made to stand afterward his chest began to ache Grimacing Randidly sat back down and put his hand on the spot where his Soul Skill was whirling wildly inside of his chest This wasn’t nearly as bad as the previous incident but still It felt like the kind of heartburn that could kill you eating you from the inside out

Luckily it passed relatively quickly but still it made Randidly annoyed This wasn’t something that Randidly wanted to deal with right now He would be participating in the tournament soon and if it happened in the middle of a match

This level was nothing But Aether activity seemed to exacerbate the issue In a tough match there was a very real chance of the Soul Skill escalating beyond the point that Randidly could control Based on this pain

If the Soul Skill spun so fast it ripped itself apart

Randidly wasn’t really sure about the physical consequences of the Aether backlash but if it was just ripped out of his body

Shuddering Randidly meditated until the pain had passed

Chapter 177

Shal hoped his disciple hadn’t seen how his hand had trembled when he grasped his father’s diary It had been all he could do to make it into the hallway at a normal gait before he had collapsed the strength leaving his body

Slamming into the wall Shal leaned there for several seconds not daring to make a sound Luckily it seemed his disciple hadn’t heard he was too occupied with his own activities So Shal limped and dragged himself to his own quarters where he collapsed in a heap The diary was dropped on the ground like the trash that Shal thought it was but in that moment it wasn’t so sweet revenge it was an infuriating reminder of his own weakness

Shal breathed heavily for an hour just laying there but the weakness just grew worse snaking its way up from his extremities towards his chest There had never been a case of Aether poisoning killing someone but there had been well documented instances where someone who was within a dungeon for a few years had gone into a coma to conserve energy while the connection to the Village Spirit was reestablished

This was one of the main ways that the First Spear maintained control When you came out he controlled access to some dungeons with lesser time dilation than the prison which you could go in and manage half of your symptoms before you came back to normal time You could also complete those dungeons and be rewarded with dungeon boss Aether which could be used as a patch to cover your Aether needs until the village connection restored itself

Without these stop gaps the body’s Aether would be quickly devoured Especially considering Shal’s level He had considered going into a dungeon while Randidly participated in the earlier rounds of the Regional Tournament which were designed to root out the weak But he hadn’t done it seriously Now Shal wondered whether he could make do without it to keep him going

But then he would be forced to leave Randidly alone because Divvit would need to escort Shal to the dungeon That alone would probably wound Shal’s pride more than he could handle right now so it was a distant possibility

As his vision began to swim however Shal didn’t really see any other way

He resisted the urge to grit his teeth as it was a waste of energy It would be a gamble Thus far the people who had come to the boat to challenge them for their Tassles had mostly been targeting Shal The actions of his father and himself rightly were suspected by anyone who knew the story

Why had Aemont allowed The Devourer to continue to exist when he had the care of his son He even had taken advantage of the isolation formation to develop his own Skill Set Was it possible that

The war hero Aemont the Phantom had sold his son to a monster in order to gain power This is how most of the people seemed to think It made Shal want to laugh but at the moment he controlled that urge

Selling his son for power No Aemont was a much more calculating and sinister man than that Shal wanted to tell them Aemont had sold his entire life for power and didn’t even have the human decency to apologize to Shal after all the lies and evil that he grew up breathing like it was second nature Even Shal’s name was nothing but a lie

Shal grunted shutting that thought process down very quickly Now was not the time to worry about truth Now was just part of the journey In the darkness Shal’s eyes opened very slowly It would be a gamble But this wasn’t about making it out of the casino with enough money to cover his costs

This was about burning the place to the ground

As Shal laid on the ground he began to consider likely locations The level would have to be low and the distance short If it were on the way to Deardun

Shal smiled wanly The first place that popped into his head was the most likely answer although Shal detested the coincidence of it It was an extremely low level dungeon only built for people at the high teens level And it was the place Aemont had taken him that week before he went with Pronto to see Haelthing

The male spear attendant had furiously challenged Teliph the first time in the wake of the mocking due to the material dumping

He woke up several minutes later wondering what was happening Under Divveltian’s amused guidance he trained for 3 hours and promptly challenged Teliph again The man had simply snorted

This duel lasted slightly longer and at least was saved in the male spear attendant’s memory banks Mostly due to the fact it was more torture session than duel Eventually Helen grew tired of his whimpers as he lay slowly bleeding out on the deck and came over to lovingly feed him a health potion

She of course did this by putting the open end of the bottle in his mouth and then smashing the rest into his mouth with her heel but the male spear attendant wasn’t offended by the cuts in his mouth from the broken glass Instead he was touched that she took the time to look after him

The training session that followed that duel was longer and lasted until the dawn as the male spear attendant struggled to get the wild Aether in his chest to flow in the image he wanted Tirelessly he attempted again and again

Divveltian in a rare show of rest was lounging on a futon looking mat As Divveltian watched the male spear attendant he could only sigh and shake his head Fool you are better off spending your time working on your form not your image The image will follow

But the male spear attendant ignored him attempting again and again to refine the image for his Bulwark of Iron that he had created It was still a fuzzy thing and he struggled incessantly with it

Midway through his training the male spear attendant stopped frowning at the deck Some very strange almost ripples were coming up from below disturbing his image They were very very weak and that was why they were difficult to ignore He didn’t sense them coming and then pressed lightly up and around him like ocean waves on toes But they demanded attention in a strange fashion

What is that The male spear attendant asked his expression twisted into annoyance What was even more annoying was that Teliph and Helen continued to train stoically frantically perfecting their own technique Helen’s sensual movements continued without pause her curvaceous body possessing more and more hidden power to the male spear attendant’s eyes

Teliph continued to be a mystery His strikes were direct and short but the air seemed incredibly turbulent in the area around him

class="book">Divveltian just snorted at the question and rolled over For a long time they just stood there the male spear attendant growing increasingly annoyed that no one was answering him Finally he received an answer but it was from the new spear attendant with the cloth tied around his eyes

He the Ghosthound is at the door of the Artisan level Those ripples those are his image beginning to be visible to those not on the receiving end of the skill

The male spear attendant’s mouth formed into an O but Divveltian was rolling over and snorting While technically true don’t get ahead of yourself Like I said to this spear idiot it’s better to focus on skill level than the image He like you is working on the image too early Just he’s good at it In terms of power

Divveltian’s face became thoughtful perhaps he could pass the Artisan test if he kept working on it But It would be mostly in name not in fact He does not yet possess the skill in his movement and basic spear ability to equal any who are legitimate Artisans Probably

Still worlds ahead of us Helen said her voice strangely dark The beautiful woman continued to frown as her body flowed and twisted

Teliph nodded and swiftly began training again Doing his best to ignore the strange ripples emanating from below the male spear attendant began to train But unfortunately they continued to lightly press up against him almost tickling him The strange light touch was too much to bare

God fucking damnit The male spear attendant yelled throwing his spear to the ground Helen giggled which was gratifying but both Divveltian and Teliph seemed content to ignore him But what was even more humiliating was that at that moment the ripples stopped

The male spear attendant felt his heart grow cold Had the Ghosthound heard

Sure enough soon there was the sound of approaching footsteps on wood and the Ghosthound climbed onto the deck looking around The male spear attendant was almost shivering but kept his back straight Although he might get punished for this he wouldn’t back down After all in a way it was very rude for the Ghosthound to create those ripples while people were trying to train The male spear attendant would calmly explain the situation and it would become clear that he wasn’t in the wrong

After glancing around with a frown the Ghosthound walked over towards the male spear attendant Hey uh You

The male spear attendant prostrated himself on the ground Please forgive me it was a small mistake I won’t ever dare breath in front of you again

The Ghosthound just stared at him seemingly dumbfounded Then slowly he looked at the others and said What’s up with him

He hasn’t developed a backbone the little fucker Helen said sweetly and then she winced as if scared of something and hurriedly threw herself back into training

The male spear attendant peeked up to check the Ghosthound’s reaction After all as with all things the male spear attendant was profoundly gifted in subterfuge and misdirection although he hadn’t yet fully developed his innate potential in those areas But in terms of raw talent

But the Ghosthound was just standing there his eyes following the lines of Helen’s body as she trained After a few seconds he almost unwillingly dragged his eyes back to the male spear attendant

Yes well I just wanted to try a skill You have a defensive skill you created right

Slowly standing the male spear attendant nodded He picked up his spear and adopted a defensive stance watching the Ghosthound nervously The man removed a small bone spear from his ring and settled back and then thrust

Whereas before there had been only small ripples now there was a constant ticking a stream of low female laughter almost hysterical at the edges a strange suffocating blackness a sense of weakness and frustration of overwhelming power and the floating image of a smiling almost apologetic woman as she floated closer with her arms spread wide

It did not crush his Iron Bulwark or rip through it but rather just slid cleanly forward moving through his defensive image like it wasn’t even there It was heavy and inevitable but when it struck the male spear attendant’s chest it was simply a stiff jab sending him several steps backwards

All of the male spear attendant’s confidence deserted him and he felt himself be seized by fear and a growing relief

A relief that he had started following this man before he had fully transformed into the monster that he would become

Chapter 178

Randidly frowned confused That had been way too easy Why had the man not even blocked Well it wasn’t that he hadn’t blocked but the block had been rather

Divveltian slapped his knee laughing It’s not worth your time to practice against that idiot He’s challenging you directly with images And your Battle Intent is to the level that his can’t even touch you You should

But then Divveltian stilled and he looked out across the boats well nevermind It seems we have company Move to the side this is no longer a probe It seems your absence has made them become serious

A group of 7 ran off of nearby boats and leaped aiming for their boat Divveltian’s face tightened and it seemed for a moment he was locked in an internal struggle But then he gazed at Randidly and his gaze softened

I suppose it really is time to stop playing around He muttered and then he raised a finger With a delicate motion he waved it back and forth

That strange music filled the air and spears condensed moving back and forth to a strange rhythm These spears smashed against the leaping seven spear users But before the spears could land there was a soft tinkling of laughter A woman with a long dark pink dress with sleeves that covered her hands stepped up on the far boats

Don’t you think your reaction is a bit too violent Divveltian

An image of a spear growing upwards like a vine out of the earth appeared in the air smashing into the musical spears Raising his hand Randidly hid his shock at how powerful the shock wave between the two moves was Was this the power of Adepts

The seven were buffeted by the winds but the leader seemed able to disperse most of the force However the momentum of their leap was destroyed and the leader was forced to produce a small boat that they landed on bobbing up and down on the water

For several seconds the woman Divveltian and the 7 spear users looked at each other It was a long dragging silence Then Divveltian cleared his throat

To dare attempt to board a boat without permission That sort of behavior is best nipped in the bud

The leader of the seven’s face darkened You fool You usurped that boat from Uncle Izzie a close personal friend Those who dare behave like thieves should not complain about the decency of others You even sabotaged his enterprise by dumping his wares This will not stand It is the opinion of the First Spear of Qtal

If the First Spear had such an opinion Divveltian drawled Then why hasn’t he appeared and made it known Do not casually use the name of your betters boy

The man flushed His boat began to slowly drift forward towards their boat Divveltian folded his arms behind his back and spoke quietly so only Randidly and his 3 spear attendants could hear Listen very carefully That man is Jacktat of the Thunder Hammer Style He is a kept spear user of the Merchant Association here but before he sold out and lost his edge he did have the legitimate power of an Artisan Shal will be busy with his training and I

The woman in the dark pink dress waved brightly at the group as if she knew exactly what was being discussed even across the water

have an old friend to deal with I will not be able to assist with these seven Divveltian tilted his head to the side and squinted his eyes I do not know any of them aside from Jacktat which leads me to expect that they are simply common bullies But it will still be 2 v 1 for you three Be careful

Helen smiled wickedly Teliph just snorted The male spear attendant just stood with his jaw hanging open his eyes wide

Randidly breathed in and out very slowly clear on what Divveltian was saying If Shal really was occupied then that meant the pleasure of entertaining Jacktat fell to him He spared a glance for the woman and her long pink sleeves Who was this that it made Divveltian with the power of an Adept so serious Why were so many Adept level people squirming out of the woodwork

As the truth seemed to hit the male spear attendant he asked but how can we manage 2 v 1 I can’t even

Divveltian sighed Fool stop comparing yourself to the spear users you train with Helen has a grace that is almost genius Teliph is implacable and methodical Randidly is unrelenting and is willing to brutalize his mind and body for power You are just a spear user with an average amount of talent But talent doesn’t mean everything Where you train is often the more determinative factor in terms of outcomes Be confident Now quiet They are arriving

Randidly smiled at the compliment and even Teliph seemed to lightly flush at the praise Unfortunately the male spear attendant didn’t seem to understand what Divveltian had said to him and his face twisted in horror and panic could be seen at the edges of his eyes But Randidly shrugged inwardly The man would either realize the truth of Divvit’s words or he wouldn’t

The seven climbed regally onto the boat glaring around Behind Jacktat there was a large man with extremely thick arms a pudgy man a wispy looking fellow two women whose similar features marked them as family perhaps twins and a grim faced man who carried at least 6 spears on his back

Jacktat leveled his spear at Divveltian Now old man prepare to eat your fucking words I’ll make sure you fucking repay every cent that you owe Uncle Izzie

Ah you are confused I get it your rampaging teenage hormones Divveltian said breezily shooing Jacktat away But I won’t be bothering with you Perhaps you should fight one of the younger generation so it’s more fair

Randidly stepped forward summoning the huge obsidian spear that he now knew had belonged to Haelthing Glancing at it he admired how regal and imposing it was but he couldn’t wrap his mind around the image the story had given him of Haelthing in comparison with the spear Sure it was dark and dangerous looking but it was the danger of a mountain path sunk in shadow It was not an evil thing just a brutal one

Randidly’s reverie was interrupted by vicious laughter What ahahahahah Fine I’ll crush this bug and then drag you out old man You know what Let’s crush them all Gang up on them and make them all pay boys

The disciples spread slowly their smiles thin and evil With a lecherous grin the huge man and the pudgy one walked towards Helen The wispy guy and the man with 6 spears walked towards Teliph The male spear attendant supressed a dumb little smile as the two female twins slunk towards him

Don’t die quickly Jacktat hissed I want them to see every second of your pain and regret letting me break you Randidly of the emerald There is a modest bounty on your Tassle too in the right circles so I’ll enjoy this

But Randidly wasn’t really listening to his words though It would just distract him Instead he just focused on his breathing reaching inside himself and touching on the Aether that waited there Slowly as Randidly pressed with his will it began to slowly flow like the deepest part of a frozen stream in winter The movement was small but it would make upping the ante in battle easier

His heart rate increased

It was strange but Randidly was nervous He had fought many people in his 2 years in prison but that felt different somehow Isolated from the world And it was a wild and informal thing those brawls Done more for survival than anything else

Here however there were rites and rituals different ways of speaking This was a battle for honor and respect And as soon as Randidly thought that he smiled his nerves broken He fell into a fighting stance That was why this felt strange Even from Jacktat’s words although he wanted to crush Randidly there was never any hint of killing intent The purpose was to humiliate him and strip him of his Tassle

When the stakes were so low it was hard to get serious Like Divvit said this was a man who had been bought and long ago lost his edge But that was just in the way he acted and fought Skill Levels didn’t decay as far as Randidly knew so there would be within him still a hint of the man who seized the title of Artisan

Randidly was pleased by the surprise in the man’s face when Randidly attacked first activating Haste Empower and Mana Strengthening to leap forward and use Sweep smashing into Jacktat’s defense All around Randidly’s move seemed to serve as the signal to attack and his three spear attendant’s rushed forward in unison with him

Jacktat grunted lightly and took a step back but it seemed more from surprise than anything else His powerful thrust that he launched in reply proved that It smashed Randidly backwards and ripped a chunk of flesh off of his shoulder Randidly’s eyes narrowed He had been far too careless attacking him directly It was an old bad habit left over from his earliest fights when the system arrived

But he had spent two years learning how to fight in different ways and it was time to show the world how much he had changed And not just the world but himself too To prove that he had the strength to stand up against the powerful youth he would be forced to fight in the regional tournament That he had the strength to crush them

So as Jacktat rushed forward his blows heavy not Shal level of heavy but still clearly powerful Randidly began to use Spear Phantom’s Footwork and moved around the attacks getting in shots where he could This seemed to annoy Jacktat but he just growled and attacked more wildly

Which of course was exactly the wrong sort of thing to do Jacktat might be powerful but he was not as powerful as those Randidly had trained with and that was all he had power He had none of the grace and speed of Shal and none of the impossibly perfect attacks that Marco Polo used combinations based on years of experience

Randidly’s eyes began to glow as the Aether flowed more freely in his chest

He could do this He could defeat an Artisan

Chapter 179

Helen felt her eyes drifting closed as she fought even as the two men had their expressions change from lust to something much more serious Helen’s grin was wicked

Fucking perverts She said laughing inwardly as she swayed between their admittedly powerful but rough attacks Although they were both fine spear users they had no concept of teamwork between them so their overall utility was heavily inhibited by each other Their skills and methods were not complimentary at all Soon their serious gazes turned into annoyance as they were as much foiled by each other as Helen

The large man rushed towards her slashing diagonally towards her with her spear Helen pretty easily swayed under the blow and the pudgy man sprung forward executing a fearsome thrust

She pirouetted to the side the thrust ripping a small gash in her leather armor but the attack also made the large man who was rushing towards Helen’s exposed back hastily jump to the side to avoid the blow The two men glared at each other for a second then grudgingly turned back to Helen their eyes once more regaining a lustful tint as they traced Helen’s curves

Normally Helen would be infuriated by the flagrant disregard of her skill as a spear user and even now that was annoying but the dodging the flowing moves something was coming alive inside of Helen It was a cool icy electricity a lump of spinning stardust in her chest that seemed to be animating her whole body Tingling streams flowed outward and she felt strangely alive

Several small bits of information came together in her head The energy released by Randidly in the past The way her mother always recommended that Helen find a man who could complete dungeons and sleep with him immediately after he returned from a victorious dungeon It was pretty common knowledge that a man’s seed contained some fraction of the Aether that he had in his body and a woman could take from for herself with her body

Which at the time disgusted Helen Not that she had any interest in sex especially with the leatherworkers she had grown up around but it was repugnant to her that she would effectively trade her body for a night in exchange for a bit of Aether She already obtained some from her class what was the point in having more

But now with this wondrous energy coursing through her practically sculpting itself according to her will Helen’s heart rate was skyrocketing but at the same time her vision became strangely bright and pristine It was like the two men in front of her were slow moving monkeys trying to catch her

The huge man rushed forward smashing downward with a powerful blow Helen flowed around it her spear flicking out to hit him in the side sending him stumbling The pudgy man blanched seeing Helen approach like a swift death but he was still a spear user He raised his spear in a defensive posture and thrust forward to meet her advance

Helen breathed very deeply the stardust in her chest now exploding outward like a levy bursting and unleashing a flood She had to hold that breath because the strange feeling made it impossible for her to contract her lungs It was a strange stasis but to her surprise her senses continued to sharpen to a point every detail of the pudgy man appearing before her eyes

Congratulations Your Skillset The River’s Three Bends (Un) can undergo a change Would you like to allow this to happen

Warning this will require a large quantity of energy If you possess insufficient fuel weakness or death may result Do you wish to proceed

Of course Helen didn’t even think about it She didn’t know of anyone who truly was willing to pass up the opportunity to have their own created skill set or to expand it Because it was a path to a future that you forged for yourself Helen thought yes and she was filled with a rush of inspiration

Congratulations Your Skillset has become The River’s Four Bends ® You have learned the skill The Fourth Bend Surging Rapids (Un) Lvl 1

With blazing eyes Helen surged forward passing the thrust of the pudgy man and her spear ripped upward knocking his weapon upwards so it was pointing towards the sky and the pudgy man’s body was completely unprotected His eyes widened in horror

The huge man launched an attack towards Helen’s back but she was already bursting forward filled with the strange ferocity of her Fourth Movement Surging Rapids She brought her spear across and smashed the pudgy man so far that he hit the railing of the boat and tumbled over

Fucking perverts Helen said gleefully turning to face the larger man whose expression was quite ugly

Wincing Randidly once more dodged to the side His spear flicked out and ripped a small gash in Jacktat’s cheek but the man was a furious god of war now ignoring the damage and smashing forward with his spear once more It was appropriate that this man had a thunder related style He definitely had the power and delivery to back it up

Also Randidly’s earlier statement that he had the strength to stand up against an Artisan was slowly becoming more and more hollow Sure he had survived and he had inflicted quite a few small wounds but It was becoming increasingly clear that he couldn’t stand up to the power of Jacktat’s strikes and the opposing spear user had enough rhythm to make it very difficult to land any hits that would inflict real damage

Roaring Jacktat advanced smashing back and forth with his spear Randidly retreated using Phantom Half Step and Footwork of the Spear Phantom to maintain a pretty solid grip on the distance between them Once more Randidly slashed outward hitting a few glancing blows on Jacktat’s arms but that didn’t slow him down at all in fact it seemed to incense him further and he rushed forward his heavy spear raised

Grimacing Randidly leapt to the side He definitely would have preferred to have a lighter spear at times like this when he was completely eclipsed in terms of power Someday Randidly vowed to himself someday he would bully others with the power of his strikes But for now

His control that approached 200 was making itself very known in the way Randidly was able to easily maneuver his body to where he wanted keeping Jacktat from being able to find his footing in his attacks Randidly knew he could probably get an advantage and pressed forward with it with spells but he was hesitant to use any of them while everyone was fighting so chaotically on top of the boat His fire spells could burn the thing to a shell of itself and Randidly didn’t want to create a root that would eventually trip up one of his spear attendants

After leaping to the side and rushing under Jacktat’s guard slashing his spear and ripping a pretty sizable gash in the man’s side Randidly glanced around looking for the status of his spear attendants

Helen seemed to have already beaten one of her enemies and the second one was retreating away in a very sorry state With a pleased smile Randidly looked at Teliph who had also defeated one of his opponents the man with 6 spears and was now clashing in a flurry of blows against the wispy man who had a strange unpredictable style of fighting Although it seemed that this battle was less settled than Helen’s it was still even and Randidly wouldn’t have to worry about them gaining victory anytime soon and harassing him

But the male spear attendant Randidly sighed He really should just learn the man’s name because he was no longer the only male spear attendant he had but Randidly just had this weird suspicion that asking the man his name would end up encouraging him to go on a long monologue about himself when Randidly simply wanted something else to call him

The risk was too great the benefit was not worth the cost of failure

A smashing overhand blow from Jacktat caught Randidly by surprise due to his meandering thoughts and Randidly was forced to block it directly His arms trembled and the planks of the boat underneath him groaned from the force

Following up quickly Jacktat twisted and brought the spear around in a horizontal sweep Randidly made to dodge but just staggered barely managing to get his cramping legs to obey him It wasn’t just strength it was also a mild paralysis effect to Jacktat’s attacks that made it very dangerous to continue to fight directly against him Randidly was forced to use Phantom Half Step and blow quite a bit of stamina to fuly dodge the attack

Randidly instantly sucked all the stamina he had stored in the rings on his hands replenishing his stores very quickly But his chest was still heaving and only now was feeling slowly working its way back into his legs

Jacktat sneered All you can do is run This is a disgrace You still dare claim you have the strength to resist me

All you can do is swing wildly at the air Don’t act like your successes are anything but the result of blockheaded repetition Randidly snapped He immediately regretted engaging Jacktat mostly because of the interaction with such a detestable stranger but the words did seem to fit another purpose

Jacktat’s face because twisted his eyes somehow narrowed and overly opened at once so his eyes looked wide like a goats Good Good good good

Then Jacktat rushed forward a strange new energy crackling around his body So far Randidly had simply dealt with the man’s superior skill levels and likely stats But now

Randidly had a feeling that he would find out what the man had used to earn himself the title of Artisan

In the darkness of his cabin Shal breathed slowly So slowly that there were several minutes between breathes He did not do this because he needed to breath his Vitality and Endurance were far above the levels where it was necessary to engage in such things Shal continued to breath in order to keep time

He had sensed the clashes beginning above and he had sealed away his senses so nothing would distract him Even that much was a small burden on his pitiable amount of Aether which he couldn’t afford It was a frustrating situation

So Shal continued to breath counting the minutes passed He had to have patience Necessarily Shal couldn’t accomplish this himself That was why he had even allowed this to happen Randidly would be carrying most of the weight in the next portion he would need to make it to the top 4 of the Regional Tournament After that

Then then was when Shal needed his strength For now

He simply breathed waiting for the Regional Tournament

Chapter 180

Helen snorted raising her blood covered spear The large man who was so lustily looking at her body minutes ago had collapsed in a puddle of his own blood the large wounds that Helen inflicted on him completely robbing him of his will to fight

Unbeknownst to that man Helen too was very close to her limit She felt a creeping weakness in her limbs likely an aftereffect from creating the new move for her Skillset But even though standing without the support of her spear was difficult she was filled with a manic excitement To improve a Skill Set’s rarity was exceptionally rare Usually an individual would create the Skill Set while they were young train for years and only once their body had a significant enough amount of pure Aether embedded in it would they enter an isolation chamber and cause their Skill Set to evolve But of course Helen hadn’t done that

She had simply consumed that small ball of Aether that the Ghosthound had left inside of her It made her surprisingly hot and cold at the same time She was strangely turned on by the prospect of some fraction of him remaining inside of her but cold because what it meant about the Ghosthound and the purity of the Aether that he had inside of him already Where did all that Aether come from

Not only had she increased the rarity of the Skill Set but she had also added a move which was more common but the two combined made it that much more likely to be successful in the future Hell if people knew she possessed this level of Skill Set and if she was a talented teacher Helen could probably create her own Style with a nice amount of success especially in an area like Qtal

But that was for later For now Helen looked around Teliph was wounded but the wispy man was worse and their attacks were growing increasingly sharp and desperate The male spear attendant was still getting beat to shit by the two female twins but it seemed that their attacks were getting shallower and shallower

Or if it wasn’t just Helen’s imagination his created skill was becoming increasingly powerful and sharp the more he was abused He seemed to thrive on it to which Helen felt no small amount of disgust But she supposed she shouldn’t complain that the fool was finally finding some measure of strength for himself Less weight for Teliph and herself to carry

Helen almost unwillingly turned her attention to the fight that was centerstage with Divveltian behind him glaring over at the woman with long sleeves the Ghosthound clashed against the man called Jacktat

Although Divveltian had no trouble smashing Jacktat and his group to the ground it seemed that the Artisan owned by the Merchant Association wasn’t a pushover As Helen watched the air around the man seemed to ripple and Helen paled This was it The strength that could suppress others below the Artisan level Why the categories had more meaning than just honor It was a demarcation

As Helen watched bolts of lightning began to gather and spin around Jacktat’s spear becoming increasingly dense and crystal clear losing the ethereal quality of an image and seeming to become reality

I have no quarrel with you but You do not know your own strength Prepare to die to your own foolishness Jacktat intoned Then he spun his spear lazily for a second and then rushed forward moving so quickly that he seemed to blur

To her surprise the Ghosthound simply stood there then he glanced meaningfully side to side The female twins were brutalizing the male spear attendant but they were far away Teliph and the wispy man were on the opposite side near the stairway down to the cabins

There was much space around them The Ghosthound had nowhere to run to Strangely Helen became strangely relieved Because that was not the face of a man who feared the future

The Ghosthound smiled wickedly raising the huge obsidian monstrosity that he so easily manipulated like a light spear Roots sprung into existence around Jacktat moving incredibly fast whipping up and grasping his limbs holding him still But Jacktat just roared ripping through them

The Ghoshound accelerated forward moving to meet Jacktat who was still wreathed in lightning

Fool Sky Breaker Storm clouds swirled above the two battling individuals and a thick bolt smashed downward hitting the tip of Jacktat’s spear which began to crackle Humming with power Jacktat slashed forward towards the Ghosthound’s figure

But the Ghosthound excelled at handling direct attacks He surged forward in a burst of speed then seemed to melt away like an ice sculpture on a hot beach appearing on the other side of Jacktat’s spear

Jacktat hissed but the spear still bursting with power reversed direction and swept over towards the Ghosthound who was now cutting down towards Jacktat’s forearm Jacktat’s face contorted into a grin

Competing in speed Hehe well huh

And Helen gasped too because the Ghosthound’s spear seemed to teleport forward a short distance and then ripped downwards into Jacktat’s arm cutting to the bone and dislodging that arm’s grip on the spear

You

But by the time Jacktat had recovered the Ghosthound faded backwards creating some distance Jacktat’s eyes bulged but then now seemed to have heavy dark bags under them as if this long fight with the Ghosthound was exceptionally trying

Helen felt a presence to her left and turned to find a pale Teliph Teliph just nodded to the side and Helen looked to see the two female twins on the ground exhausted with the male spear attendant standing above them Looking more like a disheveled pincushion than a person but monologuing enthusiastically about his strength to the depleted women

Rolling her eyes Helen turned back to the Ghosthound and Jacktat A win was a win she supposed It was still fucking cringy that he had the nerve to be so pompous about what was effectively an endurance contest Even if he was shitty with a spear his dedication to punishment was real

Although the Ghosthound had inflicted a serious injury on Jacktat the Artisan’s eyes were not those of a defeated man Instead they were now deathly serious It seemed he was finally starting to realize how this would end if he allowed things to continue as they were right now

This is the greatest outrage of my life Jacktat said quietly and something about the way that he said it made it seem exactly the opposite of that His voice was no longer wild and vicious it was cold and calculating The Ghosthound said nothing simply adjusting his stance and waiting

Did you think this would be enough This level of skill this level of playing Again Jacktat spoke with an exaggerated casual tone But still the Ghosthound remained still waiting One thing Helen knew for sure from overhearing Teliph talk about the Ghosthound during his time in the prison was that there was one thing that the Ghosthound exceeded all others that was in recuperation time He was inexhaustible And although Jacktat’s attitude had become more serious

There was something odd about him About the increasingly dark bags under his eyes and the way his face was growing pale About the way all the small scratches on him had become red and inflamed and some were producing thick yellow pus

The Ghosthound just watched his eyes cool The energy continued to crackle around Jacktat soft lightning jumping from arm to arm skipping over the large chunk missing from his one hand He kept adjusting his grip but he simply wasn’t able manage it with that much of his tendons and muscle mass missing

It would heal eventually but he did not have that sorta time

Growling Jacktat produced a potion Quick as a whip a root ripped upward from the boat expertly smashing the glass to pieces dumping its contents on the ground even as Jacktat saw and tried to move

Slowly a dozen or so more roots twisted up out of the deck to look towards Jacktat in askance The Ghosthound’s eyes were a vicious emerald His face was still but there was something about it It was the look of recognition a wolf gives to a lost sheep

You fucking None of you fucking take me seriously Jacktat raised his spear glaring manically down at the deck

Shal cannot be disturbed below Divveltian said suddenly The Ghosthound’s eyes narrowed Again the roots whipped forward wrapping around Jacktat’s arms but after a second of struggle he ripped through with brute force and brought the spear filled with a crackling energy downward

The Ghosthound materialized before the blow and swung his hug obsidian spear to meet the attack The explosion was accompanied by the crackle of electricity and although most of the energy was dispersed the Ghosthound’s body began to twitch and seize

Gleefully Jacktat jumped forward swinging his spear again To Helen’s surprise she didn’t make it in time but the male spear attendant did That pincushion was there his spear raised defensively

He was summarily smashed into the ground the planks beneath him splintering slightly Not to be outdone a second time before Jacktat could take advantage of the blow Helen was there trembling even as she attacked The weakness was real and pressing but if she could just

And yes as she hoped Jacktat dodged to the side clumsily grimacing It seemed he was more wounded than she realized Which was good because even with her newfound confidence in her skill set To fight an Artisan while barely able to stand

Heh hehehe to think that

The root spears ripped up from the planks and through Jacktat’s legs and torso silencing him He spat out a gulp of blood and swayed He swung his spear but it just sunk halfway into a root not managing to sever it

Why I feel so weak Jacktat mumbled looking at the ground He dropped his spear

It’s because you already decay Just give in and rot I do not like to take your life but The Ghosthound stood his face strangely pained Then he shook his head and his resolution returned It is necessary

Jacktat opened his mouth then closed it Several more roots ripped upwards riddling him with holes With a sigh the rest of his life passed from him leaving a body slowly draining of blood standing on the deck like a grotesque scarecrow

Chapter 181

For a long time Randidly looked at the body hanging there It was frustrating in a way Shal claimed to be able to differentiate when or when not it was necessary to kill And in his heart he admitted that this was possible to an extent and perhaps Shal was even more skilled at it than he Most likely more skilled even Randidly admitted to himself

But now This man would make trouble for them Randidly knew that the man this Jacktat worked for had a deep feud with Claptrap He was also arrogant and petty and the reason that he had allowed Randidly to inflict so many wounds on him utilizing Edge of Decay to slowly weaken him was that Jacktat couldn’t see past the fact that he was not an Artisan

He was just a young disciple And perhaps Jacktat hadn’t even bothered to learn that This was just another mission for Jacktat A routine job of intimidation and retribution

This brought up another reason Jacktat was not a good person It was perhaps a flimsy reason but it was a reason still

He would make trouble in the future he threatened their lives and livelihoods he was not a good person

Was this enough

Was this motivation enough to take a life

Shal remained silent below remaining stuck in training of some sort Or as Randidly actually suspected dealing with the Aether Starvation that he had mentioned earlier If even Shal was reduced to this sort of state by this perhaps it was more troublesome than Randidly had feared

Divvet glanced at the long sleeved woman across from him who winked and flounced away leaving them in peace Then he sighed and turned to Randidly

Congratulations It was a well fought match That is the level of those I expect to be the contenders in the regional tournament Although this man was beyond level 25 that is the type of opponent you will face Are you prepared

Randidly nodded trying his best not to stare at the corpse that remained on the boat bleeding out Divvit followed his gaze and sighed sorrowfully Then he walked over to Randidly and clapped him on the back

Shal will be training for the next few days We will need to leave in a week if we are to arrive in Deardun in time You have already trained long hours in the Prison why not take a break Find your center The Regional Tournament is long Prepare yourself

Then Divvet turned away and glared at the male spear attendant who was struggling to his feet Oy foolish training dummy clean up this mess And stop making such an aggrieved face you may have outlasted your opponents in perversion but that does not make your performance satisfactory in my mind Not at all

Randidly glanced around Both Teliph and Helen were sitting with their spears beside them breathing slowly After a moment of hesitation Randidly walked to the far end of the ship and took all the extra mana from his rings so he could summon a Weeping Cloud

It was nice for a while To just enjoy the cool feeling of rain Relieving too after all of the pointless drama of the past half hour This was just a random flailing of the merchant that had tried to take over their boat Randidly’s mouth tightened at the thought of a serious organization moving against them while Shal was occupied like this Divvet was strong but it was clear that one person alone was enough to deal with him

That or that mysterious woman was very very strong

But Randidly supposed that Divvet already knew about Shal’s condition and wasn’t willing to risk a full on confrontation while Shal was recuperating Randidly grimaced It just demonstrated how weak he was that his fight didn’t matter There were much larger fish to fry than him

On the other hand he had done it Held his own against an Artisan Although washed up and idiotic as he was it was an accomplishment What chilled Randidly’s heart was that Divvet seemed to think that level was what the Regional Tournament would be at If Jacktat had been a little more intelligent with his moves or responsive to Randidly’s strategy

But no it wouldn’t do to think overmuch on it What happened had happened Randidly had taken the man’s life

Something inside of Randidly was on fire consuming his emotions and creating a surging heat that acted like an emotional smog blinding him to the consequences But for now Randidly wasn’t willing to take the time to parse it apart It was enough that he was somehow invigorated furious and numb

Randidly looked up surprised to find the male spear attendant had approached him

Here His Tassle was with him so

Randidly blinked It was a soft yellow Like honey mustard Randidly took it in his hands and felt the rich material He smiled bitterly perhaps the better comparison for the color would be the gold of merchants But it was a much cheaper and shallow color than that

You rip off a strip The male spear attendant said helpfully his bruised and swollen face turning into a dreamy smile You can tie them to the pole that holds your Tassle Someday it will be like a rising sun or a rainbow or

Randidly ripped off a strip and silently handed it all back to the man then turned away his mood somehow turning even more sour As the male spear attendant drifted away Randidly brought up his status screen It was still blurry because it had been less than 24 hours since he had taken the potion but as he focused and concentrated it slowly slid back into a more legible form

This part was sort of disturbing about the potion Why did it also influence his status screen and why did focusing on it help alleviate the effects

Either way Randidly had gained 1 Skill Level in Spear Mastery 3 in Spear Phantom’s Footwork 2 in Eyes of the Spear Phantom and Phantom Half Step 1 in Fighting Proficiency Block and Haste 2 in Empower 7 in Edge of Decay 2 in Idiosyncratic Cut 3 in Struggle 2 in Spearing Roots and Root Control 4 in Bacterial Regeneration 1 in Superiority and 3 in Second Wind

Randidly hesitated for a while but it was better to do it now than wait until he had more PP built up He put the PP into his Weeping Cloud path earning himself some more Resistance and Willpower and also some stats and chest pain from his Soulskill

The addition again caused the rotation speed to increase to a level that was physically painful and it took around 10 minutes for that to subside Then Randidly sighed and closed his eyes drifting closer to the Soul Skill seeking his visualization of it

There it was a barren plain now as the grass was devoured by the strange emerald crystals glowing with eerie power The rot and ash came and went but did nothing but strengthen and refine that strange substance further coating the ground and thin layer of crystal that was constantly growing The world inside of himself Randidly realized had died Why he wasn’t really sure but it was no longer the robust changing world it had been previously

Opening his eyes Randidly considered his next steps He had several days off Well that was nice but

He smiled sardonically He was very bad at taking a day off It wasn’t in his blood at least not anymore The question was just how to spend this time Some of it would be spent Engraving which was a mana consuming activity and therefore useful but that wouldn’t be all that he did Other than that

There was also the diary left by the Spear Phantom What was that strange face underneath the cloak Was there a secret hidden inside those final two moves of the Spear Phantom that Shal was unable to master

Learning a story and a distant one like they received from Artisan Dwei from people who weren’t involved with the situation was kinda off putting in a way After hearing it Randidly had quite a few questions for Shal How much time did he spend with his father Was the man really that bad Although he had been away from Shal most of Shal’s life Randidly had also experienced that His father was rarely around And he didn’t have the strange anger that Shal carried everywhere with him

Plus Randidly knew that if he went to Shal and asked he would be met with some dumb answer like If you know so much about it why have me tell you more Get to training Or If a wise and learned disciple like you thinks so who am I to disagree Why do you even need a teacher when you are so wise You may as well train on your own

All in all questions would only lead to training Perhaps he should ask Divvit then But after glancing at Divvet and seeing the strange way he was moving his fingers Randidly had the strangest sensation that asking him now would end poorly for him There was a danger to those finger movements

Besides he still had time Randidly would ask later then For now work on his three goals Engraving perceiving the words in the diary and

Randidly grinned He might as well indulge in one rest like activity His third activity would be Cooking

Chapter 182

Helen wanted to be sympathetic but just couldn’t find it in herself to So she just tilted her head to the side and asked Still sick

Teliph glared at her briefly then suppressed the uneasy expression keeping his face blank Unlike your exhaustion from earlier Aether Poisoning doesn’t just go away after rest Leave me in peace

Which of course made Helen want very much to torture him but she decided that she was in too good of a mood to bother with the stoic brute After all she also wanted to work on her own new moves

But as she settled into her stance she saw a small boat bobbing over towards their boat and felt a flash of anger There was only one person on board but still

These motherfuckers Helen muttered eyes scanning around Divveltian was still sitting with his eyes closed waving his fingers The male spear attendant was rolling over to the side fiddling with Tassles It didn’t seem like Teliph would be able to get up soon So with a great sigh and a bit of worry that she still hadn’t recovered from her Aether shortage Helen walked to the edge of the boat

For a moment she considered throwing something to upend the tiny thing but then she recognized the soft looking individual who was leisurely paddling towards them

Ah Clappy Helen said lazily almost disappointed Sure another fight would have been hard but she felt strange exhilarated by the thought of it especially with her new Skill Set evolution She tried to quell that urge because it would likely get her into a fight she couldn’t win someday but she didn’t try too hard After a life of having her mother breathing down her neck it was nice to feel on top of the world

It would be even nicer to be on top the Ghosthound’ Her mind commented slyly in her mother’s voice She shushed it and focused on the approaching merchant

His face brightened visibly when he saw her Oh You are the woman who knows so much about leather Good I came to see the Ghosthound

He’s fucking busy Helen said her voice chilly the delivery abrupt It was an effort of will not to grind her teeth This fucking merchant showed up and what did he do Instantly ruined her mood by reminding her of all those years with her hair and clothes permeated by the disgusting smell of the tannery

It was impossible to breath in her childhood without catching some whiff of the occupation of her family Some bore it as a mark of pride but those fucking asscocks were not the type of people she wanted to associate herself with She had finally managed to shake that feeling of connection to that dirty small minded place but this piece of shit brought it all right back

Oh Claptrap seemed to wilt slightly and then glanced to the side where the Ghosthound was very clearly engraving His face transformed into a look of horror He’s engraving RIght here where anyone can see

Helen shrugged They all knew academically that the Engraving Guilds were an issue but it was very hard to focus on them as threats when other groups were actively attacking them It was a matter of priorities Although Helen was no longer sure why the Ghosthound so incessantly was Engraving She wasn’t sure what he was doing with it but it was pretty clear that he didn’t need the money

It was surely useful to train a skill and gather PP from it so you could go though your chosen path But this seemed to be more than that

The two of them hand been standing in silence for 30 seconds her and Claptrap so Helen added He fucking likes the feeling of the rain while Engraving Is there a fucking problem

Uh ah no um Okay well please let him know that there will be a market day in two days and I would appreciate if he could Or have you bring me any finished pieces he has made I made an agreement with the Crashing Wave Style and we will be selling some pieces publically So well yea

Goodbye Helen said simply enjoying the indecision on Claptrap’s face It felt nice in a way to be so dismissive of him

But then Helen realized with a start that this was exactly the petty small minded way of dealing with things that her mother would always employ Flattering to her superiors cold and disdainful to her inferiors Helen’s anger rose up viciously and she had to grit her teeth to throttle it down

Uh yes I will tell him Eventually So don’t fucking worry It’s annoying but uh not a problem Helen said lamely almost blushing at herself She had trained for years to handle things delicately controlling her language and temper Even if she had always raged on the inside outwardly she was perfectly controlled But these weeks with the Ghosthound and his teachers had ruined that Her explosions had become more public And admittedly less caustic and destructive but

She watched Claptrap leave and then settled back into her stances

Claptrap had a heavy heart as he walked to the market day He had just come from visiting the ship of the Ghosthound He was very leery about actually approaching the ship again because he had heard the rumors that numerous smaller Styles had challenged the ship the past few days aiming to lower the Tassles hanging proudly above the vessel

It seemed that the group had been victorious but when Claptrap had arrived hoping to find more engraved armor he had simply found an old man sitting on the boat who ignored him at first and as he asked more direct questions had emanated such a vicious Battle Intent that all Claptrap could do was yelp and run away

Honestly Claptrap had held back some armor from the Crashing Wave Style for just such a situation where he couldn’t contact the Ghosthound But he hadn’t wanted to use it so soon and it was some of the higher efficacy armor that he had been saving

Claptrap’s current funds were very high so much so that he was almost dumbfounded by the amount that Dwei had given him for the previous batch that he had transferred So much so that Claptrap felt confident he could work out strategies and inventory arrangements that independent of the Ghosthound could wipe Izzat off the map The seed money he had always craved he finally had Qtal was too small a pond for him anymore

Based on the amount of money it was clear to Claptrap that not all of the armor or even a majority of it was being used by the Crashing Wave Style They were selling it likely at a markup to someone much larger and more influential Which was both good and bad Good because that meant Claptrap’s worry about how much demand this one Style could really have wasn’t an issue Bad because a bigger entity meant that more people would know about the Engraving And although the exposure was worse using the Crashing Wave Style at a front meant they didn’t have an equivalent power to fall back on

If the Engraver Guilds came

And that was the other truth that was starting to hang over Claptrap’s head With this much volume it was not a matter of whether it would happen but when Very few people connected the Ghosthound the spear user with the Tassle a color considered obscene by most with the Engraved equipment On the other hand Claptrap’s name was all over it and on the wagging tongues of the fellow merchants

They would likely come for him first And he had none of personal backing that the Ghosthound seemed to have

Still Claptrap climbed up through the coliseum eventually reaching the larger chamber towards the top of the ring which would once again serve to house the market day As he checked his stand’s location he was relieved to find that he had a much more sizable area to set up

But what he found when he approached his area made his jaw drop

There was a huge winding line to the stall next to his It wasn’t just merchants either It was merchants and jostling warriors from rival Styles proudly holding their Tassles aloft glaring at each other

One person at the front received a package and stepped to the side breathing deeply the smells from the strange bag The spear user pulled some sort of foodstuff out of bag and bit deeply into it his eyes closing in a strange sort of rapture

When the man moved Claptrap could see that there was some strange apparatus set up behind the stall and the new spear attendant of the Ghosthound a man named Teliph was standing with his arms crossed at the front of the stall

What is your order sir His voice was dry and bored but carried a hint of power The spear users who stepped up looking confident blinking examining Teliph more closely He definitely gave off the vibe of being a powerful spear user So why was he selling food

Claptrap shook his head and walked around behind and walked through the merchant’s alley to get around the aisle and get to his stall When he arrived he was once more flabbergasted A huge pile of Engraved armor was left on the ground like it was spare leather just sitting in his stall With trembling hands he looked at once piece and then another and then another All over 60% efficacy

This this was just as big as the batch he had given to Artisan Dwei a few days ago The Ghosthound so quickly made more

Dissatisfied Claptrap jumped and spun around Hiding behind Teliph and Helen who were at the front of the counter the Ghosthound stood wearing an apron and using strange metal implements to manipulate the sizzling apparati that produced the food He was Cooking

Claptrap’s mouth worked soundlessly for several seconds but then the Ghosthound’s question hit him Ah no this is perfect Thank you so much

Don’t worry about it The Ghosthound said turning away and working on other things Claptrap blinked and then got to work sorting and piling everything on the counter in a more attractive manner After all he couldn’t dump treasures like these so wildly although the Ghosthound was content to do so It would be disrespectful

Ah one more thing Do you know what these are I’ve been extracting them from the meat and they work pretty well as seasonings but

Turning Claptrap found the Ghosthound offering him several glowing grey crystals Claptrap choked and began coughing wildly The Ghosthound raised an eyebrow but waited patiently as Claptrap struggled to reclaim his voice T that Those are monster essences How did you It is rumored that it is only possible to refine those through a complicated process which is controlled by the Alchemy Guild

Chapter 183

Randidly rolled his eyes Of course there was another guild monopolizing something Although this world was incredibly advanced in its martial arts if a little backwards about insisting on using spears they certainly weren’t very good at resisting monopolies Economic power was very concentrated Not Randidly supposed that his own world was probably doing very well about that since the system hit Or perhaps even before

But of course the complicated process was simply the use of the skill Extract on the beast meat that Randidly had bought Some of it didn’t have it the cheaper meat but the more expensive meat was strangely thick and resistant to cutting possessing a strange sheen of energy that resisted the cooking

Frustrated at his early failures at making a good cheeseburger with the expensive meat Randidly had tried various things In fact Randidly had completely forgotten about Extract He had used it once or twice to experiment and for drawing minerals out of rocks but he hadn’t sat down and used it enough to understand how it could be used

But after Randidly used Refine on the meat to no effect he saw Extract and shrugged What the hell might as well try it And the meat suddenly became much much more tender and these tiny glowing grey rocks were produced They had a strange heat to them too a weird cross between alcohol and cayenne pepper which Randidly was only too happy to add to his different recipes He nibbled a bit himself and had no ill effects for a while so he didn’t think serving it to other people would be a problem

Claptrap his eyes at first shocked then fearful then glowing with an avarice that made Randidly shake his head told him that Monster Essence could be taken from the flesh of monsters level 25 and up with the likelihood of the body possessing some increasing with level Of course the Alchemy Guild bought all monster corpses above the level 25 although for a pittance so very few people took them up on it and claimed to be able to refine the Monster Essence from all of the bodies

Monster Essence Claptrap continued could be used in potion making and crafting empowering the effects of weapons and armor even further Although he admitted he had no idea how either was done it was too far above his level

Randidly stored this information away for later For now it was good enough that the Monster Essence was a spice substitute in a world that seemed content to just eat meat raw

Still Randidly sent Helen to go buy so more monster meat especially of high level beasts This left Teliph alone at the register but honestly with how male spear users lingered to chat with a Helen even when she was shooting off flinty glares they wouldn’t lose much efficiency without her And grinding another skill might prove useful

This also inspired Randidly to experiment with using the 4 potion ingredients as spices too which yielded positive results The blue was minty and numbing the red was savory and rich the green was sour and acidic and the purple was bitter and lingering

Slowly his small stand offered more types of burgers Not that the spear user customers really cared Honestly they usually just said they got in line for the smell and to give them whatever the person before them got So Randidly made burgers with different spices and condiments watching their reactions tweaking his recipes

It really was enjoyable The past few days of cooking engraving and diary reading had been a nice break for Randidly It had been a while since he had a physical break like this Cooking was strangely fulfilling and not only his Cooking skill grew but once more his Grace experienced gains that he wasn’t able to reproduce just by fighting

As Randidly’s food stand attracted more and more attention and customers more people were lingering around which led to a very robust business for Claptrap Their eyes inevitably wandered to the wares which they picked up likely assuming it was exceedingly low quality

Then they saw the engravings They seemed shocked at first then fearful then they decisively bought the Engraved equipment they wanted casting their glances around fearfully as if they were scared that the Engraving Guild was going to appear and confiscate it all

Randidly looked down at the little grey crystals and grinned as he used the mortar and pestle he obtained long ago to grind them into a salt like powder that he could rub on the meat Now he would have the Alchemy Guild out for him too perhaps he should ask what other guilds there were and use that to extrapolate other useful skills he should learn After all he had to leave this world eventually anyway

Randidly’s smile faded somewhat Although it had only been about a month for Donnyton Randidly had been away for over 2 years Everyone at the town felt so far away although in a way it was his baby In his chest the Aether connections still were strong so they were all still alive He could send messages through the friend system but Randidly was still uncomfortable with the idea of too much interaction

Better to just wait and speak to them when he returned There was a thread of guilt in his heart too especially after Helen and he

And now they moved about their day as if it didn’t matter at all although there was some long looks sometimes from both of them But Randidly didn’t know how to bring it up and Helen didn’t seem to want to and also Randidly had no idea what he wanted So he let the issue drop inwardly a weird mix of relieved and disappointed

The sounds of angry voices attracted Randidly’s attention and he looked up from his sizzling patties

Make way Make way Merchant’s Association coming through

Two burly women followed by a squat fat man who waddled like a penguin more than walked pressed their way through the line to the front of the cheeseburger line When the arrived the man gave Claptrap a dismissive glance and then sneered at Teliph

Hehehe we are here investigating allegations that you bribed the resident official to obtain a stand even though the don’t have a merchant’s license

The penguin man made this reveal as though it were a revelation from the heavens but most of the people gathered just seemed annoyed and confused glaring at the penguin man with folded arms Honestly Randidly mused the only person who seemed scared was Claptrap who instantly paled

As such this stand is violation of the Merchant Association rules and it must be shut down Turn over your err Wares and profits if you wish to leave peaceably

The two burly women stepped forward producing jagged spears with strange spikes Teliph turned and looked at Randidly Although the man had bandages around his face Randidly instantly understood him but he had no idea what was really going on But then Randidly laughed aloud and nodded to Teliph

The only path for a spear was forward

Teliph calmly stepped around to the front of the stand and produced his spear Then he beat the two women bloody smashing them into the ground They were likely perfectly capable spear users but in front of Teliph’s brutal offensive within 30 seconds they were both broken on the ground Time in the prison environment produced a much more capable spear user

Unfortunately this exertion was already pushing a strained Teliph and he was then forced to return to the back of the stand and meditate controlling the tremors and weakness of Aether Starvation Which left the other male spear attendant as the only person to deal with customers while Helen was away fetching more meat Which wasn’t ideal due to his arrogance but he at least followed orders relatively simply

So the male spear attendant stepped forward and beckoned the next customer who stepped over the body of one of the burly women like this was the most natural thing in the world Perhaps violence was more common than he thought Randidly reflected

After staring at his two flunkies with bulging eyes the penguin man shouted that they would pay in a very cliche fashion in Randidly’s opinion and then waddled away in a hurry leaving the two women to groan on the ground

Claptrap breathed in and out his eyes wide Do you do you really need to offend so many organizations The Engraving Guild the Alchemist Guild maybe and now Qtal’s Merchant Association Maybe a little bit of diplomacy

Randidly snorted If there’s one thing I learned it’s that all most conflicts come down to power anyway Let’s skip the crap and just be honest about it Besides

Flipping a patty onto the bun he wrapped it up and handed it to the male spear attendant before saying Besides it’s not my fault they have such unreasonable rules If they weren’t just a bunch of bullies there wouldn’t be any problems would there

Randidly was surprised at how heated his voice had become and he paused For Claptrap’s part the merchant could only give Randidly a strange look then shrug helplessly turning back to his own customers

Perhaps it was foolish but Randidly refused to negotiate with these people who wouldn’t display even an ounce of respect and civility

Setting those issues to the side Randidly turned back to his cooking his lips curling up in a smile Humming slightly he made himself a burger and took a big bite Then he spat it out shaking his head That spice combination was definitely out Then he gave the people who were buying experiments like this a withering glance

Truly this world didn’t know fine cuisine All the better for him Randidly supposed Made for quite an easy way to grind skills while making money

Chapter 184

Shal sat up slowly carefully conserving as much energy as possible As if sensing Shal’s movement Divveltian appeared in the doorway looking down at Shal with glowing eyes

I need a favor Shal’s voice was light and breathy as he attempted to conserve energy anyway he can

Divveltian snorted Don’t you always From the day your father dropped you off with the Endless Heat Style to the day you came back to us bearing the spear of the one they called the Devourer you have always needed my help And I have helped you as much as I could because it is what my niece would have wanted

Shal’s eyes tightened If the woman Shal considered his foster mother Dorotyh hadn’t gone looking for his father finally fed up with the fact Aemont went to confront Haelthing and failed to return for Shal Shal might still be living peacefully with that Style content to forget about the father who pushed him and ignored him in equal measure But she had her own feelings and had gone

So Shal had pushed himself to the limit to train and then followed her The spear of the Devourer might be the most widely known treasure that Shal obtained in the dwelling of Haelthing but it was by no means the heaviest That honor went to the wizened and drained body of the woman who raised him

The silence stretched between them Shal unwilling to expend his energy to speak more Divveltian seemingly content to brood in his thoughts Luckily for Shal Divveltian eventually looked up fire in his eyes

I know there are many things about what you found in the lair of Haelthing that you are hiding Divveltian began slowly And I’m not going to demand answers But you must tell me Why are you pushing yourself so You seemed content to let yourself waste away in the aftermath I let you because I knew it was just how you needed to grieve but now what changed

A letter Shal whispered forcefully remaining loose and relaxed his body even as every muscle wanted to clench in fury at the memory From Lucrecia

Who is Lucrecia Divveltian’s eyes were serious and lined at the edges but there was something in his voice

Shal blinked slowly That sad note in his voice Shal had always known that Divveltian had adventures beyond the limits of the Spearman School’s land traveling through the other Schools learning his peculiar moves abroad But what that strange note told Shal now was that Divveltian recognized that name

He knew Lucrecia

Shal grinned his hatred overflowing so much that he couldn’t care about the Aether expenditure Lucrecia is a woman I must kill She cursed the fate of my family and made us all into monsters

Daital stood dutifully next to his father wondering what they were even doing

As a 14 year old man his father allowed him to accompany him when he went to the market day It was a very important day for his father because ever since they had earned the ire of Uncle Izzie his father’s business hadn’t been doing well and Daital had been forced to spend less time working with a spear and more time helping around the shop

This was somewhat of a conundrum for Daital whose friends continued to train diligently with a spear and began to make snide comments about how Daital was becoming a soft and weak merchant

He argued that strong men help their parents but his friends didn’t seem to understand they were all related to a local Style and none of their fathers were merchants Daital’s mother was the source of strength and prosperity for the family but she was on a rotation at the front lines which made Daital’s father extremely nervous

But they were a family and Daital worked to help out where he could minding the store learning his father’s merchandise taking care of his little sister so his father didn’t need to Although he didn’t have time to work so hard on his spear skills Daital had gained several other skills like Cleaning Bargaining and Cooking in the meantime

And as he was still 14 and hadn’t gone through the ceremony in a village that would grant him the class of Spear User at 15 Daital could have as many skills as he could manage Of course there was a corner of Daital’s heart that hoped he would achieve a variant class something like Strong Spear User’ or Agile Spear User’ but it was unrealistic

By and large everyone in their world received the class Spear User There were only some exemplary individuals who were destined for greatness that managed more than that

Of course where there was exemplary there was also the untalented Classes like Lazy Spear User’ manifested themselves from time to time Which was why Daital was becoming very worried about his lack of training for the past few weeks

But he still had a year he assured himself He could make up this break Working with his father didn’t make him any less of a man

The crowd around them shifted and Daital and his father were able to move forward

Some of the magic of the Market Day had rubbed off after Daital had to come here to help out with business but it was still a wild place filled with powerful warriors and powerful weapons and armor This was a place where everyone was looking for an overlooked masterpiece Which was of course unlikely but Daital still found himself scanning racks of spears for one that would catch his eye

And slowly but surely they moved forward in the line A fellow merchant friend of Daital’s father had told them that something strange was happening over here at this stall A man was selling some amazing food in a convenient and portable form that set the whole of Qtal’s merchant population on fire The Merchant Association had even tried to shut it down and steal the secret of it but the workers had casually rebuffed the strongwomen sent over to ease the transition

And then the stall had continued doing business like nothing happened Whereas the convenience and simplicity of the food had captured the attention of the merchants the casualness of the strength displayed by this action earned the respect of all of the spear users in Qtal Daital included His heart beat fast and he stood on his tiptoes struggling to get a view of this strange stall

Ah Claptrap His father said good naturedly gesturing for Daital to stay in line as he stepped out and went to the stall next to the food stall Daital’s eyes swept over the messy set up of this stall where only a few average looking pieces remained on the display area

Daital had to restrain his sneer It seemed that this merchant was quite down on his luck despite his happy expression

Kaitan Wonderful to see you How have you been Did you see the prices the caravans were charging for dyes Monday

It’s price gouging Ever since the Merchant Association agreed to those concessions with the Trade Guilds

You’d think that big Styles would protest their monopoly but noo it’s always the customer facing sellers that get shit on

Holy Fuck These are Engraved Daital’s father gasped his previous conversation with Claptrap derailed as he finally took a speculative glance at Claptrap’s wares

Even Daital blinked and looked back over Claptrap’s smile was a little bit smug now Yes It’s very dangerous and I don’t think I’ll be selling them for much longer but I made a reliable connection The profits

Daital’s father’s eyes swiftly became calculating The cost per unit

Minimal Claptrap lowered his tone and looked guilty but couldn’t help but gloat a little About a 20% markup of the cost of an Unengraved piece of armor at retail And I charge 50% more That 30%

I heard that A frosty female voice said Daital blinked and turned to step forward because the line had moved some while he hadn’t been paying attention The most beautiful woman stood there at the food stand scowling over at Claptrap who was coughinginto his hand

Just a misunderstanding

Oh Claptrap Daital’s father said You know the owners of this stand They are making quite a stir I don’t suppose they would be willing to come work

Fuck off The beautiful woman said sweetly showing her teeth to Daital’s father who took a step back surprised by the aura of violence that the woman abruptly produced Daital’s heart began to pound faster and faster

This was this love

Then the woman turned and greeted the next customer in the food line with a beautiful smile Daital’s father and Claptrap moved to the far side of Claptrap’s stall and began to whisper fearfully to each other glancing over at the beautiful woman

When it finally came time for Daital to step up to the counter he gulped barely able to breath But to his disappointment as he stepped forward a man with sharp eyebrows and a showy face stepped forward This talented one shall take your order What are your desires

The beautiful woman turned away to speak with the man who was working over the fire creating the food

As his heartbeat continued to rise Daital pulled out all of the allowance he had been given for a month and slammed it on the counter The best money can buy

Daital was extremely gratified when the woman turned and looked at him her eyebrow raised

Chapter 185

The man seemed confused by Daital’s request Err this one has infinite understanding but your request Look at this menu what

The best Daital repeated relishing the woman’s gaze Then the woman snorted in derision and turned away and Daital slumped to the side wishing he could die What had he done wrong

Uh hey little one are you well You have become slightly tilty The man said still extremely confused

With dull eyes Daital looked up at the man then down at the money he had slammed on the counter A thin trickle of life made it back into his eyes and he straightened One thing his father had taught him was never to take back money you have placed down for a deal It offended the honor of a merchant or a warrior You were only as good as your word

So while simultaneously regretting his decision and wishing that the Spearman himself would appear and slaughter him Daital asked Well what do you make

Ah These things The man said proudly pointing to a list on counter

Well yes I get that Daital said getting annoyed at the block headedness of this man Was he really even a merchant What are they

Food The man said seemingly congratulating himself for having the correct answer so quickly

Daital rolled his eyes Well obviously What sort of food How is it made What is a cheesesteak What is a Hot Sausage sandwich

The man opened his mouth then closed it Then in a very deliberate decision that Daital could almost see playing out on the man’s face the man decided to get angry at him Now listen here you inferior swine

Do you want to come back and see

This voice was low and reasonably quiet but it carried a strange heaviness to it that instantly cut off the now angry idiot before he could even begin The slim man who was working on the food in the back stepped forward looking mildly at Daital His eyes glowed a strange green color like fresh grass

Daital nodded decisively The beautiful woman was back there and closer to her was better even if she had humiliated him previously After all perhaps with proximity would come understanding of his charms He hadn’t quite given up on her yet

So in the fashion of a teenage boy Daital simply leapt over the counter landing lightly behind it abruptly finding himself in a much hotter environment The strange apparatus the green eyed man was used to cook the food produced a lot of heat

And then for what must have been at least an hour but swiftly became an exciting blur to Daital so much so that he forgot about the woman the green eyed man explained the operation He showed Daital how the meat was prepared How some meat was soft and juicy while other meat was tough and spongy

The man demonstrated how to cook each and how each could hold flavor He pointed out the different spices that he had and had Daital try them all There were flavors and sauces that Daital hadn’t even seen before and he had to gulp down water to wash away because some of them were quite strong and overwhelming Then there were the french fries

French fries Daital decided were the greatest thing ever invented And Daital found himself swiftly consuming handfuls at a time even when they were fresh from what the green eyed man called the frier’ All the while the man just watched Daital with a small smile and moved onto the next thing

Soon the man was explaining recipes and flavor or consistency combinations in the food and he showed Daital the different toppings that could be added to the different foods The whole concept of the strange things that the green eyed man was doing with bread to make the food portable was incredible A way to transport juicy and greasy meat as well as flavorful sauces all the while complimenting the meal with a fluffy softness that was extremely appetizing

Then the green eyed man showed Daital how to wrap and package everything and then he started showing him how this could all be done fast Unbelievably fast Which they needed to because the earlier explanation had caused the line to build up quite a bit for people waiting for food So Daital abruptly found himself working making the food carefully measuring the spices wrapping things up

What was perhaps the most surprising thing was that he gained 7 levels in his Cooking skill and gained the Skill Grace which was a pretty difficult passive skill to obtain but would be infinitely useful to Daital once he became a spear user

Some of that excitement was dampened by the realization that he again wasn’t training with the spear but cooking like a woman but Daital tried to ignore that part of him that whispered things

But very quickly it was all he could think about So much so that in the middle of adding cheese to finish off the cheeseburger’ Daital blurted out But isn’t doing all this a waste Isn’t it better to just be strong

For a moment everyone in the stall stilled There was the beautiful woman the showy man the green eyed cook and also a man sitting in the back that Daital hadn’t noticed until he came back and began working They all grew very still and looked at Daital

And then everyone but the green eyed cook began to laugh Daital flushed crimson specifically because the woman was laughing at him slapping her thigh and muttering Funniest fucking thing I’ve heard all year while turning back to the customer

But the cook with green eyes didn’t laugh Instead he nodded seriously and then set down his metal cooking utensils seeming to think very carefully about the question

Yes perhaps this is a waste There are more efficient activities I could be doing But what is strength The power to resist others Or even the power to kill The green eyed man’s face darkened and he shook his head Or is power the ability to do what you want I do not know But I do think living without regrets takes strength And I want to do this so I will do it and I will not regret it

Daital opened his mouth but already more food orders were coming and his thoughts were already so jumbled he couldn’t sort through them So he just allowed himself to be swept away lost in the routine of the food preparation

That continued until a voice cut through the air Who dares offend the Merchant Association

A tall man pressed forward surrounded by a dozen or so spear users He had huge bushy eyebrows and Daital recognized the man immediately He was Gerel the man who was the cudgel of the Merchant Association He was only at the cusp of achieving Artisan status but he was completely controlled by the Merchant Association unlike the legitimate Artisan’s who were only paid to be on retainer by the Merchant Association

Gerel raised his spear a heavy blunt headed thing and guffawed What Such a tiny stall Such skinny wrists you all have all the better to feature in the kitchen

The beautiful woman snorted leaping over the counter and drawing her spear The rest of the crowd seemed more annoyed than anything else and moved to the side keeping their place in line The meditating man made to get up but the green eyed cook waved him down and delicately removed his apron

Two spear users laughed and moved towards the beautiful woman with lewd eyes but her movements abruptly changed becoming impossibly fast and smooth and she wounded them both knocking them to the ground

But Daital once more was distracted from the beautiful woman Because after the green eyed man removed his apron he seemed strangely bigger Bulkier More vicious The air seemed to dance with strange ripples as if power was constantly coursing through his body

You Gerel bellowed glaring at the beautiful woman who gave him the middle finger Growling Gerel rushed forward

I don’t know what strength really is or even when to use it The cook said tiredly strolling forward leaping lightly out past the counter But I’m seeking it that knowledge and strength Seeking it is really all you can do And sometimes you find it in unexpected places even in cooking Do not underestimate the world

The cook’s hand flexed and huge spear of obsidian appeared there But Gerel didn’t even hesitate he simply switched his targets and rushed towards the cook

For his part the cook seemed unworried and unhurried and slowly took a deep breath then adopted a fighting stance and then thrust forward with the spear with surprising slowness It wasn’t that slow but considering all the talk Daital couldn’t help but be disappointed

But then Diatal noticed that the ripples in the air grew stronger much stronger so strong that the air around the cook seemed to warp Then it clicked

This man was almost an Artisan

And sure enough when his spear crossed with Gerel the larger man’s face tightened as he was smashed backwards But more than that his eyes were filled with fear

You you are the Ghosthound the disciple of the Spear Phantom Shal

The cook the Ghosthound just smiled and began to walk forward his steps even and heavy the tip of his spear dragging just slightly against the ground

Daital didn’t know if he had ever seen something so cool in all his life

Randidly returned to the boat pleased with the day

He wasn’t sure why but he really enjoyed teaching that kid how to cook He reminded Randidly of Donny in the faux arrogant way they held themselves and even though he had hated those types when he was that age Randidly was now past the point of taking their posturing seriously

What Randidly didn’t expect was to return to the boat to find it once more deserted

He lead his three spear attendants down below where he found the Spear Phantom’s diary and a note in Shal’s room

Gone ahead to handle some issues Don’t wait for me Registration for the Regional Tournament is in 5 days

Don’t disappoint me

There wasn’t even a signature Randidly was deeply puzzled Something was very strange about Shal recently The Shal Randidly encountered in the dungeon was laid back but powerful in a restrained way This new Shal he had assumed the increased violence was part of the training but now with him abandoning him so suddenly when their stated goal was so close without any guidance

That seemed irresponsible At best

Chapter 186

So with very little else to do Randidly and his three spear attendants set out for Deardun even though it would only take them two days to reach the other city at their normal pace Or at least that was what Claptrap assured them who was also coming

At first Randidly was slightly hesitant to allow Claptrap to join them mostly out of worry that he would slow them down but Claptrap seemed insistent and honestly it was convenient because Claptrap was the only one who had traveled often to Deardun before Helen stated that she was from a nearby area but she quickly became quiet as Randidly pressed her eyes glinting with some of that explosive flintiness that was one of the first things that Randidly noticed about her

As their relationship was still strange what with neither of them speaking of what happened Randidly let it go and graciously accepted Claptrap as a guide

It seemed that more than just staying around Randidly and selling more of his Engraved armor Claptrap had another motivation for returning to Deardun but Randidly couldn’t bring himself to care There was the strange worry about being effectively alone in this strange world and there was also the raw fury he felt towards Shal still What the fuck was he doing

So they set off but Claptrap wasn’t their only extra traveler the wispy man who Teliph fought and defeated also came with them After recovering from his wounds he came and threw himself at Randidly’s mercy asking to be his spear attendant Randidly instantly refused He already had enough of these people He didn’t want a whole parade coming following him around

Unfortunately the man promptly turned to Teliph and asked to be his spear attendant and Teliph accepted Which Randidly supposed was for the best because Teliph was still struggling with his Aether Sickness which was slowly growing worse Apparently the severity of the sickness was determined by a few parameters like exertion skill levels and stat levels But stat levels earned the lion’s share of the Aether consumption just a little behind exertion Although Teliph had been in the prison longer than most he had not leveled in there just vastly increased his stat levels As such as long as he kept his exertion low his weakened Aether connection was still enough to support his increased stat levels

Which would explain why Shal’s problem seemed much more severe And everyone seemed to understand that they didn’t bring up the fact that Randidly didn’t seem affected at all by Aether Sickness It was just a fact of life for his spear attendants and Randidly didn’t want to dwell on it for too long

Heretic ’ Randidly brooded as the group looped around a small trail through the woods above Qtal departing Then he shook his head and sighed There was something strange going on with that and with the Judgement There was a way to do what Randidly had done somehow that was something predicted by the system although seemingly discouraged And it involved taking Aether from other people But the details

But they continued to travel and Randidly put those thoughts to the side As he worried Claptrap ended up being the limiting factor on their speed By midnight Claptrap was already trembling and exhausted barely able to continue Helen sneered Teliph snorted and the male spear attendant looked haughty but Randidly decided to stop so they took a three hour break

Claptrap was incredibly relieved and thanked him profusely but that just made Randidly more uncomfortable and he waved him away Then during the break Randidly removed the next volume of the technical encyclopedias given to him by the Willow Tree Spear Style reading carefully

Randidly had to read carefully It was like the authors of the books assumed that not only had the reader thoroughly read the first volume but also possessed an uncanny level of mastery and understanding of the concepts contained within Randidly was familiar with them because he very seriously studied the text but he was well below the level the second volume demanded But rather than quit he simply got out the first volume and used it as a reference slowly plowing through the pages Eventually he got fed up and went over to a still exhausted Claptrap

Paper Do you have some And a pen

Randidly’s words were sharp as some of the frustration he felt from the material showed through Claptrap gulped and nodded

So almost two years later Randidly created a makeshift desk on a stump and began to take very thorough notes on Engraving as if he was studying it in class The similarities towards his late night study sessions in college brought him some amusement although he had never sat out under the stars like this and studied Which was a shame There was a life and a vibrancy to the outdoor world that didn’t distract but rather

The sights and sounds it all crystallized a hot contentment at life and living in the moment And a great hunger to continue living Although Engraving wasn’t a direct skill that would help Randidly couldn’t help but believe there was a great secret hidden in it If it really was somehow connected to the Aether constructs within him

If the Engraving hinted at a larger universal language of the system

But the more that Randidly read the less likely that seemed Because the second volume was making clear that the meanings of the symbols seemed completely independent of the shape Although there were certainly technical adjustments you can make between different geometric shapes in the connections in order to make the Engraving more efficient the Engraving’s effects couldn’t really be predicted by the shape

Some of the discussion of this became extremely esoteric Like one philosopher hypothesized that rather than a language Engraving was a vast map of understanding Engravers only used tiny bits of the map at a time conveying a specific meaning but the meaning didn’t stem from the specific shapes but rather from context

This was criticized on the grounds that there was no real proof or even a shred of evidence that this was the case but it was widely heralded as an important theory for advancing the study of Engraving

The other big subject was just that the History of Engraving Years were listed in the book and after checking with Claptrap it seemed that something happened around 50 years ago that had caused the study of Engraving to cease at least publically This was probably around the time of the formation of the Engraving Guilds and it was frustrating because Randidly didn’t want to take the time to understand this information only to find it was completely dated

But Randidly continued because that was the only way to improve and move forward After 3 hours he packed up his books and gestured for the others and their journey continued

Twice more over the next 24 hours they were forced to stop Claptrap completely exhausted and each time Randidly would study the encyclopedia slowly working his way deeper Although it was incredibly rough going there were several tips and information bits about Engraving that were incredibly useful and Randidly carefully inscribed them making a note for the future For now he was satisfied but Randidly knew that he wanted to attempt the Shadow IV rune soon

Perhaps he would have time before the Regional Tournament started perhaps he wouldn’t but he definitely wanted some items to give himself an edge But thinking about the Regional Tournament just got him thinking about Shal and Randidly shook his head disgusted

It was around 3 in the morning when they arrived Most of their journey was across a wide plateau covered in a sea of tall grass They encountered the occasional monster but they were usually around the level 25 and were easily overpowered by Randidly’s party But eventually the tall grass ended and they found themselves at the base of an enormous mountain The mountain was so large that Randidly was briefly stunned

To be fair he hadn’t really grown up in a mountainous terrain but the sheer size of this They had been approaching for quite a while with it looming ahead but it still appeared incredibly distant The speed they traveled was not slow even with Claptrap To still have it be so incredibly distant

The Great Spear Your first time seeing it Fucking a sight right Helen said looking up at the mountain with a wistful expression It is said that the Spearman ascended that mountain to face the Calamity and save us all

And yet the Calamity returned right Randidly said almost instinctively looking up at the mountain

Helen glared at him and spoke her voice frosty Not all worlds have a Spearman smartass

Then she turned and walked away towards Claptrap who was pointing to a glowing circle on the base of the mountain still some distance from their position which was Deardun But Randidly wasn’t listening to their discussion He wasn’t even dwelling on the anger tinged conversation with Helen

Instead his wheels were slowly turning

Not all worlds have a Spearman

Randidly’s initial assumption was that it was just another weird example of the worship this culture had for this man but what if it wasn’t What if she meant it more literally Like they faced another Calamity not because it was supposed to happen but because

Because there was a Calamity elsewhere that wasn’t defeated Something like a Tribulation only on the scale of the world

Randidly’s expression turned grave He had great confidence in his own power especially now against enemies back on Earth But if there was something coming that was so strong that it could rival a whole planet And it was often too powerful to be defeated by even the Master class here

It also made the story about the woman who possessed the emerald Tassle before Randidly make more sense Why would the powerful individuals not just defeat the Calamity but send their youth to fight it Perhaps there were some hidden rules but if that person had to go to another world another world that had been turned into a giant dungeon It made more sense why they would hesitate

The frontlines then were places where the worlds were connected possibly

Randidly shook his head and then looked with clear eyes towards Deardun He didn’t know why but the system hadn’t edited away his access to the information And that made him suspect that it wasn’t that the system messed up but this information wasn’t the important part So Randidly put it out of his mind

After all his goal right now was very simple Make the top 8 at the Regional Tournament

Chapter 187

The first thing Randidly noticed about Deardun was its size Not only did the walls tower above them as he approached but there were tents and lean to’s lining the road to Deardun where people had set up shop and were happily living The whole thing had a very festival air to it and Claptrap whispered that the people were here to witness the Regional Tournament

Randidly felt a sour feeling in the pit of his stomach He knew academically people would be watching this tournament And there were even people watching the qualifier But at the qualifier they were away and above mostly out of Randidly’s awareness If this was a more classic style battle with stands packed with people

Already Randidly wanted to vomit It was not that people made him nervous but the possibility that he would have to interact with that many people or even just interact in front of that many people

But as best he could Randidly reassured himself that he had been fine in the qualifier Before he thought about the issue of spectators And also when he had been so angry that he had just started lashing out

Complicating matters Randidly had spent most of the past two years just sparring and training perhaps exacerbating his people issues There had been a lot of people at market day but not many people paid attention until after he fought Gerel because he was the cook And that acknowledgment of his capability while making no attempt to engage him was exactly the sort of attention that Randidly preferred

As they walked further toward the towering walls more and more spear users were milling about shouting and laughing some even sparring right along the road Almost instinctively Randidly scanned them and didn’t find anyone who he believed was that impressive but he supposed that was to be expected no one worth their chops would be fighting out here

Hey A burly spear user said turning around The male spear attendant had been looking around with wide eyes and walked into the man knocking him off his balance The male spear attendant recovered and frowned

Who the fuck do you think you are rushing around like that

Heh I’ll have you know that I am the spear attendant of the Ghosthound with the most dedicated work ethic My name is

As a group Randidly Teliph Helen and even the new spear attendant of Teliph exchanged a glance and kept walking largely ignoring this incident After all giving it any attention would just be a waste of time

As the shouting increased in volume behind them the group continued very quickly arriving at the gates where several guards were standing Randidly produced the token he had received from the qualifiers and the whole attitude of the guards changed but not in the way Randidly expected it too

If anything they shifted from bored to sneering waving the group through while exchanging knowing glances

They underestimate you because you had to enter through a qualifier Teliph rumbled his countenance stormy

But Randidly only chuckled Helen glanced at him sourly Why do you not demonstrate your own prowess It is dishonorable Don’t be a fucking pussy about it

This made Randidly shift uncomfortably but he said nothing just continuing to walk Helen snorted

Do you know that 90% of individuals who make it to the Regional Tournament through a qualifier are fucking humiliated in the preliminary Do you just want to be another number

Somehow Helen’s words sparked Randidly’s temper He grinned and then began to walk forward with a much straighter spine I will not be a number

Hmph Helen snorted And Randidly spun slowly and gave her a long look full of primal fury and the desire to kill he had honed in the prison She faltered a tiny bit of fear showing in her face

Rather than bringing him joy the fear just made Randidly feel extremely sad and his posture shifted back Mulling over the person he wanted to be It was not fury but it was also not placid or content Strength without inherent violence although a willingness to perform violence Calm but not passive The ability to distinguish what was right and what was necessary

His lips twisted wryly as they finally finished the walk through the long tunnel of the huge walls and emerged into the city Immediately they were assaulted by the yells of merchants from all sides and to Randidly’s surprise Claptrap stepped forward his expression easing Instantly he barked several answers to the merchants shooing them away and the group was able to proceed without being harassed

They followed Claptrap who stated that he knew a place they could stay The buildings in Deardun appeared to be what Randidly thought of when he pictured a medieval city Brick and stone between wooden beams but it appeared that the buildings here were of two varieties Normal buildings that stood squat with 1 or 2 floors and strange buildings reminiscent of mushrooms that were normal at the bottom but rose higher past the normal buildings and had a large upper floor

Randidly supposed this must be used for spear training which was a rather space intensive activity which might come at a premium within the city

Due to a nagging in the corner of his heart Randidly glanced at Helen Although he hadn’t realized it at the time he had probably powered that glance he had given her by his Battle Intent which was slowly growing in level It was not something that he should use on a compatriot

A friend

Again Randidly’s mouth twisted Helen was just staring at the ground appearing thoughtful She probably had already forgotten about the look he gave her Why had he gotten so strangely aggressive about it But Randidly knew It was a male thing To be emasculated is never a fun feeling even when it is partially in play

But of course Helen didn’t play so much as harass

They passed restaurants and vendors and armor sellers and Randidly watched with interested eyes He still wanted to obtain some equipment of his own He had some haphazard pieces that he had gathered on whims back on Earth but he was looking forward to seeing the quality of armor here on a planet that had had the system for a long time

Still that could wait

They finally arrived at an inn type establishment where Claptrap knew the owner and they were all given rooms While Claptrap hurried away to check on the exact start date for the Regional Tournament and to contact some locals Randidly was finally left alone in his room He grimaced slightly and opened up his status menu

He hadn’t been looking forward to this but it was probably best to do it before the Regional Tournament started Based on what he had been told the difficulty would be such that it would very quickly drive up his Skill Level And doing too many PP at once

Over that past 5 days Randidly had gained 7 levels in Battle Intent 1 in Struggle 2 in the Golden Roots of Yggdrasil 1 in Root Control 3 in Weeping Cloud 7 in Extract 4 in Cooking and 2 in Grace

Dutifully Randidly poured the points into the Weeping that Falls like Rain path moving him slowly closer to completion It wasn’t a large jump but it was helping The addition of the PP caused his soul skill to stir slightly making his chest feel decidedly uncomfortable But there were no other ill effects

Struck by a sudden notion Randidly closed his eyes and pictured himself in the world of the soul skill as the rot and ash still spun and the ground was thick with those emerald crystals containing a strange energy Then he reached down and tried to use a skill in his Soulskill world He used Extract targeting the crystals

After first there was nothing Then slowly as if an engine was turning on Randidly felt the skill inside of him flicker and engage as if it was initially unsure of what he wanted but was slowly getting the hang of it Randidly felt his spirit blaze around him his will pressing holding in his mind a very clear image of what he wanted

Remove this energy from the stones Purge the Soul Skill He could figure out what to do with the energy later but for now he just wanted to see if this was possible He was only focusing on a tiny shard of emerald crystal in a veritable sea of it But it was hard incredibly hard as if he was reaching through thick wool with his fingers It was hard to focus the skill to the small shard

But Randidly struggled and pushed narrowing his eyes and finally he had it and the skill engaged Randidly’s whole body trembled and he ripped a thin wisp of the emerald energy out of the stone The energy wiggled contentedly spinning around his finger and Randidly felt a strange pleasure coming from it The emerald crystal darkened becoming a strangely heavy and empty stone

Then Randidly felt a strange trembling and then a vicious rushing and then blinking he found himself back in his room no longer in his Soulskill Hurriedly he looked inward and found the Soulskill was still there but now it was locked

By a golden lock with a small bell

Chapter 188

Randidly’s hands tightened into fists This fucking

But then something distracted Randidly something that helped defuse some of the aggression he had in his chest Even though his Soul Skill or the strange image Randidly produced of it was locked to his view zooming around his inward world stopping to examine all of his skills was that strange wisp of green energy

When Randidly re entered his inward world it noticed and flew over to him to fly around him excitedly It was much easier to let go of the tight ball of anger with an adorable seemingly alive energy creature flitting about But that didn’t really stop the gears in Randidly’s head from spinning wildly

How was this possible Who was doing this And why didn’t they want him to be doing this

More interesting though was that the skills weren’t just an outside phenomena Randidly could use them in a meta fashion like within his Soul Skill This There were definitely implications but Randidly couldn’t really think of anything Most of his skills were combat related He sincerely doubted it would be a good idea to use them upon his visualization

But on the other hand now that he had been effectively forbidden from doing it he wanted to try it And he knew academically that it was probably a bad idea but then the impression of foolishness was quickly overridden by the overriding anger that the strange being that was interfering in his body was taking away options from him Randidly valued independence highly He wanted his decisions to be his own

And lately in regards to paths they hadn’t really been

Randidly held out his hand and the wisp of emerald energy landed on it calmly hopping back and forth It was a combination of a christmas light and a wisp of smoke and it felt strangely warm on his palm

Randidly briefly opened his eyes and could no longer feel it sitting in the inn but closed them again and visualized his inner world where his skills sat and it was there warm and real Frowning at it Randidly noticed for the first time that there were very dim notifications floating in front of him

Randidly’s frown deepened He hadn’t taken the black potion in a while why were they

Narrowing his eyes Randidly considered the black potion It somehow interfered with his perception of the system Also he couldn’t remember being influenced in quite the same way as he was now before he was taking he potion Were perhaps those same annoying locks with bells hiding away his notifications Was he perhaps allowing some other creature’s skill to act on him by taking the potion It was a chilling thought and one that made a weird amount of sense

But it was also possible that the forces were acting on him now because he was a much more powerful individual than he had been in the past and because of the Aether Spring he held inside of himself Those were likely not unrelated details A series of strange coincidences that led to an individual that desired power and had an Aether battery inside of himself that could do it An Aether much more pure than the Aether that others had access to

Which didn’t make sense to Randidly Why should his Aether be more pure when villages also had Aether springs What was different

Also Randidly had his doubts that his strength was on the level that the entity that could manipulate Aether in his chest would want to control him too directly

The emerald energy vibrated furiously against Randidly’s hand and he blinked Palpable in the air around it was annoyance that he was so distracted from it Laughing and shaking his head Randidly proceeded to grab at the strange emerald energy which flitted happily from side to side dodging his attempts

The energy itself was extremely strange There seemed to be some actual substance to it but Randidly was unable to get his hands well imagined hands on it It was a slippery creature full of glee and animal cunning It also seemed extremely well disposed towards him although perhaps that was just because he was the only one here

After a time of playing the energy seemed content and Randidly opened his eyes and returned to the small room This was a strange development It seemed that the energy possessed its own life independent of him It was a basic life form of some sort Well Randidly wasn’t really sure about the details but if his soul skill was somehow refining life

Which seemed slightly ridiculous a proposition but Randidly suspected that there was some complication to the whole Aether Spring situation that he had missed What was Aether Some form of energy The language and hardware of the system perhaps

Stretching slowly Randidly set this most recent issue to the side and tried to rid himself of his smoldering anger He made a mental note to ask Claptrap to purchase him some meat from high level monsters Then he also reminded himself to ask Claptrap what exactly the Regional Tournament comprised Was it going to be a strange sort of tournament like the qualifier Or a more typical 1 on 1 single elimination tournament

Randidly went to his window and opened it Below many people with varying shades of skin walked around talking laughing shouting bargaining with each other Here not everyone had skin with a red tint More were orange or yellow denoting their higher status There were even a noticeable group with pale green and light blue skin colors Deardun truly was a tier higher than Qtal

Which didn’t necessarily translate into higher skill levels but rather superior skills and resources

Randidly chuckled There was so much he didn’t know about this place and yet he was thrown here rather directly He really had to work on his bad habit of being so focused on his task that he forgot to ask questions So many problems could be solved if he were simply willing to talk more directly with the people around him But his bad social habits still remained He preferred not to ask a question when he figured the answer would arise naturally over the course of normal interaction

Claptrap had stated before he left that he had chosen this inn due to the training facility on the roof and sure enough when Randidly stuck his head outside and looked up it was one of the strange mushroom buildings Smiling ruefully Randidly left his room and wandered the halls for a few minutes before he found the stairs

He arrived in the training hall to find it a wide brightly lit white bulb around the size of 4 basketball courts There were even several other people diligently training glistening with sweat and what seemed like a youth training course where an old man was bellowing at a half dozen youths There were wooden dummies to attack and even foldable partition walls to spread if you wanted privacy with your training

All the partition walls were taken so Randidly went to the far side of the training area where there was a straight stretch of space fairly open and pulled out one of his last bone spears made for him by Sam

He took the time to feel the smooth shaft that fit so well into his hand smiling at the memory It would be strange though to return to Donnyton and act so nostalgic when it had only been a month or two from their perspective Although he supposed that the squads were constantly going into the dungeons so time would be rather extended for them too And Randidly knew that the Tier III Raid Boss had descended attacking the town and their neighbor after he had left But it was hard to be worried The town was strong Not just because they had learned from him although that was part of it

The town was strong because they wanted to be because they were willing to put in the time and sweat to earn that strength Things would change later as some of the novelty of the system wore off but for now everyone was so caught up in the changes that there was peace and internal consistency within the town

Hoping that would stay the same Randidly began to move through some basic stretching exercises As he did so he couldn’t help but overhear the words the elderly man was yelling at the youths for they were the closest group also using the training ground

Sharper With more force Do you think an enemy is going to just let you take turns striking You need to overwhelm the opponent Use our hips The old man’s eyes were bulging wildly as he shouted down at the youths and dutifully they struggled to fulfill his expectations It was adorable in a way to Randidly but also confusing Because it was so far from his own experience being instructed by Shal

Shal did not try to explain a problem he exploited it until Randidly learned his mistake with his body and naturally sought to rectify it As a method it achieved an incredibly efficient result although it required an amount of violence that perhaps was unpalatable to some

WIth a sure grip on his spear and with the warming streams of energy flowing up through him from the soles of his feet Randidly began to train in earnest focusing on basic spear moves All the while his will was pressing as hard as he could attempting to impress on the air around him that like time his spear moves were an irresistible force He would continue to flow forward regardless of resistance

He activated Spear Phantom’s Footwork and teleported several feet to the side No area was outside the reach of time It claimed all touched all ended all Time was an agent that had been called many names even including death But it was more than that and it was grander than that I was the continuum that we all existed upon as we struggled futilely to avoid our end

And just like all things time would someday come to an end taking us all with it

Randidly lowered his spear tightened his grip and used the Inevitable Phantom Arrives His spear moved not slowly but surely not quickly It was a speed that seemed perfectly aligned with the state of the world like it was just one more force of nature It was a thrust that one could look at and fear but doing so would bring you face to face with the fact it was impossible to avoid

Such was the strength of the blow that the air rippled lightly after completion spreading a small amount of distance It wasn’t much but the elderly man stiffened and paused in his tirade and then turned and gave Randidly a small look Almost imperceptibly the man bowed slightly Taken slightly aback Randidly bounded slightly in return

Then the man returned to shouting and Randidly felt strangely relieved In some ways this world was a much simpler place than Earth That man sensed his strength acknowledged it and then returned to his previous activity The lack of interaction was such a relief

Humming quietly Randidly returned to his training slowly using the methods and exercises employed by Marco Polo to push his body to the limit

Chapter 189

Ciel Claptrap’s former co worker frowned thinking very deeply Well she hasn’t been here recently But that’s because she’s preparing for the Regional Tournament isn’ it She can’t take time to shop when she’s got the hopes of the sect riding on her She didn’t really come back much after you left anyway

Claptrap’s stomach did flips as he cleanly disengaged himself from the conversation with a clerk at the former location Claptrap managed and hurried outside Instead of all of the rather pressing matters Claptrap could have handled he had proceeded directly here to ask about the woman who had changed his life It seemed she was well

She didn’t really come back much after you left anyway

Probably just a coincidence Claptrap thought all the while sporting a shit eating grin Since it seemed that Ciel was still doing well he could investigate some other leads So Claptrap hurried away checking his old merchant contacts talking business the price of materials the new methods of leather refinement etc

And then to the contacts he trusted the most Claptrap let slip that he might have access to a non Engraving Guild made piece of armor and distributed a few examples Most were shocked at first or fearful but as they examined the armor more closely greed rose up and washed away all of their misgivings There certainly was something reliable about merchants that wasn’t true about anyone else their motivations were rather clear

But what made Claptrap sick was that one of the informants made a satisfied sound when he made this pitch and said Ah I’d heard about this So you are the one who has the hook up

It was one of his earlier visitations and it was impossible that news from the other informants had already traveled all the way to this location There was only one explanation that someone in the city was already leaking the news

The Engraving Guild wouldn’t be so sloppy to spread the news of it if it was planning to act so the news must have come from a relatively friendly’ party It had to be the Style that had a deal with the Crashing Wave Style It was extremely likely that this Style was a local powerhouse with a high amount of influence

So strangely after all of Claptrap’s social calls had been made he found himself standing opposite the local branch of the Engraving Guild Although Deardun was the capital of the Northern Region it was the most sparsely populated if largest regions and therefore the Engraving Guild had a relatively smaller presence But it still was an ornately decorated building stinking of money

It was hard to keep his breathing steady as he looked at it This was the enemy he was making by selling the equipment Engraved by the Ghousthound for profit It was an old and powerful enemy with deep connections to the most powerful Styles of the Central Region And yet And yet he didn’t regret it Because although Claptrap was timid and relatively reasonable there was an edge of madness to his actions For Ciel

He would do anything to capture the attention of that woman No matter what enemies he had to make or what devils he was forced to befriend

Claptrap The voice was high and melodic the tone gay Absolutely frozen stiff Claptrap spun on his heel turning to find a woman standing there A woman in form fitting leather armor and a soft pink skirt to add some feminine flair to the otherwise utilitarian outfit She had large azure eyes and her brown hair cascaded down past her shoulders interspersed with thinly spun threads of gold I had heard you left the city I’m so glad you came back I missed my favorite merchant

With a wildly beating heart Claptrap had to admit to himself that he had just come face to face with Ciel and he was nowhere near prepared for it Maybe if he had time to jot down a few lines for their reunion

But Ciel already moved forward and spread her arms pulling him close into a hug and she was warm and smelled

Come with me we need to talk business Her whisper was soft and urgent and still kind but it was a different sort of whisper with none of the hollow warmth of her previously greeting Something deep within Claptrap’s heart trembled

As she pulled back her face was still smiling warmly but now Claptrap could see the edges of it it was a hollow thing And his chest slowly emptied of emotion What was going on

As she talked lightly about various topics around Deardun Ciel invited him for a drink to catch up and led him away leading him deeper into the area of Deardun monopolized by the larger Styles Then they entered into an inn and walked past the silent drinkers to a back room with extravagant chairs

It was strange This was what he always wanted to talk casually with Ciel like this To feel as though she was interested in him To feel connected to her And yet

After the door was safely closed behind them she stopped speaking and yawned draping herself across a chair She gave him an apologetic smile

Ah Claptrap I apologize about that oh you probably don’t even remember me do you My name is Ciel a disciple of the Steel Feather Style I used to frequent a store you clerked at To be honest I didn’t remember you at all for a while either but after a lot of thinking I did remember a certain clerk with an extraordinarily reassuring face thats you I understand that you have done very well for yourself out in Qtal

Claptrap remained silent struggling to process all the new information that she was dumping on him She frowned at him and asked Do you feel guilty for all of that profit Is that why you went to the Engraver Guild Branch

Still Claptrap remained silent and Ciel asked continuing Were you going to turn yourself in There is still a lot of profit to be made if your connection is still good

Finally Claptrap came back to himself feeling strangely guilty Had she thought that What No I just

Good because as I’m sure you’ve worked out the Steel Feather Style is very interested in what you’ve been doing If you wait a few minutes She was interrupted by the opening of the door and a man with a huge bristling beard walked through the door with a beaming smile

Ah good Ciel you’ve already brought him Welcome Mr Claptrap I am Harnor Tath the vice patriarch of the Steel Feather Style in charge of training Would you like something to drink some food

With the new arrival Ciel visibly withdrew leaning back in her chair in relaxing content that she had served her purpose Because to her their connection was just that A coincidental previous series of encounters that she didn’t associate with any particular emotion other than reassuring It was extremely Something Claptrap couldn’t understand even what he was feeling right now it was just a giant numb bundle that escaped his understanding roaring in his chest

But he was still a merchant And the whole reason that he had left was because Claptrap knew that was all he was to her even if he wanted to be more He needed to be more than just a clerk He needed to be a man and this was his chance And although he was strangely empty he squared his shoulders and focused on Harnor Tath to talk business

As he did so Claptrap grew very still He would not have noticed it a few weeks ago but there was something indefinite about Harnor Tath A potency to the air around him Claptrap did not have much of a concept of strength He simply didn’t associate very much with spear users in situations where they displayed their strength But recently Claptrap had spent a lot of time with the Ghosthound and his spear attendants He even had met the Ghosthound’s master who was the son of the storied Spear Phantom

This man was a cut above that level of strength The very air seemed to wiggle around him filled with a strange something As his scrutiny and shock became obvious Harnor simply smiled and laughed perhaps I’ve underestimated you Very few merchants notice But yes I am at the Adept level What you are sensing is that I’m at the cusp of being able to become a Pontiff But that cusp is a difficult threshold to cross

Ciel rolled her eyes Dad’s being generous The fact that he’s this strong at his age is very impressive It’s almost guaranteed that he will be named a Pontiff in his lifetime

Nothing’s guaranteed Harnor said calmly flashing a special smile at Ciel

Claptrap became decidedly light headed It was one thing to find out that the girl you had a crush on barely remembered you at all it was another to then directly be plunged into a business discussion with her father who was far far far far above you in terms of personal and political power He found his tongue thick and clumsy unable speak

Harnor then turned his attention back to Claptrap and began to ask more pointed questions about the equipment the connection the different runes available and prices After a time Ciel excused herself and left allowing them to continue the discussion in peace Watching her leave hurt but it swiftly made it much easier for Claptrap to speak allowing the discussions to proceed much more swiftly

Is it a money issue Harnor asked quietly with a frown on his face Claptrap had previously said that while the offer was generously he wasn’t sure if his connection would be able to produce much volume for a time And if it’s not the money why Ah that individual is in the Regional Tournament isn’t he Or she As my Ciel proves power isn’t dependant on gender

Claptrap flushed red He tried to think about a clever way to dismiss Harnor’s speculations but couldn’t find any easy lines for why he would come to the city now and why the flow of Engraved equipments would also coincidentally stop right now It was too simple

But at the same time Claptrap was deathly afraid of what would happen if the Engraving Guild could discover the identity of the Ghosthound If they did they would take action against the Ghosthound long before they would come after him Eliminating the supply of unofficially Engraved equipment was much more important than punishing the merchant that sold it or at least Claptrap hoped so

So all Claptrap could do was open his mouth close it and then shrug helplessly Harnor smiled

Well then that’s fine You have our offer If you have product you want to move come to the Steel Feather Style and state that you are a friend of Ciel’s I’ll have word put out to the guards that will bring you to the right people

Harnor got up to leave and then hesitated at the door before turning back around towards Claptrap Ah and one free piece of advice The preliminaries of the Regional Tournament this year Tell your friend that what is important is perseverance I hope to hear from you soon

Chapter 190

The start of the tournament was 3 days away and after signing himself in and claiming a spot Randidly didn’t really have anything that he needed to do in the city So he continued to train

Claptrap’s information about perseverance was somewhat useless to Randidly Perhaps useless was the wrong world It wasn’t something that could be focused on and improved in the short term and also Randidly believed that of all his qualities perseverance was the one in which he had the most dedication It wasn’t that his perseverance was all that impressive but it was a necessary part of his time in the post system world

Still this was compared to the elites that had made it into the Regional Tournament so Randidly did his best to temper expectations But still to his mind his great strength was his tenacity and recovery speed And these things directly impacted his ability to persevere It seemed that a higher power truly wanted to give him a chance in this tournament if this was the criterion on which he would be judged

So during that 3 days Randidly instead focused on prepping his mental state to be incredibly fresh and robust This mostly involved involved long periods of training with the diary of the Spear Phantom and then taking the time to sit in his Weeping Cloud Skill and allow those healing rain drops to flow over and through him cleansing him This repeated cycled did wonders for his Mental Fortitude which Randidly supposed was another quality that would help him persevere

Between training sessions Randidly continued to research Engraving in the technical manuals given to him Engraved a little on the side and also went upstairs to the area above the inn to train He mostly focused on activities designed to increase his physical fitness at this point rather than attempting to improve his Active skills and also used it as a chance to get some experience fighting with the Golden Roots of Yggdrasil

But the real reason that Randidly headed to the roof was to watch with fascination as the elderly man trained the youths in the art of the spear Part of his fascination was that the training style was so different than what Shal employed but Randidly also learned a bit about proper stance and form from listening

Truthfully these were things that Randidly had already learned with his body due to the brutal sessions with Shal and had internalized But he had never addressed them directly or systematically It was usually small things that Randidly had missed during his training sessions with the Root Avatars he had created But once he heard the small tips and tricks they made a lot of sense and Randidly’s understanding of how and why he did things grew immensely

As he spent more time up in the training area Randidly came to the conclusion that there weren’t that many powerful individuals who used it he didn’t even witness anyone who seemed close to the Artisan level training there But even though they were not particularly strong and their skills were basic most people trained with a dedication and zeal that took Randidly slightly aback

Some people even seemed to have quite low skill levels at the point where they wouldn’t be allowed into the Squads of Donnyton But for an hour a day they came and trained dutifully dedicating themselves to the pursuit of the spear

Feeling particularly foolish Randidly asked Helen about it She gave him a look like he was an idiot Well of course they would fucking dedicate themselves to the spear It is the only way to tap into the Aether you must know the feeling of a spear in your hands

Randidly frowned What do you mean

To use Aether You need a spear Are you mentally damaged Helen said testily and then walked away

Randidly pursed his lips but decided not to pursue it Instead when Claptrap stopped by to take some of the armor that he had Engraved recently Randidly asked him if he knew why this was Randidly believed that this would be a much more kind source of information

Are you not Well anyway It’s the same reason that everyone obtains a class related to the spear It is rumored to be different on other worlds but the Aether of this world is particularly inclined to the spear It has been since the Spearman defeated the Calamity It is believed that it is a direct result of that clash it shaped our entire world So if you have a powerful image about using

Claptrap frowned and thought hard for several seconds leaving Randidly rather confused before continuing Well like a kitchen knife I know it’s silly but imagine using a kitchen knife as a weapon Or a shield A shield might be easier If you have an image of using a shield alone it is very hard to create a skill even with your own pure Aether Because the Aether doesn’t take those sort of images well But if you involve the spear in your image even if it is a tenuous connection skill creation is possible

Randidly left the conversation with more questions than he had began with First it was slightly ridiculous to Randidly’s mind that most everyone had eerily similar classes here One of the great draws of the system was the potential to obtain a powerful class with different stat growth rates Was that just not available on this world Was it a difference of the Cohort like Earth obtained an updated version of the system

Second the fact that the Aether could be better suited to certain types of images for skill creation was disturbing Was it really just that the Spearman was such a powerful individual that he had changed the Aether of an entire world And what did that entail shifting the Aether like that From conversations he had overheard Randidly had gleaned that there was an Aether Spring at the core of the world that fueled growth here Was it a change in that spring that affected the world

But it did reassure Randidly that refusing the System was the right thing It was pretty clear that although the people of this world revered and embraced the change a lot of their potential was being restricted by the System itself and its insidious Aether Just like at this very moment within his chest his Soul Skill was still sealed off to his perception

The other thing Randidly did was learn some things about the strange emerald wisp of energy that had taken up residence inside of himself

When he turned his attention inward after an extended period of time training and studying he found that the emerald light had grown exceedingly dim and had faded to a tiny spec It also responded very lethargically to Randidly’s ministrations for a long time But the longer Randidly focused on it poking it and cajoling it it slowly revived itself burning with a slightly brighter light After a half hour it had returned to its previous bright self and danced around happily

Curious and with nothing really to do at 1 AM Randidly continued to play with it pushing it forward It grew brighter and brighter moving faster and faster around him becoming a sizzling burning line It was impressive and slightly intimidating

Also while his attention was focused within himself Randidly was able to confirm that the small locks remained around the cold energy he should have received for the Path of Carnage and the other drop of energy that remained from his Lonesome Spear Path In addition although he could produce a blurry image of his Soul Skill it remained isolated away from his influence

It was infuriating

Luckily the emerald streak was distracting or else Randidly would probably dwell on this issue and begin to brood on how he would get the person who did this back for what they have done As it was he was able to stay away from those thoughts barely

Then something very strange happened the streak stilled trembled and then split in half Randidly simply blinked

The light immediately faded and Randidly leaned closer to see what was going on But it just seemed like the wisp had really split in two and two very dim wisps floated around listless Rolling his eyes Randidly slowly touched and prodded again nurturing them back to health They were Randidly admitted to himself extraordinarily adorable as their droopy and dim selves slowly livened

Then to his amusement they began to chase each other around his inside world dodging through his skills Shaking his head he left and opened his eyes It was a nice distraction and he made a mental note to check in on them periodically but it was of secondary importance

Some of Randidly’s anger towards Shal abandoning him had cooled but it simply left him extremely confused Why had Shal simply left Sure he was likely trying to address his Aether Poisoning but wasn’t Randidly’s performance here just as critical Based on Shal’s attitude towards him Randidly was dubious that Shal had left because he was confident that Randidly could handle himself That didn’t sound like Shal at all

But there didn’t seem like there was any other option Perhaps something pressing arouse The more time Randidly spent with Shal the more he realized how fickle and intense his teacher was Not just in his brutal training style but also personally He was harsh and then he was laid back He was apparently so weak willed those shamans held him back in that dungeon and yet now he had the ability to fight against Adepts

Randidly did know that his all rounder capabilities weren’t the typical path people tread Each stat was valuable and Shal only had around 50 Willpower or at least he had when they were in the dungeon originally Shal also didn’t have room in his skill list for any mental skills so he could only rely on his raw stat totals to resist it And to be fair the issue wasn’t surviving the attack it was surviving the attack while withstanding the mental attacks from the Shamans

All these things Randidly knew It was just

Then he sighed and shook his head ruefully Who was he to judge Shal Randidly too had a problematic childhood and his was apparently very peaceful compared to Shal’s Besides although Randidly had a hard time believing that Shal trusted him in his mind

He really could succeed He would That was his promise for all the assistance Shal had given him which just seemed to grow and grow He was definitely transformed from what he had been previously For that Randidly would earn the top 8 finish and maintain the Spear Phantom Style’s high status

Chapter 191

Shal stood cautiously After staying in the dungeon for a week he was slowly absorbing the thicker Aether in the air allowing him to move around like a real person rather than an invalid He nodded decisively a spear user was truly only half a man if he was not in control of his capabilities

Then Shal frowned as he thought of his disciple wandering around attempting to succeed in the Regional Tournament on his own Gritting his teeth Shal forced down his frustrations with his disciple and his guilt over his father’s legacy and his bitterness that he had to rely on another

These emotions were not helpful And if he was honest with himself he had to admit that he wouldn’t be able to assist his disciple anyways as anything more than a last minute coach His actual influence especially in the preliminaries would be extremely small Perhaps when the actual tournament started his advice would be more useful but when Randidly was just battling against riff raff

Divveltian sat to the side humming and moving his finger like he always did Ever since he had been exposed to the Aether produced by Shal’s disciple Divveltian’s abilities had skyrocketed Shal had a sneaking suspicion that he had been able to improve his self created move and was even now refining it further

In his heart Shal was bitter that he had been so focused on stopping the wild energy emerging from his disciple that he hadn’t thought to absorb very much of it for himself If he had his and Pronto’s self created style

Pronto standing over the woman’s body still just a boy a guilty smile on his face It was necessary You’ll help me convince father won’t you

P you can’t keep doing this

Relax this will be the last time I can control it

A twig snapping brought Shal back to himself Marco Polo ambled out of the bushes carrying some of those poison spitting frogs hanging from a rope Although they had a very weird aftertaste their meat was rather tasty and Shal couldn’t complain about it

Marco Polo’s arrival of course was why Shal had made the decision to leave so suddenly Because Shal had told Marco Polo when they split up that he would appreciate it very much if he went to the border of the Spearman School’s lands and inquired after a certain individual

Shal sought information about the woman who had cursed his family Lucrecia And Marco Polo returned bearing news about her movements and location Apparently she had set herself up as a vice leader of a Style in the Heart School lands

Instantly Shal had known that he needed his strength to be at its peak higher than it had ever been in the past if he were to stand a chance against her Even in the past it seemed that she was an individual that Aemont didn’t want to challenge for in the lead up to Aemont and Pronto heading to see Haelthing Shal begged He begged them to go after that woman instead because Shal was so sure that she was the source

His father had given Shal a long look and then left stony lipped Shal needed to be stronger than his father He could not truly fill the Spear Phantom’s shoes as demonstrated by his lack of comprehension of the moves but there were some prices that he was willing to pay that would make up those deficiencies

For now however he simply needed to wait as his body adjusted itself The time dilation was much smaller in this dungeon than the prison so his Aether connection should recover a small bit Then clearing this dungeon would give him a pool of Aether that could sustain him for a while as he healed the rest of the way

One fact tugged at him however making him very wary

Marco Polo sat around the first laughing and smiling and began to cook the frogs

Although he had likely been inside the prison for the longest Marco Polo showed no signs of Aether Sickness either now or while they were outside the dungeon He seemed completely at ease

Whether it was a coincidence or something more sinister Shal wasn’t sure But it didn’t matter As long as this man could lead him to Lucrecia he would hold hands with the devil if he had to His goal was more important to him than his integrity

In the predawn light Randidly slowly opened his eyes He had checked on the two wisps and they seemed fine enjoying each other’s company They still slowly became dimmer without him but with two of them the process took a lot longer So at least he didn’t need to worry about that

Today was the day of the start of the Preliminaries Already Randidly was nervous but he tried to breathe those nerves away slowly inhaling and exhaling As he did so Randidly opened his status screen Due to his earlier suspicions he had ceased the black potion since they had arrived at Deardun but it did not appear that any changes had happened in his body

Randidly now basically could ignore the notifications anyway but the small golden locks in his body remained He still remained barred from his soul skill Perhaps they were related and perhaps they weren’t But Randidly decided that he would no longer take the potion unless it was necessary He believed that his two years with the notificationless system in the prison had done enough to change his mindset Now he was focused on improving his actions and skill levels would simply follow It was that simple

Over the past few days Randidly had gained 2 Skill Levels in the Inevitable Phantom Arrives 1 in Eyes of the Spear Phantom and Phantom Half Step 4 in Battle Intent 3 in Struggle 6 in the Golden Roots of Yggdrasil 2 in Body Control Freeze 3 in Physical Fitness 10 in Extract and 2 in Mental Fortitude

After a brief moment of hesitation Randidly gritted his teeth and put the PP in the Weeping that Falls like Rain Path His chest heated up and he viciously smashed against it with his Battle Intent Unfortunately the restriction on his Soul Skill prevented him from influencing the process so it spun wildly a strange force building up in his chest

Groaning Randidly got up and stumbled to the other side of the room where he knelt over a basin filled with water Slowly carefully as his body began to tremble he dipped his face in the water sinking into the cool liquid

The pain was vicious just as vicious as what happened the first time this occurred It felt like he would slowly be torn apart by it His whole body would rupture he would collapse

But Randidly knew deep in his heart that he wouldn’t die from this pain After all someone was directly influencing his growth and he had grown quite a bit to reach this point That person would not likely spite Randidly into dying just for extracting that strange emerald wisp from a crystal inside of himself

Or at least Randidly hoped that individual wouldn’t Because if they did there really didn’t appear to be anything he could do Although he had some ideas of how to spite the process for that individual when they tried to put it into action he wasn’t sure how to force the other to move other than finishing this path

Sure enough after a time the pain started to fade Randidly slowly removed his face from the liquid which had warmed quite a bit as he held his face there He grimly smiled if he had still been on Earth if things hadn’t changed he probably would have crushed the world record in holding your breath about 10 times over

There were more things that Randidly wanted to do before the tournament but they could probably wait He waited to attempt to create armor with the Shadow IV rune but Randidly didn’t think he had the technical skill the mana or the proper armor for it yet anyway He also wanted to immerse himself more deeply in the Spear Phantom’s diary moving towards the 5th skill but the mental strain even with the Weeping Cloud was such that he hadn’t attempted it too seriously over the past few days allowing his body and mind time to reach its optimum state

There was a knock at the door

Are you prepared For once Helen’s voice was low and serious Randidly stood stretched and gathered his items They had already been informed that the only thing you could bring to the Preliminary was a spear All other items had to be left behind One by one Randidly removed his rings He had wanted to create more of these too and focus on improving their efficacy But for now this would have to do

Randidly went with his spear attendants proceeding to the area of the preliminaries which had been surrounded by guards for months according to Claptrap The area was covered by a huge dome and only after he had said goodbye to his spear attendants and been searched for any other items was he let inside of it

His large black obsidian spear was given some knowing looks but the people running the preliminaries appeared to be professionals for they said nothing

Inside there was a series of what Randidly could only describe as half constructed buildings There were huge edifices of stone but they were surrounded by scaffolding There were alsoother areas where laborers appeared to be still working throwing up walls at a visible speed It all seemed honestly rather haphazard for the tournament that was the highest level tournament for the younger generations in the Northern Region

But Randidly was swiftly whisked away and brought to another area where he was weighed and measured Most interestingly he was measured not by pure height but height to his shoulders and then also to the tips of his fingers when he stretched his arms directly upwards Then he was brought to a room and told to wait

He looked around Over 100 men and women waited with him all meditating or stretching as more continued to trickle in There was an aura to the room too swirling of power and tension So this

This was his competition

Chapter 192

What is the level of your strength stat

Randidly looked up frowning One of the attendants was standing next to one of his competitors quite a distance away but all the competitors were going about their preparations in silence so the words carried

The man in question a rather bulky fellow with an orange tint to his skin squinted at the attendant who was a rather slender man as if he couldn’t’ figure out what to do The attendant stood there calmly looking at the bulkier man with placid eyes

Is this a joke The man said looking around at the other people for support He was summarily ignored Everyone kept their eyes closed focusing their attentions on keeping themselves in the most ideal condition possible You haven’t asked anyone else why are you

We shall ask everyone else The attendant interrupted You are simply the first to be questioned In a way it is an honor You are free to round the amount of your strength but you must tell me It is part of the preliminaries

The man seemed to puff out his chest then he examined the attendant’s official robe and hesitated He looked around trying to be covert but everyone had opened their eyes and focused their attention by now In the last hour more and more people had poured in until there was almost 1000 people crowded into this space All those gazes landed on the orange skinned man

To be first was to be judged by everyone else who followed

The man coughed into his hand 80 My strength is near 80 But my skills

Irrelevant The attendant made a note and then gave the man a small piece of paper This is your group number Proceed outside and other attendants will show you the way Next

As the man was led away people began to amble forward confident and ready to get out of this dumb waiting game In a way Randidly understood This was certainly not what he had expected when had come today for the tournament It would have been much more fruitfully spent time if he had been able to bring the Engraving encyclopedias into the arena At least then he would have been able to do some light reading as he waited

As it was Randidly had been simply playing with the green wisps in his chest which had once more grown brighter He had also tried to be as circumspect as he could as he had examined the energies inside of himself that were barred to him The cold death energy ash rot and now rain

It was slowly becoming clear that these were to become a cycle of seasons The small packet of energy of the Lonesome Spear Path was there and it appeared that the emerald crystals which were packed with the strange wisps also would play a role Ideally if Randidly could figure out before it happened what was going on he could frustrate it that much more effectively But he couldn’t figure out how they all fit together

More and more of the participants walked forward and gave their totals Most of the strength of the people ended up being around 90 with some as low as 60 and others as high as 140 It seemed that there was a lot of variance in the distribution Although it was clear that most people were lying The only difficult part was determining whether they were lying to raise their potential and appear imposing or to lower theirs and appear unassuming

Either way Randidly ignored it grappling with a much more disturbing question when had he started imbuing his images with time

It was clearly after he started training with Shal Time was how he interpreted the power of the Spear Phantom But was that image suggested to him somehow by a path By the skill itself Randidly didn’t doubt himself but those hands had worked some magic of Aether in his chest Had it subtly influenced his decisions even more deeply than he had thought

But in this respect at least Randidly already had some notions of how to interfere in the evolution of his Soul Skill which he suspected this was all leading up to He would test some things in the duels that were likely to come but Randidly was also worried about some form of surveillance on him It would be better to spring it suddenly

But he only had 34 PP until this Path was finished so it wasn’t like he would have much time to scheme So he played with the energies watching their emerald color sparkle and grow What was interesting was that the longer he played with them the more Randidly was able to differentiate between them His original one as he still thought of it was filled constantly with the urge to zoom about avoiding Randidly’s playful grabs

The second one which had split off from the first was much more hesitant and perhaps a little bit shy It would wait and look at what the first energy would do and then race after it as if hastily trying to imitate it The second one appeared to be faster in terms of top speed but its slow sputtering starts greatly limited its ability to keep up with the graceful movements of the first light

They also seemed to want something from him although Randidly couldn’t figure out what It was like a half heard whisper always making Randidly cock his head and frown He knew there was an answer but he just couldn’t figure it out It was just beyond his listening

Eventually Randidly was forced to return to his body and focus on where he was right now because the number of people had dwindled Glancing around Randidly didn’t see any familiar faces He wondered if Dian and Tartet had been here and he had just missed them There were so many spear users that it was almost impossible to remember even a fraction of them

Randidly slowly moved forward and eventually neared the front of the line In front of Randidly a rather short woman stepped forward and when she was asked her strength she proudly said 162

Although there wasn’t much noise in the room to begin with aside from the small scratchings the attendant made on his ledger everyone went even more quiet the gazes of the people present moving to this woman The attendant nodded as if this was normal and handed her a piece of paper

Looking about proudly the woman left Which allowed Randidly to stepforward

Strength The attendant asked in a bored tone

Randidly grimaced But honesty was probably the best policy in this case There didn’t seem to be any harm in revealing it Most of his Strength came from skills anyways 100

It was an above average but not shockingly so amount Probably just the sort of amount someone would give if they were trying to escape notice But the Attendant didn’t care Instead he gave Randidly a piece of paper with the number 7 on it and shooed him away When he left the room he was led to the location of group 7

Randidly was not pleased to find that the spear user who went first with his bulky frame and orange skin was standing there along with a few dozen or so other spear users They all eyed each other up looking for weaknesses

Breathing in slowly Randidly narrowed his eyes After all these were likely the people he would have to fight to proceed to the next stage

They were outside one of the half constructed edifices surrounded by scaffolding Upon closer inspection it really did have the number 7 carved into the side of the stone After briefly confirming that there really was no other distinguishing features of the buildings Randidly glanced around in the surrounding areas There were more of the same buildings and Randidly was able to make out a 6 on the one nearest to them where another similar group was standing around

well mostly similar

Randidly began to frown and then turned and examined the people around him Although in age gender skin color and relative fierceness the people were all very different There was one aspect in which most of the people around the 7 building were very similar height

And the people around the 6 appeared to be slightly taller Not so tall that it was intimidating but likely tall enough that it would make a difference in reach But it didn’t really make sense to Randidly Well it made sense why they were measured for their height but not why they would be separated into groups by height Although height gave some benefits in physical battle it also included some disadvantages as well Why would elimination be premised on your height brackets

The orange skinned man scanned back and forth with his eyes a deep frown creasing his face Finally he spoke very slowly talking to the group at large When you look at our group and at the other groups

Randidly began to nod slightly agreeing with what he was saying even before he finished saying it Until the man finished talking and Randidly froze hoping desperately that no one saw him nodding in agreement

Isn’t it strange that there aren’t any beautiful women I heard every one of the Steel Feather disciples was hot as hell speaking of which where are any of the disciples from the big Styles

The one woman in group 7 an imposing figure with a green tint to her hair which was shaved on half of her head simply snorted But now some of the other members of the group were paying attention to the orange man and muttering agreement

To Randidly’s relief they weren’t muttering about hot women but rather about the lack of the big Styles Everyone turned their attention to the attendant standing by their building who was a very very short woman She seemed to sense their gazes and looked up from her ledger surprised

The big Styles Where are they Orangy who Randidly now almost lovingly referred to him as grunted

The small woman shrugged The first part of the preliminaries isn’t necessary for those who have a requisite level of strength It is only for those of you who came in through the qualifiers Ah it’s time Come on in

The woman turned but Orangy stamped his foot That’s

Unfair The woman said simply So is being born weak Or to poor parents Or with a deformity Deal with it And follow me in You may of course remain outside but that is considered a failure And you will be removed from the testing grounds

Chapter 193

The male spear attendant folded his arms across his chest annoyed at this whole proposition Sure the Ghosthound had given him an occasional pointer Sure the Ghosthound had managed to get the better of him in their initial meeting Sure he was now the Ghosthound’s spear attendant

That didn’t mean he appreciated being treated like a cheerleader He was a powerful spear user with burgeoning potential

But Teliph was able to weasel his way out of sitting here in the viewing area due to his claimed Aether Sickness which the male spear attendant suspected was simply a way to get a few more minutes of training in Obviously the fool was spineless but smart enough to realize that with the rate the male spear attendant was improving it would only be a matter of time before he surpassed him The man’s fear was natural

Much more annoying was Helen’s reasoning which was that she was approached by far too many men as she sat politely in the stands These men brought with them mugs of mead and smiles asking her which of the Styles that she was supporting By the end of it she simply scowled and stomped off furiously saying that she would be back soon It had been 20 minutes and she had not returned The male spear attendant wondered whether she had taken the time to beat the shit out of some poor fellow who had the bad luck to try and strike up a conversation while she was in a bad mood

The male spear attendant shivered Perhaps it was better that she wasn’t here

Movement on the display area caught the male spear attendant’s attention and his eyes focused The stands were set up in front of an arena setting but now the arena was clearly empty This would likely be used for matches later but for now there were 20 numbered poles hanging across the area And from those poles the attendants began to hang Tassles The male spear attendant watched the group move quickly very soon draping 40 or so Tassles over each pole

A lot of them were a similar color that could be seen in the sky during sunset From oranges to bloody reds to warm yellows There were some clear bright blues and some neon lime greens but there was definitely one Tassle that was very eye catching

What made the male spear attendant worried was that it wasn’t even the Ghosthound’s It was a lavender color flapping lightly on the 14 pole There was a muttering in the crowd around him as it came up they too realized what it meant That someone who was related to the Patriarch’s Style the leader of the entire Spearman School was here

Afterwards the crowd went silent because immediately afterwards the Ghosthound’s emerald Tassle bright and bold with its gold lettering was hung For several seconds the silence lasted as people looked from one to the other and the male spear attendant could almost hear the gears turning in their heads Was this a coincidence or

A rivalry of geniuses coming out to the Northern Region to play

Of course they would likely be slightly shocked when they saw the Ghosthound He was clearly if not a foreigner a social imbecile Alternatively muttering and strangely mute powerful but laid back never wearing shoes but taking exceptional care with his shirts and pants

Very soon the attendants were finished and they straightened A man came to the front and opened his mouth and began to explain the rules of the Tarnak Challenge that would be the first half of the preliminaries

Alright you on this one and you on this one Alright that’s all of you The short female attendant clapped her hands Randidly stood on a small raised square platform with his arms folded He felt it bounce lightly as he shifted his weight a strange mechanism beneath him clicking slightly

All of the spear users were on similar squares making a strange checkerboard style set up Everyone was glancing around at those nearest holding their spears lightly still prepared to leap forward to battle But Randidly could only frown There was something

This will be the Challenge of Tarnak I hope you are all prepared The female attendant said with relish and quite a few of the participants gasped looking up with wide eyes at the low ceiling above them Randidly simply sighed inwardly

What the hell was Tarnak

You might be wondering about why we asked about your strength That is because the weight you will be bearing is the weight for all of you it is measured based on the strength you gave If everyone is honest it is theoretically possible to hold the weight up indefinitely should you be able to squeeze every ounce of strength out of your bodies

There are three ways to pass the challenge of Tarnak The first is to bear a weight that is 20% over what would be expected in a normal strength motion given the strength value that you had given to us The squares beneath you include scales If you bear enough weight the scale will record it and you will be excused The weight allotted to you would also be removed

The second way is to be one of the last 20% of the participants who are still within the trial Afterwards you may bow out or continue to experience the challenge

The third way is to be the final member of the group to be participating If the rest of your group is incapacitated you will move on to the second half of the preliminaries

There are a few more rules Some of you may have lied about your strength We do not care But know that the scales beneath you work both ways If you demonstrate 20% greater than what is expected you pass If you demonstrate 10% less at any point You fail

If the weight is pressed up too high for too long without anyone passing it will get heavier at a fixed rate Since the only way this could happen is if you lied about your strength the evaluation of all the remaining participants strength will rise accordingly If you all rush for the 20% passage too quickly hehehe well it is a bad idea Finally should anyone fail the number they gave for strength shall be divided evenly among the remaining making passage that much more difficult No matter the cause of their failure

Ah there will also be a reward for the first person from each group to pass and the last individual overall to remain These have been chosen very carefully and will be invaluable to spear users such as yourself So good luck

Randidly frowned mulling over the rules in his head It was a complicated series of relationships They each had scales beneath them Assuming there was agreement there would need to be at least 4 people working together to have a single person pass three people to allow their contribution to the weight to fall and a fourth with enough strength to press up and take up the slack But everyone would want to get out early by demonstrating that strength so they would push up trying to eat up that slack Probably to the point that the weight was too high and would slowly increase

So the 20% strength demonstration was just a prize to distract the group and turn against each other If they didn’t work together it was impossible to achieve And from the way they described the weight it would not be easy to hold So people would quickly turn to the second method of passing

Making sure that they were part of the last 20% by eliminating people around them

In this respect Randidly probably had a large advantage Most of the people here didn’t have spells and likely wouldn’t be able to do this as effectively as he But somehow

Randidly breathed in and breathed out Somehow he wanted to pass this challenge directly He wasn’t sure who Tarnak was but it seemed like a challenge similar to Atlas Hold up the world If your fellow participants failed you would need to bear their weight The only way to pass early was to explode at the beginning

But Randidly suspected that strategy would be very popular He just smiled rubbed his neck then slowly and methodically cracked his knuckles

What’s this isn’t this really simple The male spear attendant muttered to himself Just push up very quickly it’s as simple as that

Ha this is why you will always be the type who fails often

The male spear attendant turned surprised that the homeless looking person in a musky leather cloak had the voice of Helen She flashed him a stern look Your idea is fine If no one else has the same idea But if they do and people all push up you will push it up too high and the weight will increase Then suddenly not only the amount you need to pass has increased but the lowest amount you can maintain without failing And

Although the male spear attendant wanted to listen to what Helen was saying he simply couldn’t He waved at her desperate for her to stop one hand pinching his nose Please the smell of that leather did you dig it out from a pile of rabbit shit

Helen’s face contrary to what the male spear attendant expected did not darken Instead she smiled brightly After several seconds of this he smiled back hesitant but rather pleased all the while covering up his nose Did his natural charm finally win her over

After fiddling with the straps Helen removed her hood shaking out her beautiful black hair Then she grimly walked towards the male spear attendant the smelly and rotten scrap of leather held in her hand

Kekeke you fucking asswipe You think I don’t know how this smells This was my entire childhood Let me teach you a lesson about smelly leather

Noo grpk The male spear attendant tried to struggle but she was faster and stronger and swiftly caught him Some other spectators looked concerned but then caught a whiff of the smell of rotten leather and backed away leaving the male spear attendant to be slowly drowned in the smell

Chapter 194

Begin

Ahoo

GRaa

For the Kindred Mountain Style

As Randidly expected as soon as the challenge began and the weight was slowly lowered down onto their shoulders most of the individuals thrust upwards with all their strength frantic to reach the 20%+ mark When activated the scales underneath them had a panel which displayed a strange symbol

After Randidly looked at the symbol for a bit it swirled and resolved itself into a number that was quickly falling

0

1%

4%

Hastily Randidly pressed upwards pushing until his number once more settled back down at 0% Around him there was no cheer of success so it didn’t seem like there was anyone who was able to succeed

17% Just a little more Dig deeper Explosive Strength

No I will be taking that first finish reward Let’s goo

It seemed that two individuals formed most of the competition as most everyone else just tried to maintain their equilibrium Still if neither of those two had made it there probably was no one out there who was allowing their total to go far below 0 Randidly briefly considered letting his fall down to let one person out and get this process started but he hesitated After all there was no guarantee that those two would be the ones to absorb the amount

This was a 0 sum game after all in a fashion The one difference was what everyone was searching for was a percent of their total Due to this it would be much easier for an individual with a lesser amount of strength to pass this challenge because the absolute amount of 20% for them was much less

Having someone leave due to passing was a much better outcome than a failure too Because the weight of failures would be distributed but it wouldn’t for passing

Randidly grimly looked upwards His arms were trembling and a thin trail of sweat was dripping down his forehead This level of weight it really made him feel like he was being crushed But he hadn’t trained viciously for nothing these past two years This level of exertion was something that he could support perhaps indefinitely but that prospect was rather daunting even for Randidly who had a ridiculous amount of strength

But if they pressed up much longer

Randidly looked upwards He obviously couldn’t see anything but the large square weight that was pressing down against them but as he looked around he realized most everyone was pressing upwards their arms straight Which explains why they were separated by height this challenge wouldn’t be fair otherwise

And then the mechanisms above began to click Randidly bared his teeth as his hands trembled and his arms began to drift downward pressed by the increased weight

This Orangey seemed agast He was one of those struggling to reach that 20% early and now as the weight began to slowly increase the folly of his actions seemed to strike him Everyone We need to relax and discuss it calmly don’t’ struggle for the 20% above threshold You will doom us all

Asshole The female spear user Orangey insulted earlier hissed Do you think we are imbeciles If we relax you will simply press and seize the chance for yourself and the prize for being the first to pass Like hell we will let you

Obstinate bitch Orangey swore his eyes red If we do not cease this we will all be crushed and fail

Randidly shook his head Although he admitted to himself that he was rather antisocial that didn’t mean he didn’t have enough emotional acumen to not know swearing at those you were negotiating with is a bad thing The woman snorted and just continued to press upwards

The weight began to increase even further the burden on everyone growing increasingly more onerous A drop of sweat ran down Randidly’s neck and then down his back It had been only 1 minute since the challenge started Randidly almost wanted to laugh

This certainly would be a long challenge or perhaps a very very short one Thin tendrils of invigorating energy worked their ways upward through the strange mechanisms he was standing on to enter his body Although there wasn’t much of a boost it was still nice to feel the energy flows from the Golden Roots of Yggdrasil nurturing him

You know maybe being crushed won’t be so bad after all One spear user said sarcastically We only lose if we stop bearing our proportionate share of the weight based on our relative strength If we are all crushed into mush we might still make it past the preliminaries

Although his words did have a certain morbid logic to them Randidly could only shake his head Not only were the man’s words not true but they also were extremely unhelpful Orangey was standing in a square next to that man the distance between them being about a meter If Orangey was to reach down pick up his spear and strike out with it he could likely kill the man

In an amusing fashion Randidly watched that very thought process flutter across Orangey’s face and then the realization that it would be impossible to reach down and pick up his spear with him lifting the weight like this But if he lowered the weight some

Okay okay Here Orangey said laying off with some of the strength he used to lift allowing the weight to fall just slightly Everyone sighed in relief as the mechanisms above stopped engaging and the weight ceased to creep upwards

The female attendant chuckled evilly Well done You’ve resigned yourself of waiting around until your will gives out Good luck

Orangey glared at her and flexed again but then bit his lip even though his emotions were clearly bubbling beneath the surface Randidly’s arms trembled and he looked down +3% Breathing out through his teeth he slowly allowed his arms to fall a small amount so that the number settled down to 0 He hadn’t really even noticed that he was pushing up

For his part Randidly found himself becoming strangely excited by the weight It had been a long long time from his perspective since he had done this sort of training not since his time with Mrs Hamilton Although Marco and Shal had made sure that Randidly never slacked off in the slightest in terms of physical conditioning this was an altogether different animal And Randidly wanted to test himself

That was one reason that Randidly chose this course of action If he would have been satisfied for just passing he would just lash out with spells defeating at least 80% of those around him and moving on to the next part of the Preliminaries Which was fine in a way but he would miss out on the skill levels that Randidly knew he would gain by pushing himself like this And also

A prize specially picked out by the organizers of the tournament Randidly had never been one who found very much loot in this new system assisted world and Mrs Hamilton had once speculated that it was due to his lack of a class As though the connection to the Village gave shape to the prizes that you earn like experience and loot Not entirely of course But it assisted in the formation of loot

Randidly wondered what was considered a prize by those who lived on the 5th Cohort who had been here for at least 100 years based on what Randidly could gather Sure he could knock people out and pass but if he knocked people out their strength would be assumed by other people making it more difficult to obtain the individual who lasted the longest in this competition prize which Randidly believed to be the best

So for now Randidly bided his time His muscles bulged and strained starting to grow uncomfortable but not too much so Another minute slowly trickled past And then another And then another

All and all it had been 5 minutes since the challenge began Everyone around Randidly was sweating and their eyes were desperate Their rates of exertion seemed to be much higher than his Randidly looked down and noticed that his weight total was creeping slowly up to about +6% His lips twisted

We we need to talk You MUST let me get to +20% The female spear user began to babble sweat pouring down her face Otherwise if even one of us fails

If even one of you fails The attendant said sweetly Passing the easy way will be almost impossible You will be forced to wait until 80% of the other participants have given up or have been disqualified

The female spear user’s face went pale and the tiny female attendant laughed and slapped her knee Do you hear that It is the sound of spirits breaking It is my favorite

Chapter 195

Orangey glared around at the surrounding participants “Don’t let this delusional bitch sway you The only way for us to make it out is to let someone win Let me win and then take turns “

“We could just embrace the challenge of Tarnak ” Another participant near Randidly muttered under his breath Randidly glanced at the frail man whose arms were already trembling under the strain Even Randidly was starting to feel it really feel it feel the limit of his strength In a way that pressure was motivating When it pressed down grinding away at his muscles that huge monstrous stubbornness inside of Randidly’s heart rose up viciously flailing to resist the force He refused to be oppressed to go quietly under the influence of it

Yet at the same time he had to suppress that vicious angry impulse pressing it further down Because this was an endurance competition If he were to expend too much of his strength too quickly

The muscular female competitor glared at Orangey “I will never let you be the one to seize the reward for the first completion Your greed is clear “

Orangey was furious but there was a chorus of agreement from the other participants Like Randidly they did not have a very favorable impression of his words or actions For his part Randidly was mildly interested in keeping the outcomes positive for the group but also his eyes were locked onto the prize for the individual with the longest endurance

That was the one compliment that Divvit had given him that he had the mentality and resiliency to put himself through anything And god dammit if he wasn’t going to earn a reward for it

He still had plenty of reserves left remaining and he was only relying on Physical Fitness and the passive boost from his other skills to support the weight Randidly still had plenty of methods to withstand increased weight if he had to

Orangey was grinding his teeth “Well someone has to go first If it has to be someone “

“It cannot be you ” The woman intoned to nods of agreement Had his arms been free Orangey would likely have torn out his hair As it was he simply breathed heavily glaring at them all

There was one main drawback to this method Randidly knew although he was a little leery about admitting it The cutoff was 80% failure rate across the groups If that many people didn’t fail people would continually struggle just to survive where they would otherwise collapse relieved at passing the first stage of the preliminaries This would drag things out for him who was trying to reach the reward for bearing the weight for the longest

But perhaps that was wishful thinking There would no doubt be others with their eyes on the same prize Randidly knew And they would always be his true competition

“We should start with the people who are struggling the most ” The scrawny man near Randidly said Randidly almost snorted aloud at the foolish man but he didn’t even need to Orangey gave the man a scathing glance

“It is too late for that fool Can you really increase your strength output by 20% Just obediently act as the pillar you are “

“You “

The muscular woman coughed lightly “It should be me I will then direct the rest of the passage of this trial “

Orangey’s eyes bulged dangerously but everyone else seemed to agree and they calmly nodded their heads Well almost everyone

“No I need to pass now if I don’t ” The scrawny man had begun to shake His eyes were red around the edges and his whole person reeked of desperation “If I have to go back to that place “

The muscular woman snorted saying nothing Slowly everyone else turned away looking at the ground rather than at the struggling man Then the muscular woman gave orders and most everyone lowered their physical output making it easier for her Orangey didn’t like it but seemed to accept that he wouldn’t be able to force the issue so he complied

Randidly maintained his current level of support mostly just for consistency of the workout but he was just one of many so he didn’t think it would affect the outcome overmuch They were still far below the level where the weight would increase

“No no no ” The scrawny man muttered to himself his eyes becoming hollow and empty In a way Randidly felt sorry for the man But at the same time this was due to his own insufficient preparations Randidly had to imagine that reaching his own level of strength in a short period was much easier with access to the dungeons It was only due to his own classlessness and Shal’s insanity that they had been forced to go through such dire straits

Then Randidly blinked because a slight figure seemed to float past It was the short female attendant who was walking along the divider between two individuals with an unnatural grace She hopped lightly crossing an entire checker square and arriving at the scrawny man The muscular woman’s face was red and she roared slowly lifting the weight higher Her contribution ticked up from +17% to +18%

The female attendant held out her hand and the scrawny man’s eyes focused “That is “

“Yes a drop of pure Aether ” The attendant whispered so quietly that Randidly had to strain to hear If an individual’s Perception was below 100 they likely would have missed it And it seemed everyone nearby was missing it unable to notice while they looked at the muscular woman with hope ” to have it you simply must reach out and take it “

” but ” The man was hyperventilating his eyes locked on that small object in the woman’s hands Randidly frowned but said nothing It made no difference to him but it was truly disturbing that this was occurring It clearly demonstrated these people’s desire for them to pass through the preliminaries

“When has anyone ever bothered to think about how their actions hurt you Let go “

Almost sobbing the man did reaching and taking that small object from the female attendant’s hand

Immediately the weight increased just slightly as the scrawny man forfeited and his weight was added to the rest of them Randidly’s frown deepened The muscular woman was bellowing and her contribution fell from +19% to +16% She struggled and flexed and was able to get that number up to +18% again but was stopped there

With everything on the line with all of the fellow participants watching the muscular woman fell short With trembling arms she lowered the weight no longer pressing with all her might But it was hard to recover from that expenditure of strength Her chest was heaving and her contribution swiftly fell to 7% Everyone was silent for a long time

Orangey’s anger dissipated He looked at the scrawny man who was led out of the area with a disgusted look “No matter what prize they offered you is that enough to overcome the fact you gave up What hope do you have of strength “

Trembling the man turned back and looked at them all struggling under the weight There were tears in his eyes “You’re right There isn’t much hope But you know this world There isn’t much other choice either “

Shal’s world was a brutal and martial one for sure The weak and even those that didn’t choose the path of the spear were widely derided and mocked If you could not accept that weakness you were forced to struggle desperately often thanklessly embarrassingly But it was better than the alternative

Everyone began attempting to do the same activity that the woman failed but Randidly largely ignored it Closing his eyes he focused his attention inward Here swirling inside of him were the two green lights

They had again grown once more becoming bright lines burned into Randidly’s spiritual retinas as he followed their movement They were fast and slow and wild and pure It was oddly soothing to watch them especially after dealing with the surrounding participants in the trail for 10 minutes

Randidly grimaced 10 minutes It had felt so much longer than that Maybe he had underestimated this Tarnak character To bear this kind of weight was not an easy thing

But for now he put those feelings aside and just looked at the lights playing with them as they flitted and danced

It took a while but very quickly one of the lights stopped trembling It was actually the second light the more reserved and hesitant of the two It trembled and then split into two very dim wisps Excitedly the original light vroomed around them drawing a halo of emerald light around them It was almost as if those two new wisps were waking up cajoled into movement and life by the bright movements of the original emerald wisp

Randidly smiled and shook his head At this rate soon his entire soul was going to be lousy with those things

Chapter 196

As he watched their independent movements their wild freedom and swiftly developing personalities it was almost as if they were alive

Randidly hesitated Were they alive he had assumed they were somehow part of himself but if they were some of sort of life or some form of sentient energy Maybe they were Aether itself The actual form of it Was his Soul Skill creating Aether That didn’t make much sense or Soul Skills would be even more in demand than they were already Were they perhaps refined Aether

But for what purpose And also why would a Soul Skill work as a crucible to refine Aether

This made Randidly muse briefly on the larger question of what a Soul Skill actually was but he didn’t think that he had the requisite materials to answer that question yet Instead he let himself relax somewhat playing with the two freshly born wisps as they discovered the wide world that was the inside of his soul

Helen held the male spear attendant in a headlock for a long time but she eventually loosened her grip as her focus shifted on the presence of the Tassles hanging on the poles For around 10 minutes nothing happened

Then rather abruptly a few Tassles came down from the poles Very quickly after that on the poles where a Tassle had already come down more and more fell until those afflicted only had 5 or so Tassles remaining One of the poles even fell to completely 0

So when a Tassle on the Ghosthound’s pole fell Helen felt her heart seize

She had never assumed that the Ghosthound was powerful enough to win She knew those geniuses from the main Styles even in the Northern Region were absolute monsters but she had

Yes she had wanted it Perhaps it was just a way of paying the Ghosthound back for the extra bit of Aether that he seemed to have imparted upon her But

She wanted him to win All of it Everything To stand above the nurtured youths of the world with his piercing emerald eyes and his frowning face So she continued to watch squeezing her hands together But it seemed that her worry was for nothing because after one Tassle fell from Randidly’s group nothing changed

Helen released a breath that she hadn’t really even been conscious of holding The difficulty of this exercise was that there were no punishments to the group at large for a successful passage but there were many many punishments for a member of the group failing Once one failed the group would need to support larger and larger amounts of weight

Very quickly that weight would grind away at the hope of the remaining individuals as it became clear that they no longer have the ability to pass by the +20% rule They were struggling even with just this amount of weight how could they increase it by 20% Instead they could only hope to pass by making it to the final 20% of participants

If one group managed to have the whole group pass the more people that passed through the 20% rule the less could be still struggling when the failure rule applied

“Crn uff et meerghoo ” The male spear attendant said from her armpit Helen blinked and then looked down at the man in disgust For someone who specializes in defense he truly was way too weak Although she supposed it wasn’t really defense that he practiced but being on the receiving end of abuse In this he was truly the number one individual that she had ever met

Helen released him and then blinked slightly It was strange She had been so physical in the past And now well Not only had she well um engaged in physical activities with the Ghosthound but now she was roughhousing with the male spear attendant In her mind she had always attributed her disgust with physical affection to the terrible smells of the tanneries of her childhood but here she was now wearing leather and stinky leather at that as a disguise

Then Helen shrugged Life is fucking weird

Her attention was pulled back towards the poles because another Tassle fell off Randidly’s pole His still flapped brilliantly the gold letters catching the light but

As she feared 5 other Tassles fell within the next few minutes The crowd of people who could bear the weight was quickly thinning For a few seconds Helen wondered how she would fair if put in a similar situation holding up a crushing weight for an extended period of time But then she shook her head again These fucking thoughts were pointless

But you know what’s really fucking pointless ’ Another part of her snapped That you are sitting here fucking watching basically nothing You can’t even see him Better to spend this time training What if that Aether inside of you fades even further away ’

Helen tried to ignore that voice Inner her snorted

Fine deny it all you want I’m just saying that you know we have a fucking shit sized bundle of feelings to sift through in regards to him What if it also turns out that taking that D is what gave us the Aether Would we do it again And if we do is that wrong That we are just using him for Aether ’

Helen frowned annoyed at herself even though she knew it was something she would need to address eventually People use villages all the time for Aether That’s not a bad thing ’

In what ways are a person similar to a village ’

Luckily her thoughts were put on hold by several poles having Tassles drop off like flies The most notable was the fact that the pole numbered 19 had only a single Tassle remaining A rather bland red without any notable markings The Reflecting Pool Style it said

Helen’s eyes went back to the Ghosthound’s pole and grimaced Not only was she annoyed by his flagrant disregard for his Style by refusing to put it and instead putting his name in bold on the Tassle but she also felt a thread of worry as two more Tassles fell to the ground Only half of the Ghosthound’s group remained and about the same overall Of all of the participants it seemed that only 3 had passed This didn’t include the last remaining individual of the 19th pole who seemed to be aiming for the overall length prize rather than taking the passage for being the final individual in that group

Around 30 minutes had passed and as the crowd muttered watching the poles nothing happened for a while Only when the time had reached closer to 50 minutes did a few Tassles begin to drop once more Slowly but surely like browning leaves from trees in fall the Tassles drifted away

The Challenge of Tarnak the full experience was a 24 hour experience It could be seen from the fact that so many had failed before the 1 hour mark how difficult a bar that was But to be fair it also demonstrated something else about the challenge if you could make it through the first parts you can make it for a while more It ultimately was not about Strength at all But Willpower

And in her heart of hearts Helen could see the eyes of the Ghosthound burning brightly like ignited salt That was not a weak willed man

There was some commotion away from the stage and she was surprised to see that the source of the commotion was Claptrap pushing a cart On top of it were pastries and sandwiches wrapped in wax paper prepared in the manner demonstrated by the Ghosthound from his homeland Although Claptrap was initially very skeptical about Cooking and unwilling to dedicate one of his last 3 skill slots to it he was brought around by the ridiculous amount of markup on the price that people seemed completely willing to bear for the convenience and taste of the Ghosthound’s food

The prices that Claptrap was yelling were enough to purchase bottom tier armor and would not have earned him a sale in Qtal But this was Deardun and there was a different clientele here A lot of the disciples of the larger Styles whose strength had been vouched for and they didn’t need to participate in these preliminaries were here to see their competitors and had some amount of spending money

In addition wealthy armor sellers and merchants were here pandering to the upper tier Styles and also looking for a destitute challenger from the preliminaries who they could give their armor to for free publicity These facts combined with absolutely mouth watering scents wafting from the food made it so a few curious individuals wandered over

More than that all in all this was exceedingly boring to watch This extremely novel idea (imagine bringing food around on a cart ) attracted some attention of a very bored crowd

And once they tasted it

Very quickly Claptrap had sold out and he began taking out the materials to set up a permanent stall to make food during the attraction People were milling around pointing their greasy fingers excitedly and the merchants had taken notice and were sidling up to Claptrap asking him some pointed questions He just smiled and shook his head and they left disappointed

But they were intelligent men and women after all They also tried his wares Although they weren’t sure of the recipe the seed of the idea had been planted in these very enterprising heads Over the course of the next few months no non combat individual was more sought after in Deardun than the Cook

But for now Helen just smacked the male spear attendant What the fuck are you doing Go help

Why me The male spear attendant whined But as Helen advanced towards him a gleam in her eye he scrambled to his feet and hurried down to help with the stand Helen sat down with a pleased expression Although the leather workers back home were wary of her they didn’t have the same fear in their eyes that the male spear attendant did It truly set her heart at ease to see him scurry to work like that

Chapter 197

Time slowly drifted past More and more Tassles fell away until only 30% of the contestants remained Helen wasn’t sure whether it was a good or a bad thing but the Ghosthound’s group was relatively resilient around 40% of their group remained The food stand was set up and Claptrap even provided some standing tables so people could cluster and chat while enjoying their food

It had been the Ghosthound’s idea and Claptrap had been dubious but the Ghosthound had just shrugged in that way he had when he was done arguing with you and despite everyone else’s inability to see what the draw would be they had done it

Needless to say the tables were packed and people had to wait for the use of that space Claptrap had also contracted with a local brewer to bring casks of ale to the event Ale was typically seen by the people of Deardun as relatively low class and useless but it truly complimented the flavor of the greasy food greatly

Plus the sun was hot overhead and a cool beverage was refreshing no matter the flavor To the brewer’s shock within a half hour her stock of ale was sold out Yelling in a frenzy she sent all of her 4 employees rushing back to the brewhouse telling them to bring everything

Absolutely everything The woman bellowed at their departing backs

The rich weapons merchants and the representatives of different Styles tsk ed lightly mocking the brewer for her serious attitude all the while sipping on her ale But then a hush fell over the crowd as an old man with a long long beard walked slowly into the stands area surrounded by a dozen or so powerful looking men and women as an entourage

A hush fell over the crowd and the people took some awkward steps back quickly setting down their food and ale and looked at the ground Claptrap stiffened and even Helen sat up straight Even though she didn’t recognize this particular man she recognized the Tassle carried by one of the Entourage the Steel Feather Style one of the top 3 Styles in Deardun

He looked down his nose at the stand stroking his long beard that fell to his feet He was a large wide man with immensely powerful shoulders If this situation wasn’t handled with delicacy

Hello sir may I take your order The male spear attendant’s slightly bored voice echoed out traveling extremely far in the silence Claptrap stood behind him frozen with horror at the flagrant disrespect in the male spear attendant’s tone

The old man looked side to side very very slowly People moved to the side to avoid his gaze Then he turned to the male spear attendant Are you talking to me boy

Yes what can I get for you

Huhuhuh indeed What is this establishment

Helen turned away from the ridiculous farce the male spear attendant was creating to glance at the poles More Tassles had fallen but they were increasingly unwilling to do so now that they were close to the 80% failure rate for the group Or at least Helen believed so She wasn’t sure how the actual details worked out so they might not know how close they all were to passing But it truly seemed that those that had made it this far were in it for the long haul

This is Claptrap’s Quick Eatery We have foods and ales How may I help you The whole group gasped at the male spear attendant’s unconcerned delivery And the old man of the Steel Feather Style considered him for several long seconds

Ale you say

Several of the rich merchants and those disciples of the higher tiered styles looked guiltily at their ale cups Their faces flushes with shame and they inwardly swore to make sure that Claptrap’s Quick Eatery was crushed before the day was through for this shame

But then those people froze because the old man was laughing Kukukuku I truly haven’t had ale in quite some time Don’t tell my wife but I too enjoy a good ale What do you have

To Helen’s surprise the male spear attendant simply nodded Truly indulgence is the spice of life Hey brewer What are the ales

All gazes turned from the male spear attendant to the brewer woman who was trembling Uh we have a deep ale and a shallow one And also Uh a r r r red one

And the food The bearded man said

Cheeseburger cheesesteak bbq pulled pork bbq ribs and for sides we have fries and mozzarella sticks

The bearded man frowned his face becoming quite unsightly I

There was a long silence that stretched at least a minute I must admit I don’t know what any of those things are

An old hand now at confused customers the male spear attendant nodded and gestured Here this is our recommended order for newcomers a cheeseburger and fries along with a red ale

A stumbling and stammering Claptrap came forward and handed the food to the male spear attendant who passed it to the bearded man He slowly unwrapped the food and then brought it to his mouth His mouth stretched wider and wider until he took a huge bite that was fully ? of the cheeseburger

Chewing very slowly the man never blinked Then he swallowed heavily and took a swig of red ale There was a moment of silence as the audience watched with bated breath This bearded man was a social strata above them all An actual elder of a Style How would he

Belch

Ohoho excuse me Truly an excellent place is this Claptrap’s Quick Eatery I am Aethon Thai What are you called boy

Ah my name is Rog

A low gong sounded Helen turned back to the poles More Tassles had fallen from poles and it had apparently reached the 80% cut off Now more Tassles were being removed but they were taken to the winners pole where they hung proudly But not all Tassles were removed

6 Tassles remained hanging on their poles and it announced that these were competing for the final reward for total time spent under the Challenge of Tarnak The Tassle that had hung alone on the 19th pole remained still drifting proudly

But what was most interesting about the other Tassles that remained was that there was a single pole where two remained The Ghosthound’s pole where his emerald Tassle was facing off with a bright orange Tassle

For a long while Randidly was able to simply play with his strange emerald wisps ignoring the bickering of the outside world as the distracting nonsense it really was His physical body just needed to stand their and support the weight anyway there was nothing very special about the task It was purely endurance

But after a time an indeterminate time that resisted all of Randidly’s puzzled attempts to measure it he felt the difficulty inch upward But still it was within reason But a few minutes later the difficulty shot sharply up It seemed that although they could withstand that level of weight there were much fewer people who could handle the increased weight

Almost unwillingly Randidly left his emerald wisps and returned to solely focusing on his physical body meeting the weight head on The first thing that Randidly did was activate Mana Strengthening It was a pretty quick depletion it would last him an hour but he also engaged more directly with his passive Golden Roots of Yggdrasil drawing mana from the ground into his body

As he did so Randidly focused on the feeling of the warm energy flow and visualized the thick vital roots of energy that he wanted running up to him It was a slow and clumsy method but as Randidly kept his focus up he felt his Aether start to pulse in response Those thick roots pressed downward splitting and spreading drawing the energy towards him Slowly his drawing speed increased if only slightly

The weight was a crushing presence and now Randidly’s temper flared wildly It wasn’t even his temper really it was the primal vicious side of him that hated the constraints of the world It hated powerfully and purely like a child And to it this weight was the ultimate evil He would break the world itself to rip it to pieces

But again Randidly reigned in that temper Although he powerfully desired it he couldn’t allow himself to explode with force There was no point He was aiming for a longer goal He simply had to endure

Endure

Chapter 198

Slowly but surely Randidly found himself achieving an equilibrium with the weight It wasn’t something that he could handle for long but for now

Again the weight increased Then it increased again Growling Randidly opened his eyes looking around

Of the beginning 40 or so participants only about 24 remained The others were gone and as Randidly opened his eyes he saw one particularly unwilling individual struggle furiously against two attendants swearing But of course the struggles were rather feeble in the grand scheme of things If that individual had had the stamina to continue to struggle they wouldn’t have failed the challenge of Tarnak

Randidly allowed himself a smile that was all teeth Well perhaps that wasn’t true In a perfect world the only cause of failure would be the fact that a participant had reached their limit But this wasn’t a perfect world

Sore muscles itching legs tingling numbness in the legs all of these things could lead to a person deciding to give up before he or she reached the limit of his/her physical ability

To Randidly’s surprise Orangey still remained the veins in his neck bulging in a very dangerous looking way A stroke seemed just around the corner Randidly evened his breathing as best he could and began to vary the way that he was resisting the force that weighed down on him As of now Mana Strengthening alone supplemented by Golden Roots of Yggdrasil wasn’t enough

So Randidly began using Empower in brief spurts to burn some of his rapidly returning stamina to supplement his much more concerning mana consumption Then Randidly grinned and burned more stamina using two minutes of pure Empowered lifting to get it below 50% where Second Wind began to kick in

It made him sweat slightly to see how short a time period he could exert that level of effort and become only halfway full on stamina but it definitely recovered quickly Then he basically began alternating between Mana Strengthening and Empower as a way to continue to support the weight

But that wasn’t enough This was all just buying time because Randidly knew the worst was yet to come As more people failed out the weight that he personally had to bear was much greater than it had been in the past And he had seen multiple Skills level up so he was slowly gaining an edge but it obviously wouldn’t be enough against this huge weight So he began to experiment with other methods

One of those was to use Rejection to directly reject the weight that was pressing down on him or reject his tiredness Very quickly Randidly could feel the edges of his mind becoming foggy and frayed and he slowed his use of it It did seem that he could mitigate the effects of the wariness somewhat but he couldn’t overuse it or it would slowly erode his consciousness until he collapsed But it helped a little

Another way was to use Absolute Control Freeze to stop moving for a second allowing him a brief period where the skill was in effect and he could allow his muscles a break It wasn’t much and there was a rather large Stamina cost but it was enough to break up the monotony of simply holding the weight

And it was good to know that it was possible because as the weight increased these would become absolutely necessary

Randidly also thought about the rules and had some other ideas about the things he could do to win but decided against it for now It was ultimately an endurance exercise better to wait as long as possible before revealing his cards He needed to win in the long term and there was very little more he could do right now

But the weight began rising rapidly A few people finally gave up and then several more collapsed in a cascading series where for several seconds it seemed like the weight on them was constantly increasing Their group was quickly knocked down to 15 remaining with all of them showing obvious signs of strain

With glowing eyes Randidly looked around at the surrounding people Then he closed them His Aether was slowly growing more restless it’s pulsing icy hot tendrils thick and winding through his body In a way as the Aether became more active Randidly could also peer deep into it seeing a giant endlessly deep well There were wild currents and eddies deep within that pool of Aether but Randidly did not fear them Because he knew instinctively they were his

Again the weight rose and again Randidly gritted his teeth and resisted it As he did so those movements in the Aether became more frantic The swirling was more wild and dangerous and as that happened the Aether seemed to settle and become thin As it was lazy it was a thick heavy thing but the more Randidly struggled the more violent and translucent the Aether became

His inward focus became locked on it even as the weight grew more demanding But he couldn’t look away because as Randidly looked he could see something Infinitely deep infinitely far away through a vast distance that seemed to be clear but it took a small period of time before the swirling Aether shifted out of the way to reveal the core of this manifestation inside himself

It was a hole But it was pulsing slowly stretching and contracting Like it was breathing Like it was a mouth

As Randidly watched it he noticed that it really was producing Aether when it contracted exhaling but as it slowly swelled there was no change in the Aether It only produced So Randidly narrowed his eyes confused Almost instinctively he activated Eyes of the Spear Phantom His gaze focused

It was faint but he could see it floating slowly downward to that sucking mouth Little motes of light Some of them were blue some were red some were golden and some were glistening black but the vast majority almost 75% of them were emerald in color glowing brilliantly

Randidly chilled inwardly Because although it was in a polluted and rough state Randidly recognized those glistening motes It was definitely related to those flitting wisps of energy that were dancing in his chest

But then a dull ringing made Randidly lose his concentration and return to his body he glanced up and looked around People were collapsing left and right but the weight didn’t increase He frowned and saw that the female attendant was shaking her head sadly as if disappointed

Well some of you passed If you choose you may continue to chase the ultimate reward for the Challenge of Tarnak but all of you have already passed

Then the female attendant paused as she glanced over towards Randidly Ah but if you choose to continue know that it will be considered a failure if you do not last a full 24 hours even if you end up winning the reward Are you willing to gamble with your lives The weight shall remain at the level it was prior to the passage

I am

Randidly turned surprised to find that Orangey was glaring at the female attendant still maintaining his firm stance His limbs had a definite tremble to them but he had a determined look in his eyes that made Randidly suspect that Orangey’s body would give out before his will would

In a way it made Randidly much more fired up about it and he too nodded He wasn’t sure how much longer it was until 24 hours but he did not choose this path because it was easy in fact it was exactly the opposite It was only because it was difficult that he chose this path

The people who accepted that the trial was over left chatting happily Meanwhile Randidly turned towards Orangey who also turned to face him There wasn’t any recognition in Orangey’s eyes but there was a respect After all they both were aware about how difficult this was They nodded to each other simultaneously and then settled into their concentrations

For his part Randidly was tired of playing fair he opened up his status screen

He had gained 3 Skill Levels in Physical Fitness 6 in Golden Roots of Yggdrasil 4 in Mana Strengthening 2 in Empower and Mental Fortitude 4 in Rejection and Second Wind 5 in Struggle and 3 in Absolute Control Freeze It was a small amount of PP in the grand scheme of things especially for his training experiences

He funnelled them all into his path earning himself 2 Willpower and Resistance which Randidly believed would be useful for this In addition his Soul Skill also gave him 2 points in Vitality 2 points in Strength and 3 in Control 15 health 15 mana and +1 to all regeneration The Strength was probably the biggest direct boost but the Vitality helped his stamina regeneration and the flat regeneration helped across the board

What was most disturbing to Randidly was that this put him at a single point away from finishing his Path He didn’t have anymore PP right now but he would likely get one at some point in this contest And when he did

He knew something would happen So although this boost was nice Randidly swore to himself he wouldn’t do it again When he obtained this piece Randidly expected that he would need to make a decision and he wasn’t sure if he would be able to do that while supporting a weight

The fucker that put these locks on his soul would have to wait First was to crush the competition here

Chapter 199

It was more a trance than anything else Randidly reflected as the time trickled past The weight grew to a dull pounding but was possible to support as Randidly quickly managed to find an equilibrium with Meditation Mana Strengthening Empower and Rejection in the face of the weight

That almost dreaded PP came and went and Randidly was sorely tempted to just finish the path but he knew that his wild anger he had within him due to the long nature of the challenge was just prodding him towards dumb decisions So he resisted that urge and instead just doubled down on the task at hand The weight was not growing in a literal sense but it did seem like Randidly’s strength and the weight were on a teeter totter and as one went up the other went down

If his will waivered if he allowed his shoulders to drop it became that much easier to let it fall another inch and it was almost impossible to press upwards returning to the previous equilibrium

Although his competitive spirit was definitely roused by the presence of Orangey Orangey himself was a pretty dull opponent After their initial acknowledgement Orangey settled into a stance and stuck to it

He was even drooling a little

After a brief grimace Randidly closed his eyes and attempted to do the same After all no matter what happened it would be a long night

Helen sat very still After a while as the male spear attendant chatted with the old man from the Steel Feather Style she had realized that the situation had devolved into a strange drinking match that more and more people were joining and her intervention wasn’t necessary Although Claptrap and the brewer had wild eyes and nervous twitches as more and more people approached demanding to be served Helen didn’t make any effort to assist either

After all their pockets were heavy with coins If there was any lesson that her mother taught Helen that she actually valued it was that money had an influence independent of power Because in a way money was much more versatile

It was very difficult to both create a merchant empire and to reach even the Artisan level with the spear But for an individual at the helm of a merchant empire even Pontiff level spear users could be swayed by the offer of rare materials and equipment They would be fine as they stumbled haphazardly into their newfound wealth

Instead Helen’s attention was focused on the Tassles A few hours after it had begun one of the 6 had fallen It was neither the Ghosthound’s or the Tassle that still remained on his same group Still it was disappointing for that individual for that was considered a loss

They were forced to gamble with their opportunity to pass this stage Discovering wealth came with a cost just as Claptrap was learning

The world seemed to slow as Helen stared intently at the Tassles She was so focused on it that her hands were grinding away at the material of the seats almost instinctively Was it because they had slept together that she felt this attachment Was it due to their relationship as his spear attendant Was it something more some inexplicable connection

Either way it was fucking annoying

But Helen couldn’t bring herself to look away She told herself that it was just because she was thankful for the strange boost of Aether that he had provided and perhaps there was a thread of truth in that but she sensed it was a lie She was here for a large and strange reason that she refused to examine too closely Better to just experience this without having to face some parts of herself that she might not like

Parts of her that filled her will fear

Time continued to pass and the drinking began to grow more raucous at first and then less as some people were finally unable to continue even with their extremely high Vitality and Endurance stats That or they had drunk all of the alcohol brewed by that woman leaving her nothing but gold and empty casks

The Tassles were at the the 19th pole the 14th pole the 13th the 9th and then finally the 2 at the 7th It was around 7 hours into the 24 hour period that Tassle on the 14th pole fell It was the most excitement that had happened for a while so it inspired another fit of revelry Another brewer was called In addition the people who had passed the first half of the preliminary were mostly recovered at that point and came back to watch those foolish people who attempted to persist

Claptrap was forced to send out for more ingredients It would be a long night for him as he had established his small stall as the place to be around the stands Very quickly the high level sects and merchants began to jockey for position at the tables Claptrap had set up The Steel Feather Style old man had claimed the most central and convenient table for viewing and around him the social strata eventually worked themselves out

For those who arrived late unless they had a high level of prestige it was almost impossible to approach those central tables Instead they could only eat surreptitiously at the fringes looking around at the strange set up in wonder

Two hours later the Tassle on the 13th pole fell Helen’s eyes sharpened Not because of anything in regards to the Tassles but because the old man from the Steel Feather Style was staring intently at the Tassle on the 19th pole A frown slowly grew on his face

Based on this progression Helen grimaced At least if there was some sort of pattern moving through the poles the Ghosthound’s pole would be the last to be reached

Sure enough around 16 hours into the exercise the Tassle on the 9th pole fell There was only the two on the Ghosthound’s pole now Helen felt the tension descend through her spine twisting her body inward into a small ball What was most frustrating was that she could do nothing She supposed that was to be expected generally spear attendants were rather common and rather useless They might obtain some small amount of teachings or benefits from the relationship but it was a route taken primarily by the desperate

Like a desperate woman following an impulse all in order to escape the grasp of her family

But her time with the Ghosthound and Shal and Divvit was special They had treated them with respect and the two experienced spear users had both casually given pointers to the spear attendants which was a great honor considering they both were at or near the Adept level of spearmanship

It was a family very unlike her own in a way A brutal and violent family A family that sometimes had sex with each other

Shut the fuck up Helen whispered to herself her eyes narrowing into slits Why the fuck did her brain always spit out the most fucked up shit

So she tried to maintain a clear head and just stared at the 7th pole waiting for something to change

Just the weight just him in eternal balance Randidly had proceeded past the stage where he felt the exertion he had just internalized it Additionally he didn’t seem to breath any longer The only movements were the circulation of Aether within his chest It was wild and hungry too and the longer Randidly resisted the urge to give in the more it responded to his actions He would bear this weight to the day hedied he swore to himself

Of course another part of him was very skeptical of this sort of fatalism but it was certainly easier for him to commit to something ridiculous in order to manage something attainable It pushed his boundaries in a very real way He even had thoughts of continuing to hold up the weight long past the time of the Challenge of Tarnak

Just to see his own limits

It was also possible for another reason his eyes were long since closed and time was a nebulous concept It grew and stretched becoming infinite and fleeting It was extremely strange There was only the struggle and under the metaphoric weight of that struggle time bent and struggled

Although most of his attention had to remain focused on the struggle the constant cycling of skills used to maintain his position another part of him explored that small insight into time Sometimes it flowed quickly other times slowly It was not even and standardized but elastic like a rubber band that grew longer the more pressure there was

But that wasn’t exactly true was it It was standardized For even the most vicious and painful experiences were eventually yanked offstage by time as the world moved on But for the truly terrible experiences that time would remain within you endlessly looping endlessly heavy just dragging at your sanity

It was almost as if there were two parts of time The time you experience and the time that passes

Randidly would perhaps have continued to puzzle over this with his spare attention but in his chest something strange was happened He with a great effort of will returned to his inward area where he saw his 5 emerald wisps of energy dancing But they weren’t the source of the commotion It was his Soul Skill

Immediately Randidly felt a sinking feeling but as he watched his fears didn’t come to pass the flaming ash energy that continued part of his cycle was beginning to glow brighter and somehow more furious There was also a strange vibration in the air A strange eloquent resonance

Enemy

Chapter 200

After a moment of trembling focus Randidly forced himself out of that ideal suspended state following the thin warning of enemy that came from his soul skill Immediately his return threw off his focus and he faltered switching from one skill to the other The weight pressed downward and his shoulders dropped two inches

Growling Randidly switched to the active version of Golden Roots of Yggdrasil strength flooding through his limbs He had gained quite a few skill levels since the last time he had used the active skill and it showed by how much warm powerful heat flowed through his limbs

But he knew intimately that this warm power was fueled by Stamina so after pressing upwards and righting his equilibrium with the weight Randidly let it drop and glanced around chest heaving Mana Strengthening pushed to its limit

Orangey was there even more drool coming out of his mouth But the drool had pooled on the ground and frosted over slightly The temperature had definitely gotten cold

Randidly turned to his right where the female attendant was standing bored and then to his left only to discover a figure walking slowly towards him and Orangey He blinked slowly The figure was composed entire of ice

His eyes focused It was a female figure slight and short with hair cropped short falling around her face to the base of her skull Other than that most of the features were indiscernible but it noticed Randidly’s gaze and turned to meet it An instinctual hatred rose up in Randidly’s gut and he felt very instinctively that this was an enemy And the system confirmed it

Warning You have encountered an Initiate of Frostbite As there is currently a Judgement of Frostbite hanging above your head unvanquished this Initiate will experience increased power and regeneration while fighting you In addition the Judgement will be informed of your location Vanquish your foe if you wish to continue to flee

Randidly’s expression soured He supposed it was foolish to think that his spell would have killed the Judgement but it would have been convenient And if it was still looking for him

And it had all this time to grow stronger and spawn minions while stuck in the prison If it came for him

But the ice girl smiled at Randidly in a way that forced his focus back to the problem at hand she was coming She began to run forward her ice toes tapping lightly on the ground In her hands was a long and thin spear made of ice and she pointed it towards Randidly’s heart

Then she accelerated becoming a blur of ice Randidly’s eyes narrowed

When the strike came it was faster than he could believe from the strange ice statue But it wasn’t as fast as Shal or Divvet could move Roaring with all his strength Randidly’s feet twisted as he activated Footwork of the Spear Phantom and moved to the side while still maintaining the weight up in the air

His strength exertion meter dropped to 6% at a point but he was able to get out of the way and support it again before he dropped any lower

Then Randidly froze

Circle of Fl

Too late Came the whispered reply from the ice statue as the ice spear took Orangey in the throat ripping a large hole in his flesh and causing his eyes to spring open Randidly saw him tremble and reflexively go to reach for the wound but then Orangey resisted that urge and continued to support the weight

Blood oozed up from the wound dribbling out and quickly soaking his shirt Randidly hastily canceled the spell realizing it would injure Orangey just as much and turned his attention to the ice statue

The thing shrugged at him No hard feelings I just need to obtain the reward for lasting the longest Surrender and I’ll spare you

I reject Randidly hissed his heart beat rising quickly A strange furious heat had filled him The Aether in his chest was roaring and spinning The heat grew and grew mixing with the anger Orangey remained stoic even as he eyed them both

Then you have my permission to die The ice woman raised her spear but her ankles were crushed by roots that had wormed their way upward through the contraption beneath them to seize the ice creature Although it was harder than typical ice it was still child’s play to shatter it to pieces

The ice woman yelped in surprise and then began to twitch and curse IT HURTS IT HURTS GOD DAMNIT I’ll KILL

Randidly crushed the skull The rest turned to water and flowed away from them quickly disappearing Already Randidly could feel the temperature rising and he turned to Orangey

The man immediately grimaced But Randidly shook his head The man was trembling and it wasn’t the trembling of strain It was the trembling of weakness

if we continue I will die Do the honorable thing and surrender Orangey said boldly his eyes narrowed

Randidly just sighed at the other’s shamelessness I cannot

You covet the reward that much That you would be willing to kill me I suppose such an action is all too common Orangey muttered but Randidly shook his head again Taking the moral high ground now Orangey Really

No it is not the prize It is a promise I gave my word so I will achieve the top 8 in this regional tournament That is the reason

Orangey blinked Are you aware of how unlikely that is It is comment worthy when an individual from the qualifiers makes the top 50 of the regional tournament it is completely dominated by those from the larger Styles That is our fate Why should you be any different

Because I need to be to keep my word Randidly said breathing out softly But his resolve was firm in this regard it was necessary so he would That was all he could do

Sighing Orangey lowered his shoulders and stepped to the side allowing his exertion to fall below 10% Then he began to walk away

Thank you Randidly said quietly although it was more for the man’s benefit than his own gratitude Afterall all Orangey had done was prevent himself from dying needlessly But what surprised Randidly was that Orangey spun around and spat on him

I have no respect for fools like you who don’t understand their place in the world Look at yourself You are pointlessly holding a giant rock for the amusement of others while the chosen wait ahead refreshed and informed of your capabilities If you truly had any hope of reaching the top 8 would you really be here struggling under a rock

Randidly was silent The red hot Aether in his chest demanded violence for the insult but he ignored that His arms trembled and his body was covered in lines of sweat He was exhausted of all of this It had gone on for too long and he had to finish the 24 hour period still to finish But for a split second Orangey’s words caused him to waver

Shaking his head Randidly slowly spoke to reject Orangey’s worldview It is true that I won’t simply find the strength to accomplish my goal just by seeking it But I will surely never find the strength to be more if I don’t push myself to reach higher

Mere platitudes Orangey hissed turning away They will be a small comfort when you fail

Randidly allowed his head to drop and he sighed He refocused checking in on his Mana and Stamina finding both to be extremely low He smiled lopsidedly It would certainly be a hard trek this last part which he didn’t really know the time of He had no idea

But he would do his best because

If you make it to the top 8 I will buy you a drink Orangey said without turning around standing at the edge of the apparatus Then he left the attendants escorting him away

The Aether in Randidly’s chest ignited His grin was wide and vicious

With eyes filled with brilliant emerald flames Randidly whispered And I’ll use the trophy of this whole fucking tournament to sip and savor that drink

Far away a pair of eyes slowly opened Finally the Yeti had located the target He had become aware that the target had fled from the temporal dimension that it was isolated in but that wasn’t a problem It gave the Yeti time to build his strength

Judgement would follow the Heretics to the edge of the world and beyond

There was something extremely strange about this Heretic in that the holy weaponry appeared to have no effect The Yeti was still struggling to come to terms with this information but he set that to the side There was no redeeming sinners They simply must be punished That was his role

His gaze drifted outward at the sea of chittering minions the Yeti had already summoned Initially the prisoners had put up a good fight slowly driving the Yeti and his minions backwards But against those that interfered in the Yeti’s Judgement quest he received a larger portion of his strength the restrictions were somewhat lessened

When he took the field he broke their strongest and overwhelmed the rest Now he hunted the stragglers and spawned more minions waiting

And now he finally had the signal he had been waiting for

The Yeti’s face twisted in a smile

Chapter 201

The 24 hour period ended with only a single Tassle remaining the Ghosthound’s Helen shed a single tear then blushed furiously even though basically no one was paying attention to her

The strange part was that just when her tension was highest the Tassle on the 19th Pole fell drifting slowly down Then a few minutes later the orange Tassle on the Ghosthound’s pole dropped too leaving only a single survivor

The emerald and gold colors were eye catching and not in a good way There was a lot of frantic whispers as it emerged as the only remaining Tassle When it remained through the 24 hours there was no celebration only a certain sense of relief They could finally move on after all there was still a second half of the preliminary that would take place tomorrow

When he left the Ghosthound was limping slowly his shoulders visibly knotted and tense and his arms held uncomfortably at his sides There was a slight tremble to his movements Helen’s first instinct was to run to him and offer some help but

Then she saw his eyes They absolutely burned so much so that she was rooted to her spot in the stands as he approached It was as though something deep within him was finally revealed by the Challenge of Tarnak Something primal and unrelenting The Ghosthound had always been a ridiculously dedicated individual who spent most of his time training But now

He looked like the naked head of a spear shiny and pure a forged instrument of war with a single purpose

God it made her fucking horny as shit

The old man from the Steel Feather Style straightened as the Ghosthound approached all signs of intoxication and revelry falling away from his face revealing a chiseled and lined face filled with strength Almost immediately the feeling in the air changed charged by the powerful spear intent that this man emitted naturally It was so much that the air grew cold The Ghosthound immediately turned facing the man and the crowd between them parted

As the surrounding people slowly fell silent their gazes locked on the Ghosthound the old man smiled Congratulations boy I am Aethon Thai On behalf of the Regional Association of Northern Styles I am here to grant you with the reward for passing the entire Challenge of Tarnak and for being the final remaining competitor in the first part of the preliminaries

Here Aethon paused then grinned wildly I am glad There were some disciples from the top tier Styles that snuck in the preliminaries for this reward The fact that you were able to stoically endure even through their designs on this reward gives me hope for the Northern Region We cannot simply rely on the highest level Styles for our strength The importance of the development of the unaffiliated Spear Users is paramount Do you have a Style boy

The Ghosthound nodded slowly looking slowly around at the surrounding individuals I am a member of the Spear Phantom Style

Someone in the crowd breathed in sharply while others looked around in confusion

Aethon’s eyes twitched but otherwise his gaze remained the same A young Style but also one I had thought already had died Interesting Take your reward and rest boy For tomorrow too you will be expected to exceed expectations Otherwise you will be forgotten like a passing breeze

Aethon offered a small box to the Ghosthound who took it and slowly turned away An attendant approached and offered him his spatial ring Claptrap was packing up and the male spear attendant drifted downwards heading for the Ghosthound

Helen awoke with a start and quickly followed She felt eyes on her lingering on her curves even through her indescribably shitty leather outfit Her face flushed but her eyes were locked on the Ghosthound

As she arrived at his side her mental voice was swearing profusely telling her to offer some sort of help some sort of assistance as the Ghosthound limped slowly forward He was clearly recovering his monstrous recovery speed revealing itself but still he had been pushed to the edge of his capabilities for 24 hours Anyone would be drained and exhausted She should she should fucking do something and not just stand here like a fucking cunt

Helen

They had walked some distance away and the curious merchants and vice leaders of Styles turned away and began to discuss what had happened Only now did the Ghosthound open his mouth his voice low and even

Uh fuck you look like shit Helen blurted out then glared at him for making her feel so simultaneously mortified and weirdly affectionate

The Ghosthound just smiled Your arm

Helen opened her mouth then thought better of it and simply held up her arm for him He placed his hand on top of it extremely lightly like the weight of a falling leaf blown off a tree by a breeze extremely unobtrusive But she could feel through that small touch a strange trembling of his body demonstrating how close he was to his limits

Flushing with even more embarrassment Helen somehow was able to close her mouth and look at the ground And so they walked the remaining distance back to their lodgings with all of Helen’s focus wrapped up in that small tremble in the Ghosthound’s body

Randidly gaped looking at the small belt inside of the box

Master’s Fine Leather Belt Lvl 49 Leather armor lovingly processed and worked into a belt Made with the skin of a cursed Werewolf Vit +5 Str +5 Agi +5 Willpower 5 Health +100 Runic Stitching II

Engraving of Reflection III 90% ® The wearer easily finds their center and has increased powers of self reflection Ability to shape images is slightly increased Concentration of the wearer is increased by 20% Wearer gains Aspect of Reflection IV

Aspect of Reflection IV Willpower +15 Resistance +15 Wisdom +9

Runic Stitching II The Master who worked the leather of the belt has developed her own basic personal process of Leatherworking and benefits begin to accrue within the armor Focus +4 Perception +10

Randidly breathed slowly his eyes glittering So this was the level of Engraving for the guilds Not only the Engraving but the base materials were incomparable with what he was currently working with The belt itself was +24 to his stats and an additional +100 to his health before the Engraving was added

And the Engraving itself not only did it reference an increased ability to shape images but also the bonus of improving concentration by 20% How would that even work And an additional +39 stats

Truly it was a monstrous gift Randidly could understand why even the disciples of the larger Styles were willing to go through the Challenge of Tarnak in order to obtain it It was truly a qualitative step forward simply by wearing this equipment Randidly reminded himself that he needed to push his way forward to the point that he could Engrave an entire set of armor for himself but that would need to wait

Besides they were not permitted to have any real equipment on during the preliminary aside from their spear So it wouldn’t necessarily increase his chances of passing the next level of the preliminary tomorrow but it would definitely help him moving forward as the tournament continues It would be invaluable

Slowly Randidly wrapped the belt around his hips tightening it and equipping it Randidly blinked slowly feeling it immediately the sudden rush of clarity that suffused him His mind seemed sharper more robust and focused It was incredible As his breathing increased in speed Randidly looked at his stats

Health(/R per hour) 1322/1364 (+118) (491 (+27

Mana(/R per hour) 649/1484 (+5) (133 75 (+9

Stam(/R per min) 1233/1495 (210 (+9

Vit 142 (+9)

Str 110 (+17)

Agi 131 (+17)

Perception 100 (+10)

Reaction 100

Resistance 89 (+15)

Willpower 133 (+10)

Wisdom 56 (+9)

Control 197

Focus 149 (+4)

Equipment Average Leather Tunic Lvl 5 (+2 Vit) Gloves of Quickness (Vit +1 Agi +3) Necklace of the Shadow Cat Lvl 20 ® (Vitality +1 Strength +2 Agility +7) Master’s Fine Leather Belt Lvl 49 (Vit +5 Str +5 Agi +5 WP +10 Resist +15 Wis +9 Focus +4 Per +10 Health +100)

Randidly couldn’t help but be pleased It was a powerful addition and it was something that was worth more than all of his other equipment combined Perhaps even more valuable than the stats too was the increase in concentration which felt like a palpable rush of increased mental power

He went to remove it then hesitated Randidly’s mouth parted in a brutal grin No he would keep the belt on After all what came next would perhaps be the time he most needed access to that increased concentration Perhaps he was building this up to be nothing but

Randidly felt that with a single PP he was about to finally meet the creator of these bells and locks And he would destroy every single one of their carefully laid plans

Chapter 202

First Randidly settled himself and focused on recovering his Health Mana and Stamina to their ideal state He even considered going outside to have Weeping Cloud’s rain fall on him increasing his mental recovery even further but somehow Randidly was profoundly worried about being discovered at the moment

If perhaps Shal was here

But Randidly quickly crushed that train of thought He would be fine His mind was already sharper than it had ever been before with the addition of the belt and he wouldn’t need the support of anyone else for this In the back of his mind he knew this outlook was foolish but he was blinded by fury over the irresponsibility of Shal’s behavior so he continued irregardless

When his breathing was even and he felt completely focused Randidly finally opened his menu and looked at the PP he had earned over the latter part of the Challenge of Tarnak

He had gained 4 more Skill Levels in Physical Fitness 9 in the Golden Roots of Yggdrasil and Mana Strengthening 3 in Empower 7 in Rejection and Absolute Control Freeze 4 in Meditation and Second Wind 3 in Superiority and Bacterial Regeneration 10 in Struggle and 1 in Root Control

It was overkill for a single PP to complete a path but it was something Randidly was glad about Hopefully after there would be a path worth moving towards After another breath he put the last PP into the Weeping that Falls Like Rain Path completing it

Congratulations You have completed the Weeping that Falls Like RainPath The path is long and winding and you feel completely separated from the world around you isolated by curtains of falling rain The only constant presence is your reflection in the puddles that surround you But still you step forward through it regal and proud As you continue your mental acuity continues to grow This is your path Willpower +5 Resistance +5 Reaction +20 You also obtain a powerful shard of energy that can be used to create a Soulskill or merged with your current skill

The stat completion bonuses were nice but they were ultimately a small thing What was important was that newly awakened form of energy the cool blue energy floating inside of Randidly’s chest After a moment of hesitation he reached out and touched it

It began to vibrate slowly and inside of his inner world a resonance emerged Those tiny bells began to ring It was a slow thing as the tiny bells around the icy murderous energy and then the small sphere of energy began to ring Then ponderously the larger bell that was attached to his Soul Skill began to ring with huge ringing booms its sound spreading through Randidly’s whole being The noise set his teeth on edge but he could only grit his teeth and endure

This was still within expectations He knew that this would set off a process within himself just that

Randidly blinked What he didn’t expect was for a figure to slowly take shape before his very eyes Long limbs smooth skin big round eyes A female form slowly condensed in his chest starting as just a doll but slowly coming alive lifting its head and looking at him But even then it didn’t stop Aether swirled and moved shifting into shapes and being drawn into that body And the more Aether it absorbed the more real it became

The bells continued to ring and the body became more real and Randidly clenched his fists powerfully So this this was the architect of all of this bullshit Although she was clearly feminine her hair was completely shaved giving her a strange childlike innocence Her eyes were extremely large but even more strangely they were completely robin’s egg blue a solid sheet of it

Her first action as the last bit of Aether curled in and completed her body was to take in a large breath Then she smiled Wonderful Wonderful wonderful I’ve waited a long time for a man like you Randidly Ghosthound

Randidly remained silent sizing her up Her voice was light but he couldn’t relax around a woman who so naturally shaped Aether in the way she had just demonstrated And besides now that he finally found himself face to face with the being that had interfered with the way that the System worked on him he found her to be more and less than he expected

More human almost familiar in a way

Less approachable as her casual demonstrations of mastery over Aether left him shocked and intimidated

But I know you I’ve been watching you You are happy yes But you must believe me we are after the same thing saving humanity from the catastrophe known as the System Is that not correct Is that not what you want

Randidly stirred but still said nothing looking at the creature in front of him She laughed lightly and began to walk towards him with extremely heavy steps that coincided with the ringing of the large bell that locked his Soul Skill away

Do you fear me

Randidly looked at her for a long moment and when he answered he ignored the creature’s most recent question Why me

Do you wish to be special This world will leave you quite disappointed The creature answered smiling I planted many seeds you are just the fastest to bloom What I needed was one who was not giving his meaning’ to the System One without a class or a connection to a village Your development was unexpected But it was a pleasant surprise

My meaning

The creature paused right in front of him She was only as tall as Randidly’s shoulder and had to look up at him with her wide blue eyes Like a frozen and poisoned sky Let me tell you a story There was once a being who discovered a magical hole in the world At first the being feared this hole but the being quickly recognized its power When the being pushed life through the hole meaning flowed back out And when the being supplied meaning the hole produced life

This being was satisfied at first but then his desire grew and grew so he began to use that hole to expand his power He gave his life to form enough meaning to create a System that would help him expand his influence It grew and grew and his hunger grew and grew and so the being began to split small pieces off of the magical hole in the world covering them with restrictions of meaning and planting them like seeds allowing his influence to grow But still the being sought more So more meaning was created and he began to use his seeds to syphon the life of the denizens of other worlds fueling his expansion even further

For this being was willing to do anything to find what he was looking for

Randidly frowned slowly parsing apart what the creature was saying What is this being looking for

The creature just smiled The bells around them continued to ring Randidly ground his teeth but then sighed changing his tack

Why are you telling me this

Again just a smile

What is the difference between life and meaning What are they What is life without meaning or meaning without life

Finally a response the creature laughed lightly a beautiful tinkling sound That is a very good question

Again the silence began to stretch Then Randidly asked That hole in the world it was an Aether Spring The first one

Technically no In your language it is an Aether Crossroads It could exchange both life and meaning producing both The Aether Spring is the later invention the seed given to villages It absorbs life from the people for power but only takes meaning from the central Aether Crossroads through a series of intermediaries

Trembling Randidly turned slowly and looked at the seemingly endless well of Aether inside of himself And he peered down until he saw that strange empty space that hole inside of him

So that thing in my chest is absorbing my life

The creature shook his head That’s the great surprise of you you have grown yourself your own primitive Crossroads that can absorb both life and meaning The system was designed to be split between two Aether Springs the Village and the Tribulation They were designed to absorb meaning from the Nexus which is what the great Aether Crossroads is referred to as But when one would fall to the other those extra restrictions would be purged and it would transform into a more easily absorbable form something without those restrictions A pure Aether Crossroads

Both Aether Springs included restrictions on how such things could be absorbed so that neither of them could cause this to happen What wasn’t expected Was that a person unrelated with either would have the strength to defeat the Tribulation who had somewhat fewer restrictions on the absorbable form left behind It would effectively establish itself as an independent existence within the system becoming a dungeon and losing its ability to absorb life from its subjects solely absorbing meaning from the Nexus after its success so the bindings were less complicated

After a few nudges Her eyes curved into half moons they were practically nonexistent

Chapter 203

Randidly’s breathing had risen and his mind was spinning There was too much to absorb This strange female seeming creature was feeding him a lot of information about Aether about himself hints about how he had come this far but he still had a question burning in his heart one that he had previously asked and she had refused to answer

Because we can help each other Like I said I’ve been waiting a long time for someone like you someone with a functional Aether Crossroads As you have no direct connection to the System although you have existed inside of it you can isolate yourself from it With your images and your Soul Skill you can create an independent world where everyone from Earth can live You can possess freedom a return to your previous existence

Frowning Randidly said nothing The creature just smiled and raised her hand touching Randidly’s cheek Her flesh was insubstantial but it burned him like fire where her fingers traced his cheekbones

Is returning to that life really so repulsive that you would deny the rest of your species that chance The chance to live without fear of death

And the price Why would you do this Randidly growled his eyes narrowing

Her hand dropped away I wish to avoid the being that has created the System Unfortunately any actions I take would be detected But if you hold the world inside of yourself fueling it with that Aether Crossroads it would be nestled in a coincidence that has slipped past the notice of the System Undetectable

The price Randidly repeated his temper rising

The creature was silent for a long time But as Randidly looked at her her eyes no its eyes seemed to grow larger and larger until there was a giant sea of interlocking Aether constructs monotonous and monstrous flowing in front of his very eyes

The hiding effect will only work if it’s your Aether but You would give me control

Randidly showed his teeth at the creature You would be the god of this hidden world

A very reclusive and inactive one The creature whispered her luminous eyes still locked on his But yes

Fuck you Randidly said his tone even and his delivery short But the creature simply smiled

You misunderstand so much my dearest Randidly This is a courtesy You will do this You have no choice I am already far too deeply invested inside of you for me to let go

Randidly gave her a long look but she simply continued to talk It is very simple You have a cycle and we will expand it The emerald crystals are the life energy released by the Aether Crossroads in exchange for your meaning and will serve as the core of the planet Your images will build a world on this base a powerful image of your world that will let your people live in peace It won’t be ideal but the system will run on your understanding of time with rot as your fall rain as your spring killing intent as your winter and ash as your summer If you focus hard enough

There’s something I’ve been wondering about Randidly drawled interrupting the creature’s explanation It had been almost exactly what he had been expecting that his Soul Skill would become a whole world It was just the fact this stranger wanted to rule it and was offering to give humanity passage to its relative safety that he wasn’t expecting

Before he directly acknowledge her rather straightforward threat Randidly wanted to verify a few things What is that strange little seed of power floating in my chest What will that be used for

As you say it is a seed The creature purred taking a step back and walking across Randidly’s soul space to the floating seed As she reached for it the bell chimed lightly and the lock fell away and the seed dropped into her waiting hands Her fingertips were light as she traced around the surface of it

you want to plant it in our world then How can you expect me to agree without telling me what it will grow into Randidly said slowly It is all well and good that you promise that humans will be free from the System and will no longer need to fight but what are you offering

Again you reach above yourself but I suppose there is no harm in telling you it is a weapon

A weapon It was strange because it was the first time that Randidly had encountered it but he instantly understood what was going on that creature had said a word and somehow infused it with Aether constructs

A weapon The end of life 1000 screams cut abruptly short A deep deep darkness beyond anything that Randidly could have ever imagined a deep silence and pressure that would kill him as sure as being at the bottom of the sea would Bone and ash and rot but not the vivid powerful forces that animated him but darker ancient and cold things that exist only as outlets for hatred and violence

A weapon Even when he pictured the word in his mind it seemed to writhe and twist resisting being tied down in certain ways It was more and less than he had ever encountered It was simply a weapon but it was so much more and even those letters twisted in his mind forming something strange and violent and vivid and bloody

A weapon

Randidly came back to himself breathing heavily Shaking he sat down hating the weakness but in that moment he abruptly felt it the difference between them Eons of time power and knowledge This creature he had known that it was indeed far beyond him but it was impossible to understand the breadth of that difference until you were brought face to face with it

The creature laughed softly but said nothing Randidly swore to himself that someday he too would hold that level of power For the moment however he simply got himself up and looked at the creature

I don’t trust you

It shrugged You are a small flower freshly bloomed and still far from being fully grown Is it any surprise that you do not trust a gardener That you do not understand the use of a spade I have guided you to this point why do you now lose your nerve

What you say seems impossible Randidly began slowly but she smoothly interjected

Did not all of what you have experienced since the System arrived seem impossible before

That’s not the point

The point is you don’t have a choice The creature said coolly

Randidly ground his teeth but said nothing He withdrew slightly considering It was foolish to talk overmuch with this strange thing to begin with especially when it had such power and was inside of his soul already It was practically coexisting with his thoughts

Her power was clearly beyond him perhaps even at the level to accomplish what she promised Creating a space where humanity could exist outside of the System hiding in plain sight Was that not something that he desired To be freed from the mandate of the system To not have the threat of monsters hanging over their head constantly For Donnyton to return to being a normal town with normal people and normal places

I hated it

Randidly’s hand tightened to fists and he bit his lip That unbidden thought that rose to the surface was true His life before he was a bland person sleepwalking more than living He was extremely socially awkward and was able to coast through life on societal expectations and imitation never filling his lungs with a true breath of fresh air And every second was as though he was living in a fog and he felt powerless and bitter Even his friends They were

Ace Sydney

Strangely in that moment their faces sprung to his consciousness clear and fresh Ace with his hair shaven kept short his body tall and comprised of lean muscle His eyes were grey and his easy smile was constant Sydney her eyeshadow thick and vivid short hair to her chin the roots dyed black the rest of the hair a vivid teal Never shocked never phased just looking at him with her unearthly yellow eyes

There would be no way of ever knowing for sure but Randidly felt that they had died in the aftermath of the System’s arrival Sure the System had forced him out of himself growing to feel like a real person but it had done so at the cost of death At the cost of Ace and Sydney

He would trade his growth for the presence of his friends wouldn’t he

And even if he didn’t it was on the scale of an entire population it wasn’t just his friends that he would be saving If it was possible he had a responsibility

Strangely Shal’s voice echoed in his head unbidden You are yet weak don’t overcomplicate things If you have spare time to think of extra things we perhaps need more training such as this ’

It had been said to him by Shal as he attempted to expand his Inevitable Phantom Arrives even further adding more power It had been a reminder that even the best and most talented spear user or the most common man can only be one thing at a time Steps were only a single foot’s length apart but they could eventually devour impossible distances

People had died sure but hiding now wouldn’t change anything It would simply be running away And based on what the creature had said there was a being even more monstrous at the center of the Nexus and hiding would just allow its influence to spread further If it ever found them if as Randidly expected this creature was one of the things the being was looking for

But really the unwillingness in Randidly’s chest came from two very simple facts He didn’t trust the creature and he didn’t negotiate with terrorists

He would refuse to deal with those who wouldn’t treat him with respect

Chapter 204

The creature looked at him with its luminous eyes slowly taking in his wide smile It seemed she had realized the conclusion that he had come to So you choose this path But as I have stated it is useless You are an accident I never expected did you really think that I would simply let you go

Sounds of ringing filled Randidly’s inward world and golden chains and locks fell from the sky covered in tiny tinkling bells Those chains swirled around and slowly settled down around Randidly’s different skills wrapping the tiny shapes of Aether in their chiming expanse As they did so Randidly felt a strange sense of weakness suffuse his body

His eyes widened and he gritted his teeth and thrust his hand forward towards one of the chains the image of his Inevitable Phantom Arrives imbued into the attack But when he hit the chain it simply curled around his arm the strength of his attack disappearing to nothing Although he attempted to leap backward pulling his arm away from the chains it was no use they followed him swiftly wrapping around his body

Opening his mouth to say something Randidly found that he couldn’t produce any words Strength fled from his body passing through the parts of him that were touching those chains They sucked and sucked and after his ability to speak his sense of smell left then his vision then sound then touch

He was in that pure endless darkness that he had seen when the creature had said the word Weapon

I cannot take control But I can break you take away all your strengths your connections to the outside world You need but simply acquiesce I’ve taken away your ability to do anything else after all Then I will use your Aether Crossroads to create a utopia for you humans Simply give in and you can escape that darkness Otherwise

Then the silence returned And stretched

Time Randidly reflected really did have two simultaneous existences The time you live with and the time that is objectively true But without both existence is impossible Knowing only the objective time sucks meaning from life making everything feel pointless The world was far too vast and broad objectively for the subjective to have meaning But knowing only your own subjective as Randidly did now robbed you of perspective

For now Randidly set aside the problems of this darkness the isolation the failure of any of his skills to activate the lack of ability to escape out of his inner world to his actual body and instead thought about a rather mundane question What is the difference between meaning and life

The creature referred to them as two independent things and sure they had different influences Meaning shaped the world Almost was the shape of the world Based on what the creature said Randidly suspected that meaning had something to do with images too It was why Aether from a village was harder to use Because it took life from the class people and dealt out its own meaning which was heavily influenced by the meaning fed to it by the Nexus

Still there seemed to be some processes to adjust that Specifically the Calamity The Spearman had powerfully altered the meaning of Shal’s world somehow resulting in Aether that only accepted images relating to the spear making any other weapon obsolete

Randidly shook his head or tried to so he mentally mentally shook his head Because not even his mental body was working for him That was interesting but not helpful to this line of questioning

On the other hand life was an animating force It allowed for change and growth It was movement But alone it too was pointless Life was just drive without existence Meaning was just invisible ink on a blank page without life They couldn’t be separated

Which was why Randidly suspected they were two processes that were the two sides of a coin just like time The village connection was the subjective one the meaning and life experience of an individual while the connection that the being maintained to the villages were the objective standard meaning and life And this was a process of keeping them purposefully separate and gathering power through the imbalance created by doing so

Randidly scratched his head That was definitely dangerous But he didn’t really know what it meant or what he could do about it It also seemed like those things would not be useful for his attempt to escape

With an inaudible groan Randidly sat up in the darkness His body was completely numb but somehow he knew that if he willed it he could move his body Just like the being that created the system this creature couldn’t actually take his inward Aether and control him All they could do is separate two parts of the whole and manipulate him based on his insufficient information

Which meant although he felt weak and that his skills weren’t activating Perhaps they were this whole time and he was only prevented from sensing it

Then he snorted Not that there was anyway to check And his logic was tenuous at best from a hypothesis about time to a hypothesis about an explanation given to him by his captor to a hypothesis about a whole monstrous system that was taking over his world to a hypothesis that his senses themselves couldn’t be trusted

It was too comical

But still Randidly focused his will which responded sluggishly swishing around inside of him Using that will he opened his mouth

If you are there help me

The silence and darkness pressed down on him For several minutes nothing happened And for the 15 or so minutes following that

Randidly sighed He briefly amused himself with the possibility that this creature WAS the Being that spread the System then set that to the side Why would a creature with such power take the time to fuck with him like this if it wasn’t being chased by something bigger and more scary

Although his body didn’t respond he held up his hand and reached towards the sky Well the upper part of the endless darkness around him But then he focused upwards and forgot where his arm was and he couldn’t really feel it so Randidly just froze extremely confused

Then he began to laugh

The only way for a spear is forward

It’s not so simple as that unfortunately Randidly said or at least thought he said with the wide and deep darkness humming quietly around him

Just acquiesce The darkness hummed Randidly snorted

I was planning on rejecting your proposal anyway but now that you are being a bitch I’ll burn it to the ground

You will have to get out first The darkness whispered and then the world went silent

Randidly chuckled again or tried to And then he straightened because he saw something floating through the darkness A group of somethings His mouth stretched into a smile 7 or so emerald wisps of energy zipped through the void to float before him spinning around him Just by their presence Randidly felt some small bit of his strength return Perhaps it wasn’t really some of his actual strength but their arrival lifted the isolation letting him breath a little easier

They came and spun around him and Randidly chuckled They had certainly been active since he had played with them last It seemed that now that there was a certain number of them they could interact with each other and grow without him which was both interesting and scary Unless he had simply lost his ability to count down here

Randidly shifted his body or attempted to but the physical feedback was still extremely slight and ambiguous so he couldn’t really know what he was doing But then the largest which was still a long and thin emerald streak swirled and settled down on his outstretched palm Sucking in his breath Randidly felt as though electric shocks were spreading out from the point that the wisp was touching him slowly reviving his body

Throwing his head back Randidly smiled at the sky The air was humming with the wisps as they rushed around him These were the refined form of life that he absorbed The creature had made it seem like a very sinister thing when she had said it But they were just alive They were simple creatures and it seemed there were still further secrets to these strange creatures but for now it was enough that they came to him in this dark isolated place

Although they weren’t people they had kindness and when he called they came That was more than enough And likely more than most people would do

This do you think this is enough If you refuse to accept your isolation I will have no choice but to punish you

Randidly snorted

The darkness around him was still for a long time Then he felt a strange chill come to the air and even the flesh the wisps touched began to return to numbness With great care Randidly leaned backwards and looked upwards A giant wheel slowly turned above like the steering wheel of an antique ship with rungs sticking out at even intervals

And as he watched it slowly began to descend towards him

Chapter 205

His legs were numb and useless at the moment it seemed that anything other than his eyesight and right arm didn’t exist He was trapped bobbing up and down in a sea of darkness So he frowned upward and prepared himself

Randidly would not flinch

The wheel continued to descend slowly spinning But a small distance above Randidly the wheel stopped descending simply floating there Now that it was closer he could see that the wheel itself was the size of a building a monstrous iron thing that could easily crush spirits and break bones if it continued down towards him

But as it began to spin something even more sinister and familiar began to happen As it spun speeding up at an even pace the air itself began to twist and hum with greater and greater intensity It was Agony That same skill that the Sphinx had used on him all that time ago The skill of a monster

Randidly hadn’t used it in quite some time mostly because he didn’t want to use it on people due to the mental anguish it could cause And also he didn’t want to become reliant on the opportunities it created for him in battle Better to focus on the spear currently time

It was somewhat nostalgic to feel that vicious burning twisting again It reminded Randidly of a time of confusion and rage in his past Tessa’s face sprung to the surface of his mind someone that Randidly hadn’t thought about in quite a while and he grimaced The fact that he had gotten so angry that he felt fine using Agony on her

Guilt clawed at his heart tugging on his resolve to remain here It hurt his pride and the fact that he was considering listening to this heartless creature drove him crazy but was it really so much trouble to consider her proposal for people like Tessa

She hadn’t adapted to the system like him She was forced to work at some sort of gentleman’s club in Franksburg in order to survive Her skills hadn’t grown she hadn’t found any unique paths she was just an attractive average girl The peace that Randidly could create would be for people like her

When he viewed the option in the general sense it didn’t carry that weight but when he remembered Tessa’s face twisted in Agony due to someone like him who became callous to the vicious power that he could control Randidly’s frown deepened as more and more jagged daggers of guilt tore at his resolve

The wheel above him began to spin faster and the pain increased

A small sizzling noise distracted Randidly forcing him to look down The wisps were still there but now they were twitching and wiggling Randidly’s eyes widened they felt this pain too

Those that help you will perish

And with a soft pop and a sigh one of the wisps the weakest and dimmest dispersed in a small expulsion of energy and disappeared Randidly’s gaze hardened

The long thin wisp wrapped itself around the smaller dimmer wisps protecting them by moving them together Instinctively Randidly reached for his Aether but found himself grasping at nothing Showing his teeth Randidly’s body began to hum as fury circulated through his veins He reached again harder smashing outward

But whatever was around him isolating him was soft and easily dispersed the force Growling Randidly forced his will into his left arm slowly bringing it forward doing his best to ignore the numbness Slowly as the wisps began to keen in terror Randidly brought his hands forward and wrapped them up with his fingers insulating them slightly to the vicious vibrations that tore through the air

Above him the wheel only turned faster producing an increased level of Agony

By now the skill was getting above the level of pain that Randidly could produce with his body But it was not above the level that he could withstand His Mental Fortitude had grown much in his adventures in the prison as his Battle Intent developed But the wisps

Randidly’s voice when he spoke was simultaneously hollow and gravelly as if his lungs were clogged and hadn’t been used in quite some time Flee You must flee I’m fine

In his hands the wisps vibrated in response He could feel their unwillingness He could feel their resolute loyalty Even after one of their own perished they remained here being slowly ground down by the Agony produced by the wheel

With another pop and sigh a wisp perished even with the protection of the larger wisp and Randidly’s hands His fingers tightened and Randidly tried to activate Rejection Eyes of the Spear Phantom Root Control Anything really to lash out against this strange creature that isolated him But the world remained dark

Flee if you don’t

Randidly began but to his surprise the wisps left his hands the 5 remaining ones shooting outward all of them bright and vivid He blinked Well he had said that but to have them accept and flee so suddenly

Randidly shook his head sardonically It was for the best He would find a way out of this and

But then he froze because after they fled away from him the wisps began floating in the air at certain points in front of him As he looked at them Randidly realized they formed a cross The largest and longest was in the center slowly circling in a small space The others were arrayed in four directions around the first flying in and out towards the central wisp as if tracing a line

What Randidly muttered Then his face paled as one of the wisps popped out of existence Then another Then another then another until there was only the long and thin one swirling in the center

Its brightness had been ground down so its long and thin body was dim and insubstantial like a trail of smoke Its movements grew sluggish This was the first one the one that originally split the one that had so brightly danced around his fingers in the past

Why Randidly said frantically pouring his will into his body He still couldn’t feel his body but he began to float forward through the darkness towards that last remaining emerald wisp Why aren’t you fleeing What are you trying to show me

The emerald wisp continued to circle beginning to shrink The wheel overhead sped up and the Agony crashed downward towards them But there was one benefit to the Agony the stronger it was the stronger Randidly’s control over his numb body became It cut through the isolation to hurt him and gave him space to move

Finally after a long minute Randidly reached the wisp Stretching out his hand he went to pick the wisp up With a satisfied sigh it popped disappearing But hanging in the air was a thought that was transmitted directly into Randidly’s brain with such clarity that it almost seemed like a thought that he had himself

You are not alone

The tone was one of joy and pride even if it was filled with nostalgia

Hanging in the spot where the last wisp had disappeared Randidly’s hand slowly curled into a fist He ground his teeth and a glowing light filled his eyes suppressing tears

The nerve of you to say something like that as you die Where does your confidence come from Why would you give for me to such an extent

But there was no answer The darkness continued to fill with Agony crashing against his will Randidly restrained a sob then focused his eyes furious Although the wisps had given themselves up he refused to believe that there was no meaning to their actions There was meaning to the location that Randidly now floated and also to the 4 lines that they had traced in the air All he had to do was find it

So Randidly closed his eyes and breathed slowly The crashing pain dug frantically at the edges of his consciousness demanding attention but his core slowly became increasingly tranquil Plus if his outside feedback was cut off there was no point in holding his eyes open The information there would be warped All he had left was hope and intuition

And the promise that he wasn’t alone But if the wisps died to say that was it still even true

Still hope wasn’t an answer but it was the scent of a path And strangely Randidly had no fears that the wisps had lied to him They were a pure creature a joyful one They were simple and bright while they were alive Thinking about it the anger in Randidly’s chest grew hotter and hotter and he bared his teeth in the darkness

This location the location of the largest of the wisps

His senses expanded but found nothing Shaking his head Randidly instead just sat withdrawing his focus He brushed away the pain of Agony even as it began to reach a level that would result in physical damage to his body Those things weren’t important now it wasn’t even clear that this was a body that could be damaged

He was submerged completely underwater surrounded by a thick deep pressure Endless possibilities swirled around him It was raw and pure and frigid and piping hot It was the energy of Aether and he was deep within the core of it sitting at the location of that deep well within himself Inside his chest the hole that was the source of it all sat at the same location of his heart and beat in time with his pulse

He then turned his focus outward in the 4 directions the other wisps had traced There was only darkness there darkness and the insidious grinding of the Agony

But Randidly had made it through the Challenge of Tarnak and he had learned much about his own ability to endure And he was patient So he waited And waited

His senses were cut off to him but still he waited confident Maybe he was just imagining it but now that he thought about it Randidly was very sure that he was right he was sitting in the core of his Aether Spring His Aether Crossroads that was hamstrung in a way that would give it no outlets for Aether but himself growing to become a dungeon

Along those paths he suddenly felt it Motes of light flowing slowly towards him Four different colors of lights

Chapter 206

In his imagination those lights floated slowly through these four paths towards Randidly There was a path of cool white lights of hot red lights of vivifying golden lights and reserved indigo lights They came in large waves floating in batches towards Randidly’s location In his imagination Randidly could see that the points of light floated into the hole in his Aether well sinking slowly into him

The hole pulsed and more Aether was produced and a portion of that flowed in drops in the opposite direction heading towards the producer of those lights

Time slowly passed The pain continued to intensify Randidly willed change but it felt like he was powerless He could only watch as the lights came in and the drops of Aether flowed in the other direction But one thing he did notice was that the more lights came the more Aether was produced and the more headed back down the connection

It was perhaps also just his imagination but Randidly believed that increasingly more lights were flowing back towards him It was a self reinforcing cycle that only grew stronger he believed

So instead of trying to activate skills Randidly’s focus narrowed until it was just on 4 drops of Aether And in a huge act of will he pushed

For a time nothing happened Then those four drops began to tremble and then flow outward heading towards the direction of these connections

Go please Randidly whispered

And strangely the Aether trembled again and began to speed up It felt as though Randidly was in a large cavern because he felt those words reverberate back to him hanging heavily in the air as the Aether around him began to swirl

Go lease

Randidly didn’t really need to breath with this body but it did a lot to help him resist the vicious grinding of the pain of Agony It had leveled off but it had leveled off far above his ability to withstand If he had to endure this with a physical body

But it was a mental one or at least he thought so so he was able to continually erect mental barriers to protect himself Endlessly he invented distractions and walls to buy himself time And he pushed at the Aether willing the process to accelerate In order to distract himself he named the connections based on his suspicions

Annie The cool white motes of light seemed to tremble and a dull vibration began at the edges of his perception

Sam The bright and warm golden lights dutifully trotted forward towards his position flowing in the hole that Randidly imagined in his chest Aether poured out and swirled the speed growing faster and faster The vibration became a tremble and Randidly thought he heard a soft echo of Sam in the darkness

Mrs Hamilton These were the reserved indigo lights coming slowly down towards his position They were in no hurry and had no one to impress They were confident in themselves and slightly mysterious The longer that Randidly looked at these lights the harder it became for him to determine what color they were His initial impression was indigo but then he saw flashes of forest green and sometimes they gave off a decidedly grey and brown coloration It was the color of camouflage and of darkness

The vibration was a voice and it sounded like someone yawning waking after a long rest

ss Hamilton

Randidly nodded then turned to the last flowing river of lights Alana

These were hot and red steadfastly rushing towards the hole in Randidly’s chest They believed he knew instinctively far more than any of the others that this connection was something special and powerful That it was a unique and powerful skill and a blessing that he had given them

Alana

This time the echo was so clear that Randidly opened his eyes in surprise It sounded like someone was whispering in his ear He began to fear that it was the creature that was speaking to him but Randidly couldn’t figure out why it would do something like this The one problem however was that opening his eyes made him lose the carefully constructed image about the lights and Aether and once more darkness crashed down around him

Pain smashed against him threatening to knock him unconscious But Randidly refused to let that happen Instead he closed his eyes and focused once more searching for that inner peace

It was hard to let go of the irony of opening his eyes and being flooded with darkness but sometimes that was life Especially when it was his life Randidly dubiously wondered whether anyone but him had such ridiculous things happen to him

What ended up being the most useful for recovering that meditative state was his rage It was vicious and hungry and wanted to claw and break everything the creature had planned He would do so even if he had to completely destroy his inner world to do so Hopefully however that would be unnecessary

As he was settling down he felt a slight tingling through his body Almost as if some of his feeling was returning But he tried to ignore that sensation because all it really did was enable him to feel the power of Agony more directly

After more time passed he suddenly felt something click and he was back deep within his Aether Well where all the Aether he had produced was pooling But now the flows in it had become more noticeable and a very noticeable increase in colored lights were flowing towards Randidly in the darkness

It was perhaps only 1 more mote of light for 5 But it was an improvement The Aether around him continued to hum and the tingling in his body grew stronger His will expanded and pressed motivating more and more drops of Aether to move flowing outward towards those connections to his four blessed individuals

But the Aether seemed reluctant He could almost hear the thrumming question why in their resistance

You must give to others Randidly whispered surprised how difficult moving his mouth still was Sentences were miserable even more so now than it had been when he had been struggling directly against his social anxiety

Why

Because if you give to others God fucking damnit his mouth was a shapeless wet paper bag controlled with chopsticks Others give back

Me

Randidly’s eyebrows twitched There was definitely a voice Was this really the creature fucking with him He had started to assume that when the wisps told him he wasn’t alone they had meant themselves or more recently he had thought the wisps referred to his connections to the people he had blessed where something was currently happening with Aether

But was it possible that something else was at play here Holy shit his inner world was a fucking tourist destination

Well us

Us

Yea both of us

Us

But this time the strange vibration seemed satisfied and the Aether began to flow easily It was still extremely heavy as Randidly pressed his will as best as he could on the imaginary world But somehow he felt infinitely more connected to the Aether than he had in the past He felt the hole shifting slowly rising and setting itself directly inside of his chest no longer simply matching the beating of his heart It WAS the beat of his heart They became one and the same

A pain much worse than Agony spiked through Randidly and he felt like his body eyes mind and soul were dipped in fiery jagged knives and they were pulled rapidly through a passageway of broken glass Everything was miserable and the pain was so great and sudden that his breath wouldn’t come There was only the strange icy fire consuming

Then it was gone and Randidly breathed heavily shivering

The voice truly sounded bright now but Randidly could only shake his head Still feeling was now flooding back through his limbs With that feeling he simply pressed harder motivating more drops of Aether But it seemed like there was a limit to how much he could give at once

There was a strange elasticity on the pathway that led to his connected people and more and more drops of Aether went to press up against it Randidly added more pressing harder but still nothing happened He was beginning to sweat what would happen if he could not add more when there was a pop from one of the connections

Alana’s had expanded was the only word and more Aether began to flow not only on the magnitude of drops but now a small stream a few fingers wide The Aether greedily rushed towards it flowing down towards her After a short amount of time a greatly increased amount of red lights floated back heading towards Randidly’s chest

The connection to Mrs Hamilton popped then and a thin stream of Aether flowed outwards towards her Then Annie’s popped and hers accepted more and more Aether more than either of the other two almost twice as much And the amount of white lights the floated back was commensurately thick

Finally Sam’s connection popped and suddenly the amount of lights that Randidly was absorbing grew by a magnitude of 10 counting all of the changes His body was buzzing slowly coming alive and he felt himself resonating with the strange vibrations of the Aether flows There was something here something growing Whereas the Aether had previously been stagnant now it began to flow

And slowly things were changing Randidly opened his eyes his mental eyes only to find that although it was dim he was once more floating in his inward world surrounded by his skills the energies for his Soul Skill and of course the creature

She folded her arms

Chapter 207

Does this change anything If it’s a matter of power you barely have enough for a single skill At any point I could crush your resistance You think this changes anything

Randidly didn’t answer savoring the feeling of absorbing power from his connections to his four blessed individuals As his perception continued to expand Randidly found the two connections he had Thorn and Arbor and began a similar process slowly pushing Aether towards them and having the red and green motes of light that floated back flow into the hole that now was fixed as his heart It was oddly touching the christmas themed lights from his plants but Randidly was most shocked to discover that he could absorb from them the same as the other connection

He had assumed that what he was absorbing was life and meaning both sides of the same thing So it made sense that he could absorb them from the people But his plants were also providing both for him He would need to experiment more with the Soul Seed Skill something that he had let lay fallow for far too long

Randidly also had concerns that he was taking something vital from them and that pressing against their connections until they popped had accelerated that process to the point that it was dangerous But there was a strange certainty in his heart that this wasn’t the case Healthy wasn’t the term but perhaps he could be confident it was natural if symbiotic

That worried him too but in a similar way Randidly couldn’t give credence to that worry After all even if the Creature was that strange vibrational voice something had happened some forces had pushed them together and now that vibrational voice spread out from his chest filling the air They were part of each other

The Creature however was another entity entirely

It seemed annoyed that Randidly was ignoring it so it raised its hand and pointed Golden chains rushed forward again and Randidly sighed inwardly The creature was right he probably only had enough will to muster a single skill Most of his Aether and strength were sealed off he was just running off the byproduct energy from refining things from his connections In Randidly’s mind it would have much better to allow some more time to pass allowing to increase his stores before he began this

But there was no other choice

Inspiration I REJECT

Randidly’s inner world trembled and then a huge explosion spread outward smashing back the chains knocking the bells and locks off of the different parts of his inner world smashing into the creature It squawked in an extremely surprised manner and was thrown back A huge bubble slowly inflated starting from Randidly’s chest

Knocking the creature back did have one positive effect however He once more felt a connection to his physical body and felt that he could return to it should he need to But Randidly couldn’t really use much of his strength as all of his mana and a good portion of his Stamina drained in order to fuel the Inspired Rejection At some point the bubble stopped inflating and the creature looked at Randidly from a distance away its eyes burning furiously

Then it raised its hand and tapped a finger on the bubble

The force of the collision knocked Randidly on his ass and he struggled back up gasping for breath He was much more prepared the second time the creature knocked on the glass but still he paled Because a thin crack formed on the bubble

This fucker Inspiration had basically solved all of his problems in the past And now the creature was going to overcome it so easily It was truly a monster far far above his level of strength

As it went to tap for a third time Randidly spun around and rushed away heading deeper into his inner world He didn’t have time to waste First he appeared inside his visualization of his Soul Skill as those pulsating Emerald crystals continued to sit This was the refined version of the energy he was using now Randidly surmised and he needed those wisps to do what he wanted

His would not be a perfect world for humanity to be transplanted to hiding from the system but Randidly couldn’t deny that a whole world would be extremely powerful as a Soul Skill But he had his own ideas

He immediately tried to use Extract but as it required Mana the skill failed For a second Randidly was at a loss but then his heart the Aether Crossroads vibrated slightly and Randidly blinked

Feeling slightly foolish and slightly hopeful and slightly dumb Randidly said Guys I need your help Come on out

His chest twinged painfully Randidly rolled his eyes We need your help

For a while the words hung in the air and nothing happenedThen the crystals began to tremble Of their own accord dim wisps floated upwards curious and wondering They came out by the dozens then by the hundreds then by the thousands Then they saw each other and Randidly and began to swirl excitedly dancing and spinning a strange combination of fireflies and emerald meteor showers in the air around him

Randidly breathed slowly barely containing his excitement Leaving the newly freed wisps Randidly teleported to another part of his Soul even as another finger touch made his own being shake The crack in the bubble expanded

Gritting his teeth he activated the Spear Advances Ash Trails after all of this time channeling all of his understandings about physical acceleration the spirit of a spear and the power of his own body to gain 5 Skill Levels immediately He pierced forward his finger the tip of his spear smashing into the small seed that the creature left floating there now exposed It had stated it was to grow into a weapon and Randidly was not going to let something that dangerous sounding just float around his insides

As he pierced through it with his finger his perception warped and he found himself in a huge sphere The outward shell was thin but inside there was a vast series of interlocking connections of swirling Aether This was Engraving but far far beyond his level Far far beyond the level of even the Path that had led him to here The level of detail and intricacy was unbelievable Randidly had a hard time believing that anyone but a god could have created this strange construct

In that moment as the bubble trembled again Randidly realized that this couldn’t have been created when the path came into being Although the creature was clearly responsible this was of a level that Randidly expected even it would struggle This had taken time More time than he could fathom He could see it just by watching the construct of Aether He somehow knew that it would take decades for the Aether to flow along the complete path of this strange rune

So this is her big weapon

Weapon

A dangerous thing But necessary sometimes

Necessary

Yea Because it’s going to fuel our world

Our world

This was still his soul space even though it was created by the creature so when Randidly reached out and pressed with his will the construct trembled Then Randidly pressed harder and it began to warp and twist Even though it was a great weapon and Randidly wanted to destroy it the beautiful and obvious craftsmanship of the thing made him to aim much more to rip it into 1000 small pieces rather than smashing it Their was a potency to it that he didn’t want to lose even in his anger

He was very aware of the danger of allowing it to remain when he didn’t understand it but he didn’t have much time and had even fewer options So he ripped and ripped and ripped his existence blurring as his will cut the thing to pieces

Another blow landed on the bubble and Randidly sensed that a huge chunk was beginning to give way So he gritted his teeth and waved his hand and he left seed dragging the pieces of the weapon rune after him As an afterthought he shattered the casing of the seed into quite a few pieces as well and gathered them

His mind was beginning to ache from the effort of controlling so many objects even in his Soul Space but he ignored the pressure and continued He returned to his Soul skill grabbing the chilling killing intent and the refreshing rain energy

There the wisps were already interacting and growing in their strange manner the light of their existence growing brighter Based on the veritable sea of them it seemed that some had already split When there was this much of them they could split endlessly They would grow until they couldn’t any longer That was what life was in peacetime And the wisps had very few of the brakes that normal flesh beings had and could multiply endlessly They were pure life and they sought meaning

They sought a body

But Randidly only had a few scant seconds not enough to examine them any closer because he had a lot of work to do in a very short amount of time

Chapter 208

Randidly raised his hands like a conductor How did one construct a world

One piece at a time he supposed The first action he did was construct the core The creature was right about one thing his knowledge of time was a useful base But he didn’t want to rely on just the objective face of time but also the subjective one He wanted to created an interactive system of time that would function through the core

With a pounding headache Randidly’s hands began to move The empty and cold emerald crystals vacated by the wisps were his first medium as he began to shape and work with them turning them into wheels cogs clockwork pressing them together into a huge complicated pattern They were empty vessels used to holding life so Randidly took a fragment of the creature’s great weapon and put them into each one sliding into their emptiness filling and animating the crystals with a cool illumination

They once more glowed with power but it was an unnerving unwavering black light they produced filled with destructive energy Faster and faster Randidly moved bound only by the limits of his will Perhaps in real life such a thing would be impossible but here in his Soulscape constructing his new Soul Skill it was possible to move these things with just his will

Luckily the amount of empty crystals was huge so Randidly had all the materials he needed to work with in order to create a large construct designed to release energy and radiation upwards in the form of Aether The fuel for machine was the core of the weapon a large rune that looked like a hand halfway between being open and being clenched into a fist The fingers curled with obvious power and a perfection of construction that left him speechless Even with the fact he was in absolute control here in his soul he could not break this core of the construct

But he could harness its ambient energy fueling his world’s clockwork core He was inexperienced in the grand scheme of things but his familiarity with clockwork mastery due to his few experiments was enough In addition here in his soul anything was possible He just added more and more complexity trusting to his intuition even when his senses were at a loss

When he slid the last cog into place the whole thing trembled then began to hum as the wheels slowly began to turn The black light produced by the core grew brighter in so much that it shifted towards the color spectrum of grey a strange pure energy flowing upwards

Randidly abruptly returned to himself and found himself sweating That had felt like it had taken him a lifetime but as his subjective time snapped back to the objective it seemed it had only taken him a few seconds But still another strike from the creature was imminent

With a wave of his hand Randidly gathered the shattered shell of the weapon seed and slowly lowered it towards the core surrounding it The hole he made was large too large to completely eradicate so Randidly hesitated Then he manipulated the crust of his new world stretching and separating it so there wasn’t just one big hole but 8 small holes and then innumerable holes that were extremely tiny From these holes that grey power gushed upwards

The he reached for the cold murderous energy the energy of rain and towards his soul skill The wisps swirled excitedly

Warning Your actions will deconstruct your current Soul Skill If another one isn’t created shortly with a similar or greater level of power some of the benefits you have gained will decay Proceed with caution

Eyes burning Randidly ignored the message He knew in a way that what he was doing was foolish The system at least partially was a way of absorbing meaning shaping your own Aether in a way that was proven to give power But he had left that path After meeting the creature after seeing this world

He needed a power that was enough to shake the system

As if on cue Randidly’s mentalscape shook hit once more by the finger of the creature and a loud crash revealed that this blow had finally shattered his remaining defenses or at least most of them The sinister power of the creature came creeping back but it was far too late

Randidly pressed and cut splitting all four murderous cold cool rain pulsing rot and burning ash each into 2 pieces and flattened each of those 8 split bits of energy into a membrane These membranes were lowered onto the 8 main holes on the crust At first the grey energy resisted it building up behind the membrane but then the pressure grew to the point that it was enough and it burst through throwing up this elementally aligned energy into the sky and the world dying the slowly growing world different colors

Around the murderous cold membranes chilly wastelands began to form The Rain membranes created seas which spawn rivers and streams that flowed outwards into other territories The Rot membrane created vast swamps with forests and plains growing around the edge The Ash energy cause volcanoes to form making mountain ranges and lava plumes

Randidly beckoned at the growing number of wisps Now it’s your guys turn

Them

Come here children Let me make you more

More MORE

The wisps swirled down towards Randidly excitedly a huge storm with him at their center But before he touched them he pulled on his connections to his four blessed individuals He needed power but more than power he needed their meaning

It came to him first in spurts then it a crashing rush four strange rivers of meaning and those rivers flowed upwards through the wisps grabbing them and dragging them away throwing them on the crust that Randidly had assembled

The ones swept up in the meaning from Annie were deposited on the world as a strange creature that resembled a centaur except with a four legged insect as a body rather than a horse Their legs were dangerously sharp and their arms were long and willowy Their heads were slightly insect like too flat and with strange eyes There were not many of these but they grouped together and began to explore the world around them

Sam’s meaning made a small hardy people similar to dwarves or gnomes There arms were thick and powerful and their fingers were long and dextrous They immediately stumbled out of their stream of energy and looked around and began to build and dig

Alana’s people were almost golem like thick strong people that seemed to be formed of rock and clay They immediately began fighting each other as they were created and split into factions

Mrs Hamiton’s people were the most numerous and the most secretive They were spiders but slimey spiders that appeared to be aquatic although they could survive on land for amounts of time They crept into the oceans and rivers and swamps slowly building kingdoms underneath the water

As all of the wisps were consumed and transformed into different forms of life for his Soul Skill Randidly felt a twinge of regret already They had certainly lost something those wisps as he changed them They had lost their innocence their ability to freely live and split without any worries Now there would be strife among them be war But they now also had meaning

Their life had been bound but now they had bodies Hopefully that was enough compensation

There was another tremble and another huge noise and Randidly knew that the rejection bubble had been completely destroyed by the creature and that it was rushing towards him But he couldn’t look away from this exceedingly intricate world he had created Spreading his hands he let images from his skills fall to the world populating it with unique things transforming a small area around where they landed Plants grew more common everywhere as he created a giant image of his Root Control and pressed

He couldn’t use the Golden Roots of Yggdrasil but he could will that image into the world and roots slowly grew down from the crust thickening it and binding the energy producing core to the world These would hopefully continue to grow and evolve as the clockwork continued to move

Then Randidly relaxed

A new Soul Skill has been created Would you like to assimilate this Soul Skill Warning if you have insufficient fuel or your body lacks the requisite strength there may be negative consequences

YOU The Creature howled as it rushed towards his back but Randidly simply smiled

Yes let’s do it

There was a strange spark in his inner world as everything became so bright that everything became insubstantial The light was of such a magnitude that it eliminated matter and just left itself and Randidly’s flimsy understanding of existence Soon that too was knocked away leaving him free Simultaneously a wave smashed outwards a powerful wave as something shifted

The wave passed Randidly like a warm familiar hand formed of Aether It was extremely gentle and welcoming and tousled his hair But as it rushed further past him it turned into a gale that smashed the creature even as it continued to howl and form shapes of Aether Unfortunately the light even made the Creature’s Aether irrelevant

For a moment Randidly was in awe of the power of the thing he created but then he realized that wasn’t quite right It wasn’t that his Soul Skill was all powerful but simply that the assimilation of the Soul Skill was a process somehow condoned and aided by the system This light was the system acting eliminating interference as the process started

Which chilled Randidly even further Because the creature was so far beyond his current level and yet it was so casually pushed back by a normal process of the system Although the creature might be holding back some of its strength rather than clash directly against the system so as not to alert the being that started this all it was still unable to get around it

But then the light brightened further and Randidly couldn’t stand it any longer and was forced out of his own inner world abruptly waking up in his own body breathing heavily

Then his chest began to burn and it wasn’t the icy hot burn of Aether or the ripping tearing feeling he had experienced as he grew too powerful with his Soul Skill but something else entirely

It was the feeling of release somehow but also of danger His hastily assembled world sunk into his heart aligning with his physical heart and now also with the hole in his chest that was the core of his Aether Crossroads

His body began to tremble first only slightly then violently

Chapter 209

The trembling swiftly became spasms and Randidly was rolling on the floor of his dark room his mouth twisted in a grimace So much for resting before the second half of the preliminary

Examining Soul Skill Adjusting search parameters Expanding search scope

Warning Examination failed Contacting the user’s Village Spirit

Warning No village spirit detected System guidance insufficient Recalculating

Randidly was starting to grow annoyed at these messages Yes what he was doing was extremely strange but that didn’t mean that the System had to make him sit here waiting for a response every fucking time he attempted anything If it would just get its shit together and do a proper search what he did couldn’t be THAT crazy right

Warning No alternatives could be located System guidance is impossible Continue with assimilation anyway We recommend you proceed to the nearest village

Randidly ignored the rest of the message and clicked yes

The trembling increased and he could feel in his chest as the tiny world brimming with life he had assembled shook And then the clockwork core began to spin and the energy it produced began to change and shift He felt the cool rain energy the murderous cold the ash and the rot spinning and twining

It was flowing slowly those energies like mercury running through his veins as the world began to turn The creatures came alive and began to move and interact They were still very primitive but cultures began to form through their interactions

Assimilation success Calculating effects

Congratulations Your Soul Skill Cycle of Rot and Ash has been upgraded to the Soul Skill Four Shaded Clockwork World All benefits obtained through the previous Soul Skill have been retained Soul Skill level has been reset to 1

Congratulations Due to your Soul Skill Four Shaded Clockwork World you have gained the skills Hammer of the Dawn Lvl 1 and Burning Footsteps Lvl 1 Your Skill Phantom Half Step has been upgraded to The White Phantom’s Half Step (Un) Your Skill Edge of Decay has been upgraded to Flesh Eating Virus (Un)

Hammer of the Dawn Empower your strike with the light of the dawn striking from the sky with great force Costs 250 mana Size of hammer and damage improves with skill level and Intelligence Area of Effect improves with Wisdom

Burning Footsteps Leave of trail of burning footsteps in your wake causing mild damage to those who pass over the affected area Mildly increases speed Damage Boost and speed boost increase with Skill Level

Randidly’s eyes widened as he looked at his new skills Then he looked at his upgraded skills Basically the White Phantom’s Half Step cost a sliver more stamina but was much quicker to activate and subsequent activations within a short period of time would cost a sliver less than its current cost So its utility increased and it became more realistic to use it a lot in quick succession

The Flesh Eating Virus was very similar to Edge of Decay but it was faster acting and it would cause a larger amount of damage if left untreated The two new skills looked especially interesting but that would have to wait until he had mana once more to use them as both were spells

His chest was still burning as the strange energies from the Soul Skill circulated through him but Randidly slowly sat up All in all he felt fine It seemed that the assimilation had gone well enough that there would be no problems for now

What was perhaps most disturbing was that there was no sign of the creature Randidly turned his attention inward examining his inner space but it had returned to normal with no golden chains or bells Had it fled Or perhaps given up now that it’s strange weapon had become part of his soul skill Or

Randidly’s face tightened because he knew that there was a possibility that he didn’t want to think about Sure he had ignored the creature’s plan and dismantled the weapon but that might have been exactly what it had wanted him to do Although he had shattered the outer portions they were still a part of his Soul Skill and he hadn’t been able to do anything to the core of that weapon at all He could only harness its vast energy to fuel his strange new world

He had also hoped that taking those wisps freeing them and populating his world with them was a nice departure from creating an empty world that could be used to hide but how could anything the creature said really be believed

But his Soul was silent so Randidly could only shrug for now and attempt to not think about that possibility He still spoke a little in his soulscape trying to get that strange vibration thing that had spoken to him earlier but he received no response So he threw up his hands and returned to himself

Back in his body he stood and stretched He took great care to test every muscle in his body seeing whether there were any aftereffects both from the earlier struggle with the creature or due to the assimilation of his Soul Skill But there seemed to be no ill effects

Rather than make him feel better Randidly’s heart sank If there had been some problem he could actually believe that he had pulled one over on the creature but without that proof Was he really just a pawn dancing in its hand

You are yet weak don’t overcomplicate things If you have spare time to think of extra things we perhaps need more training such as this

Again Shal’s voice echoed in his mind as Randidly struggled to find his direction and he chuckled As always he was a spear Only forward Briefly he wondered what Shal was doing at the moment but then he dismissed those thoughts as well Shal had a role and it was over Extra instruction wouldn’t be helpful right now It was all dependant on Randidly’s effort

Although it was slightly insulting that he hadn’t been here to witness it

So Randidly turned his attention back to his notifications because he had gotten a few In addition the 5 Skill Levels in the Spear Advances Ash Trails Randidly had also gained 3 levels in Rejections 8 in Clockwork Mastery and 2 in Mental Fortitude Which put his total PP still at an impressive 81

Randidly grinned This was good because having that much PP all at once would likely allow him to see the different benefits from his Soul Skill So Randidly brought up his Path menu

Heretic XI 0/ Initiate of Ash I 0/75 Nexus Traveler Cohort 5 0/50 Path of Control 0/200 Basic Mana Engraving 0/100 Journeyman 0/150 Experimenter I 0/50 Agony I 0/100 Tireless 0/50 Aether Philanthropist 0/1

You fucking bitch Randidly whispered There were quite a few new arrivals to his possible paths But the one that struck him most obviously was Aether Philanthropist which required a measly 1 PP

Was this normal But somehow just the wording of it made Randidly sure that it wasn’t and it was another path left for him by the Creature But then threads of doubt crept it Last time it had to strain for so long in his chest to create a path Was that just a front or was it legitimately difficult to do

And if it was so good at predicting how he would move so that it led him to here wouldn’t it know that he would be extremely reluctant to accept anything that he thought was control and so he would reject it Was it perhaps the point that he not choose that path

Or was there a way through the System to donate Aether and this was a natural evolution of that action

Then Randidly shook his head He was like a spear he could only move forward Better to ignore the possible motivations and focus on the concrete facts it was a 1 PP path He would be foolish to not use 1 PP to at least figure out what was going on with it So although his finger floated in front of the button for several seconds torn between the options Randidly eventually pressed the add the PP button

Chapter 210

Congratulations You have completed the Aether Philanthropist Path Your path begins to vere through the paths of others and some of those you cross paths with are vastly improved by your touch Your familiarity and experience grows in the manipulation of Aether Your understanding of Aether greatly increased You have learned the skill Aether Connection Lvl 1

Randidly breathed slowly not really sure what to make of this Not only the result but also the rarity So he opened up the skill explanation for the skill

Aether Connection Create a connection of Aether with another being As the creator of the connection you will have more control over the amount and quality of the Aether sent Effectiveness of the connection will depend on the willingness of the recipient and the synchronicity between two individuals Individuals can reject the connection Efficacy of connection and possible size of the connection improves with skill level

Randidly’s face was solemn because based on what he understood his Aether Spring was a hobbled Aether Crossroads that had no ways of making connections with others like the Aether Spring that a village spirit was given On the other hand it didn’t have a formal connection to the System so he didn’t need to accept meaning that flowed downwards from it

But this skill basically eliminated that weakness by giving him a System approved way to establish an Aether connection There would likely be some drawbacks depending on his skill level but

It was a skill that made him into an Aether Crossroads legitimately

Is this then what the creature intended Because it was hard to imagine that the Being who created the System would have done it in order to effectuate his search Randidly would assume that other full power Aether Crossroads running around would just make things more difficult

But it was too far beyond his level to even speculate Instead Randidly turned back to his possible paths All of the new ones looked interesting Experimenter was slightly ambiguous but Tireless based on his recent actions seemed pretty clear But the former would lead to a longer series of paths which Randidly wasn’t sure he wanted to commit to

Randidly had a growing interest in finishing off the Initiate of Ash path but he decided to wait on that Similarly The Path of Control and Agony I paths were a little big of a commitment As he wouldn’t be able to use his mana for this second part of the preliminary it would be better for him to double down on his Endurance and finish the Tireless path in one fell swoop

After that Randidly thought he would probably begin on the Initiate of Ash path but he might change his mind depending on what happened Randidly put points into the Tireless path But the more he put into it the more his face fell He did receive 1 End every 10 PP but that wasn’t what he was waiting for It was only on the 48th PP that the event he waited on finally occurred

Congratulations Your Soul Skill has released the Blessing of Rain upon you Wisdom +3 Focus +6 Concentration permanently increases by 1% Mana Regeneration increases by 15 +3 Free stats

Randidly released a breath that he had been holding It did take much much longer than it had previously fully 50 PP but overall the reward grew as well Not linearly a little less than that but it was still a powerful boost Especially the jump in Mana Regeneration As for the 3 Stats they went into Strength Perhaps Randidly hadn’t lost his bitterness about the harshness of the previous portion of the preliminary after all

After nodding in satisfaction Randidly put the last two points into the Tireless Path completing it

Congratulations You have completed the Tireless Path The path is long but you stoically continue Obstacles become par for the course There is no hesitation in your movements As your base level rises to this new plateau of difficulty you sense your very body changing This is not yet your limit Vitality Reaction and Willpower +5 You have learned the skill Stalemate Breaker Lvl 1

Stalemate Breaker Must first clash against an enemy and be somewhat equal in strength Increase your consumption of Stamina by 10x for one second to increase your physical output by 1% Effect on output increases with Skill Level

It was truly a powerful skill but the cost and the small bonus made it extremely unattractive now He would effectively exhaust himself using the skill Increasing the stamina consumption by a factor of 10 was ridiculously debilitative But Randidly supposed that was part of the point It wasn’t designed for every situation but as a skill that could be used only to break a stalemate And decisively at that

If however he didn’t finish the fight in that time even his monstrous recovery probably wouldn’t be enough to make back up the difference in Stamina And the fact that the active time was only a second

Well if he simply pushed forward during that time it wouldn’t expend too much mana

Basically it was a skill that was not useful currently when the output was only a 1% increase Raising the skill to 20% would make it much more interesting Then 50 or even 100 it would suddenly become a monstrously powerful skill Which was why Randidly supposed that the cost increase was so high Because it was a skill that could be improved almost endlessly

Already exhausted by the type of training that would be required to increase that skill Randidly shook his head Then he opened his Paths back up and put the remaining 30 points into Initiate of Ash Unfortunately there were no 10 point bonuses so his 30 PP sank into the Path without any noticeable change And also still a bit less than 20 short of when he would get another bonus from his Soul Skill

Randidly walked to the window It was almost dawn and he would have some time after that to return to the testing arena He briefly considered studying Engraving some more but although the Belt would make that much easier Randidly wasn’t really in the mood

So he left his room and walked upstairs towards the training area Unsurprisingly there were people in this world that were there at dawn seeking perfection in the spear A large man wielding a spear that looked to Randidly to be more similar to a lamp post than a weapon and there was also the aged instructor and his youthful charges that Randidly had seen previously

Ignoring them Randidly removed his large obsidian spear from his inventory and walked over to a corner There was a lot that Randidly had gained from the previous night in terms of skills and knowledge Perhaps there would be another time when he stopped and tried to categorize it all but for now he was more concerned with just moving

He performed the different movements given to him by the Turtle man long ago that became the foundation of the Golden Roots of Yggdrasil Randidly moved through his different practice forms for the Spear Phantom Style His movements became quicker and quicker more violent and fierce the longer he practiced

There was still a spark in his chest remaining from the Challenge of Tarnak the feeling of being stifled and forced to sit still and endure But that spark quickly fell on the tinder of all of Randidly’s frustrations and suspicions in regards to the creature Now he was abandoned with far more questions than he had begun with How much was true How much was false How much of this did the creature plan

As Randidly’s speed increased he didn’t notice that the large man had noticed him and had ceased in his own training to stare at him The old man with his children were staring slack jawed All that Randidly could sense was his own anger and increasingly the pumping power of Aether flowing through his body

It was definitely far more active now than it had ever been in the past The flows out to his four blessed individuals increased the speed that it could be moved and even more than that it seemed far more responsive to his will

So Randidly began to throw out Phantom Onslaughts absolutely pouring himself into the furious barrage of blows Again and again he threw more and more and more the air around him humming with the swift passage of his large spear in such a short amount of time There was no target just an outlet to his frustrations

Time stretched on and the disbelief in the large man’s eyes grew more profound as this spear user with the obsidian spear in front of him seemed to have limitless stamina and willpower The large man’s hands tightened around his own weapon and he turned away his shoulders squared Truly that was the path of a spear user and he didn’t have time to gawk like this

The old man and the kids didn’t have the same competitive instincts and continued to stare mesmerized by the movements It was only after 7 or so minutes of that that Randidly finally ran out of Stamina and was forced to stop lowering his shoulders his chest heaving

In a way he felt better but in another way he didn’t It was so much effort for nothing

Well not nothing ’ Randidly thought noticing he had gained 2 Skill Levels in Phantom Onslaught and 1 in Secondwind But it wasn’t the feedback that Randidly had wanted to receive He wanted an answer a satisfying direction He wanted

Hmph so you have time to be lazy do you disciple I suppose you are satisfied that you survived through the first round of the preliminaries eh

Randidly slowly straightened and turned Standing there hands on his hips was Shal And judging by his expression he had been watching him for quite some time and wasn’t very impressed by what he had seen

Randidly’s mouth twitched but he said nothing in response but simply lowered his spear in Shal’s direction aiming the huge obsidian weapon towards Shal’s heart A small smile flickered to life on Shal’s lips

Perhaps you are learning after all Come

Chapter 211

The strange existence that had interfered with Randidly’s Paths and Skill as he referred to it the Creature smiled as it looked down into the reflecting pool that displayed the battle between master and disciple But her eyes peered more deeply that the truly insignificant skills that both of them used

Fascinating to think that he would transform my masterwork into a simple powerplant The Creature muttered its fingers stretching lengthening until they were just short of touching the surface of the pool But at the last minute it hesitated

Another voice interrupted its thoughts Are you afraid

A woman a human woman hung at the other end of the small room opposite the Creature Her hands were bound by an iron chain off the ceiling which was just so long that her tiptoes could touch the ground as she was stretched out by her hand binding She had dirty blonde hair to her shoulders and violet eyes

Not as afraid as you are dear Lyra I can see it in your heart I can smell it in your sweat Yet you remain so calm Why

Lyra chuckled and the chains rattled But the laughter swiftly turned into coughs and her body shimmered and bulged as she stretched her shape into a taller creature But as she did so the chains began to glow with strange runes and bolts of electricity shot down making Lyra shudder Her form shifted back into her human body which was still just a little too short to stand with her hands bound in chains in that manner

The Creature just shook its head turning back to the image of Randidly He chose life again Perhaps I should have suspected this when he chose to transform his rot into the path of life earlier but it still puzzles me His strength could be so much higher if he would embrace the aspects of himself that have an affinity to death And yet Perhaps he doesn’t understand death’s power

Just as you intended he is an unaffiliated individual wandering the System with one of the most powerful Soul Skills ever conceived

I would say the Soul Skill has the potential to rank 6th in all of the Cohorts The Creature interjected but Lyra ignored it and continued speaking

but you miss the point you fucking cunt You ask me why I’m calm in spite of my fear why I gave you the withered connection Randidly and I used as Sword and Sheath It’s because you can’t see it at all The thing that makes him so special

The Creature grimaced as if it had smelled something extremely disgusting You are talking once more of hope

Lyra nodded her eyes focusing on the reflecting pool and glowing violet Yes He burns with it That’s why I would sell everything to give him a path forward

I could have dominated him He might have been unable to escape that darkness and I would have ground his will to nothing He would be a puppet and one quite a bit more useful than you The Creature said watching Lyra carefully The teenager just smiled

Sighing the Creature pressed a hand to its temple and transformed becoming the spitting image of Lyra Well fine Do try to behave won’t you I have a village to run

The Creature flickered out of existence returning to Donnyton Lyra remained silent still mesmerized by the reflecting pool Likely as a way to drive her insane the Creature kept her here constantly watching Randidly But after the first few days it stopped stressing her out and making her extremely annoyed at the ridiculously shortsighted decisions he sometimes made and instead calmed her

After all if a fucking idiot like him although a cute one could survive out there what could someone like her accomplish

Thin flows of Aether emerged from Lyra’s eyes and slid up to the chains that bound her to the ceiling They didn’t touch the chains or the runes but began to rub against the roof slowly grinding it away

One day she would be free Lyra swore to herself But as she watched Randidly grow she couldn’t help but be extremely pleased He grew and grew and struggled and grew Her smile twisted her whole face It was that that endless strength and resilience that they needed

Because if Lyra had learned anything from the Creature it was the Being that it feared was very real and so powerful that words failed And yet the thought of such a foe only made her more excited Lyra couldn’t wait to see what the edges of possibility of Aether contained

Lyra watched Randidly’s reflection with a cheshire smile enraptured Her Aether ground away at the roof It was only a matter of time

Randidly winced as he walked over to the much smaller queue of individuals waiting for the second part of the preliminaries Shal’s reunion fight was very thorough But there was a definite difference in Randidly’s mind as he viewed Shal

Beyond his level of power sure But unbeatable

Well to him probably yes But Randidly was growing to understand his moves able to follow the attacks and patterns His experience from two years of constant fights in the prison was crystallizing into a very useful set of battle experience

There were only 150 or so contestants in the preliminaries now and as Randidly looked around he recognized Tartet the individual he fought against in the Qualifier staring at the ground Randidly considered approaching but then shrugged If they both passed and made it to the actual tournament they would face each other There was no need to struggle now

And honestly although he was much better at it now Randidly wasn’t a social person A more convenient time to talk would emerge Randidly was sure But he couldn’t help but notice that the aura of hunger that surrounded Tartet had grown much heavier Or perhaps Randidly had just grown more able to appreciate it

After a time the group was led to a large room where a serpent sat in the middle It was almost a dozen meters long with a head the size of a microwave that it raised as they walked in glancing at the intruders A tall bearded member of the tournament staff stepped up onto a small stage and spoke to them all

Welcome You can consider this a kind of reward’ round As you are no doubt aware certain affiliations allow their disciples to pass through directly to the preliminaries As this treatment is unfair we saw fit to add some benefit for those of you with enough strength to force your way into the tournament without relying on the strength of others That is not to say that this is easy to pass but everyone will have the opportunity to gain some amount of strength

This as some of you may have guessed is a Skill Spirit that was purchased by the village of Deardun It can teach you the skill Flexibility The requirements for passing the second round of the preliminary is simple Learn the skill and raise it to Lvl 15 in a 24 hour period The Skill Spirit as it is intimately familiar with the skill will be able to inform the staff when you have passed this level You have an hour to prepare before you will be given the opportunity to learn the skill Good luck

Randidly cracked his neck Honestly this was not such a difficult task For him at least the most prohibitive part would be the 24 hour time limit He also hadn’t gained 14 skill levels in a single skill in a single day before but he had never really tried He had definitely gained a lot more skill levels generally than 14 in a day Besides the simplest levels to gain were the first ones Now that Randidly’s overall level was much higher he anticipated that he would have very few problems finishing this task

For his part he was pleasantly surprised by the task Flexibility as a skill was probably profoundly helpful for using the spear Randidly suspected in his heart that Helen had such a skill based on her usage of the spear and ah other activities they had participated in together

But around him there were numerous individuals with ugly expressions on their faces After Randidly thought about it a bit he understood Likely the upset people were those who had no free skill slots or only one remaining Taking Flexibility here would be a boost in their strength but they wouldn’t get a powerful Skill Set later or they would be forced to forget something they already had

And for spear users at this level they didn’t have any low leveled skills How could they gain enough PP with their lower number but higher level skills to forget something in only an hour

Randidly sat on the ground and began to Meditate With his powerful will Randidly visualized the Golden Roots of Yggdrasil flowing into him Time passed while some of the other participants looked calm others trained desperately and a few just sat numb and hopeless

Standing Randidly began to approach the snake with a group of others as the hour time limit had passed the snake was open for business It hissed calmly almost as if it was trying to reassure the participants it was friendly but many of those spear users hopped backwards unnerved

The first to reach the snake was Tartet who touched the snake’s scales closed his eyes seemed to glow for a moment then turned and walked away and started to stretch

Randidly and a large group followed next and touched the snake

As Randidly left the snake a vein in his temple was throbbing

You do not have a class Please see the nearest Village Spirit to obtain a class and unlock the use of Skill Spirits

Randidly walked over to the bearded man who introduced the task Excuse me sir

The man looked up so Randidly continued Ah the System informed me that uh I have a skill too close to Flexibility to learn it Is there perhaps another task

The old man looked at Randidly for a long time and the blood in his chest began to pound He had guessed that such a phenomenon was possible based on some of the interactions of Soul Skills and had chosen it because he didn’t want to reveal his lack of class But if he had guessed wrong

But then the old man sighed and shook his head Bah I’m sorry lad but that’s your bad luck The Skill Spirit can sense similar skills to its particular brand though so just consider this an easy pass to the tournament

Randidly opened his mouth then closed it It seemed as though the old man was generally sorry that this task hadn’t helped him at all Then he nodded and turned away Well it would be an easy pass if he had a skill similar to Flexibility It did confirm that such things happened but

Then Randidly’s eyes began to burn Aether began to quicken in his body the frosty radiation swirling around The only option then was to create another skill

Chapter 212

Randidly found himself a corner and began to breath calmly his attention focusing inward He brought his consciousness down and began to focus on his Soul Skill His vision focused further and images of the small creatures that were spreading to populate his world came into sharp relief

Specifically of all of the creatures the ones that were the subject of Randidly’s examination were Annie’s creatures the bug centaurs But in addition to their insect like 4 lower legs they also had two long and willowy arms Their chitinous armor was grey and as Randidly watched them they leapt through the flatlands and rocky hills was an incredibly grace

It reminded him of videos he had seen on Earth about mountain goats Their movements seemed light but there was an incredible amount of strength in their base at all times In addition they had a very thin and supple waist which allowed their upper and lower halves to operate almost independently So while their bottoms allowed them to stroll upwards on almost sheer cliff faces their upper body could hold onto the primitive ranged weapons their people very quickly developed

They threw thin reed spears and slung rocks to deadly effect Luckily for Randidly although he hadn’t directly used Arbor and Thorn’s life and meaning it had worked itself into his Soul Skill and small plant creatures filled the world forming the bottom of the ecosystem that allowed the more advanced creatures to prosper

It felt lucky and incredibly so which made Randidly sweat He didn’t want this to be the final version of his Soul Skill and he already had some ideas about how he could improve it But he swore to himself that he would spend a lot more time researching ecosystems and climates before he made any great changes

So he watched these strange mostly silent murderous bug centaurs and their flexible movements Randidly watched them for a long time fully 6 hours

Then his eyes opened slowly and his eyes were a bright impossibly vivid emerald Aether began to circulate in his chest rapidly

Claptrap was slightly infuriated to discover that today as they arrived at the viewing area for the second part of the preliminaries there were already 4 other small carts set up offering portable snacks to the watchers It was only after he set up his stand and secretly sent an assitant to buy the competition did Claptrap relax

Their food was quick but it possessed none of the almost animalistic appeal that the Ghosthound’s recipes did Claptrap wasn’t sure how the man had done it in addition to training in the spear and Engraving at such a high level but everything that the Ghosthound touched turned to gold

Besides although the others had tried to copy his food Claptrap had gone last night with his brewer associate and quickly approached all brewers in Deardun letting them know what was going on By 4 AM after Claptrap and the woman had flashed some of the gold they had made they had established Deardun’s first ever Brewing Association as an independent entity from the Merchant Association

The brewers were skeptical but intrigued by the volume of ale that the female brewer had managed to sell yesterday alone and agreed to see whether it really was as good as Claptrap claimed So now Claptrap had almost 40 different types of alcohol from 7 different brewers and more waiting in the wings

It was perhaps just a coincidence but as Claptrap was trying to create a giant chalk board that morning as they were preparing to head over to the viewing area the Ghosthound had walked past and asked him what he was doing

Claptrap frothing at the mouth at his status at the head of this new business venture hurriedly explained

Then the Ghosthound shook his head No don’t bother with all at once Just have 8 at a time Tell customers that they are on rotation and when the casks run out it will switch to something else so they should buy what they want now before it runs out A deadline makes people more willing to buy Oh and don’t bother with these long explanations you just need three things on a board like this The Brewer the name of the beer and the color or base for the drink For example amber or stout or apple cider

Some of the words that the Ghousthound used Claptrap was unfamiliar with but he was furiously scribbling notes At one point the Ghosthound fell silent as if pondering something and Claptrap gazed at him with growing concern

Is Is something wrong Claptrap muttered

The Ghoshound’s eyes refocused and he shook his head No it’s just I’ve been thinking about why something like this hasn’t appeared in this world and I guess you are thinking in too much detail Also you are too prideful in your approach These ales have always been here right But you need to buy them by the cask or go to an inn which may have one or two varieties That’s because you think customers will come to you if they want something Which is true and there are definitely people who won’t like the product but there is a huge middle crowd of people that would take the product if it was convenient

The Ghosthound scratched his chin and then said before walking away There aren’t many people who would go out of their way to buy ale But if they were attending something else entirely like a sporting event and started to get thirsty How many of those people could resist a drink

Claptrap was slack jawed for several minutes It certainly was almost desperate what the Ghosthound was suggesting Going out and bringing the product to people But based on the results there certainly had to be some truth to the Ghosthound’s methods

So they followed the Ghosthound’s advice and Claptrap was slack jawed by how many spear users changed their mind and bought a second glass of their favorite mead when he told them that it would be rotated out with another when the cask was empty

It was another 24 hour preliminary and after a batch of people surrendered early it seemed like it would take the entire time so everyone settled back down to wait quickly getting food and drink settling into a festival like atmosphere

Claptrap began to consider Ghosthound’s second point about why something like this hadn’t happened before Claptrap supposed that previously there was a sort of if you build it they will come mentality so the merchant’s quarter of Deardun was established giving the merchants a seat of power and prestige But Claptrap had to admit that it was only rarely that the powerful Style’s disciples came to that area It was mostly business between merchants that was conducted there

On the other hand the Ghosthound seemed to suggest that merchants instead build it where they are already coming Yes and the king of it was convenience When it was so convenient and tasty who could resist

Heyo Claptrap How goes it Old Clete said sidling up into the stand his eyes excited at the line stretching out waiting to get a drink Old Clete was the largest brewer in Deardun and most of the difficulty in establishing the Brewing Association was convincing this stubborn old man that their idea was feasible

Quite well thank you I believe we’ve sold 4 entire casks already And your Autumn Cinnamon Ale is very popular that cask is almost empty Do you have another we can use

w w w w w w w what Old Clete said his eyes springing open

Claptrap shrugged Go talk to the guys in the back if you want the concrete numbers I think someone was talking to one of your guys of ordering a cask of one of your other ales too

Five whole casks Claptrap had never seen anyone move quite as fast as Old Clete sprinting around to talk to the men in the back working with setting up the casks While keeping his expression from veering towards smug Claptrap took the order from the next customer

Idly Claptrap wondered what he should invest all of his newfound money into Maybe he should consult with the Ghosthound

Randidly’s eyes crept open his chest burning with power

18 hours had passed but he almost had it With Aether thundering in his ears Randidly continued to move smoothly bending at the waist keeping his shoulders and elbows relaxed as he followed the inspiration from the creatures based on Annie’s energy

The more he followed it the looser his body became and the more strange looks he got from his fellow contestants But he ignored them And after a while a notification that he was waiting for popped up in front of him

Chapter 213

Randidly smiled even though he now only had 6 hours to gain 14 levels Also the second line made him roll his eyes

Congratulations Your own personal skill has been created You have created the skill Flexibility of the White Hunters ® Lvl 1 Due to proceeding to a different Cohort than your home planet to create the skill all bonuses associated with the record of creating a Rare skill are lost

So it seemed that the System still refused to reward him for creating skills while here But still this was a flexibility skill that he needed It was an added benefit that it was at the Rare rarity as well Which was in a way a double edge sword because it would make it that much more difficult to level But Randidly didn’t mind so much If that was the cost of his power so be it

Immediately Randidly launched into training for his skill moving rapidly pushing his body to the limits of his flexibility He activated Haste and Empower to cram more movements into a shorter amount of time Again Randidly tried to ignore the stares as his movements switched from silly looking to so fast they left after images but he didn’t have any choice Although this was meant to be a bonus round it was clear that if he didn’t attain the requisite skill level he would lose his chance to participate

Right around the 3 hour mark Randidly had raised the level of his new skill to 10 But in his heart he wasn’t sure if this was fast enough Those final 5 levels would be the most difficult He had two options in his mind The first was to spend a little more time watching the being in his soul skill getting a little extra image for his training On the other hand

Randidly’s gaze slid over to Tertet Without a doubt a battle right now would increase his rate of improvement No one else was fighting each other but there hadn’t been any additional rules added by the bearded man so it likely was allowed Perhaps even encouraged so the spear users would thin each other out

Still Randidly didn’t want to totally transform into the type of person who would destroy others for sport His lessons in the prison still made Randidly uneasy as they didn’t entirely make sense Shal seemed to have a very selective sense of righteousness

But as his gaze lingered on Tertet Tertet glanced up and their gazes locked Tertet’s eyes narrowed and he bared his teeth He drew his two spears and began to stroll towards Randidly that powerful spirit of hunger roaring around him

Inwardly Randidly rolled his eyes but raised his own spear and walked towards Tertet Truly sometimes things were so simple that they made you feel foolish for over thinking them

To think you actually made it Tertet hissed spinning his spears slowly I wouldn’t have thought your physical specs were enough to survive that challenge But I suppose you simply relied on your magic didn’t you

Tertet’s tone attracted the attention of some of the nearby spear users but Randidly didn’t bother answering Instead he began to rush forward being extremely mindful of his ability to use his body maintaining the flexibility in his joints Seeing that his statement didn’t seem to have any effect on Randidly Tertet’s face turned serious

Afterall although he mocked him for it Randidly’s spells had left a profound effect on the man Their power was such that they should not be underestimated If he had known that Randidly planned on fighting without relying on such things he probably would have laughed After all their time in the preliminaries was a short while ago At most one could stay in a dungeon for around 6 months before the risk of Aether Starvation was too high to reasonably ignore And although you might be able to safely eke out another few weeks how much improvement could you gain in that time Was it worth the chance that your body ran out of fuel leaving you unable to continue

The two figures rushed towards one another and their spears smashed together The strange unpredictable strikes were just as powerful if not more so than Randidly remembered but Tertet wasn’t the only one that improved In fact

What Tertet gasped leaping backwards after a single exchange of blows Although his strike was clearly more powerful what was most disturbing was that the other man had dispersed all of the force of it without shifting his stance at all They were much much closer to evenly matched than they had been in the past Tertet had assumed he could force the Ghosthound to use spells and discredit him he had not expected that his opponent would have such a jump in strength

How Tertet began to ask but Randidly unleashed a slash at the other man forcing him to grit his teeth and block Then twisting Randidly unleashed another strike not using any particular skill but twisting his body with increasing speed relying on elasticity and flexibility to empower and quicken his strikes And it was working to a small degree His attacks were certainly sharper and more rhythmic

That combined with the shock of Randidly’s change sent Tertet reeling and he couldn’t seem to recover his feet as he was pushed farther and farther backwards Finally Randidly used his larger spear to smash Tertet backwards smashing him into another man

Most of the spear users had gathered curious but just watching to relieve their own boredom However after Randidly smashed his opponent to the side he stood tall and glanced around Almost instinctively several of those spear users who met his gaze felt something tingling in their chest driving them towards this posturing individual

A few raised their spears the joy of battle lust coloring their features Randidly grinned

3 hours later a panting and bloody group of spear users including Randidly passed the second preliminary round and would be entered into the wider tournament 76 people had passed and with the 100 that were chosen by the powerful Styles these final 176 people would participate in the tournament

After Randidly had begun fighting random spear users basically all of the remaining people joined in throwing themselves into battle in order to hone themselves a bit before the finals After all a lot of these people had just received the Flexibility skill and needed to learn how to use it in order to fight more effectively in the actual tournament In addition the plethora of Styles represented in the preliminary would give them a taste of dealing with attacks they didn’t recognize All in all it turned out to be an extremely valuable time to fight

Randidly as he walked back through the streets watching all the passing civilians who talked about the exciting tournament that would start in two days time was most excited about his new Lvl 17 Skill Flexibility of the White Hunters

In addition to those 16 PP he had also gained 3 Lvls in Phantom Onslaught 4 in Battle Intent 2 in Meditation and The Golden Roots of Yggdrasil 3 in Spear Mastery 2 in Footwork of the Spear Phantom 1 in Haste Empower and Second Wind and 2 in Stalemate Breaker which Randidly was able to use to a pretty profound effect when he used it

Still Stalemate Breaker currently left him extremely underpowered immediately afterwards which was difficult to justify considering how small of a boost it currently was But still it was a skill that would grow more valuable the more he put into it Randidly poured his 40 PP into the Initiate of Ash I Path which netted him nothing but almost finished it but did get another notification that brought him a significant amount of Joy

Congratulations Your Soul Skill has released the Blessing of Murderous Cold upon you Perception +3 Reaction +6 Agility +3 Range of Hearing and Vision permanently expanded by 1% +6 Free stats

Randidly scratched his head Range of hearing and vision expanded Did that mean he would eventually be able to hear dog whistles and see ultraviolet light

Then he shrugged What was more interesting was that this blessing gave much more stats than the last one but didn’t have the huge regeneration bonus the other provided Still it was interesting and good to know that all of this PP was going to a good use His 6 free stats went to Intelligence which was beginning to fall behind his other offensive stats

Randidly then looked at his improved stats and skills

Health(/R per hour) 1322/1399 (+118) (508 (+27

Mana(/R per hour) 649/1498 (+5) (154 75 (+9

Stam(/R per min) 1233/1510 (215 (+9

Vit 147 (+9)

End 71

Str 113 (+17)

Agi 134 (+17)

Perception 103 (+10)

Reaction 131

Resistance 94 (+15)

Willpower 143 (+10)

Intelligence 106

Wisdom 59 (+9)

Focus 155 (+4)

Skills (Soul Skill) Four Shaded Clockwork World Lvl 122

Combat Spear Mastery Lvl 113 The Inevitable Phantom Arrives Lvl 79 (Un) Spear Phantom’s Footwork Lvl 98 Eyes of the Spear Phantom Lvl 76 White Phantom’s Half Step (Un) Lvl 46 Heavy Blow Lvl 59 Dagger Mastery Lvl 10 Iron Skin Lvl 47 Dodge Lvl 56 Fighting Proficiency Lvl 82 Block Lvl 46 Haste Lvl 71 Phantom Onslaught Lvl 42 Sweep Lvl 54 Spear Deflect Lvl 10 Empower Lvl 87 Calculated Blow Lvl 64 Roundhouse Kick Lvl 36 Flesh Eating Virus (Un) Lvl 47 Idiosyncratic Cut (Un) Lvl 61 Pierce the Skies Shatter the Earth Lvl 33 Battle Intent Lvl 83 Struggle Lvl 61 Body Control Freeze Lvl 19 The Golden Roots of Yggdrasil Lvl 29 Stalemate Breaker Lvl 3

The 7 Kata of the Ashen Spear The Spear Advances Ash Trails Lvl 18

Spells Spearing Roots Lvl 34 Mana Bolt Lvl 28 Mana Shield Lvl 26 Root Control Lvl 91 Arcane Orb Lvl 22 Fireball Lvl 30 Magic Missile Lvl 4 Healing Palm Lvl 12 Pollen of the Rafflesia Lvl 20 Summon Pestilence Lvl 53 Mana Strengthening Lvl 61 Wall of Thorns Lvl 16 Soul Seed Lvl ® Agony Lvl 37 Inspiration ® Incinerating Bolt Lvl 64 Circle of Flame Lvl 39 Plantomancy Lvl 29 The Weeping Cloud ® Lvl 59 Hammer of the Dawn Lvl 1 Burning Footsteps Lvl 1

Crafting Potion Making Lvl 37 Farming Lvl 20 Plant Breeding Lvl 9 Mapmaker Lvl 7 Analyze Lvl 24 Refine Lvl 17 Extract Lvl 23 Mana Engraving Lvl 64

Auxiliary Physical Fitness Lvl 74 Meditation Lvl 68 Running Lvl 39 Sprinting Lvl 19 Sneak Lvl 46 Acid Resistance Lvl 22 Poison Resistance Lvl 21 Pain Resistance Lvl 29 First Aid Lvl 16 Equip Lvl 25 Pathfinding Lvl 18 Mental Strength Lvl 17 Curse Resistance Lvl 15 Fire Resistance Lvl 14 Sewing Lvl 11 Cutting Vegetables Lvl 2 Manual Labor Lvl 6 Digging Lvl 5 Cooking Lvl 34 Grace Lvl 41 Bacterial Regeneration Lvl 70 Superiority Lvl 22 Mental Fortitude Lvl 45 Second Wind Lvl 42 Weather Affinity Lvl 32 Clockwork Mastery Lvl 16 Rejection Lvl 27 Aether Connection Lvl 1 Flexibility of the White Hunters ® Lvl 17

It was the status of someone who had a class except for his monstrous list of skills Although it caused Judgements to descend after him Randidly couldn’t deny that it had been worth it so far And he was only growing more unstoppable

Then Randidly winced remembering the beating he had received from Shal earlier in the day Well not unstoppable But his improvement was at the very least impressive right

Chapter 214

Shal watched as his disciple dropped the diary huffing His mouth twisted into a grin Still insufficient You must have less talent than I had thought to fail to improve even after all of this time with access to the diary

His disciple gave him a look that was more exasperated than annoyed so Shal let it slide Besides although he had moved himself closer to a level of Aether that he could subsist on the problems hadn’t completely gone away After their spar the previous day Shal had been forced to nap for several hours to reach an equilibrium

It was incredibly frustrating For Shal this was the moment he had been waiting for his entire life the chance for vengeance on Lucretia But he was bound tied by his Aether weakness unable to train So he could only sharpen himself mentally working on clarifying his images focusing on strengthening his Battle Intent He wasn’t sure of her strength but

It was always clear from Aemont’s attitude when her name came up that he was wary of her And although Shal thought himself strong stronger than he had ever revealed that strength was partially from relying on the legacy of his father Since that was the case and Shal had been unable to master the 5th and 6th moves as of yet

Shal’s mouth firmed into a fine line as he came back to the moment with his disciple standing in front of him As Shal’s thoughts had wandered it seemed as though his disciple was considering something

Unsurprisingly the idiot blurted it out after several seconds Shal there might be a way to get rid of the rest of your Aether sickness I have a skill

The problem is solved Shal said smoothly folding his arms

Now his disciple frowned clearly wanting to fight him on this issue What annoyed Shal into action was the fact that his disciple was right the problem wasn’t near solved Still while it was true that this boy had an exceedingly strange relationship with Aether Shal was unwilling to follow it any further He did not want to rely on outside influence for this

It was already enough that his ticket to the land that Lucretia had sequestered herself depended on the foolish boy To also be borrowing his strength in the final battle It was enough to make Shal ill Even the ticket would likely never had happened had Shal not felt enough respect for Aemont’s legacy to pass it onto another

And the fact that that happened

Shal’s frown slowly fell away Why had it happened He was injured in the dungeon while his mind was unfocused before he had found direction for himself but why had he been in the dungeon There was a letter

Are you sure His disciple asked once more causing Shal to lose his train of thought

Sighing Shal rolled up his sleeves and cracked his knuckles Then he invited his disciple upstairs Sure the fool had the tournament tomorrow but some things could only be conveyed from man to man through fists There was an honor and brutal honesty to it that was unappreciated by many but Shal had learned it from his father and now he taught that same lesson to Randidly

When a man says he is finished speaking the only communication that is left is fists

The tournament itself was very different from the preliminaries The 76 individuals who had passed which included Randidly and Tertet were stretched out underneath a pole at one end of a wide arena their Tassles hanging over them Randidly’s still stuck out like a sore thumb its emerald gold color clear in the gloom but as he looked around he saw a familiar Tassle on the far side opposite his

Red violet with white the Tassle of Dian disciple of Haelthing the Devourer Randidly’s hand instinctively clenched on his spear After learning the story about Shal’s relationship with Haelthing Randidly had more questions than answers and none of the stories told why there was a disciple Based upon what he had heard towards the end Haelthing had sent everyone away from his seat of power except Shal’s brother

When then did he have time to raise a disciple

Randidly sighed Probably pointless to decide But there really wasn’t much else to do They had been led out here and displayed but only now were the stands of the arena beginning to fill Slowly but surely more and more people piled in filling the seats Randidly was slightly amused by some of Claptrap’s little henchmen running around selling snacks and beer It certainly was a surreal experience watching a culture discover fast food

They stood there for another hour before anything changed finally a bugle sounded and a gate opened opposite them Out streamed 100 individuals each whose name and Style was announced waving a tall pole with a Tassle made on a scale larger than those given to the individuals who passed the preliminaries These young spear users were carrying ornate and Engraved spears and wore luxurious clothes more fit for dandies than fighters

But all armor that gave any boosts were required to be removed during the tournament so Randidly supposed he could understand why they decided to take the fashion route The only problem was how silly they all looked like some weird cross between a roman legionnaire and a peacock

Claptrap had asked what sort of industry Randidly advised they move into next and the sight of this was a large temptation to recommend they corner the fashion market while there were clearly no competitors But Randidly had to admit that he would be just as inept well not THAT inept as these people and it was a foolish decision

Perhaps also it was annoying to have to wait while all these fops would be introduced Which was what Randidly thought until he examined them more closely Sure they looked and dressed and acted like idiots but the auras they produced were not that of idiots These individuals strutted and loped their bodies lean and graceful The air around them was positively electric

There was even a feeling in the air that Randidly could intermittently catch whiffs of it demonstrated how close some of these people were to the Artisan level with a spear Their Battle Intents were strong and powerful

So this is the real level of the competition ’ Randidly thought inwardly eyeing them up And everyone around him was doing the same watching the chosen ones carefully There was certainly an us versus them mindset that the organizers made no effort to conceal These were the vetted and powerful while these were the struggling trash

Orangey’s annoying ass face floated to the surface of Randidly’s consciousness and he grinned Instead of being scared Randidly felt his blood begin to flow more quickly inside of him He had been training these past two years for these pampered individuals It was good that they were worth all the hype

In addition it was now much easier to understand why Shal was so adamant that he train and reforge himself These spear users were far beyond the level of his previous self even with some of the advantages and surprises he could utilize due to his spells These people couldn’t be beaten with cantrips

Welcome all to the 132nd Northern Regional Tournament The announcer said after every one of the disciples of the high ranking Styles had been introduced He went on to talk about the honor of the tournament and the glory of the Spearman School but Randidly largely ignored it This was not what he was here for It was only when the announcer began to speak of the rules of the competition that Randidly tuned back in

From 176 of you The announcer spoke The first order of business will to be whittle down the group to the 32 finalists For that reason all of you will participate in several round robin 1 v 1 style of matches triple elimination If at all possible we will arrange the matches in a fair manner so matches between disciples of the same Style will not be allowed Each individual will participate in 4 matches a day until we reach the requisite number In addition in order to fairly determine the relative strength of the seeded participants versus the ones who came from the preliminaries the first and third match of every day will be between a seeded individual and one from the preliminaries as numbers will allow

The seeded individuals barred their teeth at their fellow participants across from them and several of those who passed through the preliminaries shifted side to side Randidly snorted Every other match as numbers would allow eh

Going on the very real assumption that most seeded individuals were stronger than the preliminary ones that would mean that a great majority of the seeded individuals would pass through the first day while most of the preliminary participants would be pushed out That wasn’t 100% true but it was designed in such a way that this was the more likely outcome

Again the discourse turned to the glory and strength of the Spearman Style but Randidly simply smiled his grin vicious Yesterday after his mana had returned to him he had been experimenting with his two new spells Hammer of the Dawn and Burning Footsteps as well as training with Marco Polo to strengthen Stalemate Breaker

He couldn’t wait to fight

He couldn’t wait to teach these fools the name Ghosthound

Chapter 215

Triple elimination meant that there was some room for mistakes Randidly admitted to himself but relying on that wasn’t a path that would be very productive After all there would be several fights in a short period of time so once the losses started theywould be hard to stop Also as Randidly looked at the schedule it was clear that the format was designed to benefit those coming from the more powerful Styles Although ostensibly the arrangement was two in the morning two in the evening the middle two matches were very close to each other in time

Even for Randidly he would be hard pressed to recover his stamina in the short amount of time between matches Depending on how long your 2nd match ran your 3rd might begin immediately Whereas the seeded individuals likely knew each other and would acquiesce to their differences in strength immediately Randidly suspected that those who came in by way of the preliminaries would struggle desperate for all the wins that they could manage

Well ’ Randidly reflected with a small smile on his face All of this means nothing in the face of true skill ’

After the introductions and opening ceremonies ended the group of them were taken into a dark underground hall As they passed Randidly saw that there were 4 stages up in the main arena level In the underground there were simply long dingy rooms lined with wooden benches

In a strange show of solidarity even the high level Styles came down there sitting in the darkness biding their time They of course sat with each other and coolly ignored the preliminary winners but still in this respect and this alone they were aligned In their waiting

An assistant began calling names and steadily groups of two would head upstairs and onto the stages one preliminary participant and one from the upper Styles Very swiftly yells and cheers were audible

Perhaps most dispiriting most of the initial fights seemed to be going very noticeably in the favor of the Styles This was to be expected but many of the preliminary participants came down from their match wounded and hollow eyed They were not allowed to use any potions in the interim and were only given bandages to cover their wounds

It was about halfway through the first round of matches that Randidly heard his name and slowly stood

Randidly Ghosthound Kishta Darth

Randidly spared the woman who would be his opponent a glance She was decked out in embroidered leather and had a willowy ornate lance She honestly looked like someone from Earth who was cosplaying as a druid with flowers and plants hand stitched into every very expensive seeming article of clothing But whereas the cosplayers from Randidly’s world ultimately had a hollowness to them proof that they were just pretending this Kishta burned with haughty arrogance

Her dark hair was pulled back in a tight ponytail and she was far too important to spare him a glance So the two walked up the stairs mirroring each other but refusing to make any sort of further recognition They emerged and there was some mild cheers from the crowd almost perfunctory There seemed to be a very furious clash on Stage A but there was much less excitement over on Stage C where Randidly and the woman were to fight

This fact finally seemed to penetrate through Kishta’s exterior and her mouth thinned into almost nonexistence as she saw the lack of recognition as she ascended to the stage As her gaze finally seemed to acknowledge Randidly settling on him for a few seconds her eyes began to fill with a vicious fire and determination

Randidly wanted to sigh in exasperation Sure he wanted to have a good fight with the woman sharpening his skills as much as he could in these earlier fights when he could afford a loss But fighting against someone who was only doing it to earn the recognition of the crowd left him a bit unmotivated

But then he closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath His heart was beating rapidly excitement and nerves mixing in his chest Aether began to slowly flow through his limbs This was it He’d finally made it All this training these past two years it was all for this Reaching the top 8 at this Regional Tournament Already he could feel himself wishing for a return to Earth

There was just this line to cross and then he could return It had only been 4 months from Donnyton’s perspective but even that much made Randidly nervous when left alone with the strange influence that was the System

The referee for the match an elderly woman who kept her hands held behind her back looked at them both

Spearmen are you ready

Kishta raised her beautiful work of art with a flourish Yes this spearman is ready

Randidly mirrored her raising his huge obsidian spear which basically looked like an unrefined pole of rock next to the ornate grace of Kishta’s spear But still there was a baleful and oppressive power in that size

Yes this spearman is ready Randidly’s voice trembled speaking in front of such a large crowd tor the first time There were thousands filling the stands right now chatting and distracted by the four stages and fights And there was still plenty of space in the stands More people would come as the level of competition would increase This was still a time of refining moving towards a lower number of contestants

But his focus slowly narrowed until he only saw his opponent The rest fell away He was a spear and the only way that he could proceed was by advancing forward

Begin The referee said her eyes glinting as she looked at the two contestants

Flexing his legs Randidly launched himself at his opponent his blood roaring through his ears He would crush his opponent at any cost

The male spear attendant had a grave expression on his face as he watched

You really He started lamely then shook his head and tried again You really aren’t that attractive Why do you need that foul smelling disguise

Helen gave him a sharp glance that told him she would brutalize him in their next spar and then looked away Fucking focus it’s starting

Claptrap now had enough support from the Brewing Association so he no longer needed them to work for his rapidly growing Concessions business Instead they came early to watch the Ghosthound’s matches Since they knew that his first match would be on Stage C from the schedule they got a pretty good seat for that area

Which stage he was on would be determined basically by how much money the Style of the seeded individual had donated to the tournament so the fact that the fight was on Stage C meant that this opponent was not the upper echelon of the opponents that Randidly would be facing But still she was a pampered child of a powerful Style the type of opponent that couldn’t be underestimated

As the referee called the beginning of the match the Ghosthound made the first move launching himself forward towards his opponent The woman’s spear rose its delicate point aiming for his throat but the Ghosthound began attacking viciously

Once twice three times their spears crossed attacks smashing into each other in quick succession

The male spear attendant yawned

Helen sat on the edge of her seat clearly much more invested in the fight The male spear attendant could only shake his head and turn to regard Teliph who sat on his other side He too was engrossed in the fight

their level of skill Both of them not just the Ghosthound Helen said sucking in a breath

But unfortunately for her that is where their similarities end Teliph said as he crossed his arms making the male spear attendant wonder how he managed to see with his eyes covered by bandages

The Ghosthound struck again smashing his huge spear into the woman and her face twisted into a look of pure hatred as his attack knocked her a meter backwards Advancing quickly the Ghosthound pressed his advantage attacking before she could regain her center of gravity

They weren’t even huge blows those attacks They were non skill strikes But it was clear that the Ghosthound’s physical specs far outstripped the womans She hopped backwards hoping to make space but he continued to advance that black obsidian spear smashing again and again against her guard

Twisting her feet Kishta moved with a strange animal grace finally managing to create some distance The Ghosthound raised his spear his feet settling to follow with the absolutely haunting Spear Phantom’s Footwork but then he hesitated

“You ” Kishta’s eyes were murderous and it was easy for the male spear attendant to understand why He shook his head sadly

He too when he first met the Ghosthound thought that he would easily crush the man But he was less spear user more monster with a growth rate that surpassed the imagination

He should be more respectful but the male spear attendant just found himself annoyed at this junior who took so long to realize a lesson he himself had already learned

“You forced me to this consider yourself proud ” Kishta yelled her eyes glowing The ground beneath hem began to rumble

Randidly couldn’t help but roll his He hoped every spoiled spear user wouldn’t be this cliche

Chapter 216

Kishta Darth was the nurtured chosen disciple of the Blooming Flower Style This Style wasn’t particularly powerful in the Northern Region but it had affiliations with the leading Style of the Eastern Region which was eyeing the relatively less competitive Northern Region This Style was the first probe and Kishta was the chosen poster child

If she were able to achieve exemplary results in the tournament the Blooming Flower Style would earn prestige and finally be able to step out from the periphery to be one of the more well known Styles in the Northern Region

However the elders of the style were realistic although Kishta was an extremely talented seed she hadn’t yet come into her true skill as a Spear user She had rushed up in levels too quickly to improve her strength not focusing on her skill levels

Still the Eastern forces wanted to still make a splash so they had ensured that recently Kishta had spent quite a bit of time training in less mainstream arts giving Kishta a weapon the elders were sure to catch her opponents by surprise

Which was why it rankled Kishta that she was forced to use it so early But results outweighed methods She could not lose to a prelim cretin especially when he so clearly was the type to overinvest in strength earning himself a ridiculous power regardless of his true skill In Kishta’s mind she knew that if it became a battle of endurance this fool who invested so heavily in the physical attack stats would run out of stamina and lose

But that would take some time especially if he realized her plan and also it wouldn’t achieve the splashy results that the Eastern Style demanded She had no choice

“You forced me to this ” She spat out glaring daggers at her opponent “Consider yourself proud “

To Kishta’s disappointment the man simply hesitated and then advanced towards her his face blank He was a tall man of lean muscles and dark hair to his shoulders He was strangely pale of skin but otherwise he seemed like an unimpressive spear user The only detail that revealed his infuriating strength was his vivid emerald eyes Those eyes had dispassionately looked at her the entire fight calmly analyzing not even seeming to recognize her for her well admired beauty and prestige

That moment when she attacked and his emerald eyes widened with panic Kishta was looking forward to it

A wave of mana spread outwards as she marshalled her forces and then the spell kicked in Thin extremely numerous roots crept upward from the ground They were thin and weak individually but when several dozen wrapped around your legs their strength was more than enough to slow a spear user down

That was the secret weapon they had worked so hard on these past few months She had refined the rather useless skill Entangling Roots into Root Manipulation allowing her to rather simply seal off the movements of other spear users

Kishta had become extremely proficient at using and controlling these roots while attacking So she lowered her spear and rushed forward pouring all of her mana out in a huge explosion of roots from the ground Hundreds of these thin roots surged upwards wrapping around her opponent’s ankles and knees More surged forward heading for his arms

As Kishta prepared to execute her Blooming Strike Skill she glanced very quickly at her opponent’s eyes searching for that fear Instead she found that his gaze was filled with a strange pitty

“Is this a joke ” Her opponent whispered seemingly talking to himself and Kishta flushed It was true this wasn’t honorable And also based on the fact that her opponent hadn’t used many movement skills he could still rely on his superior strength without changing his battle style overmuch But once he was locked down she could slowly slice this fool to pieces for the glory of her Style

“A win’s a win Prepare to be crushed “

Boom

Kishta blinked Three huge roots gnarled monstrous things that seemed strangely gold and luminescent ripped out of the ground and flailed back and forth ripping through all of her roots

Kishta froze which was a mistake in a huge swing one of the three roots whipped outwards and smashed into her thigh and she heard the bone crack With a low cry she fell to the ground

“What what was “

Kishta was at a loss her perspective rattled Her opponent shook his head and looked to the referee who shrugged “Technically she still has the capacity to fight and she has not given up The match must continue “

Sighing her opponent turned back to her his emerald eyes lightening to fresh cut grass in summer “Fine Stand up and raise your spear It is only in spear skills that you have the strength to fight me “

“You ” Kishta hissed leaping to her feet This method was carefully considered by the elders of her Style and it would carry her to a high finish in the tournament They had lauded her as a genius when it came to combining battle strategy with spells Her mastery over Entangling Roots gifted her with Root Manipulation faster than they had ever seen And now this foolish preliminary trash dared mock her

Using all of her mana in a single go the ground exploded with roots thousands of the small pale green things stretching forward aiming for the spear user opposite her

In slow motion Kishta watched the man she faced shake his head

“Fool “

The next moment Kishta felt her body pierced by several strong forces in quick succession and she lowered her gaze to find that she had been riddled with sharp roots her mobility completely destroyed Then blood began to gush from the huge wounds inflicted on her and swiftly her consciousness departed

“This this wasn’t how it was supposed to “

Then the darkness claimed her

“After the first round ” The head referee began as he spoke right before the second round of fights were announced “13 individuals voluntarily withdrew from the tournament due to unrelated reasons

Randidly grimaced and a lot of the preliminary participants had similar expressions on their faces Most of those withdrawals were due to injuries that couldn’t be recovered from within the requisite amount of time between rounds In a way it was more honorable to just surrender without wasting the audience’s time with matches that were meaningless

But Randidly felt some cold gazes on his back and squared his shoulders

It seemed that one of those withdrawals was from the individual he had fought against but he couldn’t really bother to care Before he had been even able to work off the nerves of fighting in front of the huge crowd and find a rhythm with their spear fight she had challenged him with roots It was one of the most silly things that had happened to him in recent memory

Randidly had even sensed that if he had wanted he could seize control of her roots with his superior grade skill Root Control But what would have been the point So Randidly crushed her mercilessly ending the fight as quickly as possible Randidly did not believe that her injuries had been so serious they couldn’t be recovered in the interim so the mental blow he had given her by destroying her roots must have crushed her will to fight

Based on his performance Randidly had earned the dubious nickname as the “1st Prince” among the preliminary participants There were 5 Princes in total for the 5 preliminary spear users who defeated individuals from the larger Styles Randidly had faced a relatively weak one but still those numbers were discouraging That meant that 71 out of 76 victories had gone to the larger Styles

And based on the excitement generated by Randidly and the other 4 this was the highest amount of victories that preliminary entrants had managed in decades

These thoughts faded away as Randidly began to meditate focusing on the issue at hand Slowly the second round began and more names were called and summoned to the stage

Relatively quickly Randidly’s name was called “Azriel Blanche Randidly Ghosthound “

There was a tremor in the crowd as the two contestants headed to the stage the first stage After ascending the stairs from the underground waiting area Randidly turned and found himself facing a slim girl She had white hair hanging to her waist and her eyes were a bloody red In her hands she held a strange slender spear that was pointed on both ends It seemed more like a needle than a spear She wore an ensemble of black leather that left her shoulders bare and seemed eminently capable in it

Her gaze was frigid and remorseless but seemed to be calculating something as she examined him in turn She was Randidly admitted to himself the most beautiful woman he had ever seen

“They won’t have told you ” The girl Azriel began “But I am one of the two most likely to win this Regional Tournament Your matching with me was not an accident Mr First Prince Ghosthound “

Randidly remained silent sizing her up But she kept talking

“But in fact I care very little for the honor of the Styles that hold sway in the North I would like to thank you on their behalf for ridding us of someone weak She was judged fairly and failed To purge the Northern Region of that weakness it truly is a beautiful thing isn’t it “

Chapter 217

Abruptly Randidly realized that the entire crowd had fallen silent as this small girl spoke Even the referee stood at the side deferentially And there was something in the air a palpable energy around Azriel Randidly couldn’t find himself to disbelieve that this individual was one of the favorites to win the tournament Her Battle Intent

His eyes narrowed That’s what this was Artisan An Artisan level

Aether began to roar as it swiftly flowed through him to his fingertips and toes his entire body trembling His previous match was against a rather weak disciple and now

“So too ” Azriel said her gaze sharpening “You will be judged If your results are insufficient you can only blame your own weakness “

“Are both Spear users ready ” The referee said stepping forward Azriel said nothing Randidly nodded

“Begin “

There was a half moment and then Randidly’s instincts kicked in screaming at him Haste Empower Mana Strengthening and the active version of the Golden Roots of Yggdrasil snapped on burning as much Mana and Stamina as he needed to activate all the skills that would improve his body so he could dodge to the side

But Azriel was already there her slender needle spear aiming for his throat This amount of speed it made Randidly embarrassed to think about his own skill the Spear Advances Ash Trails This brooked no resistance It was rapid and precise and even Randidly’s powerful senses hadn’t realized she had moved until she had arrived

There wasn’t an image used but the air behind Azriel vibrated with power It was like an unstoppable asteroid like the one that descended and murdered all of Earth’s dinosaurs millions of years ago Unavoidable a force of nature preordained

But Randidly was experienced in those feelings from his own images and although the strength of his Battle Intent was severely lacking his focus on those particular emotions were what he focused on He wasn’t about to be discouraged by just that

In his chest the bundle of Aether that was his skill Rejection burned with resentment and unwillingness Not like this he wouldn’t just lose like this

Reject

A deep vibration emerged from his Aether surprising Randidly but there was no time to think about it any further because this needle spear had arrived and there was no more time

Azriel streaked past then stopped turning and regarding Randidly

His chest was heaving and his eyes were wide Although power was coursing through his limbs it wasn’t enough The needle had ripped a hole in the muscle of his upper shoulder entering his body right above his collarbone on the left side

But had he not reacted as quickly the attack would have taken him in the neck perhaps ending him permanently It was difficult to admit but all of his effort amounted to only 4 inches before this woman

Much to Randidly’s surprise her eyes began to glow with an unholy red light

“Interesting Interesting “

With a smile on her face Azriel began streaking back and forth in a zigzag pattern making it impossible for Randidly even with Eyes of the Spear Phantom to track her In a way it was a slow approach as she weaved forward and away from him but in another it was still frighteningly fast But before his eyes could recognize the small girl went on the offensive Azriel and her needle were there slashing at him

This time Randidly used Phantom Half Step several times in succession creating some distance It allowed him the precious moments he needed to find his feet and prepare to avoid her attacks

Which Randidly was able to barely on her next two strikes But Azriel continued to accelerate And accelerate and accelerate

Randidly woke with a start Then he swore

“Thirty seven seconds the match lasted Quite impressive all things considered Still the shortest match the 5 Princes participated in but you certainly had the most ferocious opponent if not the strongest “

Randidly looked up to find the bearded man who had served as the announcer for the tournament looking down at him Seeing the comprehension in Randidly’s gaze the referee nodded “I’m just here to confirm do you still wish to continue The next round is about to start

Standing up Randidly grimaced The amount of damage he had taken was not small Several holes and gashes although bandaged were still in the process of knitting themselves together Slowly Randidly eased himself back down onto the bench Yes But I’ll stay here until my name gets called

The referee gave him a pitying look You are now a known affront to the honor of the larger Styles Ghosthound Do you think you can rest But truthfully there is a bigger fish in their eyes Of the 5 Princes there was one that actually won against the upper cream of the Styles’ disciples

After leaving Randidly’s side the referee went to the front of the crowd and began the third round immediately The first two names included one that made Randidly’s eyes narrow Dian

So did that mean that she had advanced to the point where she could rival that level of existence in battle Was she the Prince that actually won It was a scary thought Although it was true that there was a formidable power in her strange energy that could consume matter If it became more powerful

Then Randidly couldn’t help but wonder if there was a connection between her rapid improvement and her status as the disciple of Haelthing the Devourer Had she like him spent a large amount of time inside an area with time dilation and grown powerful before the tournament Had she been able to ignore the dangers of a waning connection to a village

Still Randidly didn’t believe that their situations were the same Too many strange coincidences occurred in his rise to his current position for him to believe that it was a common happening 100 small things that pushed him in a certain direction culminating in him creating a world inside of himself that functioned as a Soul Skill

Hundreds of small nudges

didly Ghosthound

Randidly blinked then gritted his teeth and sat upwards forcing himself to his feet With an apologetic look the referee glanced over towards Randidly and their eyes met So this was why the referee seemed to be hopeless about his chances to recover He knew that Randidly’s would be the second match

He hadn’t even heard his opponent’s name but simply recognized his own But as he stood he saw a looming figure perhaps above 2 meters in height carrying a dark spear that was similar in size with Randidly’s obsidian monstrosity But then Randidly closed his eyes focusing on the walking

There wasn’t much time but he did have about 60 seconds before he would be up on stage and the fight would begin In that time

Aether began to whirl through his body There was even a faint disturbance in the air around him which caused some of the other participants to look up sharply and then become confused as they saw nothing but a wounded preliminary qualifier But there was still a strange feel in the air as if something very important had occurred there

Beneath Randidly spreading out below him was a huge network of golden roots stretching out further and further sinking deeper into the earth dragging up the energy of the land to fuel his recovery as much as possible The bonus was rather small all things considered but having Golden Roots of Yggdrasil active increased the efficacy his Vitality had when aiding recovery And of all of his physical stats his Vitality was the most impressive

Although his HP had returned to levels that were acceptable for the fight that wasn’t the concern here Instead Randidly’s body was littered with lingering structural damage from his fight earlier Not only was the strange needle spear that his opponent had used fast and powerful but it seemed to disseminate a strange energy that made it more difficult for his body to recover Although his health appeared acceptable his ability to move and react was severely hampered

But that golden light rushed up into him filling him with renewed vigor his bare feet dragging on the ground as he walked His stamina burned away quickly but his mana began to gather quickly returning to maximum He hadn’t used much in the previous match after all More and more faster and faster warmer and warmer hotter and hotter

Aether hummed inside of him seemingly satisfied as Randidly slowly ascended to the stage His opponent was waiting there but apparently not for long and apparently he felt nothing about Randidly’s somewhat tardy arrival

His opponent’s long black hair was pulled back into a ponytail that fell down from his staggering stature to the ground demonstrating a length that was somewhat impressive But what was most noticeable were his opponent’s eyes Dark and soft but extremely attentive as they seemed to devour every detail of his movements In a way this was the most unfortunate opponent for Randidly right now This man clearly truly viewed him as an opponent and wasn’t the type to become overconfident

Randidly wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry

Are both fighters ready The female referee asked The crowd cheered loudly and Randidly could discern chants of Kill the Prince’ among the fanbase But he also saw Claptrap’s henchmen selling concessions food which gave him a small glimmer of a smile

And at that moment Randidly’s smile widened because he knew that he was not alone and he reached and touched the connections he had to Sam Mrs Hamilton Annie and Alana His plant children Arbor and Thorn Thin cooler lines of energy joined the golden whirlpool that was rushing towards him slowly mending his body

His opponent nodded seriously eyes glittering Coughing as his stamina hit zero Randidly also nodded basically devoid of his ability to move But his body felt whole and healthy and Second Wind was humming along steady

Then begin The woman announced

Chapter 218

Randidly sat down immediately after the match started exhausted

His opponent raised his eyebrow Do you concede

Randidly folded his hands and closed his eyes No I do not concede

Then why do you sit His opponent said with a frown his dark eyes crinkling

Because this is the best way to win Randidly raised his hand and unleashed an Incinerating Bolt that rushed forward a scarlet blur that was aimed at one of his opponent’s knees Perhaps a more direct shot would inflict more damage but at this point Randidly’s main focus was incapacitating and giving himself some room to breath

But his opponent simply snorted and lowered his spear a huge metallic grey slab of metal and intercepted the bolt It ricocheted howling off to the side crashing into the empty space around the arena throwing up a cloud of dust His opponent frowned looking down at his spear where there remained a slightly red portion from the heat and a small dent

With glowing eyes the spear user looked up at Randidly You are a mage

It was not a question so Randidly didn’t bother answering Instead he raised his hand and fired two more Incinerating Bolts aiming for his opponent’s gut and shoulder Apparently realizing what this could devolve into his opponent began to thunder forward his huge legs exploding with power and allowing him to rush through the barrage of bolts

The bolts hit his weapon again once more leaving small dents which made the spear user frown but Randidly knew that it would take a long time to deal a significant blow to the spear although each of these dents was a slowly growing weakness

Know that the name of the man who defeated you His opponent thundered as he rumbled forward Is Bertarn Yish

The very air shook with his voice This Bertarn was a different sort of monster than Azriel Where she had been speed and precision Randidly had no doubt that this man was strength and endurance A monstrous unstoppable momentum Incinerating Bolt was a direct targeted spell and probably the one of Randidly’s that did the most damage in a small space It was concentrated Yet it was still not enough

Randidly supposed it was good then that his highest mental stat was not Intelligence It was Control

Root Control Randidly murmured And roots surged upwards heeding his call

Bertarn frowned slightly as the roots surged upwards out of nowhere but his pace didn’t slow That was not his way It was surprising that this strange spear mage seemed able to utilize both flame and plant spells but it mattered little in the face of true power It was simply a smoke screen and Bertarn had a hard time believing that he would have enough time behind the roots in order to salvage this situation

Even before the match had started it was clear to Bertarn that his opponent was in poor shape After all he had been given to the Azriel the Hungry Needle Although she was not the favorite to win the Regional Tournament she was definitely the only individual who had hopes of defeating the favorite

As for Bertarn in his stoic way he had accepted that he was battling for entrance into the top 4 of the tournament and it was an especially brutal match There were 10 or so individuals at his level of strength or near it that would compete for those unclaimed two spots at the top And now there was his current opponent the Ghosthound and that other red haired woman who had grasped victory against Ivitri

Bertarn’s spear swept sideways severing through the flailing mass of roots that rushed towards him basically levelling it As he did so several roots ripped outward from the severed mass stabbing towards him At first he snorted but then his eyes widened as he sensed a not insignificant amount of spear intent from those roots

These they had the power to scratch him

So Bertarn sidestepped avoiding them and slashed again with his spear destroying what remained of the quickly regrowing roots But as he did so his neck tingled and he stepped forward avoiding the stabbing roots aiming for his back advancing towards the area where his opponent must be

But as he stepped several roots twined around his foot and smashed it sideways aiming to destroy his stance At the same time several other attacks rushed upwards roots ripping towards his exposed areas

Bertarn’s eyes flashed This level of control This spear mage was truly fearsome

Still it wasn’t enough As soon as the pressure arrived on his foot Bertarn smashed his foot towards the ground He calculated repositioning his body slightly so the stabbing roots would only skid off of his skin His natural Endurance should be enough to deflect indirect blows

To his surprise when his foot hit the ground it smashed through and into a hole that had been prepared for it Even as he twisted the stabbing roots curved aiming to hit his weak points directly Furious Bertarn smashed again with his spear destroying what remained of the root bush revealing his opponent the Ghosthound

He was standing there calmly his eyes a chilly green spear at the ready a small smile on his face

Several roots punctured through his skin thrashing towards his insides but Bertarn just flexed his muscles and frowned a powerful dominating aura of a mountain emerging behind him To be forced to use his image in a situation like this it was truly admirable But this was the end

But as he reached to grab his spear with his off hand Bertarn discovered that it was bound by roots It would take but a second to throw those off but that was time that he didn’t have The Ghosthound struck and a strange ticking filled the air Slowly a woman manifested itself a woman who was half flesh half skeleton and began to float towards Bertarn

Not enough time His hand on his spear flexed and he swung his huge weapon to meet the oncoming thrust even as an air of hopelessness and frustration filled the air

The blows met and even though his was only a one armed off balance swing as his foot was stuck in a hole Bertarn was surprised to find them evenly matched Further surprising him the Ghosthound stepped forward his emerald eyes burning pressing forward overpowering him further

Bertarn gritted his teeth If he had to he would use

But strangely the Ghosthound’s strength very quickly waned and Bertarn struck smashing his opponent backwards More roots stabbed upwards but they had clearly lost some of their edge as their master was sent stumbling backwards Bertarn rose his spear rising with him

A series of clever ploys were useful but it was shallow The Ghosthound was either weak or still too wounded from his previous battle to continue

Honestly it didn’t matter He still had a job to do Although he disdained it Bertarn still would follow the instruction of his Style’s vice leader and break some of his opponent’s bones before he knocked him out of the ring They must send a message Bertarn personally must reclaim some of his sense of unstoppable strength

Those emerald eyes locked on him as he approached practically glowing What would be truly satisfying about this Bertarn mused to himself was that his opponent would not surrender or drop his spear That was what those eyes screamed to him They declared their vicious rejection of this outcome a refusal to accept the loss

Although Bertarn could not do it now this was a spear user deserving of acknowledgement even though he had chosen to become a mage His strength was still real

But that was for later Now for the lesson

Groaning Randidly woke again a familiar face frowning down at him

The benefit of going early in the 3rd round is that you will have another hour until the 4th round begins The bearded referee said eyeing at the strange angles that Randidly’s left leg was bent

Randidly said nothing grinding his teeth At the last moment as he was pushing that completely over muscled spear user backwards with Stalemate Breaker and Empower his small Stamina pool that was regenerated in the short time his roots bought him ran out leaving him practically helpless

The amount of time that Bertarn had taken to rip through his screen of roots was intimidating to say the least Although it wasn’t similiar Randidly felt like the spear user that he had defeated in the first round completely overwhelmed by the other’s strength It was a wake up call in a way

Sighing Randidly laid back and stared at the ceiling Allowing his wounds to slowly heal His head was pounding slightly ringing from some of the previous blows So this this was truly his relative level There were perhaps other methods he could utilize but it would be difficult now as he had 2 losses He could not afford another one Not for quite a while

He closed his eyes and began to meditate One fight at a time He needed to win the 4th match of today and secure his survival before he worried about anything else God he could use a nice massage Or a day off

Chapter 219

Perhaps it was due to his previous matches against overwhelming individuals but Randidly’s 4th match was somewhat of a letdown His opponent was a woman with short brown hair and a long flexible spear She came at him with very efficient weaving of attacks striking at odd angles moving in unpredictable patterns

But Randidly had methods of keeping her honest With his participation in the tournament on the line Randidly freely used his spells using Incinerating Bolts and Spearing Roots to keep her off her game and then approaching her and overpowering her physically

Perhaps there was something about passing through the preliminary but aside from Bertarn who was a monster in his own right it seemed Randidly could rely on his strength somewhat in direct contact with these opponents The disciples of the powerful Styles were perhaps more intelligent about their stat distribution so they kept all of their physical stats near each other and likely put some into mental stats to affect the sharpness of their decisions

Still even though he slowly overwhelmed and defeated his opponent the opponent’s spear strikes and the image ladened strike she eventually revealed were intimidatingly sharp There was still a difference in levels when it came to their ultimate moves Randidly was able to mitigate the damage with other things but

As Randidly left the arena for the day heading out the back to his surprise he was stopped

You did not break Azriel stood there hands on her hips looking at him with a strange expression on her face This you even were crushed again by Bertarn yes Yet you still continue interesting

The girl seemed just like a normal albeit very attractive girl as she walked up and began poking him with her finger Randidly shivered slightly she was poking the exact spots where her needle had ripped through him earlier

Then she stepped back If you survive tomorrow come find me

Blinking at the departing figure her white hair swinging Randidly could only wonder what just happened Then he shrugged A problem for another day There were more pressing issues to address

When he arrived back at the inn Shal was already waiting with folded arms Based on his expression he had come to the same conclusion that Randidly had he was currently missing something Shal said nothing for a long while and then said My father well it is enough No longer must you read only the 1st and 5th pages of the Diary Read it straight through Find a weapon in its pages For if you do not

Again there were several seconds of silence those level of enemies must be overcome if you are to make it into the top 4

Randidly frowned I thought it was only the top 8

There was a strange ugly expression on Shal’s face It was a face full of bitterness as you say Then he left leaving Randidly alone

Randidly put that strange matter to the side This was not something that he could address yet anyways the difference between Top 8 and Top 4 Right now he simply needed to make it to the tournament portion of the fight And already having 2 losses meant the rest of his run had to be perfect

But the day had been long but fruitful Truly nothing spurred growth like the pressure of struggle

Randidly had gained 3 Skill Levels in Spear Mastery 4 in Root Control 2 in Spearing Roots and Physical Fitness 5 lvls in Meditation 1 in Eyes of the Spear Phantom 7 in Bacterial Regeneration and Second Wind 3 in Superiority and Incinerating Bolt 4 in Spear Phantom’s Footwork 2 in Dodge and Fighting Proficiency 3 in Empower and Stalemate Breaker 1 in Calculated Blow 6 in Flesh Eating Virus 7 in Golden Roots of Yggdrasil 2 in Grace and Flexibility of the White Hunters 3 in Rejection and Mana Strengthening and 7 in Struggle

Combined with some PP that he had earned the night prior after cashing in Randidly now had 78 PP Which was enough to finish his current path and then also put his Soul Skill up to 200 which would give him both of the remaining benefits The first 5 PP that were put in finished off his Initiate of Ash I Path

Congratulations You have completed the Initiate of Ash I Path A trail of desolation lies before you Above you is the volcano To come and witness the majesty of your Patron energies begin to infuse your body But you know this is only the halfway point should you choose to become an Anointed of Ash Strength +3 Intelligence +3 Reaction +3 A more difficult path lays before you traveler Go with care

Randidly frowned The bonuses were in useful places but rather small But more than that He peered at his new path menu

Heretic XII 0/ Nexus Traveler Cohort 5 0/50 Path of Control 0/200 Basic Mana Engraving 0/100 Journeyman 0/150 Experimenter I 0/50 Agony I 0/100 Initiate of Ash II 0/150 Bacterial Mutation I 0/125

Randidly grimaced There were simply too many desirable options and his 73 remaining PP was only enough to finish of Nexus Traveler Cohort 5 It wasn’t all that desirable of an option either way The two new arrivals were the second half of the Initiate of Ash Path and the Bacterial Mutation I Path both of which drew Randidly There was also the Path of Control which was still his highest and most used stat as an option Although it didn’t really draw on it directly Randidly’s spear work had always been more graceful and delicate than his skills could explain They were likely aided by that high Control stat

Increasing that would help him But Journeyman was a Path that would provide him with skills That would increase his PP but likely do nothing for him in the short term Agony could perhaps give him some gifts Bacterial Mutation was an intriguing new addition which was likely due to his high Bacterial Regeneration skill but the inclusion of Mutation made Randidly somewhat wary

All of these paths were investments that would pay off at a later date He would likely not be able to get 20 PP tonight not with how sore and battered his whole body was even with his powerful regeneration abilities He might spend his time pouring over the full version of the Spear Phantom’s journal but Randidly wasn’t sure how much good it would do

Then sighing Randidly made his decision What had truly decided the day had rid him of that persistent violent energy that Azriel had injected into his body and gotten him back on his feet in the wake of Bertarn was his regeneration If he could push that to the next level that was his advantage it always was His unrelenting determination

Randidly put PP in Bacterial Mutation I and every 5 PP he received 1 point in Vitality which was an amazing return for this level of Path And after putting 23 PP into it he received another notification which made him smile in satisfaction

Congratulations Your Soul Skill has released the Blessing of Fetid Growth upon you Vitality +3 Control +6 Resistance +3 Endurance +3 Your body increases in size by 1% Your body compacts retaining efficacy but decreasing in size by 5% Health Regeneration increases by 15

For a second nothing happened Then Randidly’s body began throb and pulse It was actually a profoundly enjoyable experience His muscles bulged and flexed his bones creaking and stretching his tendons elongating Then everything tightened slightly and pressed back downwards his body returning nearer to his original state The feelings passed quickly and Randidly looked down at his fist feeling the power pumping through his body

Then he smiled bitterly It was a step in the right direction but it would not take him within striking distance of the two individuals he had faced in his 2nd and 3rd matches It was the same sort of qualitative difference that Randidly had undergone through his training in the prison area

Well perhaps a little less than that He was getting very near to them in terms of physical capabilities but he believed there was a profound difference in terms of image and skill level That was the oppressive weight that being an Artisan possessed Even though Randidly had fought successfully against one before that was an average fighter who had reached that peak and had allowed himself to regress through laziness These groomed young geniuses likely had higher rarity skills and better training even though they had less experience

Randidly made a mental note to ask Shal how exactly rarities were determined and turned back to himself He put the remaining 50 pp into his skill earning even more Vitality Then he received the 4th and he believed final notification that his Soul Skill would give him

Congratulations Your Soul Skill has released the Blessing of Devouring Ash upon you Strength +3 Willpower +9 Focus +3 Your body temperature increases Your immune system grows more robust resistance to all status ailments and debuffs increases by 1% Free stats +3

The world of your soul skill turns The denizens of your inner world evolve A matriarch appears amongst the White Hunters Her eyes rise to the sky as she searches for you the Soul of the world that animates them

Hobgolems arise amongst the Earth Golem people Their cunning and strength lead to the formation of tribes across the land

Very few of the Swamp Spiders grow old and wise and become Weavers and they begin to record the history of this realm in their intricate webs

The clever Spriggits discover the power of steam and their technology bursts forward bringing with it progress and prosperity As a people they grow rich and happy

As the world turns Arbor and Thorn become more deeply involved in its function Their connection grows deeper and their strength grows as the world evolves Due to their influence small animal life has been brought to your world

It has been one cycle since this world’s creation Would you like to add anything to the world (Warning the added qualities will be taken from a skill A single skill level will be consumed in the taking Other side effects are unknown)

Chapter 220

Randidly sat back on his heels looking at the notification Although he had expected the theme of the final Blessing its form still had some pleasant surprises in it But more than that the fact that his Soul Skill appeared to be evolving was more interesting The connection to Arbor and Thorn even more so

Curious he brought up his menu relating to them and was shocked to discover that the menu was grayed out As he focused on it the menu displayed a tip that his connection to them was blocked by their connection to his Soul Skill Which did explain why he hadn’t seen a level from either of them in a while but

They had added things to his world And now he had the possibility to add something to the world based on his skills But it would consume a skill level and have some other side effects It was a slightly intimidating but Randidly didn’t want to pass up this chance

The prospect of side effects to any of his skills were slightly intimidating but ultimately Randidly decided to risk it and use his Farming Skill to influence the world It was a relatively noncommittal skill and shouldn’t rock the boat too much It was also a skill he hadn’t used much but he was willing to risk it because its concrete usefulness was much less than it had been earlier in the dungeon

It was a sad realization that he was so far beyond that level His strength was legitimate He could truly rely on it to live currently Well perhaps not to survive in some environments but if he wanted to stop and step back from the violence he wouldn’t have a problem That was within his grasp

Randidly’s smile was barren like a desert That might be so but he would not choose this path He had gone too far he felt too much responsibility for his town on Earth and too much cold fury for the System and its progenitors The being at the top and the creature that was hiding from it He would grow until he could rip it all to shreds

So Randidly selected Farming and watched as his Skill Level dropped by one Grimacing Randidly was forced to grab ahold of the wall to steady himself It was a decidedly uncomfortable feeling to lose a skill level Truly it was a sense of loss His heart felt empty and bitter and it was a jagged soulful pain that throbbed in his chest But some strange energy flowed out from that and into the World of his Soul Skill

Intrigued despite the pain Randidly focused on the Soul Skill and his attention shifted to his inward world There he watched as that energy spread out into seeds that dotted the landscape and very slowly small plants grew from that ground It was different types in different areas but universally those plants began to flower and show fruit Slowly the four indigenous populations took note and began to investigate

Randidly came back to himself a strange expression on his face So just like that farming was introduced to his world It all seemed too easy But he supposed the translation of that skill was much easier than some others which would explain why everything happened so fast

One of the great limitations of population sizes was food These plants combined with the small animals introduced by Arbor and Thorn would likely spur population growth Which was good by itself but

Randidly feared that war would quickly come to his Soul Skill

Then he laughed and shook his head ruefully He was getting awfully far ahead of himself One problem at a time The changes in his soul skill were interesting but they weren’t worth dwelling on for too long They did very little to help him overcome the challenges at hand now that he had spent all of his PP

On the other hand Randidly looked at the diary of the Spear Phantom his eyes glowing

Was this fear Shal wondered looking at his hand His fingers trembled slightly so he let them drop to the table

His time in the other dungeon had done a lot to address the issues of his Aether Sickness but it was only a shallow covering He could now go about his day quite easily but if he drew too much on his truth strength to fight that crippling weakness would soon return

But there was a more pressing problem Shal’s fear of the very weakness that was now plaguing him had driven him to leave the prison and bring his disciple back to the tournament and it was now clear that it had been done prematurely Although Randidly appeared to have hit a wall in his training it would have been better to allow the fool to slam his head against that wall a few more times to push his boundary even higher

Randidly was not currently equipped to fight against opponents at this level He was at a decided disadvantage Sighing Shal leaned against the wall

In his desperation he had told the boy to read the entire diary But what would that accomplish Shal himself had attempted that very thing but even after all of these years he had been able to accomplish little It wasn’t as noticeable in the past but that really rankled now

Shal had also come to the conclusion that something very strange had been going on with him these past 30 years It was like he had been living in a cloud barely noticing the world around him But then out of the blue he had an impulse to enter into a dungeon And coincidentally he had met this boy there a boy that he had decided on a whim to train a boy who had somehow solved his problem that kept him locked in a dungeon for a few weeks

Although Shal admitted that he had problems with handling Willpower attacks mostly due to never facing them it was still exceedingly strange that he had been so hit by them especially now His Willpower stat hadn’t improved by much but his Battle Intent now cut through those attacks like a hot knife through butter What had happened to transform him so fully

Or more likely what had been holding him back in the past

There was a knock at the door Shal blinked slowly and then walked over and twisted the lock The door swung open to reveal the determined face of his student

Shal The fool always so serious said with a concerned expression What are the 6 skills of the Spear Phantom Style

Shal frowned annoyed and waved his fingers Do you not have the diary Can you not read Don’t ask me questions that you can answer yourself

But to Shal’s surprise his student shook his head No this is important Please

I must really be worried if I’m indulging this ’ Shal thought sluggishly to himself but let Randidly into the room

Fine The first skill is as you know the Thrust of the Spear Phantom A skill you have

His disciple nodded but there was a strange gleam in his eyes So Shal continued The Second is the Spear Phantom’s Approach which you acquired a bastardized version of the Phantom Half Step The Third is Spear Phantom’s Whispered Cut The Fourth is the Spear Phantom’s Weeping Execution The Fifth as you know is the Spear Phantom’s Embrace The Sixth is the Spear Phantom’s Breath

As Shal continued to speak his disciple’s eyes grew wider and wider but they didn’t lose their manic gleam It was that confidence Shal knew that drew him to the boy That willingness to believe in himself and the guts to follow through on his instincts What Shal didn’t expect was for the idiot to follow up with an extremely strange question

Shal where to skill rarities come from

Skill rarities Shal said grumpily but sighed inwardly at the pleading look in his disciple’s eyes So he just snorted and then answered Rarities are hard to predict sometimes But they are related to complexity and the path the System predicts you take with them They are also considered more rare the more complete they are The more parts are working together

His disciple’s eyes crinkled into a smile and he stood and bowed thanking Shal before hurrying off

Shal watched him go with dissatisfaction It was good to be enthusiastic but if he simply lost in the first round tomorrow everything would be for naught Shal huffed in annoyance and then his eyes narrowed

He didn’t truly care about the honor of Aemont No now that he smelled blood all he cared about was one thing The chance to crush the woman who had destroyed his family piece by piece Shal’s face curled up in a crooked smile

Even he had been broken by the meddlings of Lucretia

Sitting on the ground Randidly’s heart was pounding as he flipped to the 5th page of the diary Upon reading the diary as a whole something struck Randidly weren’t a lot of skills missing

As Randidly read through the text of the page the world slowly fell away and a Phantom appeared before him possessing the face reminiscent of Shal Aemont slowly floated closer his eyes oppressively powerful

The footwork of the Spear Phantom Ghastly Slash Eyes of the Spear Phantom Phantom Thrust Phantom Half Step All of these skills were partially represented in the Book but they seemed incomplete when compared to the rest of the skills

Aemont floated closer moving with an impossible grace and unpredictability His presence filled the air hitting Randidly like a physical weight forcing him marginally backward with just his empty and mild gaze

It could be true that they were bastardized versions of the skills but perhaps perhaps it was something else

As Aemont arrived before Randidly the weight of his gaze only grew more vicious smashing against Randidly’s will daring him to move backwards to expose him to the power of the Spear Phantom’s Embrace But with gritted teeth Randidly held firm He refused to give in

The final clue was the rarity information All of Randidly’s skills he had inherited were common completely basic And Shal had told him that what mattered partially in terms of rarity were the completeness of a skill the amount of parts

Which was perhaps why the Spear Advances Ash Trails was part of such a rare Skillset It contained multiple parts The speed of movement the piercing spear the concussive force

Aemont stood directly in front of Randidly and slowly spread his arms revealing his chest

Perhaps Randidly as well as Shal before him were trying to learn the skill from scratch But they already had the pieces They just needed to be used in the right way

Randidly simultaneously activated Eyes of the Spear Phantom and Footwork of the Spear Phantom floating forward pressing vicious hopelessness outward with his Battle Intent He also used the insights he gleaned from watching the Aemont Phantom in the past striking at weaknesses in his stance to force him backwards

It was a brief and brutal mental battle

But within seconds Randidly was suffocated and smashed backwards instantly knocked out of the intent world left within the diary He hadn’t even lasted long enough for that strange face to come out But notifications were waiting for Randidly and they made him smile a wide smile Finally he had it Or at least he hoped so A weapon of his own that could clash against the disciples of the powerful Styles

Congratulations You have inherited the Skill Set The Six Signs of the Spear Phantom ® Your skill The Inevitable Phantom Arrives Lvl 79 has been accepted as the First Sign Your skills Eyes of the Spear Phantom Lvl 77 and Spear Phantom’s Footwork Lvl 102 as well as a partially created skill have been combined to form the Spear Phantom’s Embrace ® Some level decay has occurred You have gained The Spear Phantom’s Embrace ® Lvl 133 the Fifth Sign of the Spear Phantom

Randidly looked at a new line that had appeared in his Status Page

The 6 Signs of the Spear Phantom ® The First Sign The Inevitable Phantom Arrives Lvl 79 (Un) The Fifth Sign The Spear Phantom’s Embrace ® Lvl 133

It was now his highest level skill And it might be a small thing but It also included a Rare tag which Randidly believed was a testament to its power Randidly stepped and almost teleported sideways He opened his eyes and focused and the details in the room became incredibly clear In addition he felt the heavy feeling in the air as he looked as if his gaze would slowly strip away the surrounding and reveal all to him

It was satisfying having all of his skills improved by combining them But Randidly knew that his image was still weak

But he also knew the night was young and this discovery seemed to wash away all of his physical wariness

Chapter 221

At dawn Claptrap awoke his back still sore and his eyes bleary Warily he sat up The pounding at the door which had awoken him in the first place sounded again Sighing Claptrap got up and hobbled to the door

The door swung open revealing the female brewer who had a serious expression on her face We don’t have enough stock if the sales from the first day repeat And we expect them to only increase as more people come to watch the tournament

Claptrap yawned widely The brewer seemed annoyed But by the time he finished the yawn and closed his mouth Claptrap had his answer There is a low level dungeon near here correct Gather a group of mercenaries and head in setting up a brewery by the entrance It won’t be perfect but it should give us some more stock by the afternoon

Abruptly Claptrap trailed off lost in other thoughts The bleariness from his eyes slowly faded replaced by a focused determination He opened his mouth again Take that 300 gold we set aside for ingredients for the next batch and use it immediately Make it as extravagant as you can Experiment But make sure that at least half of it will be palatable We just need to find some signature types

His explanation continued and the brewer nodded fervently As he dismissed her two other people had arrived at his door looking distraught Claptrap shook his head sorrowfully Truly it was difficult to be at the top

The first question was about distribution which Claptrap was able to solve pretty quickly The second question however

The portable sales people are demanding higher compensation A few silvers a day won’t satisfy them not with how much business they did yesterday We already had worries about stolen money based on low revenue for volume and now they do this

Gesturing impatiently the aide followed Claptrap into his room where he began to wash his face which was scrunched up as he thought about the problem What would the Ghosthound do in this situation

Claptrap’s face brightened Tell the vendors we hear their complaints and are switching from a flat payment rate to one done by commission They more they sell the more they will get paid This way their payments are based on the revenue that they bring back In addition those with the best sales will have preference in choosing which sections they will service and also begin secretly keeping count of the amount of product each individual takes Having a little waste is fine but if it continues Well

Claptrap’s eyes were grim but then he struggled to control his shock as his aide shivered at his words before bowing and leaving Claptrap turned to the mirror and looked at himself Nothing had really changed his individual strength hadn’t grown But in terms of the amount of people who worked under him and the amount of money he had at his disposal

It dawned on him how others could see this as a truly profound power

After getting dressed he headed to their headquarters where he was intercepted by 6 other people with small issues on the way Truthfully most of them weren’t issues per se but simply decisions to be made Some of them Claptrap addressed but others he responded with some version of deal with it however you wish I’ll be waiting to hear of the positive results leaving the questioner sweating and nervous unsure of what to do

One thing that the Ghosthound had told him is that leaders of large companies (which was apparently the word for what Claptrap now had) had three roles and they had very little to do with the day to day running of the company The first was supplying the vision which Claptrap had done

The second was selecting mid level managers They would be the on the ground problem solvers and they would make or break the performance of the company So Claptrap gave these individuals small tests to see how they would fair He already had a small notebook filled with names and facts about the few people who had responsibility under him and what they had done with it

The final role

Sir the representative from the Ceramics Association is here to see you An assistant said hurrying up next to him Claptrap nodded

The final role is to be the face of the company

The representative of the Ceramics Association was a bitter hunched crone whose stare fixed on Claptrap filled with disdain She spoke with something akin to pity You want a special sort of mug

A Commemorative Mug Claptrap said slowly And also mugs for some of the higher ranked participants we want to allow our customers to display proudly which of the contestants they support through their mug If it could be finished by today

The crone seemed dissatisfied Such a rush job tsk tsk truly youth rush headlong into problems Well I suppose at 29 silver a unit we can get you 100 by the end of the day but next time

I’ve already prepared artist renderings Claptrap interrupted pushing some papers towards the representative from the Ceramics Association And I’m willing to offer you a full gold for each done by noon 40 Silver for any finished by the end of the day In terms of units We would like 5000 of the plain mugs and 500 each for these 10 individuals By the end of the day

That that A full gold How can you The money The crone stammered peering at the different drawings

Claptrap just smiled

It took a while but the crone calmed down and began speaking to Claptrap much more deferentially This was more business than she had ever done at one time in the past more than they had done in the last year It was a matter of scale of their organization

But Claptrap offered to provide some of the funds up front pushing them to expand their organization

Right before she left the crone gazed down at the drawings seemingly stuck on something

Is there a problem

Well no but I recognize these other Styles but this one I’ve never heard of it before and it is supposed to be emerald Isn’t that a bit I wouldn’t want such a valued customer to waste all this effort if this no name spear user is eliminated before the final tournament

Claptrap laughed In terms of bets rest assured he is the safest one I have made It has been a pleasure but I really must be going Other preparations to see to you understand Feel free to see yourself out I’ll send someone over at noon to see how the production is proceeding

Helen breathed in through her nose and out through her mouth focusing on her form She felt it the strange strength and undulations of her river flowing through her body filling her moves with sharpness and strength It was a power that filled her with a heady rush

Part of her sudden improvement was the small bit of Aether she seemed to have gotten from the Ghosthound when they uh made their exchange but the other half was being able to watch so many high level matches The passes that Claptrap obtained as de facto food and ale sponsor for the event allowed Helen to proceed into the very well situated sections giving her an unrivaled view of the action It was oddly intoxicating being so close to those who she had once considered so far away If her family could see her now

She positively jumped surprised by the interruption Very few people came up onto the roof area for training in the mornnig especially since the Regional Tournament had started She turned to find Randidly walking calmly towards her Instead of his typical large obsidian spear he had a slim one of bone

Yea She said trying her best to not show her annoyance and make him want to crawl away into a corner and die with a glare Ultimately these two goals effectively canceled each other and Randidly walked closer a thoughtful expression on his face

Can we spar I’d like to try something

Helen bit back a snarky retort and nodded adjusting her stance to face him It would be good she reflected to herself to work out some of her annoyance and attraction and extra energy all at once by smashing his face in Helen knew that he had gotten stronger and his spells put him on a level where she couldn’t defeat him but if they relied solely on spear skills with her increase in power

But as he walked towards her the air seemed to quiet and then go dark He was relaxed but there was a baleful aura of death that hung around him rooting her to the ground Slowly a smile crossed his face and Helen shivered A strange ticking filled the air and she felt dread settle down around her shoulders

This this

His eyes glowed a devilish emerald

This was the Ghosthound

Chapter 222

A few hours later Helen sat in the most prestigious area of the arena gazing at the second arena Based on information that was where Randidly would be fighting his first match But still Helen was quite dissatisfied because she was not the reason that they had ended up here In fact she was just a guest

Bahahaaha Aethon Thai thundered slapping the male spear attendant’s back who giggled childishly as he dropped the glass cups he had been juggling due to inebriation An attendant quickly stepped forward and swept it up also providing another glass full of ale which Aethon began to enthusiastically slurp Drunk and giddy the male spear attendant swayed on his feet and burped

Helen wanted to die But this was the best place to view the Ghosthound and after what she had seen earlier Helen was decidedly interested in getting another look without having to face it directly In addition she was curious what these great men the heads of the powerful Styles here in Deardun would say in regards to his performance

There were 7 or 8 either patriarchs or matriarchs or even vice leaders of the Styles around joking jovially and enjoying their food and beverage They commented briefly on matches but they didn’t pay them much mind Perhaps mostly because the favorites those raised by the larger Styles kept winning There was no reason to pay very much attention to the predictable outcomes

Perhaps that was another reason why she was here Helen thought with an inward sneer To see the Ghosthound fuck up their perspective on strength

Another match ended and as the name Randidly Ghosthound was one of those called to ascend To his credit even through his inebriety the male spear attendant straightened and looked towards the stage with a serious expression

Aethon looked amused Starstruck by beauty Many a lesser man has had their hearts captured by this woman from the Viper Sunstrike Style Derrita how do you manage all of that attention

Truthfully the woman who was standing opposite the Ghosthound was quite lovely with long golden hair and a classically beautiful face One of the old women sitting in their group who appeared to be from the Viper Sunstrike Style huffed in annoyance

Truthfully it is a struggle Luckily the girl is dedicated to the spear or else Hopefully this opponent has enough strength to at least make her serious she’s had too easy of a time thus far I suspect she will make it all the way to the final tournament with ease at this rate

She going to lose

Helen blinked turning and looking at the male spear attendant who had apparently shaken off most of his drunk and was watching the stage with serious eyes The powerful heads of the Styles stiffened as Derrita’s face became increasingly red glaring at his uncaring back

Aethon Thai shook his head chuckling and attempted to make the peace Hoo you have had quite a bit to drink lad Sure that boy passed through the preliminaries and he has a bright future as a spear user ahead of him But

mm Suddenly inebriated again the male spear attendant collapsed against the railing and leaned his head against the metal The group laughed and Derrita still looked annoyed but she wouldn’t push the issue further given Aethon’s intercession

Helen shivered Truthfully the power of backing was unrivalled But her attention narrowed as the referee announced the start of the match The two spear users began to circle each other their weapons raised

Around her the older generation payed very little attention to the match They missedthe Ghosthound’s first step which was so sharp that his opponent’s eyes widened and she began to retreat

But this was not a race that this girl could win The Ghosthound moved and the distance between them absolutely disappeared There were strange reverberations to the air and his advance was steady and vicious

Finally realizing the futility of it and refusing to allow his momentum to build any further the female spear user stopped and made a stand preparing to cross blows The Ghosthound struck once twice and both times it was rebuffed by a marvelous defense Feeling more confident in her strikes the woman advanced and the Ghosthound slashed with his spear

Again the woman smoothly raised her spear to meet the blow but then her eyes widened as it seemed like a portion of its swing was entirely skipped and it had arrived early Her defense was much more hasty and she was knocked partially off balance

The Ghosthound advanced but this time the air was thick with power and Helen swore she could faintly see traces of his image in the air But around her the elder generation continued to chat heedless

Although it made her grind her teeth she said nothing Helen was not so foolish as to speak out here with only the feeble support of Aethon as drinking buddy of the male spear attendant to rely on Results would speak for themselves and this result was swiftly becoming clear The Ghosthound’s attacks sped up mightily from his initial salvo and his footwork became absolutely sublime

Overwhelmed the woman began to lash out and screamed mightily summoning her own image It was a blurry picture of some sort of yellow serpent but the fact that she could show that much showed her talent the Artisan boundary was only a hair away

Someone tsk’d behind Helen and the statement made her blood run cold

To think she would fall so easily for a Willpower attack I’ll double her training after this tournament Derrita harrumphed her eyes chilly The other elders nodded as if they agreed with the assessment

Could they truly have been observing the match this whole time while they were chatting Were they so far above her realm that she wasn’t even aware of their focus Or was this level of competition simply like an open book to them

So he was also a movement specialist Aethon mused while spinning a mug across his fingers Truly that boy is filled with surprises

The Ghosthound moved faster and faster striking more and more quickly and very soon the woman was covered in wounds Eventually while she gnashed her teeth she dropped her spear and surrendered saving her strength for the next match After all this was only her 2nd loss She could afford it The Ghosthound slowly lowered his weapon and then gazed at the ground with a frown

It seemed that he was still having trouble truly capturing it Helen’s spar with the Ghosthound had been mixed There were times where he was simply elusive but there was also a moment where it had felt like her heart would stop from the sense of dread the attack produced If he couldn’t get it to the point it was consistent there was no point

Although clearly the bonus to movement was extremely useful

One wizened old woman leaned forward adjusting her spectacles

So She said almost to no one in particular This is the inheritance of the Spear Phantom truly fascinating But still a hair short The boy needs more polish A few more matches

No one answered directly each engaged in side conversations and diversions but as Helen looked at the ground and spread her senses it was clear that there was a very hidden conversation going on between these heads of Style

The way they moved and sat the way they looked how their posture was they were jostling about something Something related to the Ghosthound And it appeared that whatever side the wizened woman was on was losing

It is truly only fair One man drawled sipping his mead If there are matches designed between the seeded individuals and the preliminary fights there must also be fights between two individuals from the preliminaries It is unavoidable although there is a certain amount of tragedy Do not the seeded individuals fight quite valiantly against each other

Aethon stood walking over to the male spear attendant and touching his back Well it seems you are a pretty good gambling man eh What do you think can this Randidly Ghosthound win against the only remaining individual from the preliminaries with one loss

The male spear attendant just nodded and then burped and then the whole crowd erupted with laughter and their talks seemed to move forward Was it that simple deciding the fate of another

Helen saw an attendant bow and leave walking towards the area where the referees congregated Helen felt very fucking strange as she watched that individual walk over She remembered very vividly watching the match between the Ghosthound and Dian who she assumed was the other individual from the preliminary that they were talking about To see them fighting again up on stage

Strangely all Helen felt was a bitter jealousy

What what am I doing here ’ She wondered When did I become a spectator ’

Chapter 223

Randidly sat meditating during the long break between the 1st and 2nd matches

It wasn’t a difficulty of execution it was a difficulty of balance and control Although the skills had merged and become one larger skill they still were activated relatively separately He needed to focus on his movements the image the feints and the mental attack all at once It felt almost impossible on its own

Still every portion itself had a vastly increased effectiveness so there were no real downsides to using the skill But it was frustrating that he kept failing to achieve the perfect balance while moving And the participants in the tournament were kept in the lower level along these benches so they couldn’t receive any help In that way it was fair for the seeded individuals remained here as well

But Randidly very much wanted to be underneath an open sky so he could use his raincloud and his concentration belt in conjunction to really nail down how they should be combined It hadn’t been easy but it had been much more manageable this morning with the belt Here he had access to neither and it was profoundly difficult to wrestle with the balance

What he needed really was experience Experience using the skill Training repetition Randidly had grown strong but that was through time He wasn’t the genius type who could pick something up instantly when given it He had to struggle his way forward

His mouth narrowed into a thin line Which was why Randidly was worried about the next match It wasn’t necessarily against a seeded individual but it could be And based on the fact that he was able to defeat that seeded girl earlier perhaps they would respond powerfully seeking to crush him and knock him out of the tournament

It was frustrating both to feel targeted and also to feel helpless before their attempts Randidly truly lacked the power to resist the upper level of these disciples He could only endure

At the point that he had completely dissected his experience in the past battle and would no longer gain anything more from dwelling on it Randidly switched to focusing on his image for the Golden Roots of Yggdrasil His mind traced through the powerful roots that stretched downward absorbing the strength from the ground beneath him but now his attention rose and he thought about himself the trunk of the tree the place where all these roots joined

It didn’t have to be perfect but he simply needed to focus on what that image was

Very quickly he lost himself in it feeling the disparate golden lines slowly knitting themselves together in one powerful golden band that would funnel energy into him It pulsed with power its light becoming more and more reserved yet somehow more concrete

Time slowly passed and when he heard his name Randidly smiled ruefully So they chose Dian for his opponent for this round How simplistic Did they know that they came from the same preliminary Or was it simply enough for them that they were two individuals from a preliminary who both remained in the tournament where most others had lost It also seemed like Dian was the one Prince who had won in spite of what they had thrown at her yesterday so perhaps this was a punishment for her as much as it was for him or even more so

Randidly ascended to the stage and was once more faced by the woman with fiery red hair Her gaze had been sharp and searching last time they met but now it was more determined and wary It might have been a function of what she had experienced to get to this point or maybe some of her resolve for vengeance had faded Either way the intensity remained

It’s been a while Randidly offered

Dian was silent her eyes burning She simply lifted her spear and pointed it towards his heart Randidly chuckled In a way it was relieving He wasn’t the type to want to talk before a fight He had simply done it because it seemed polite Everything would be decided by spears anyway why would they bother to communicate any other way

Are both fighters ready The referee asked and immediately Dian launched herself forward that strange vicious energy gathering around her as she charged towards Randidly

Randidly’s eyes narrowed The referee frowned but said nothing backing out of the way So it would stand huh So be it

Wall of Thorns Randidly called erecting a thick barrier in Dian’s path His eyes immediately narrowed and he lowered himself into a very grounded stance Golden Roots of Yggdrasil switched to the active mode and he felt hot power flood his limbs as his Stamina began to drain away at a huge clip

He focused forcing his will to conjure a palpable phantom for the Inevitable Phantom Arrives The woman’s face half bone and half sagging flesh wore a leery smile

As predicted Dian ripped through the Wall of Thorns that strange violent energy annihilating the obstacle her eyes scanning around For whatever reason whenever a screen was thrown up in the way everyone rushed forward with the idea that Randidly was running away and was using the screen to gain some space That somehow it was simply a distraction to buy him time

Randidly’s smile was sharp as his spear slid forward as he activated Haste Empower and Mana Strengthening to improve the power of the strike to a ridiculous degree His image smashed forward concrete and powerful and low dull ticking and sense of inevitability spreading towards her

When they had fought previously Randidly’s Battle Intent had been formless and general just an emerald cloud that he could use to protect and strengthen his attacks It was almost a separate muscle that he could operate with his will increasing the effectiveness of the blows Now his images had solidified becoming an order of magnitude more powerful That combined with the increases to his skill levels and stats made Randidly confident that he could overpower Dian

But truly when they clashed Randidly’s eyes narrowed Almost mirroring him Dian’s eyes narrowed her red hair framing her face like flowing blood Although Randidly’s images had gone through a qualitative leap Dian’s energy had also grown immensely It smashed into Randidly’s image doing its best to eat away at the edges

It almost seemed to overpower his image ripping slowly away at its effectiveness After all it was truly much easier to destroy something than it was build it Her energy had the strange devouring quality that enabled her to defeat images much stronger than herself In a way Randidly marvelled even more so than him Dian was designed to defeat these pampered disciples of Styles

Although he was strong she directly eliminated the effectiveness of their powerful skills and skill sets which was their claim to fame and pride at least at this level where everyone was limited by a level cap

Unfortunately for her she was facing Randidly

Although his image was almost completely destroyed by the time the strike landed that was only the image of the Inevitable Phantom Arrives underneath his feet the image of the Golden Roots of Yggdrasil burned with fervor filling him with power

The small satisfaction in Dian’s eyes as her energy ate away at Randidly’s image was swiftly replaced by shock as their spears crossed and she was smashed backwards with pure force But Randidly let it lie there and followed after her operating the Spear Phantom’s Embrace at full force passing through the space between them faster than should be possible

Furiously she flooded the air with her destructive energy but Randidly’s battle intent surged to meet it forming a protective cocoon around his body Both his skill level and Willpower had grown giving him more than enough to simply oversaturate Dian’s devouring energy for a time as he rushed forward If his exposure was stretched on for a time but Randidly wasn’t going to allow that to happen

Without bothering to form an image for the attack Randidly struck quickly smashing Dian around bruising and battering her body preventing her from regaining her stance Her fury clearly grew and the energy around her grew more palpable but Randidly just snorted

In terms of physical stats and passive skills Randidly suspected that none were his equal Where he really lacked was in terms of images For an image seemed to increase the power and effectiveness of an attack beyond the realm which statistics could explain by overlaying a powerful narrative on the movement

For Randidly not only was he stabbing with a spear but an Inevitable Phantom Arrived

Dian’s energy devoured that image somehow basically invalidating a lot of image based skills leaving only the physical statistics and technical acumen a spear user possessed In that regards she was confident and was able to fight the stunned spear users to a stand still

But to Randidly Such a tactic was useless

Finally after a good 30 seconds of beating her using his huge obsidian spear to leave large gashes across her body the bitterness in her sharp gaze reached the breaking point she gnashed her teeth at him But then she stepped back lowering her spear

I concede

Dian turned on her heel and left not even bothering to look at him

As his breathing returned to normal Randidly lowered his spear It made sense She was losing and it wasn’t because of Randidly’s little ploy earlier with the Wall of Thorns Randidly was simply a bad match for her But that last gaze that last look was filled with unwillingness

Randidly believed very strongly that she had another card another way to use that energy that could have perhaps turned the tables on him But she had refrained from using it

The only question was why

Chapter 224

Helen looked at the ceramic mug with a mixed expression It certainly had a weight and craftsmanship to it that spoke of wealth Claptrap seemed very excited about them so he had given her one of the new Ghosthound mugs His emerald and gold banner was emblazoned on the front of the cup with his name and Style on the backside

Helen turned it over On the bottom of the cup was a giant C which stood for Claptrap’s new company It was ostentatious but Helen could somewhat understand why people would be drawn to them Holding it felt like a constant statement She was a person who supported the Ghosthound

Helen blushed reflexively and resisted the urge to smash the heavy ceramic mug on the ground This motherfucker making her blush even when he was off on stage beating up another women

Which honestly turned Helen on more than she would like to admit but she consoled herself that

A familiar voice sent a spike of tension up her spine and she spun slowly to find a familiar face standing in front of her

Ikaas

Ikaas a younger female cousin on her mother’s side was looking at her with wide eyes The girl wasn’t quite as attractive as Helen’s mother or Helen but still had the same innocent eyes and feminine body that drew the lecherous eyes of men For that reason when they were little Ikaas would hang around Helen alot hiding behind her back

But as Helen grew and became more and more wild and impatient Ikaas’s reserved personality couldn’t survive near her any longer and they had slowly drifted apart But Helen still was relatively positively disposed towards her younger innocent cousin But her presence was still a shadow on Helen’s heart

Because Ikaas would never have come here alone

Oh Helen We’ve been so worried about you When you ran away from home the whole leatherworking district was searching Are you okay We need

Yes yes Helen said waving her hand as if to brush away the worry in Ikaas’ face I’m fine I ah became a spear attendant to a powerful individual It has only been a few weeks after all you guys didn’t need to get so worked up

Ikaas looked at her reprovingly You know how your mother is Especially when Kanan was pushing so hard toward marrying you

Helen wanted to vomit She knew the blessed son of the Style near their Leather District had his eyes on her for a long time She just hadn’t believed his family would stoop to allowing him to actually propose which was simultaneously an insult and a comfort But if Ikaas picked up on it too then word must have spread far without the Style stamping the rumors out

Your mother has fought hard for you you know you should thank her Ikaas added Giving you time to decide protecting your decision to consider

Helen snorted Well then thank her for me It’s good to have a few weeks of time before I get shacked up with some dickwad But I need to go Ikaas Tell her

Helen Ikaas said her innocent eyes widening comically You can’t if your mother knows I saw you and didn’t bring you back I I

Develop some backbone you stupid cow ’ Helen thought to herself but aloud she simply snorted Then as the many memories of protecting this girl when they were younger floated to the surface she could only sigh

And to her surprise Helen decided to go see her mother

Randidly breathed in the darkness of the underground room He only had a small amount of time between when the 2nd round ended and the 3rd round began to recover his strength He hadn’t expended much effort in the last match but he also hadn’t been able to get much practice with the Spear Phantom’s Embrace due to Dian’s weird skill

But that didn’t mean that it was a waste of time Randidly had gained 2 levels in Physical Fitness and Battle Intent 3 in Meditation and the Golden Roots of Yggdrasil 1 in Wall of Thorns 1 in Haste 2 in Heavy Blow and 1 in Second Wind and Bacterial Regeneration It wasn’t all that much in terms of the large hauls he had gotten the past few days but he had been knocked out for a couple of those breaks without giving him the chance to improve himself at all

Not that this really improved himself he could simply spend the PP which earned him 2 Vitality from his Path but nothing else But that extra bit was better than nothing

And very quickly the round was over There was a brief period where they tallied the different wins and losses and then the bearded referee stood before the remaining contestants and cleared his throat Randidly spared a glance for those around him It seemed like

This may be the final round of the qualifier Based on our current numbers we will have a few less than 40 fighters remaining after this next match should things ah go as we predict them If we are above 32 individuals we shall have the 4th round just for the individuals who have 2 losses Based on how many spaces we need those of you who have performed the best will be given a bye

The bearded referee eyed the crowd After that there will be a day of rest before the tournament will begin Do your best out there And even if your performance isn’t what you hoped for all of you here should still be proud of yourself You are the next generation of spear users You are the hope in the face of the rising Calamity Do not be too hard on yourself Train and gain experience and soon you will undoubtedly surpass your peers who had more luck early on in their careers

For some reason it seemed that the bearded man was looking directly at Randidly as he said this last line Then with great care he raised his scroll and read two names the first two who would fight first on the first stage

Drak Wyrd Randidly Ghosthound

Randidly perked up not just because of his name but because he recognized the other name His eyes narrowed into slits This

This opponent was the one that even the seeded fighters whispered about in fear The man who most believed would win the tournament without effort

Drak Wyrd

They stood as one and their eyes met Randidly was slightly taller than the opposite man but was slightly more slender while the other was covered in thick slabs of muscles Drak’s head was shaven and his expression was mild

Drak nodded and began to walk towards the stairs Frowning Randidly moved opposite him But to his surprise a person appeared not in front of him but in front of Drak

Azriel her blood red eyes and silver hair glaring daggers at Drak The two stopped and Randidly slowed confused Drak and Azriel quietly exchanged a few words and then parted Afterwards Azriel turned and looked at Randidly smiling at him in the way the creepy kid smiles at the pets of strangers

Randidly shivered and hurried up onto the stage

The referee standing there looked at them both Are the fighters ready

When they came face to face on the stage it was clear to Randidly that this opponent was strong His eyes were a dark mahogany a slippery chocolate darkness He wasn’t particularly handsome or refined or arrogant looking like Randidly would have associated with the number one favorite to win the tournament

He just seemed grounded and self assured which was somehow a thousand times more intimidating

But then Drak opened his mouth and spoke I concede

The Yeti’s bushy brows were furrowed He had sent his entire force out in front of him leaving the prison hoping to clear a path But when he left the portal with the last of his forces he found his connection to the others had been wiped out

They had been defeated

There were no bodies There was only a woman with long light purple hair clad in a thin white robe She smiled at him almost eager her smile inviting The Yeti’s heart grew cold

You do you dare interfere in the execution of Judgement

Yes Her answer was simple but her voice was breathy and damp like a breeze coming out of a cavern

The Yeti raised his hammers the gold engravings flashing Then accept that same fate

As he charged towards her time seemed to slow She laughed coquettishly then curtsied My name is Lucretia It is very nice to meet you Now be a doll and give me your Aether won’t you

Chapter 225

Randidly’s first thought when walking back into the underground slightly stumped was that Azriel must have done or said something on his behalf But when he looked around he couldn’t locate the girl She must be currently fighting So he begrudgingly sat back down

It didn’t sit well with him to owe a debt to another especially to a stranger from one of the larger Styles His instincts twinged uncomfortably at the thought of oweing another This effect was compounded after the 3rd round and an hour or two of waiting when the list of names was announced to be participating in the playoff to determine the final 32

Randidly’s name wasn’t announced but both Tertet and Dian’s were

Due to the fact he wouldn’t be fighting in this round he was freed with the seeded individuals This playoff would occur one at a time rather than 4 at once as it had been in the past Members of the Tournament staff were currently taking down the 4 stages and setting up one larger stage near where the 1st and 2nd stage had been previously delaying the 4th round of the day for a time

So Randidly wandered off wondering what his spear attendants had gotten themselves up to

Helen looked with tired eyes at the back of the head of the woman who made her life absolutely miserable Her mother was truly beautiful which was where Helen got her own looks Unfortunately for her mother she was born to a poor family without any backing and was snatched up by a greedy leatherworking family

But that didn’t stop her mother She swiftly tamed her new husband his family and led them to become the owners of the whole leatherworking district She did this all on force of will and meanness as far as Helen could tell

Fucking bitch Helen muttered almost instinctively

Her mother turned and looked at her coolly Hel I’ve seen you’ve come wandering back Just promise me your virtue is still intact

There were about 20 of her cousins and related family members who worked at the leather factory sitting around All of the croniest fucking cronies sitting in the stands towards the back in front of the 3rd stage The view here was absolutely horrible But also present were all the young women of marriageable age made up and in rather expensive dresses

Candy meant to lure in riffraff who had a chance of becoming something as a spear user Her mother was always very clear that the thing that held back their family was the backing of a powerful Style and it seemed her mother was out hunting for just such a patron

Just shut the fuck up Helen said irritably but she still found herself moving to her mother’s side and sitting down next to her At least if she had come here she might as well clear some things up Mother I

Really Who was it Her mother said leaning forward towards her with a serious expression

Helen’s eyelid twitched This bitch would be so much easier to deal with if she was a fool But not only was she so dismissive of Helen in every other area of life she had an uncanny ability to sniff out the truth Not that Helen necessarily wanted to hide the fact she had sex she didn’t see what all the fuss was about anyway when it came to virginity but that subject would quickly derail the subject and Helen had learned from experience to never let her mother dictate the course of a conversation

I became a spear attendant I won’t be returning home Helen said getting it out there

Her mother ignored her Did you take precautions Or is there a chance you are pregnant Don’t you know how this will look

Mother don’t be a fucking cunt It’s fine Everything’s fine I just wanted to make sure you knew I

Helen it’s been a while

Tiny bugs of creepiness crawled up and down her spine as she turned and saw Kanan waddle up his arms wide for a hug Kanan more belly with arms and legs than person who had it in his tiny little head that they would be married The man who had been the first to feel her up when she was 11 and had been the first man ever to lick her ear in public

The man who her mother had tacitly approved of as a match for her Helen’s ears burned with fear shame and fury But the fury was slowly growing And in her heart Helen knew that he wasn’t even that bad There were a lot of men that did much more heinous and direct things to young women and girls seeking to obtain them as one of their wives

When men had power and women did not it swiftly became about leveraging that power and bullying the other party into submission through a show of dominance With a spear or without And to his credit Kanan was powerful Rumor had it that he had recently reached Level 30 which was why he did not participate in the regional tournament

Not that this greasy sleaze would have even made it He was the type that relied on the move he had inherited from his Style and a concentration of his statistics in Strength to win fights In the past it had inspired some kind of dread inside her but no longer She had changed in the last month experiencing a ridiculous level of growth in a short time gaining at least 60 skill levels And that was only on her own Skillset

Some of Helen’s rapid thoughts of disgust and fury must have appeared on her face because Kanan’s gaze swiftly turned cold I’ve been patient thus far but if you continue like this

Now Kanan Her mother began placatingly but Kanan simply shook his head and stepped towards Helen his eyes narrowed Her mother shot Helen an annoyed glare simply aggravating Helen further

If you don’t kindly accept my generosity Helen I will no longer be polite Kanan growled

Feeling that things were devolving very quickly and deciding she was satisfied with it Helen simply drew her spear Stay away from me you fat fuck I hope someone spits you like a pig and roasts you alive

Everyone froze

Her mother’s face slowly drained of color which was decidedly enjoyable for Helen It had been a long time since her mother had been made speechless Everyone knew of Helen’s anger issues but she usually had it bottled up and let it explode later The fact that she had just said something like that here in front of this man from the tiny Style that her mother had eyes on shocked everyone

Ikaas hid her face in her dress in shame as the one who had brought her back

Kanan was a pot of boiling water about to explode You

But he was interrupted Heelleenn

The male spear attendant stumbled forward holding one of the Ghosthound’s mugs still obviously quite intoxicated He blinked at the scene and then opened his mouth Then he closed it again and his face became quite perplexed

Err Am I interrupting something

It’s a private family matter Please be on your way sir Helen’s mother asked in an extremely dismissive tone shooting a disgusting look at Helen and Helen could hear her mother wondering why she had spent time with such degenerates and alcoholics

And then Helen had a rather embarrassing but amusing idea

No no mother he’s involved This man is the father of your grandchild Family meet ah Helen abruptly realized that she didn’t know his name so she simply shrugged Well we are both spear attendants for the same man so we just spent a lot of time together

Helen’s mother looked like she was going to be ill The male spear attendant looked puzzled but smiled good naturedly around at all the pretty women giving him shocked looks enjoying the attention

WHAT Kanan bellowed drawing his spear You dare touch my betrothed

They were starting to be loud enough to attract the attention of others and nearby watchers began to slowly edge away Luckily there was a lot of flat space in the stands perhaps just for this reason Fights were rather common especially when the competition became more serious

And especially when Claptrap was beginning to drum up fanatical support for the contestants Helen added to herself Soon there would be quite a few fights breaking out

But the fact that the first was over her virtue was a bit

Well it was honestly amazing but Helen kept her face carefully schooled Although there really wasn’t any tension to the situation as she knew in her heart that she could defeat Kanan herself if it was necessary being fought over wasn’t a bad feeling

Still her heart sank at the fact that it was the male spear attendant that was doing the fighting Helen turned to the stages and pursed her lips Based on the schedule distributed by the referees Randidly wouldn’t be among the people who were forced to fight in the final play off Which meant that her time was much more well spent leaving this farce and going to find him

The male spear attendant’s eyes focused with apparent difficulty and he considered Kanan You are

Then the male spear attendant burped vomiting a bit onto the ground in front of him

My fucking hero ’ Helen thought sourly to herself This is all getting a bit silly ’

You will die Kanan swore and then charged forward spear raised

Chapter 226

With his spear raised Kanan rushed towards the male spear attendant with his eyes bloodshot and the veins in his arm throbbing as he gripped his spear with all of his strength Although there was some space in the stands to fight there wasn’t much so he quickly arrived in front of the male spear attendant chopping down with his spear

The male spear attendant’s spear was bobbing up and down the drink preventing him from exercising his full control but at the last moment when the antagonistic spear was crashing down towards him he side stepped As soon as his balance was perfectly set which took an extra half second due to the drink in his hand he thrust forward with his own spear

If he had been sober it would have likely taken Kanan in the chest and ended the whole farce But it seemed that the step had messed with his sense of momentum because all the spear thrust did was glance off of Kanan’s arm creating a rather messy gash

Kanan roared again raising his spear and lashing out The male spear attendant blinked and slowly settled on blocking

Helen rolled her eyes Kanan was not a very good spear user but his strength Suddenly she felt intense regret by even lying about an association with this man as if her honor couldn’t get any more trashed

The strike hit the male spear attendant squarely smashing his backwards and into the thin half wall that separated their location in the stands from the row below theirs and he tumbled over that face first slamming into a group of women’s backs who squawked wildly at the surprising turn of events

He immediately hopped back up then climbed back up to their level Glaring at Kanan in disgust he didn’t notice his earlier vomit and slipped on it as he clambered back down falling to the ground finally dropping his drink that he had held for the entirety of the previous interactions

Kanan turned to Helen eyes round with disbelief

Helen wished she was anywhere else at that moment Please just kill him Truly there is no other way for me to ever be fucking clean again

This confused Kanan immensely as he struggled to use his tiny brain to reconcile this statement with her earlier ones It was an impossible task for a man who likely didn’t have above 20 Intelligence even with his level being 30 Which was kinda sad in a way but Helen supposed there was a naive strength in refusing to address your weaknesses and only becoming better at the things that you are good at

Especially when your opponents try and face your strikes directly

What the statement did end up doing was act as a distraction so the male spear attendant could struggle to his feet and sway groggily for several seconds After a while of this he snapped back into focus perhaps remembering that they were fighting and he pointed his spear at Kanan

This was all the provocation that Kanan needed and he again rushed forward spear raised But this time Kanan yelled out his signature move Crushing Blow

In terms of finishers it was a rather basic skill that everyone who earned the Class Strong Spear User would earn It was the first skill of the class But although Kanan didn’t truly have a very high Spear Mastery skill he had worked on Crushing Blow every day for the past 15 years of his life This was his polished gem Which in this skill only brought him to the level of the Regional Tournament

At least in terms of striking power If the opponent sidestepped it was all for naught and Kanan could do nothing about it But a surprising amount of spear users were foolish enough to engage in a direct confrontation with that attack The male spear attendant was no exception

But what was slightly exceptional about the male spear attendant was that as he waited for the oncoming blow the air around him began to tremble and stir Helen narrowed her eyes After watching the tournament thus far there was no mistaking that phenomena in the air This mother fucking

Iron Bulwark The male spear attendant said his eyes glazed and expression dopey

Kanan stumbled backwards howling his left arm broken from the recoil from the collision He truly hadn’t spent his stats even on Endurance to be able to withstand his own strength

What Helen’s mother gasped standing at the scene Because for a second there was a flicker of an image visible in the air A hint nothing enough to recognize it but that was the very cusp of Artisan

This lucky fuck Helen muttered

Helen’s mother’s face drained of blood as she looked at Kanan who was ugly crying on the ground

You you You I’ll kill you I’ll get my father to murder everyone of you And YOU Kanan rounded on Helen We will burn your family’s leather works to the ground Every little boy will have his cock cut off and every girl will be raped We will crush

But Kanan stuttered to a stop staring at Helen with wide eyes She had drawn her spear and was walking slowly towards Kanan eyes serious

Helen wait As long as we apologize Her mother urged her but Helen just shook her head

We can just as easily apologize for culling this stupid pig

Finally realizing the situation he was in Kanan rubbed tears from his eyes and stood shakily holding his spear in his good arm Heh even if I’m like this do you think a weak girl like you can even threaten me When my father’s men hear about this well hehehe

But then his eyes widened because Helen attacked and he felt like he was plunged into an ice cold river full of currents and eddies that left him immobilized And her spear was a jagged rock weaving through the water that was impossible to dodge no matter how hard he struggled And as it approached his neck

At the last second Helen felt a hint of danger and hopped backwards eyeing the surroundings warily A heavy set pig man walked over smiling easily Two guards were at his back both with Battle Intents raging that would put them near the Artisan level

Hehehe I appreciate you teaching my son a lesson but let’s go to far eh girlie He’s going to be the next head of my precious Style there is no way he will die to a nobody like you

Derk let’s just Helen’s mother began but Derk just waved her silent and walked over towards Kanan Helen’s gaze grew stormy This was a man who had encouraged his son to harass and heckle molest and torture for years A disgusting small little dictator

Helen exchanged a glance with the male spear attendant her gaze asking if they were on the same page He just smiled dopily

Jesus she had to do fucking everything herself

Her spear flicked out ripping Kanan’s throat out Derk froze Her mother looked like she was going to faint as Kanan’s blood splashed on the ground Helen could only yawn and kicked Kanan’s ass causing him to collapse forward splattering more blood on the ground

Good riddance She said feeling quite pleased with herself In her heart she feared Derk and his power But she also feared what would happen to her family her younger cousins like Ikaas if this walking sexual assault was allowed to live So she had ended him and damn the consequences

You you foolish bitch Helen’s mother muttered sitting down But to her surprise Helen saw that her mother was smiling slightly staring dazedly at the dead body Derk was speechless and simply looked at the body for a long time his frown slowly growing

Then he turned to her I hope you are prepared to pay the price for that With every inch of your body Heh I encouraged my hopeless ass of a son to pursue you because even when you were young your body mm But I suppose you should always be positive Now you will be all mine

By the end of his little monologue Derk’s mouth was stretched into a sweaty and twisted smile looking at her with beady eyes Then he moved drawing his spear and stepping forward towards her But Helen hopped backwards Unlike his son the father’s talent was real even his speed

His attacks came quickly short little cuts that were impossible to predict and avoid The two guards moved forward one keeping Helen’s family at bay the other engaging the male spear attendant

Helen hissed as she blocked one of Derk’s attacks and was sent stumbling like father like son the muscle bound idiots But the father’s Spear Mastery was a high level as well And his level was likely closer to 40 giving him a huge stat advantage

Helen could only strike back with her Skill Set and she did so effectively She twisted and dodged flowing around the strikes as best she could lashing out at him As they fought she could feel her skill growing as she found new ways for her flowing image to fight against his raw power

But in terms of Stamina she couldn’t hold a candle to a man who was 20 levels above her Again and again his spear smashed into her block knocking her backwards She felt a chill in her heart If he just knocked her out and kidnapped her here If she didn’t receive help

Roaring Helen began striking back with a renewed vigor burning through her Stamina without a care This This was exactly why she resented Randidly even though she was attracted to him Why why was she suddenly so reliant on someone else When had she grown so weak

She was stronger than she had ever been in the past So why would she seek his help He wouldn’t be around forever In her heart Helen knew she would one day move on to another place And before that happened she needed to sharpen her fangs to an unimaginable degree

Wild strikes suddenly became precision slashes as her frantic energy was channeled into refining her strikes and she drew a long line of blood across Derk’s cheek Her burst of strength had shocked him but now this strike angered him and he swept his spear across smashing against her guard and physically throwing her whole body backwards

But as she was going to be sent sprawling backwards a hand pressed against her back dispersing most of the force And that hand was strange because as it held her helping her establish her balance it felt at first like a question which she assented to and then like it was pumping warm fire and ice water into her body giving her strength

She turned and looked into the Ghosthound’s emerald eyes He simply nodded She tightened her grip on her spear and turned back to Derk

She hated his support but she would say nothing about it because she needed it It just like this fucking bastard to turn up at the most opportune time But with this warm rush of energy she swore that she wouldn’t let him do anything else

There was no need for the Ghosthound to dirty his hands to take out this trash

Chapter 227

Islinda mother to Helen watched this interaction with incredible focus When she was younger she too was beautiful but nowhere near so much as Helen was When her daughter began to blossom into her body at an age before she could understand it Islinda had become very adept at studying the attention that men gave Helen

It was less a useful skill now when Helen would scare away any halfway decent man that gave her the time of day but

Her eyes didn’t miss the glance and understanding the two exchanged There was some level of intimacy there Maybe

Islinda nodded approvingly He was cute enough even if his skin was weirdly pink He would certainly make a good son in law But what was less encouraging was that he simply stood towards the back with his arms crossed satisfied with letting the fight continue as it was Helen launched herself forward a weird grace to her actions her spear seeming to bend around blocks to strike at Derk

Derk responded with brutal efficiency crushing her strikes and bullying her backwards although he too eyed the new arrival carefully The man who had helped Helen was tall with long shaggy black hair His arms were muscled in such a way that there could be no mistaking he was a spear user who trained his body well even if he wasn’t otherwise talented His eyes were a piercing green and his expression was mild

This made Islinda even warier It was the mild ones that usually had the most violent explosions And there was something else about him a strange familiarity where had she seen this boy before

Over the next 30 seconds Helen and Derk clashed two dozen times their spears smashing into each other with brutal speed After that 30 seconds Islinda gaped in shock Sure she knew that her daughter was talented ever since that pervy old man taught her a bit of the spear but

She was winning

Helen’s chest was heaving her body trembling It seemed like she had well and truly depleted her Stamina reserves and her body was doing its best to recover enough to move But although this should have been an opportunity for Derk he had a grave expression on his face and a huge gash in his shoulder

Islinda had watched and she knew why he hesitated Towards the end of those clashes between the two of them Helen’s strikes had clearly started stretching a hair longer They were a split second faster and more brutal Obviously skills improved through battle but the rate at which she was improving seemed utterly impossible

As someone who had only put forth a token effort in learning the spear Islinda didn’t have a very thorough knowledge of how skill levels worked and how to most effectively raise them But she was forced to deal with such men and women on a daily basis as she managed their leather working district selling her wares She had become a very shrewd judge of strength

Over the course of this battle if Islinda wasn’t mistaken Helen’s skills had likely improved by 20 skill levels Over the course of a few minutes of strikes And most of that growth occurred at the end after that stranger had stabilized Helen

Just what was going on

Derk snapped out of his own revery at that very moment and came to the only reasonable conclusion if he allowed Helen to live and grow stronger his Style would be eradicated There was perhaps a chance of reconciliation but he knew in his heart that he would never be able to let go of this and as long as he harbored that resentment he was a threat that would be eliminated

So he bellowed powerfully and rushed forward his spear raised high But Helen just glided forward to meet him her face serene Her spear seemed to warp before Islinda’s eyes bending around the attack to strike deeply into Derk’s chest His powerful blow continued forward but it simply hit the ground and created a small crater in the stands

His body sagged forward and his minions looked on aghast

Boss

Derk pushed himself away from Helen dropping his spear Blood gushed out the hole in his chest Helen watched impassively crossing her arms Islinda sat stock still

Helen just defeated Derk Her Helen Which meant her family Would the nearby Styles act in vengeance If she sent some letters many hated Derk for he was a bully and allowed his son to run wild Could they possibly take over the nearby areas If so

Mother stop drooling Helen snapped glaring at her

Islinda sniffed not letting any of her annoyance show on her face Truly her daughter had grown unruly Although she had the power to back it up at this point but still How about you stop murdering Have you even taken the time to consider what the guards will think about a dead body in the stands If you act without thought

Helen just waved her hand dismissively her attention turned away from Islinda and to the emerald eyed man who was examining the other male spear user who Helen had claimed to be involved with Which Islinda didn’t believe for a second her daughter had inherited a small amount of class enough to avoid a belligerent drunk such as he even if his spear skills were acceptable

Confirming that he was okay the emerald eyed man looked at Helen then turned to the rest of her family Islinda sat still waiting It wasn’t just the familiarity it was also something else There was an air about this man He was strong He seemed profoundly present in the moment and his gaze was extremely intense Even Islinda herself felt a small amount of apprehension as he looked at her That intensity that wasn’t normal That wasn’t natural

But then he turned away facing back towards Helen and opened his mouth But before he could speak another individual arrived on the scene

Ghosthound I’ve been looking for you

Islinda’s eyes widened A beautiful woman with long silver hair and crimson eyes stepped slowly forward her athletic frame moving with the dangerous grace of a predator That was Azriel Blanche And the name Ghosthound

Islinda bit her lip to control her face So he was a competitor in the tournament And one with enough power to enter the final 32 Truly her daughter had good taste

The Ghosthound turned to Azriel looking annoyed He crossed his arms I looked for you too You didn’t need to do that But thank you

Azriel tilted her head to the side But I did anyway I wanted something so I am moving to take it That is the prerogative of those with power Accept or I’ll kill you

You certainly are charming The Ghosthound sat down looking seriously at Azriel

It was a joke I find that humor often lightens the mood How about this one Well nevermind I’ll spear you the details and get straight to the point Azriel looked intently at the Ghosthound a small smile on her face

There was a long moment of silence

Islinda laughed politely and the rest of the non Helen members of her family followed suit awkwardly The other male spear user vomited again The Ghosthound put his head in his hands

Azriel tilted her head to the side Did you not get it

Let’s set that aside for now What do you want

Azriel flashed a bright smile Follow me Ghosthound This must be kept a secret

He nodded slowly and the two left After they had gone Islinda sat still knowing her daughter She dithered and awkwardly stood Helen obviously expected her mother to launch into a series of questions Which admittedly she truly wanted to ask But she wanted the answers not the feeling of asking the questions so she needed to lure Helen back

Unfortunately the male spear user wandered off and after a moment’s hesitation Helen followed him glancing back at Islinda She simply waved at her departing daughter

After she left Islinda beckoned Ikaas over giving her very detailed instructions on what would happen next Before she would move she needed information How was Helen related to these parties how intimately Because only then would Islinda know the best way to use them

Drak Wyrd is strong Azriel announced once they had left the bustling thoroughfares of Deardun and retreated to a distant watch tower From it they could see the surrounding countryside covered in its strange unfamiliar vegetation Much to his annoyance Randidly couldn’t stop thinking about how alone they were up here in this watchtower His eyes kept absently tracing the lines of the formfitting leather that covered her body

Abruptly Randidly realized the silence had stretched between them for a while and he glanced at Azriel But she was gazing out towards the wilderness her silver hair falling and framing her face

Randidly sighed to himself This was a really bad time to develop a crush From a woman who filled him with holes a day ago Maybe that was the reason why Or maybe it was because she didn’t seem to respect him any more or less based on his strength Which he supposed was foolish to think He doubted they would be having this conversation if he was weak It was just an attitude thing

Then why did he agree to surrender to me You didn’t need

But I did You weren’t ready And you were the only spear user I saw this week that left me surprised You still aren’t ready But that can change As for what I promised him If he wins the tournament I will marry him Azriel turned and looked at Randidly I expect he will knock me up rather quickly which I would prefer to avoid for now Oh I’m not against children it’s just a bit soon

Chapter 228

Randidly coughed awkwardly at her words That’s that’s not why I’m shocked Why would you agree to that for me I don’t understand

Azriel shrugged turning back to the wilderness After winning the Regional Tournament and necessarily beating me he would use his influence to force me into it There were a lot of political reasons for it too a lot of boring schemes of the elderly let’s not talk about it But it was a meaningless promise and perhaps he knew it From his perspective though obtaining my word is much more valuable than using my Style as leverage

So again why Randidly asked bewildered It was one thing for him to develop a crush on this attractive talented woman who had ripped him full of holes It was another for this woman who had riddled him with holes to bet her hand in marriage on him Even if he had surprised her that was the difference in losing immediately and losing to her in 38 seconds or whatever the time was

Azriel took a step forward and hopped up onto the low wall A wind blow and she swayed slightly but then she began to walk along the length of the wall

I guess I’m what you call a genius By some chance I obtained the skill Crystal Memory That along with my talent for spear use allows me to very quickly see through a move once I’ve seen it once My whole life I’ve been a genius always chasing the back of Drak who is 5 years older than me Every hurdle he would pass I would rush towards passing faster earlier in my life Chasing him endlessly I wonder if it was stressful for him To be heralded as a once in a millennial talent with a chance to become a Spear Master and then to have a girl 5 years your junior to be even more talented

Azriel spun on her toes her silver hair fluttering But recently I feel like I’ve caught up to him but I can’t be sure I suspect he has more but he hides it I have not seen his true strength I’ve examined all the other contestants and then are known quantities They might force him to put up a good fight but none can make him serious

She hopped down and walked over to Randidly You don’t believe you can do it And maybe I don’t either But I know for sure that no one else can do it to make him serious and you have surprised me once before I said so before if I see a move All I need is for someone to make him serious let me see that last ace he hides Once I know it I will continue chasing him and pass him

Then Azriel frowned at Randidly Although I’m a genius I’m not a god The first time he uses that ace it would be a surprise and work on me So I need

Cannon fodder Randidly said his lip curling

Azriel nodded as if this label was pleasing to her Randidly rolled his eyes You know you are extremely arrogant

Is that a problem

The words hung in the air between them Azriel yawned and then walked away

I’ll be expecting you I’m staying at the Burning Forge Inn

Randidly frown as he watched her departing hips Waiting for him What exactly did she want from him To train him

He’s too weak Marco Polo said breaking the heavy silence in the room

Shal’s face was stony as he gazed at the ground He couldn’t disagree with the other spear user

Divveltian snorted And yet he has made it into the top 32 at the Northern Regional Tournament If nothing else he improves very quickly That move that he used for brief spurts that can be refined and quickly He just needs experience

Marco looked unwilling to accept that perspective but could not do anything to refute it Divveltian frowned at the two of them What is the point of complaining now We are powerless There is no action we can take It is all up to him So we give him as much instruction as possible

Shal continued to remain silent a thin level of fear covered by a thick level of anger in his heart True the original goal for bringing Randidly to this world was a vague goal of keeping the honor of the Aemont’s Spear Phantom Style almost on a whim To reward the strange individual who snapped him out of his funk in the dungeon with additional training was another motivation But the more he thought about it the more it had become about getting Randidly into the top 4 and being able to leave the territory of the Spearman School

For beyond that was a vast unexplored world with the label there be monsters And Lucretia was one of them The one that Shal swore to himself he would crush mercilessly

But as he watched and waited Shal’s impatience grew Why must he sit idly while the world turned Although he had received a decree from the powerful Central Styles not to leave the Spearman School if he wanted could they stop him

There was another part of Shal however that hesitated Because there was a strange stickiness to that thought process The further he indulged it the more his mind seemed filled with cobwebs It was a satisfying and righteous anger but in a way it reminded Shal of the wild discontent of his days before he had encountered Randidly Those cobwebs had slowly been dispelled as he trained Randidly both in the dungeon and in the prison There was something cathartic honest and proud about it

But that was slowly being replaced with resentment as Shal felt powerless and furious If he didn’t choose to remain here his options were

Standing Shal said I will speak with him We will decide how to proceed then

Randidly was slightly disconcerted when he returned and found Shal waiting for him inside of his room He was paging idly through the diary of the Spear Phantom but snapped the book closed and laid it back on the bed when Randidly walked into the room

They exchanged a glance and Randidly followed Shal up the stairs to the rooftop training area which was completely deserted They wasted no time and both drew their spears

Show it to me Shal breathed his eyes burning his expression baleful Then without any further warning he attacked moving a hair faster than Randidly had ever seen him move putting immense pressure on Randidly

Still it was quick but it wasn’t the direct overwhelming speed that Azriel had displayed when they had fought Focusing Randidly responded using the Spear Phantom’s Embrace moving towards his mentor Their steps were both quick and Randidly very swiftly had several rather dangerous cuts from Shal’s spear Although Shal wasn’t as fast as Azriel he was much much much quicker to change directions as if momentum didn’t apply to him

But that was what Randidly needed and under the pressure of Shal’s attacks Randidly remembered where this started With the different steps of the Spear Phantom’s Footwork Soon he too was moving seemingly without any care for momentum As he did so the baleful hopeless aura that he had struggled so long to control exploded outwards naturally

His movements became light and floating his eyes unfocused but detecting changes all around him Behind Randidly a huge image of a faceless spectre emerged its arms spread wide

Shal increased his speed which caused Randidly to falter somewhat but he began to add feints to his strikes mixing his offense up It wasn’t enough to interrupt Shal’s series of attacks but it made him slow down his relentless assault as Shal had to respect the skill

Randidly’s chest was heaving at this point his eyes narrowed His image howled and charged forward Truthfully his Aether was swirling the fastest he had ever seen He had only gained 2 Skill Levels but he felt more intimately familiar with the skill than he had ever before Part of the reason he was having so much trouble was likely his high control Some of this was natural and not something that needed to be forced The image and aura would explode when he managed the eyes steps and feints

But Randidly’s Stamina was almost empty Truly Shal was strong Without even using images his base stats were on another level

So Randidly attacked Shal’s spear seemed to blur weaving through Randidly’s guard catching him in the chest and throwing him to the ground

At this point both of them stopped gazing at each other Randidly with his heaving chest Shal with the obvious conflict in his eyes So many strange emotions that Randidly didn’t really recognize in Shal were fighting there Randidly blinked

Shal sighed You did it I am surprised Although I knew it was possible Perhaps you were truly the one who was meant to inherit the title of Spear Phantom from my father

Shal trailed off his eyes going distant as his thoughts turned elsewhere Seeking to fill the silence Randidly spoke up explaining about how it happened the disparate skills that he combined to get the Spear Phantom’s Embrace

Chuckling Shal just shook his head and said nothing The silence continued Randidly stood most of the wounds from Shal already scabbing over There is something else Shal I’d like to give you a gift something to thank you for everything you’ve done for me

Randidly didn’t really know how to feel about his Aether Donation Skill He had used it on Helen but mostly due to their previous physical intimacy It was a profoundly strange feeling Even now he could feel a new slight Aether tether connecting them together It was still thin and weak nowhere near the rivers of Aether that flowed back and forth between him and the 4 that he had blessed but

Already he could feel bits of meaning and life flowing into him from her giving him small insights to flowing rivers It was extremely strange He didn’t think he could use it yet but Randidly suspected in the future that the mostly sluggish waters of his Soul Skill would begin to quicken as that meaning inside of him became more prominent After all there was a strange connection between his Aether Crossroads and his Soul Skill and his heart as they all aligned so he could escape the trap of the Creature

Well as much as he really did escape its machinations

Shaking his head to dispel these thoughts Randidly walked forward to Shal who was regarding him with curiosity and used his Aether Donation skill

You simply need to accept it

Chapter 229

Divveltian sat meditating when the door crashed open and Shal stumbled into the room Divveltian frowned Shal was shaken More than that he was terrified

Shal what

I must go Shal interrupted gathering all of his things into his interspatial ring with a wave of his hand and then turned to leave As he passed out of the door almost as an afterthought he spoke over his shoulder to Divveltian Tell Randidly that he has the tools to do this Do not waver But also never trust strength gifted to him by another

Then Shal left After a few minutes of thinking Divveltian stood and stared at Shal’s retreating back He had known Shal since he was a boy Always quiet reserved but dedicated to the spear and talented Even faced with the prospect of proceeding to the domicile of the Devourer he hadn’t seemed to even feel an itch of fear

But now his eyes were gaunt and desperate like he had seen a ghost

“What ” Divveltian said speaking to the quiet now emptier room “What are you so afraid of What are you running from “

Shal stumbled out onto the the road leading out of Deardun feeling shaken Shal had always known that there was something strange about the boy His ability to supply his own Aether without having to worry about Aether Starvation was disturbing because of some of the associations in Shal’s past But ultimately it had seemed like a small isolated thing so Shal was able to rid himself of some of his unease and accept it at face value

But today when Randidly had touched his hand he felt the heady hot/cold touch of power and his words

You simply need to accept it

They reminded him of another’s words The soft whispered words from the face that lay inside his chest Although the face was still now it used to yell and gesture its eyes wild and focused But there was never any noise but the voice whispering that phrase over and over again You simply need to accept it

What was worse was that the face looked exactly like his father

And in Shal’s mind that voice could only have one source Lucretia Those tempting sweet words and the wafts of power from that face hidden inside the depths of his chest scared him Was Randidly another one of her pawns Had she

Then Shal blinked Why was his fear so strong True there were a lot of things that Shal didn’t understand but there was one thing that the world understood better than anything else power His hands clenched into fists As long as he grasped power everything else would follow All he needed to do was

But wait in the past the moments where Shal was strongest were when he had caved and relied on his father’s face in his chest channeling some of his spirit to utilize the Spear Phantom’s moves That wasn’t truly his own power even if it had proven itself usable But hadn’t he decided that it was dangerous

Now that Randidly the worthless whelp had informed him of the secret of the Spear Phantom’s Embrace too his strength would

But if the methods that he used were to be believed it wasn’t really an issue of usage it was an issue of perception Shal simply had to see how all of these disparate skills were part of one larger whole and merge them together If Randidly had managed to get such a powerful boost if he himself could manage it

In every strange coincidence of the past several months of real world time began to spin and settle into place Lucretia’s hand floating over everything

A vicious surging anger With power even Lucretia was nothing And with his father’s power surging in his chest

Muttering to himself Shal continued to walk leaving Deardun behind driven by pure instinct Somehow he knew that if he continued to walk he would someday find a truth a weapon a strength and all of this would be unnecessary He simply needed

Then abruptly his consciousness departed from him and he collapsed and a smiling woman walked out of the darkness cooing softly Oh my child how you’ve grown

Turning she then regarded the lights of Deardun with a more frosty expression And you Mr Ghosthound I’m starting to get annoyed with how often you are in the right place at the right time to keep my baby from falling into despair Perhaps it’s time for me to intervene directly And you would like that too wouldn’t you

As her lavender hair cascaded around her Lucretia hefted a strangely shaped object pointing it towards the town It trembled slightly and then the object opened its eyes Although the Yeti had been severely injured and gutted of Aether due to its nature here projected onto the 5th Cohort wounds such as this wouldn’t kill it

Although it filled the Yeti with fear how closely the woman had pushed him to that line without crossing it It spoke of experience that would mark her too as a Heretic

But now it was faced with the call of its destiny It could sense its purpose the reason it had become a Judgement just beyond the city walls Imperceptibly its wounds began to heal and it growled softly

With an abrupt motion Lucretia deftly shook the Yeti head dispelling its slowly gathering strength She laughed lightly at its struggle and then picked up Shal walking into the darkness Not yet love There are a few more seeds I want to check before we scrap it all and send in the locusts

Randidly sat very still Not that he hadn’t expected it to be rough sledding to convince Shal of the value of the services he offered No even that was wrong It wasn’t a service it was a fucking lifeline This Aether Connection would enable Shal

But no thinking about it that way was also just trouble He needed to be more understanding of how the other man was feeling Based on even Randidly’s shallow understanding of the procedure it was a very intimate thing that would connect the two of them permanently Life and meaning would flow back and forth changing and hopefully strengthening them both

Still it hurt that Shal’s refusal had been so sudden and his departure so swift Although he would likely come around there had been strange disturbing parallels in the hard look in Shal’s eyes that Randidly remembered from his past and as he was slowly consumed by those memories as he sat alone Randidly began to tremble

He smiled sardonically to himself During the time which the System had arrived Randidly had made many strides in so many areas He was less hesitant in social situations He was more confident of his own existence He felt more directly how he fit and connected in the world And he had achieved a level of strength that was impossible

He was currently in another world for Christ’s sake fighting against people who trained from a very young age in order to be the best at this And although he had only taken a year and some months he was closing in on them Perhaps it was his attitude or Soul Skill or situation his Aether Crossroads but he was closing in on these people

Yet watching as Shal left him all of that fell away

Randidly blinked slightly surprised at finding Divveltian standing before him a strange expression on his face Very quickly Randidly schooled himself putting his hands behind his back to hide the tremors Yes

Shal has left He seemed confident that you could handle the rest of the tournament in his absence Divveltian began but then he stopped abruptly looking deeply at Randidly

There was a furious hotness in Randidly’s chest He wondered idly what sort of expression he must be making But that curiosity was very quickly overwhelmed and devoured by the heat which very quickly soured and turned cold

Well as Randidly thought it would be difficult But this leaving was only a small thing He would be back He wouldn’t just abandon him

Randidly walked forward past Divveltian who gave him a searching glance where are you going

He didn’t even bother to answer just left the roof and walked down the stairs Everything around him was exceptionally clear the details pristine and vivid even in the half light of this night in Deardun

Something did surprise Randidly enough that he paused though Helen was waiting out front of the inn as he left looking at the ground with a bleak look It would have been much easier if he could have slipped past her but she heard the sound of the door opening and looked sharply up Her eyes glittered reflecting the soft light of the half moon She straightened and Randidly mechanically noticed the way her leather clothes hugged her body There was a small stirring of lust in his chest but ultimately it was unable to find purchase in the cool bitterness that suffused him and disappeared

Uh Ghost No Randidly I wanted Helen began looking surprisingly sheepish but Randidly quickly interrupted her

Just fuck off I’m tired of you following me around Randidly said eyes forward as he walked past her without another glance Right now he was in no mood in dealing with anyone and the thought of how Helen’s eyes might soften if she thought he was hurt from Shal’s abrupt departure The imagined pity made Randidly furious

But what stopped him cold was he felt the tip of a spear rushing towardshis exposed back

Chapter 230

It was only a second but seconds can cost a lot in an ambush Luckily Randidly wasn’t an average spear user any longer In addition now that he could actually wear the rare belt that had been given to him the extra concentration made itself very useful

After that first moment of confusion his instincts kicked in and he spun around producing the huge obsidian spear that smashed toward Helen’s stab As he expected her spear seemed to blur and twist flowing around his block and towards his exposed skin

With glittering eyes Randidly accepted this outcome dropping his spear and stepping forward Root Control produced thick powerful roots that rushed up out of the ground and seized onto her spear stopping it dead

Following through with his step Randidly reached out and grabbed her by the throat his eyes burning his fury hot

To his surprise Helen met his gaze calmly not a drop of fear in it Even though they both knew that her main advantage in a fight over him was the elusiveness of her attack techniques Once he had his hands on her like he did now his hand tightening around her throat she simply didn’t have the requisite amount of stats to resist him She was under his complete control

And she felt no fear

Strangely Randidly remembered very vividly his furious anger at Tessa and her relative terror when he unleashed Agony on her The pain that he had caused her had been enough to knock her out completely A part of Randidly shriveled as he remembered how wild and stupid he had been How casually he could use his power

As their eyes remained locked Randidly’s fury slowly drained away This he knew was her goal It annoyed him somewhat that she had seen through his emotions through their one small verbal interaction because she hadn’t known about it before he had left the inn What was also annoying was how quickly she found a way to grab his attention

Randidly wanted to berate her telling her how dumb it had been to do that but as the coldness in his chest drained away he simply felt tired Dropping his hand from her throat he nodded his acknowledgement of her accomplishment and asked Okay what did you actually wa

Helen punched him in the face her passiveness gone replaced by fury

Don’t you dare ever talk to me like that I’ll kill you in your sleep you little cunt

Then she spun on her heel and left head held high

After she had gone Randidly began laughing and couldn’t stop for a long time This method of unraveling his tension was much more agreeable to him because it was clear that this hadn’t been a ploy She was genuinely furious But why She swore much worse than that on a regular basis

Well ultimately it didn’t matter He would set aside her obvious anger for now It wouldn’t be a good idea to chase after her in this instance especially while he wasn’t sure what was wrong Better to give her time and space

So now he had to more firmly face his options right now His previous instinct was to stomp over to Azriel and Well Randidly wasn’t quite sure now She had told him to come over and at the moment Randidly wanted to be around someone he could truly let loose with At the same time now that he had cooled somewhat Randidly was hesitant to directly head over to her inn mere hours after she had given the invitation

There were definitely methods of training that he could use while training here methods of polishing the skills he had Randidly was especially interested in some ideas he had been toying with in regards to his Flexibility of the White Hunters Skill as well as spending some of his time raising Grace But Azriel would likely be difficult enough that she could spur on his growth far faster than he could on his own But it would be hard to tell what skills he would have time to use against her and therefore what would benefit

Randidly had also been neglecting his spells somewhat and some time getting in some focused work with them even if he didn’t sharpen his images would be a good thing

The sound of footsteps made him look up sharply Dian stood before him her crimson hair framing her frowning face Her eyes were filled with a mixture of respect and hatred and her nose was wrinkled in distaste as she considered him

After being ambushed earlier Randidly’s body instantly prepared itself for battle but Dian remained standing some distance away her arms folded After almost a minute of their standoff she said Take me to your master We must exchange words

Randidly shrugged He has left for now Try again later

Then Randidly stepped forward keeping his attention on her but intending to walk past her As he expected her hand snaked out and grabbed his elbow but there was no flicker of Battle Intent so Randidly let it happen

Do not take me lightly You may have come out slightly ahead in the past but my strength grows

Look I’m not playing He’s not here Why do you want to speak with him anyway Immediately after speaking Randidly regretted asking the question Honestly he would prefer not to interact with such a dangerous attractive woman overmuch She set him on edge likely because of their previous differences that had resulted in them trying to kill each other

Dian’s hand fell away slowly a frown on her face She muttered a few things under her breath and then looked up at Randidly glaring at him She seemed to hold him entirely responsible

Seeing that Randidly’s mild gaze didn’t change in the face of her glare Dian huffed and said Then the next time you see him tell him to seek me out We don’t have much time

Then Dian turned and hurried away Randidly almost sighed Why the hell were so many people seeking him out right now Were there plots going on everywhere around him But then Randidly frowned and focused more directly on the problem If Dian approached Shal the man who killed her apparent master then perhaps what she had to say had something to do with him

But her words were we don’t have much time’ which made it seem like her concern was an external threat Of those only one sprang to mind Lucretia

Which meant that Randidly really would say something to Shal if when he returned After all if there was one thing that made his master get serious it was this mystery woman who had been the catalyst his father used to catapult himself into the realms of the powerful

In a way what she represented was very tempting even to Randidly But after his run in with the Creature he was extremely wary of such things Even now he suspected he hadn’t evaded her machinations even slightly but was getting pulled forward on strings towards its goal all the while thinking he was in control

Randidly shook his head sharply One problem at a time The current problem was the tournament and how to grasp victory And he wanted to try the avenue that Azriel offered

Randidly proceeded to her inn and spoke to the doorman and then to Azriel and was promptly escorted to a very large underground arena where Azriel immediately began stretching He gave her a searching glance She shrugged and then pointed to a shelf along the side which was covered in potions

If you are trying to ask what we will be doing I don’t quite know yet You surprised me but that might be a one time thing To make sure that’s not the case we need to fight a few times We will start with 10 Those potions will heal you almost instantly so don’t worry about any of these injuries impacting you tomorrow

That was the other thing Randidly was slightly wary of but he had trusted his own regeneration But it seemed slightly convoluted for a person who could defeat him to invite him over at all especially to injure him so he could lose in a different match Much easier and more Azriel’s style to just attack him directly and get it over with

As Randidly did a few exercises to limber himself up as well he considered the woman before him And god damnit but he couldn’t get over how attractive she was Luckily Randidly was pretty good at keeping his gaze mild and on spots that were harmless but the more time he spent with her the more his eyes started straying

It also made it very hard for him to develop a sense of the type of person that she was She was definitely powerful and anyone who is powerful worked very hard to get there But their previous interactions made her seem more than just powerful They showed that she was a creature of intuition One that would someday either be lauded as a genius or condemned as a fool

Perhaps the perfect example of this was her strange actions in regards to him She claimed that she wanted to be able to defeat the favorite of the tournament and to assure herself of that all she needed was to see him go 100% in a battle Of all the people in the tournament she seemed to think that Randidly was the most likely able to accomplish this but he needed to sharpen up very quickly

But it didn’t seem so far away that it was hopeless just

Randidly needed to improve enough for it to take him by surprise

Weird strange oddly one minded but also extremely decisive and direct when she needed to be That was Azriel

Okay let’s begin She said clapping her hands and turning to Randidly

Chapter 231

Perhaps he should have expected it but there was something very different and intimidating about the dangers Randidly had been put into with Azriel more so than any of the times with Marco Polo or Shal

Mostly Azriel wasn’t very good at actually not killing him Her attacks were fast and direct and she seemed to have an inordinate amount of trust that he wouldn’t let himself die just from these training spars

But she didn’t pull a single punch and aimed for weaknesses and blindspots She was brutally fast and stronger that Randidly initially would have guessed Part of that may be related to the sheer amount of momentum that her body seemed to have at any point but likely related was the amount of base stats you needed to channel that much force through your body during her chained attacks

After 3 losses and painful regenerations Randidly was encouraged to start using spells to try and throw her off This worked for a time or at least doubled the time it took her to win but the amount of mana that he had to use in order to keep her at bay was not sustainable in the least Spearing Roots Root Control Incinerating Bolts Circle of Flame all of these had to be used in quick succession in order to give him even a second in front of Azriel’s brutal assault

The next time Randidly lost and drank the position hanging onto his life by a thread he tried to use his newer spells Hammer of Dawn and Burning Footsteps They briefly gave her pause but both were at a insufficient level as compared to her Although it was interesting to note that she seemed much more sensitive to the magic’s effects than he was Likely she had a much smaller amount of Resistance

In this and only this Randidly felt a small amount of superiority His training had increased his Resistence much although it had initially been a similarly pitiful amount He supposed the people of this world were lucky that most magic monsters had been hunted and were contained within the dungeons Otherwise they wouldn’t be able to so brazenly ignore the dangers of having low Resistance

But he supposed it was also intelligent to focus their stats elsewhere at this point in their careers focusing on obtaining a greater evaluation at the Regional Tournament rather than making themselves more survivable overall If the chances of encountering a mage were small then the stat points were more efficiently put into other categories

After exactly 10 duels where Randidly was repeated beaten bloody by her insistent charges Azriel tilted her head to the side There is more yes What are you hiding from me Grumbling and with the hot fury he had mostly dispersed earlier Randidly rose to his feet with a vicious grin After he had completely healed he attacked

This time with Randidly changing tactics Azriel allowed them 5 whole duels before she was satisfied even though each time she dealt with Randidly’s techniques even more effectively

That should be enough for today I have a good idea of your capabilities It’s almost dawn why don’t you recover some and we will meet again tonight I’ll have a plan for us then

Randidly still lying on the ground gave her a frank look How do you know if it will be in time If I’m matched against him in the first round

Azriel snorted Do you think the great Styles of Deardun would leave such a thing to chance No our elders with a very discerning and critical eye have already arranged the tournament for maximum drama your first match is against the one you faced previously Bertarn Yish They believe that you will lose but rather impressively perhaps driven on by your shame of losing previously

Azriel shook her head Sometimes I don’t understand them They seem to recognize your various strengths but all they saw was the previous outcome Could they not tell that you had no Stamina and no real tenacity in that fight Well it’s fine An easy opponent to start to warm you up

Randidly smiled uneasily Sure he had faced him before And Bertarn didn’t fill Randidly with the same sort of awe that he felt towards Azriel but that didn’t mean he would be an easy opponent His strength and defense were real and Randidly suspected that Bertarn’s images were not weak

But that was why it was worth doing An easy opponent wouldn’t be nearly as fun

Lucretia sat her legs folded beneath her Shal’s body lying on one side of her the head of the Yeti on the other Before her was a broken mirror with seven complete shards held together in its case Each showed the image of a different person struggling training

Desperately pushing themselves to the limits of their abilities seeking to grow just a hair faster more proficient more capable before the first round of the tournament tomorrow

Lucretia opened her eyes smiling I’ve never really bothered with weaklings such as these but perhaps I was a bit short sighted I might as well plant a few seeds while I’m here

She held her hand up and rubbed her fingers together and a fine lavender dust floated towards sinking into the mirror and fading away But then one of the sections of the mirror began to glow yellow swiftly glowing in color

Hissing in annoyance Lucretia made a small construct of her precious Aether and sent it into the mirror dissipating her seed The glowing yellow color faded slowly clearly aware that something was amiss but unable to determine what had earned its ire

It seems even this backwater place has a high level Pontiff well as long as I stay away from that girl it should be fine he will likely assume the interference was something to do with the tournament It will be dissatisfying but without proof of harm he probably won’t seek me out

Lucretia sucked on her lip contemplatively for several minutes Then she sighed and stood gathering up her two packages

Didn’t get this far by taking pointless risks Anyways let’s leave this place Move somewhere closer

Almost unwilling Randidly set down the spatula and fork and began to walk back towards the city of Deardun After finishing his training that day with Azriel he had hurried out of the city and created a small fire then constructing a hasty grill over it These past few hours as the sun slowly rose and called for the beginning of the day he had been cooking and practicing his magic as he had wanted to do as the closest thing his work ethic would allow to a break

All in all it had been a very well spent time since he had last checked his PP Randidly had gained 3 Levels in the Spear Phantom’s Embrace 6 Lvls in Dodge and Bacterial Regeneration 2 Lvls in Aether Connection and Spear Mastery 4 Lvls in the Golden Roots of Yggdrasil Circle of Flame and Battle Intent and 1 Lvl in Incendiary Bolt Stalemate Breaker Physical Fitness Grace Flexibility of the White Hunters and Cooking This was in addition to some of the other skills that Randidly had tried to some success to distract Azriel

It was enough to allow Randidly to finish off the Bacterial Mutation Path

Congratulations You have completed the BacterialPath Some paths are not the places where your feet walk but ways your body grows and adapts to the world around you The places you have been have been harsh and unrelenting and for that you have been forever changed But your body teems with life and is ready to evolve Branching Path

You sense that your body can continue to refine itself further either by directing its increasing improvements within the body or without Where shall your blooms mutate

It didn’t necessarily say what sort of improvements this would entail so Randidly was rather annoyed that he had to make a decision without information But still Randidly had gotten this far by following the path he believed in From the earliest time as he had chosen rot as a source of life to now when he selected on focusing his refinements inward his goal was always to improve himself

At the moment he had more than enough weapons In his opinion the other option would increase survivability which especially now was important

Congratulations You have focused your attention inward Your organs and blood vessels are refined in purged becoming more robust Perception +5 Reaction +5 Resistance +5 Health and Stamina Regeneration increases by 1 per level You have learned the Skill Living Blood (Un) Lvl 1

Living Blood (Un) Your blood has an increased affinity to you and carries a large amount of your Vitality You have developed a small amount of control over your blood Upon being wounded should you have great concentration and remain undisturbed for an amount of time you can control the spilled blood to flow back into your body rapidly increasing the regeneration speed of the wound Control over the blood increases with level Amount of percentage of lost health that regenerates increases with skill level

A sort of Meditation for health But he had to focus Intriguing but it was hard to know how useful it would really be That stat boosts were more concrete for the moment and also more encouraging But Randidly was nothing if not accepting of new skills so he removed a spear and cut his arm letting the blood slowly drip down his arm and away

Then closing his eyes he focused on the wound guiding his will there and seized the blood and began to will it back up his arm flowing back into the wound As promised there was a huge boost in health regeneration making it so half of the health he lost from the cut was recovered by absorbing the blood The rest of the damage was low enough that his already impressive regeneration took care of it by the time he finished However

Randidly opened his eyes panting with a slight headache forming Controlling blood was fucking hard Ridiculously hard His Control was at what he had assumed was a monstrously high level already so he should be able to do it relatively easily but this was far far from easy

The other problem was that healing the wound had taken him almost 5 minutes His more optimistic hopes were that this would be able to help him heal mid match but it seemed pretty certain that this was useless for now Perhaps he could use it briefly seizing only the blood nearest the wound guiding it back into him just earning a nice boost in health That benefit would add up and probably wouldn’t take too much time

Randidly sighed So many things to train He had earned 2 skill levels in it already so at least there was that

Chapter 232

Finishing the Path in addition to the benefits given to him from it also got him over 250 in his Soul Skill giving him another Blessing of the Cleansing Rain But as he looked at the benefits from the notification Randidly couldn’t help but wrinkle his brow

Wisdom +3 Focus +7 Concentration permanently increases by 1% Mana Regeneration increases by 16 +3 Free stats

Didn’t the bonuses seem slightly different than before His memory was very sharp from his high mental stats and something about the notification struck him as if not wrong different

But Randidly had no real way of checking so ultimately just shrugged accepting the boost The next order of business was determining which path to go down Ultimately although there were still many temptations for Randidly if he kept improving like this Randidly wanted to finish the Initiate of Ash II Path After all when he finished he should become an Anointed of Ash which should have some sort of powerful positive effect

So Randidly threw his remaining PP into it and was disappointed that he didn’t receive any bonuses He sighed the previous path had made him spoiled by giving him a Vitality every 5

Then squaring his shoulders Randidly walked back into Deardun The first day of the finals portion of the tournament was about to commence

Claptrap poured himself some of the very expensive liquor he had purchased last night Would you like a drink

The head referee of the Regional Tournament scratched his beard hesitating Claptrap hid his smile but he could see the thoughts flit across the man’s face The referee was torn because he believed very strongly in the sanctity of his position This was a quality that Claptrap respected which was why he arranged this meeting

But if he wanted to continue to expand his influence the best time to do it would be now during the Regional Tournament while the other merchants were rushing to catch up with him and figure out how he managed to innovate to this point Claptrap needed to keep expanding rapidly cementing himself in the minds of his customers

Instinctively Claptrap knew that the Ghosthound would encourage him on this track There was a decisiveness that he had learned from that man and also an unrelenting doggedness in the face of adversity He would grasp this chance even if he had to beggar himself for it

For Ciel

Claptrap’s face flickered Although this had started as a way for him to get close to Ciel at this point Was that even what he wanted His earlier interaction as they arranged for some of the Engraved armors to be traded had struck home to Claptrap that she had never felt anything special for him He had simply been a store clerk with whom she had interacted with in the past

Now well

Much to Claptrap’s surprise a few of the small time vendors had expressed their admiration the previous day after everything had closed up and everything was accounted for The different policies that Claptrap had instituted for salespersons had worked and the evidence of workers stealing had dropped precipitously

Needless to say these female vendors had been very impressed by his business acumen and for the first time in a while Claptrap had not slept alone

Much to his surprise he had woken up early slipping out of bed and leaving the woman dozing naked and actually spent a good hour exercising Although he was experiencing sudden growth it suddenly occurred to Claptrap that his physical specs needed to stay at a respectable place or he would never truly have control over his new company

Pleasantly surprising were the three skill levels he gained

Still now he was also profoundly sore but

Smiling Claptrap nodded encouragingly at the referee who finally relented and gestured for a drink The man only took a small sip before staring wistfully at the drink and then setting it down on the table At that time he spoke

So What do you wish to discuss

Claptrap’s smile was wide and guileless

Randidly looked at the board critically His would be the third match which was tentatively scheduled for an hour from now As Azriel promised his opponent would be Bertarn the muscle bound fool he had clashed with in the preliminaries

For now another speech was occurring by Aethon Thai again extolling the virtues and strengths of the younger generation and encouraging them to do their best to succeed here at the tournament and then further on in their lives leading the Northern Regional to an era of prosperity

Absolute drivel

Randidly was originally planning to spend his free time meditating and using his newfound Living Blood Skill but a tap on his shoulder distracted him He turned to find a well dressed unassuming man standing beside him a small smile on the man’s face

Aiden Darke pleasure to meet you sir The man said

Randidly raised his eyebrows Was this perhaps a groupie He supposed that he was a participant not affiliated with the big Styles which apparently made the sales of his commemorative mugs that Claptrap was producing one of the highest but still this was moving a little too fast

Unsure of what to do Randidly turned away and studiously began listening to the speech Anything was better than interacting with this random guy

You looked directly at my face You’re not deaf You know I’m here Be polite and answer me

Rather than annoyed this strange groupie who called himself Aiden seemed amused He began to poke Randidly’s shoulder Randidly’s countenance became stormy and he scooted slightly to the side

He wasn’t unwilling it just seemed profoundly silly for him to get up and move away from this little pest due to pokes Surely his Endurance was high enough to weather this storm of annoying

But contrary to his earlier assumptions the man’s pokes had an incredible amount of force and the strike each time made Randidly shudder and grit his teeth How was this random idiot doing this

Spinning quickly Randidly lashed out with his arm to knock Aiden’s hand away but to his surprise Aiden reacted quickly his hand twisting and grabbing Randidly’s arm holding it still Randidly flexed his muscles but couldn’t manage to move A thin smile was on Aiden’s face

Do I have your attention now Mr Ghosthound

Randidly felt a rapidly growing sense of danger emerge from his chest Aether began to flow and revolve through his body rising his senses to the maximum levels Even then he refrained from activating his skills but he was unable to even get the grip to waiver This wasn’t a small difference of strength

Instantly Randidly become serious finally looking at the unassuming man in the eye This wasn’t a level of strength that could be faked or reached through levels such as Artisan or Adept This was the level of someone who had vastly superior stats Randidly had forgotten but this tournament was restricted to those below the Level of 25 Beyond that level lay monsters far far above the level he was currently fighting

Although not all of them had even reached the Artisan level as long as they had higher quality Class Skills and large amounts of stats they could easily overcome young geniuses who could condense their images

Good I finally have your attention Aiden Darke said with relish releasing Randidly’s hand I’m just here to gather a little bit of information no need to worry As I said previously my name is Aiden Darke I belong to the Engraving Guild

Chapter 233

After the discussion with Aiden Darke Randidly’s expression was frosty Darke had insisted on Randidly revealing where he had obtained the Engraved equipment from Not for a second did Darke seem to have any suspicion that Randidly himself had produced them but they knew that the equipment flowed through Randidly

And after the earlier display of strength Randidly had no qualms with keeping silent about the true culprit at all

Randidly briefly considered throwing Shal under the bus as the culprit due to his recent unreliable streak but decided against it It was a pointless move because Shal or Darke or perhaps both would swiftly return angry at being led around pointlessly and bothered

For now Darke had departed unsatisfied but unwilling to do anything currently

As the nice speaker has said you are the pride of our generation Darke said in a soft voice Of course the Engraving Guild will take no action on a brave and bold participant in the Regional Tournament such as yourself But some of your associates might be brought in for questioning Pay it no mind it is merely routine

The thought of Helen and Teliph within that unassuming man’s grasp or even the other male spear attendant dammit what was his name

What was most disturbing about the whole interaction was that even as Randidly watched the man’s departing back knowing his strength his senses couldn’t pick up on it at all If he hadn’t personally experienced his power Randidly wouldn’t believe that the person was anything other than an average individual

Truly Randidly had been taking the world far too lightly

But the man left and Randidly turned his attention to the matches absently cutting into his arm and focusing on his blood struggling to control it to go back into his body

The first match was between two seeded individuals a man and a woman For the first several minutes they appeared to be evenly matched executing flashy moves which clashed brilliantly dazzling the audience Randidly narrowed his eyes This was such a farce

And as Randidly expected after a few more clashes the man was overpowered and surrendered to the cheers and boos of the audience They were captured by the fervor and power of the combat but Randidly was rather unimpressed It was clear from the very first move that the female participant was strong much stronger than the male

Ciel Tath huh Randidly would need to remember that name She was at an indeterminate level where he was very unsure of his ability to beat her Below Azriel for sure but

The second match was rather boring again between two seeded individuals They were both powerful but from a glance Randidly knew that this was just arranged to showcase these young talents but the ones who arranged the bracket knew that they would lose to Ciel in the next round regardless of who prevailed

Still it was more interesting to watch at least from the perspective that they were at a similar level of strength There was actual strife and drama in the contest Randidly watched memorizing the different moves and images filing them away for later when he had to train alone Truly they were strong Perhaps just as strong as him with their spear

Which was why to win Randidly was going to rely on his less traditional strengths

When the third match was called Randidly once again focused one of the participants was Dian Her red hair stuck out like a brand as she came onto the stage showered with boos from the audience Where Randidly had a strangely positive reaction among the populace led by a strange fan club that had sprung up Dian had instead been reviled

Whether it was the colors of her Tassle her icy demeanor or the lingering rumors about her Style as the student of the Devourer she was public enemy number one in the tournament People spewed hateful venomous filled terms about her looks her spear her clothes

But she met it all with a burning gaze her body filled with energy When the fight began Randidly had wondered how she would fare against stronger foes he needn’t have worried Her strange energy that devoured images had grown strong noticeably stronger than when she had fought him in the preliminaries and she was a half step quicker

Randidly smiled sardonically Although it was annoying to admit her growth was only a hair slower than his own And perhaps not even that it might even exceed him

But again while she could destroy those who relied on images she didn’t have the raw stats to compete directly with this level of spear user Perhaps she had learned that lesson from her fight with Randidly because in this match her energy was much more concentrated doing its best to quickly eat through the other’s Battle Intent and begin to corrode and weaken the opponent’s body directly

Whether the man was weak or the energy was stronger than Randidly could tell from here as soon as the energy reached him he began to panic and retreat away from it trying to open up some space

Dian didn’t let this opening pass and pursued him mercilessly chasing him down and wearing him down with her energy At some point the man realized that she could easily overcome him from a distance with her strange energy and turned around lashing out towards Dian But at that point it was too late She had already ripped away his most powerful images leaving him reeling

The match finished soon after that Randidly’s expression was serious So it seemed that if he beat Bertarn his next opponent would be Dian Although that should reassure him somewhat based on the fact he had fought against her previously and prevailed Randidly could find no solace in the news

Not only was she improving but based on the determined expression on her face Randidly knew that she wouldn’t hesitate to do everything she could to win Her trump that she had previously held back would no doubt manifest itself in their match Well as long as he pushed her that far

Randidly supposed that if he simply lost he would have no need to face it But then he shook his head clearing away such thoughts Her determination was strange It was as if

And at that moment Dian turned to the booing crowd scanning it and after a few seconds her eyes locked onto Randidly They gazed at each other for several seconds Then Dian turned and walked off the stage

Randidly scowled standing and heading towards the underground The meaning of that look was pretty clear The source of her determination it was him But what had he done to earn her ire Was it the Qualifier The defeat in the triple elimination portion of the tournament Was it as simple as the fights between their respective masters

Or perhaps the answer was in the fact that she had come to visit their quarters the prior night asking to see Shal

Either way it was not something he should concern himself with currently there was a match to fight

After a small time for the referee to repair the stage Randidly was led up and brought face to face with the tall well muscled man that was Bertarn His gaze was still calm and respectful as their previous fight It seemed that even after he had obtained a victory against Randidly previously he didn’t let him swell his head He focused on his goal and moved directly towards it

Randidly supposed it was the intelligent decision but a decisive flashy victory here against an opponent who underestimated him would be so much easier In terms of physical specifications even Randidly’s monstrous Stamina and Regeneration might not measure up to the powerful man before him It was clear from every line of his body that a lot of effort went into perfecting his physical form Randidly had no doubt that several of his skills were something like his own Physical Fitness

Thinking Randidly’s mood soured further It was also clear that such a man would be an effective counter to Dian He was a handsome enough fellow and after two harrowing and close battles against the unseeded individuals it was likely projected he would clash against Ciel and lose gracefully

Meanwhile Ciel’s graceful Style was more at a disadvantage against Dian and it would severely weaken the respect that the population had for the Styles if she were to struggle noticeably It was all a stupid elaborate play

Randidly raised his spear Time to throw a fucking wrench in the works

Bertarn’s eyes scanned his opponent There was no fear in this slim dark haired man in front of him which made Bertarn wary He was not a man who took others lightly and was not a genius like some of the other blessed children of the Styles No Bertarn was a man who reached this position through dogged hard work and an unwillingness to give up

His will was iron and with that he had forged a body of steel The Ghosthound had faced him previously and had been swiftly overwhelmed in a direct confrontation Perhaps he had planned something in order to equalize the contest

Although they had fought previously Bertarn knew that was immediately after the Ghosthound had been eviscerated by Azriel Now without those wounds hampering him he would likely be sharper

But still Bertarn breathed in breathed out and then looked directly at his opponent No tricks would matter He had confidence in his body and would demonstrate it by crushing this spear mage

The referee called the beginning of the match and immediately the Ghosthound used the skills he had demonstrated previously creating a Wall of Thorns Sighing and scratching his neck Bertarn walked forwards his spear held loosely at his side Do you really think

But before he could finish the thorns burst apart revealing the Ghosthound who charged forward with blazing eyes Within a second he had arrived before Bertarn who couldn’t believe what he was seeing But then his training kicked in and he narrowed his eyes

A clever ploy and he fell for it getting caught off guard But now the real fight would begin

Chapter 234

Randidly’s spear blurred as he thrust it forward aiming for the center of Bertarn’s mass Although he couldn’t out endure Bertarn if he could give his Flesh Eating Virus a chance to do his work it would make his long term viability much more realistic

Unfortunately although Bertarn was caught off guard he hadn’t totally lost his focus and was able to bring up the shaft of his spear knocking the thrust away So Randidly simply raised his hand and pointed undeterred

Incinerating Bolt

Bertarn’s eyes widened in recognition just as Randidly raised his hand but it was already too late Or at least Randidly had assumed so but he appeared to have underestimated Bertarn’s Agility Twisting wildly Bertarn made it so the bolt of fire only clipped his arm pit sizzling his skin and filling the arena with the smell of burnt flesh but largely preserving the structural integrity of his musculature

Well let’s push a bit harder than shall we ’ Randidly thought to himself

Pierce the Skies Shatter the Earth

Behind Bertarn an image of a mountain was already starting to form and he was rapidly regaining his balance even as Randidly struck several times in quick succession after the Incinerating Bolt The only choice was to up the tempo

Randidly’s body hurtled upward and Bertarn calmly stepped backwards avoiding any of the damage But then at the apex of his jump Randidly flexed his arms and flung his obsidian spear downwards creating a monstrous projectile reminiscent of a ballista Bertarn’s calm eyes scanned the descending spear and he raised his spear to meet it

But then his face twisted in a scowl and he roared his fury the mountain behind him wavering slightly stuck between formation and remaining a mirage he had been pierced from below by roots while his attention was elsewhere

Even though the roots were annoying his powerful physical body meant that the wounds were rather shallow He stopped his feet and shook his legs to rip through the roots but at that point the spear arrived Most of the momentum that was to be Randidly’s when he fell to the ground had been transferred to the spear so when the spears clashed there was a huge noise and explosion of force

Bertarn gritted his teeth and stumbled backwards Midair Randidly used the White Phantom’s Half Step moving rapidly closer touching lightly down on the ground right in front of Bertarn Without even a flicker of hesitation Randidly stepped forward under the raised spear of the towering Bertarn arriving in front of him

But Bertarn was still a powerful spear user he quickly sniffed out that Randidly was approaching rapidly even if he didn’t know what his plans were Bertarn brought his spear down in a blow that had the air screaming Displaying a remarkable amount of Grace and flexibility Randidly spun away avoiding the cracked battle ground and arriving only scant inches away from Bertarn’s side

The corners of his mouth quirked up in a smile as Randidly watched Bertarn’s head swivel around to glare balefully at him Truly only one battle a day was best That way he could spend his mana freely without worry

The fire exploded outward burning Bertarn’s skin further Roaring Bertarn managed to grit his teeth through the pain and concussive force only after two steps backwards finding once more his stance The mountain seemed to solidify becoming increasingly real ravines and ridges revealing themselves across its stony surface

Randidly activated Burning Footsteps due to the amount of mana he had to spare but also to inflict a small amount of constant damage to Bertarn should he be able to stay near Although his Physical Defense stats were high Randidly suspected that he was much more susceptible to magic damage

An image of a large clock appeared behind Randidly and low hysterical laughter could be heard echoing Around Randidly a cloak of darkness seemed to descend shrouding his features and his exact position

Randidly’s roots those that had earlier inflicted only a small amount of damage on Bertarn but distracted him at a critical point lifted Randidly’s spear and handed it back to him Immediately Randidly slashed forward

The mountain behind Bertarn seemed to tremble and now it solidified rocks beginning to tumble down its side forming a rockslide Bertarn’s eyes burned as his powerful strike rumbled forward to meet Randidly’s

Randidly grinned The clock ticked ominously

The Idiosyncratic Cut

Bertarn blinked as Randidly’s spear seemed to teleport forward Randidly immediately activated Haste Empower Mana Strengthening and the active form of Yggdrasil’s golden roots raising his striking power to its maximum point After all this skill severely weakened his striking power and Randidly had to be sure to wound Bertarn while he was still thrown off tempo

He needn’t have worried The slash ripped a huge gash across Bertarn’s chest spraying blood everywhere Although Bertarn was strong the obsidian spear was similarly dominating and ripped open his flesh

Randidly stepped forward past Bertarn and out of the way of his strike which made the very air shake with its force

Then he pivoted smoothly and regarded Bertarn his senses picking up the small fizzling noise already coming from Bertarn’s chest

The flesh eating virus was more intimidating than Randidly had imagined It was hard to tell its exact effect but it could probably neutralize a lot of Bertarn’s Health Regeneration But he had only landed one significant wound after expending over 50% of his mana

Randidly moved forward again leaving a trail of flaming footsteps behind him not allowing Bertarn to catch his breath He struck again and again weaving Inevitable Phantom Arrives and the Idiosyncratic Cut together to keep Bertarn from truly grasping his timing More and more small wounds appeared across Bertarn’s body but his expression had frozen into a stoic acceptance his spear moving competently to block Randidly’s advance

But Randidly wouldn’t let him off that easily

Bertarn felt it in the wounds a strange wrongness that began to spread becoming a weakness a slowness This was poison

A part of him was furious at the dishonorable conduct but another part had a deep respect for the Ghosthound He was only passable in terms of spear usage but he could seamlessly strike at Bertarn with his spear while attacking with spells and other skills Bertarn watched his opponent’s spells very closely They were powerful sure but

Then as the Ghosthound’s spear seemed to twist around his own and score another shallow cut on his forearm Bertarn saw it It wasn’t the spells either that made this man so powerful They too were rather unpolished probably at a sub 100 Skill Level The first and more confusing of the two strengths of the Ghosthound was the fact that he seemed to have quite a few stat points and by extension skills

Perhaps even more than Bertarn who had thought he had pushed his body to the limit in terms of the amount of physical skills he could learn before Aether Starvation forced him to take a class There was a breadth of Skills that he had that access to that had all risen to significant if not impressive levels Bertarn suspected the man in front of him had double as many skills as he did

As for the second thing it was as though the Ghosthound didn’t even understand the difficulty of working active skills into his style They moved seamlessly Either he had trained a very long time for this sort of genius level integration or more disturbingly he had waited to learn the spear until he had gained access to his active skills

Those two fields had grown together twining perfectly Which would explain why his spear work was so shallow but also

It also made Bertarn wonder If the Ghosthound had waited to train in the spear until he had a class and also until he pushed himself to a level where he could learn spells He seemed to be in his early 20s so he could at most have been training in the spear for 7 or so years To reach this level of mastery after 7 years

Bertarn smiled bitterly

Again and again the Ghosthound struck his eyes burning emerald using flame and root and spear to wound Bertarn and drive him back The man was also a master at striking where he didn’t expect it keeping Bertarn off his game and unable to hit him with the full force that he could muster He effectively was keeping Bertarn at around 80% of his max strength which was still stronger than the Ghosthound but it was not overpowering enough to make up the difference that was created by the Ghosthound’s spells

Abruptly Bertarn found himself extremely tired He had encountered this a lot in his life this difference between himself and the opponent Despite his training despite his hard work

Sometimes Bertarn found himself face to face with an existence he could only describe as a Genius and all his struggles were futile

Something inside of him folded and Bertarn spoke quietly

Chapter 235

Strangely after Randidly returned to his inn he found Bertarn already waiting for him In the wake of his concession Bertarn had slipped away the man with the towering body covered in muscles moving surprisingly quietly fading away His Style was aghast and furious and the crowd was raving

After all Randidly had worked himself into a rather popular position simply by his identity of a participant not affiliated with the larger Styles This combined with Claptrap’s subtle encouragement of the support for the Ghosthound had led the wider populace to cheer wildly for this upset

But the reception from the Styles was unsurprisingly chilly

Randidly had assumed that Bertarn was the type to sequester himself in a location for a while swearing his vengeance and coming back later He had that sort of insatiable tenacity in the air around him His quick departure Randidly had originally thought was so that he could throw himself into more training

The Bertarn that waited for Randidly at his inn simply seemed profoundly tired He looked up when Randidly arrived and followed Randidly up to his room

Slightly on edge and curious Randidly asked Why are you here

Bertarn’s eyes were hollow and gaunt Although Randidly had put a good amount of pressure on him during the match this level of exhaustion he seemed to have aged several years in the last hour or so Bertarn smiled slightly

Two reasons One I bring a message from the head of my Style the High Mountain Style to you You can consider this a message from all of the Styles of Deardun The second Well Bertarn sighed A personal warning But let’s get to the message first

Dear Randidly Ghosthound Congratulations Bertarn began speaking mechanically You might think us backwards minded and stubborn but we are not enthused that we had underestimated your strength You were not meant to win that match But perhaps that was our own overconfidence in the individual we chose to face you He will be appropriately punished

The way Bertarn delivered these words specifically about his punishment without even a flicker of changing expression made Randidly narrow his eyes But he remained silent as Bertarn continued to recite the message that he had been told to deliver

But you should know that we have watched you very closely Your associations your companions your associations with the renegade Engraving that you have involved yourself in Randidly smiled bitterly That at least explained why the man from the Engraving Guild had had showed up Supposing he hadn’t won as these old codgers planned they undoubtedly would have approached him with a deal to protect Randidly in exchange for his servitude As it hadn’t worked out that way they were now trying to use it as a threat to keep him in line But what did they want

To be frank we are aware with your recent involvement with Azriel with the stated goal of finding a way to beat Drak Wyrd Cease this involvement Drak Wyrd must win the tournament But even more than that Due to political reasons you are not allowed to proceed past the top 8 This should be sufficient to retain the status of your father Style Should you attempt past this level We will destroy you

Bertarn kept the same even delivery even with the final threat Silence reigned for several seconds as Randidly mulled this over He was not unfamiliar with being threatened but this still sent a chill down his spine Randidly suspected that he was truly moving up in the world the people who threatened him this time were a level above the typical schmucks who dared speak out against him

They were even probably at or above the level of Shal and Divveltian Which meant he had to proceed carefully Or acquire new backing something that could give the larger Styles pause Would they actually carry out their threat while he was still in the tournament That was hard to say and Randidly had hoped to be returned to his Cohort immediately on completion of the tournament both to return to his village and to escape the vengeance of the Engraving Guild

Randidly cursed himself for not figuring out the details of such a return earlier It was very important that he be able to figure out how it was done and execute it without the help of the Styles Switching his attention Randidly examined Bertarn who seemed content to simply stand and wait

Why must I not proceed past the top 8 Randidly asked aloud

Bertarn hesitated for a second and then said I am not sure about the exact details But I suspect that it is related to the fact that the Top 4 shall proceed to an Inter School Tournament to determine who shall proceed to face the next Calamity Perhaps your presence would throw off their plans more than they would be willing to allow Plus a Top 8 finish will still give you a token to enter the Spearman School Hall of Records so

Randidly frowned He truly wanted to ask about the Calamity but he suspected that the words would again be blurred out by the strange protection of the System But it did make a certain sense that the Styles would want to control the people who would leave from their Region to the broader tournament

When is the tournament

About a year and a half All of the Regions in all of the Schools will need to finish their own tournaments and travel there Bertarn said But as I said try to put that out of mind If you actually dare cross them they won’t hesitate In fact they might even intervene directly after the match Although they would risk public opinion turning against them if it was done out of sight

Bertarn fell silent Randidly chuckled Truly bullies would be bullies no matter where it was

What of you You’ve already given plenty warnings what more do I have to be worried about Randidly asked sarcastically After all they were in a tournament He was well aware of the dangers associated with the fighting and retribution from other sources in the wake of the results

Bertarn was silent for several seconds but then said slowly It is strange Almost as if it was a dream But immediately after I accepted it and lost I thought I could hear a whisper Telling me to reach out and take the strength I needed to win To steal it To become a Devourer

Shivering Bertarn shook his head and looked at Randidly Even now I half believe that I imagined this voice But at the moment I felt it A wild and vicious strength I could have if I traded away my honor just beyond my fingertips

Sighing Bertarn fell silent Randidly scratched his head

If you didn’t take it why are you telling me this

So you will take care with your next opponent Bertarn said snapping out of his reverie She is the disciple of the Devourer It would make sense if she had the ability to bring others to her path I am satisfied with my own abilities but others in the tournament especially when the finish line is so close Even if you win I suspect she will continue to try and intervene against you holding that grudge for as long as she lives

Bertarn gave Randidly a serious look Perhaps it would be for the best if you kill her in your match

After Bertarn left Randidly sat and meditated Too many forces were moving in too many directions It was hard to keep track of which ones were worth following In addition forces were now trying to act on even his free time keeping him from advancing He had a few thoughts about avoiding their detection but

It would be slightly time consuming There was a break between this match in the next two free days where he could work But work on avoiding detection was time he wasn’t working on actually increasing his ability to succeed in a fight Gritting his teeth Randidly cursed his own weakness

In a way he cursed himself for being drawn out to this Cohort and his stubborn honor for demanding he throw himself into this impossible task It ended up vastly increasing his strength across the board but it had taken more than two years of his life Although he had some suspicions that Vitality would keep him from aging outwardly that wasn’t the point

It wasn’t vanity that made Randidly slightly bitter it was homesickness For a place he had spent only a few scant months But he had spent that time building something He wasn’t likely to quickly forget that time From their perspective Randidly had spent as much time there as he had away as several months had passed Not that he thought they would forget about him or had the strength to ignore the new him if he wished to but

Sighing Randidly leaned back With the rest of tonight and the two days tomorrow there were several things he needed to do The first was investigate how to return to his Cohort and the second was work on his basic physical passive skills Physical Fitness Flexibility of the White Hunters and Grace These skills would give him more variety and smooth transitions in his fighting style

In the fight with Bertarn it became very clear that while Bertarn faired very well against a single spell when Randidly started switching among them very quickly Bertarn soon faltered If he could leverage that strength It was likely due to his high Control and it made Randidly make a mental note to do the Path of Control next

As for whether he should pursue the way to hide himself from detection and continue to have interactions with Azriel Her training was extremely valuable due to her great strength and after only a single time of interaction he had gained a dozen or so skill levels That was even before she had a comprehensive idea about his skills Randidly had no doubt that she had carefully watched his match against Bertarn and would use it to refine a training regimen to make him more versatile and surprising

After all the goal was for him to make Drak Wyrd serious even if just for a moment so Azriel’s eyes could analyze him

Plus she was really pretty It was dumb for him to think of now but

Randidly sighed He had always done dumb things around pretty women Although in the past before Tessa the dumb things he had done mainly involved being super standoffish and weird making them avoid him but still

So Randidly resolved himself immediately to working on his ability to escape detection He got out several sheets of paper a pen and then the Encyclopedias given to him by the Willow Tree Spear Style It was time to study and attack that Shadow IV Engraving

Chapter 236

The crowd milled about the stands unsure of why there were signs put up indicating there would be entertainment available in the arena today Yesterday had been the matches to determine the top 16 so according to the schedule there should be two days of break for the people to wander around the city and enjoy the festival like atmosphere Why did the referees signal something would be occurring here today

Claptrap’s smile was sly as he walked up with the male spear attendant and the head referee This was actually an idea that he had come up with on his own but when he approached the Ghosthound he was surprised to find that he already knew of such programming and offered some very concrete advice for increasing the success of his idea

The referee coughed awkwardly then began to speak in halting tones Ah well we are here today to offer to you the err the supporters of the Northern Regional Tournament for some analysis in the wider tournament

The referee gave Claptrap a pleading look who simply looked on impassively They had already come to an agreement so why was he dragging his feet

So uh here they are The referee finished lamely Claptrap cursed inwardly but gestured and a dozen or so of his employees rushed out erecting a small raised platform off the stage with a table Claptrap walked over and sat down with the male spear attendant

The one thing the Ghosthound had been very clear about is that they needed to take on different roles Not just their usual personality but in terms of what they were saying One guy needed to constantly blow things out of proportion while the other needed to offer commentary based more in fact and reel the other one in Claptrap wanted to start refining his image as a competent head of his company so insisted that the male spear attendant be the hype guy But he was a little worried about how easily the male spear attendant would accept his role

Realizing the audience was staring awkwardly at them Claptrap opened his mouth to speak but the male spear attendant beat him to the punch

This The male spear attendant bellowed standing and smashing his fist down cracking the table Is perhaps the greatest Regional Tournament the Northern Region has had in 100 years

Claptrap’s eyelid twitched at the damage to the table The audience began to whisper to each other wide eyed

The the last 100 Claptrap said weakly trying to establish himself but once more the male spear attendant bellowed

NO You are right friend The last 500 years For the last 100 Regional Tournaments I have no doubt in my mind that the concentration of heroic spear users we have now can be rivaled Truly it is the golden age to live in the Northern Region of the Spearman School

The people were more excited now smiling and nodding Truly there hadn’t been

Interrupting his own thoughts Claptrap began to vocalize Truly there hasn’t been so many upsets and powerful contestants of note in a long time Which is why we are here today folks We now are down to our best 16 and I think we should take a long look at each one of them examining their fighting style and making predictions on the outcome of matches So why don’t we start with

As Claptrap continued to speak his eyes scanned the stands as people watched with rapt attention speaking in low tones to each other and then turning back for the analysis All the while they purchased concessions food and ale

Claptrap could practically feel the gold filling his pockets

Helen sat on the ground meditating still nursing a burning anger towards Randidly’s dismissive attitude towards her the prior night The fury had shrunk but its core was perhaps heating up even further the longer she mulled over it because while she was mad

A small stream of Aether flowed into her filling her with strength Ever since he had touched her back and she had instinctively accepted the gift he was giving her Aether was constantly flowing into her And it wasn’t the same as the stiff almost unhealthy thing she now regarded the Aether from villages to be but it was pure and accepting She could easily shape it strengthening her images and body

Her ability to level skills increased by leaps and bounds It was truly a godsend Her level under the tutelage of Divveltian rapidly improved to the level where Helen believed that if they could travel back in time she could participate in the tournament herself and achieve modest results

Which in fact only made her fury grow more vicious Did Randidly think that she could be placated with Aether and he didn’t need to respect her That fucking piece of shit she would rip off his dirty Aether dick and sell it to the highest bidder

But now he had disappeared perhaps following the footsteps of Shal and Claptrap and the male spear attendant were practicing being clowns in front of the audience Teliph was strong but his continued Aether Sickness meant that he couldn’t really spar with her for extended periods of time to work off her anger especially now as her growth became explosive

So she was forced to sit alone waiting

There was a knock on the door

Come in Helen said warily Who among the pieces who knew where she was staying would knock

The door opened and Ikaas stood there awkwardly Helen wondered idly if her mother had sent her cousin but she was at least enough of distraction from the brooding that she brought Ikaas into the room and gave her some of Claptrap’s ale to drink

Why did you come Helen asked bluntly

Ikaas blushed Do do you remember how Islinda would hire an individual to accompany us when we would go out

Helen’s mouth twitched Yes she did recall how her mother would insist that they take one of the half way decent spear users among their distant relations when they would meet men for dates’ where they would be trotted around like ponies It was fucking dumb and she would tell her mother this at every available opportunity but her mother would insist there was safety in numbers

Which wasn’t wrong but these were cowardly men that Helen could beat black and blue even before she had experienced her most recent boost Before she had run away from her family entered the qualifier and met Randidly

Yes what of it Helen said offhandedly but as soon as she did so she felt a sinking feeling in her stomach Ikaas sent here alone to her Asking if she recalled the stupid chaperone rule Right after her mother had witnessed her fight off Kanan

She had to give her mother this she would make use of any tool she could to accomplish her goals Even her own daughter Especially her own daughter Except the only problem now was that Helen wasn’t sure what her mother’s goal was If Helen’s strength became known there would be fewer small powers similar to the leatherworking district she grew up in that would be willing to offend them There would even likely be suitors to relatives like Ikaas

But that was too shallow and Helen knew it That was her one great vexation with her mother For all that she believed her to be a foolish bitch she took the long view in a way that Helen had never been able to manage

Would you would you be willing to chaperone me Ikaas asked weakly her eyes already wet with tears at the thought of being rejected Helen could only sigh

Which is how she found herself accompanying Ikaas and a man from some Style out to dinner To her mother’s credit the man seemed passably attractive in a large bulky sort of way and was genuinely interested in Ikaas as a potential match Apparently he had seen her wandering the market and been captivated by her beauty

He had even kept the amount of furtive looks he had given Helen to less than three before he devolved into an animated conversation with Ikaas To his credit they had even been more speculative as in sizing her battle strength up rather that dismissive or lustful

With nothing else to do Helen could only sip her ale and listen in on their conversation unwillingly learning more about him His name was Turn and he was a very minor disciple at one of the 4 largest Styles in Deardun In terms of potential he was just average but he had impressed a high level disciple by risking his body to protect a child Due to this act he was brought in and given instruction

It was too much to say his potential had blossomed but he had proceeded to grow at a nice pace and the skills of the Style were well suited to him If he continued to perform well his instructors had told him he would be taught a 3 skill Skillset which would boost his combat power and future potential immensely

Recently he had been toying with heading to the frontlines after seeing how powerful some individuals his age could be through the tournament and

On and on Helen waved for another drink

Um cousin don’t you think you keep ordering the most expensive ale Ikaas said nervously

Feeling slightly drunk and very irritable Helen simply waved her hand Nah I get free ale I know a guy

Oh well do you think Turn began good naturedly but eyeing the high end ale with envy but Ikaas hurriedly stepped on his toes and whispered several things in quick succession to him He immediately blanched and shut up

Helen nodded very pleased with this This sort of reaction she could get used to it And this sort of ale

Huhuhu Turn on a date are you A voice behind her rumbled Helen twisted around in her seat and looked up and then up farther because the man behind her towered over her Then she blinked because she recognized the man

Ah Helen pointed You are fucking Bertarn Must suck to be knocked out of the Tournament Have an ale

Chapter 237

Around her everyone at the table froze Ikaas with shock more than anything else seeming to have recognized Bertarn as well but aghast that Helen would talk so directly to him Turn was torn between laughing and growling in anger and his face was twisted in a very amusing fashion

But of them all Bertarn was the most amusing His face was completely blank as he seemed to struggle that someone would have the gall to say this to him More than that a woman said it to him Well perhaps he didn’t think that Helen allowed but he certainly looked like the type who had been hiding some sort of sexism Maybe he wanted to slap a wench’s ass while she worked in the kitchen

Contrary to her expectations Betarn didn’t seem to get mad at all after he had a few seconds to process her reaction Instead he began to laugh a deep belly laugh that had him bending over and slapping his knee Turn seemed even more taken aback than Helen at his reaction and Ikaas just laughed awkwardly along with him carried away by her nerves

Helen’s mouth twitched Truly the girl spent more time with her mother than was good for her Slowly frayed away your ability to think for yourself Although he seemed incredibly boring Turn would be a good balance for her

Straightening Bertarn said Well yes it does suck And thank you I’ll have an ale

As if this was the most natural thing in the world he pulled up a chair and waved a hand It seemed that this man was more famous than Helen had given him credit for because a waiter instantly scrambled over looking delighted at the chance to take Bertarn’s order

Helen supposed she had really known his fame but it was so hard to keep track of all the different people that Randidly beat in the tournament

Like a bucket of ice cold water it hit her that her association with him had changed her in incredible ways He had opened doors that she never would have been able to do otherwise Her strength too in her chest the warm slender flow of Aether twined around her heart

Fucking asshole It was annoying to stay mad at him when he was just so fucking useful

So who are you two lovely ladies Bertarn asked politely smiling at Ikaas before turning his gaze curiously to Helen

She shrugged I’m here chaperoning these two fucking love birds And drinking while I’m at it

Bertarn’s eyes changed slightly and Helen knew that he had noticed her omission of any real information about herself But he nodded as if this was fine Indeed Well it is truly a tragedy that such a pretty lady needs to drink alone After my loss I have some free time Perhaps we could make this a double date

Randidly tsk’d to himself tossing aside his most recent Engraving attempt Although he had the idea down his ability to Engrave was not yet at a high enough level to manage the Shadow IV rune It was both a matter of control and sensitivity the detail associated with the rune was bewilderingly complex even in the curves

After several attempts Randidly gleaned that the rune was actually made by drawing the lines effectively twice once forwards once backwards layering the lines onto it in a complex way

What it ended up being was an exceedingly painful headache It was hard to tell with any surety how the two lines interacted and layered on each other Randidly simply didn’t have enough experience discerning how they interacted On that front the 2nd volume of the encyclopedias he had been given seemed to be very helpful but that was rough sledding Studying those tomes took time and perhaps it was due to the presence of the tournament but Randidly didn’t have much patience to spare

Randidly had spent most of the last day walking around the perimeter of Deardun’s walls practicing his Engraving and Living Blood trying to familiarize himself with his more recent skill acquisitions so he would feel comfortable working them into fights

Finding a nice patch overlooking a river Randidly sat down and took stock of his gains over the past two days He had been so focused on improving himself that he hadn’t really spent any of his PP leaving him with a sizable amount

Randidly had gained 7 Skill Lvls in Living Blood 4 in Meditation and Bacterial Regeneration 3 in Incinerating Bolt 2 in Pierce the Skies Shatter the Earth and Grace 1 lvl in Flexibility of the White Hunters Circle of Flame and White Phantom’s Half Step 3 in Haste and Empower 2 in Heavy Blow and Flesh Eating Virus 5 in Mana Engraving and Weeping Cloud 4 in Burning Footsteps 2 in Hammer of the Dawn and Superiority and a surprising 11 in Weather Affinity

Randidly believed that the levels in Weather Affinity were due to the fact he had spent the last day moving creating rain clouds and feeling the soft relaxing drops of rain spread across his skin while he Engraved During his frustrating failures he had considered the sky a lot Although Shal’s world was somewhat different from his own there didn’t seem to be any strange weather patterns Clouds sun breeze it all was the same A strange fact when Randidly thought about it but likely a good one

It just seemed statistically unlikely that two such climates would exist Admittedly it was hard to say whether his Vitality and Endurance had risen to the point where he could survive in other more extreme climates but he was likely close

All in all he had earned a fair amount of PP Unfortunately he hadn’t made any real headway on the Shadow IV rune It was simply a few orders tooadvanced for his current self So after he had spent his remaining PP and earned another Blessing of the Murderous Cold Randidly finally addressed the issue he had been avoiding by working on his Engraving

Should he go meet Azriel again

On the one hand he wanted to She while Shal was off doing god knows what would give him some pointers and direction She seemed to be genuinely working to help him which still left Randidly feeling slightly suspicious but he was willing to accept it based on her actions thus far

On the other hand Randidly’s encounter with the Engraving Guild reminded him that his power was only suitable to face those at a similar age to him With a powerful Vitality there were monsters out there that were probably hundreds of years old just constantly grinding their skill level

In terms of sincerity he knew he had some breathing room with the larger Styles as long as the tournament continued The question was how long after that he would have to wait after the tournament ended before he could transfer back to his home Cohort Based on the inquiries he had made earlier in the day it actually wasn’t that expensive the only problem was a village needed to build a Grand Teleportal in order to move between Cohorts And the closest one was at the abandoned village that formed the core of the Qtal region

Even being optimistic Randidly knew that he would need to travel 48 hours at reasonable speed in order to arrive at the portal Which when pursued by annoyed upper tier experts from Deardun was a little

Probably a little too far especially as his efforts to prepare an avenue of stealth through the Shadow IV rune failed It was also hard to discern how effective such a measure would be After all these powerful individuals were clearly beyond his ability to deal with in terms of combat and especially spear use But their supporting stats their detection skills

It was possible that they were prepared with sharp reflexes for a direct fight but magic would buy Randidly some precious time But all of this was conjecture He supposed he could ask Divveltian but

Sighing Randidly stood Divveltian had taken Shal’s departure rather hard and was wandering about the city coming in and out of their inn muttering to himself He seemed intent on finding Shal but he wouldn’t speak of why it was so pressing Randidly even had thoughts of breaching the subject of an Aether Donation with him but this new Divveltian made him wary

There was also Dian to worry about Bertarn wasn’t the type to lie and his stories about that impulse to reach out and seize a foreign power gave Randidly pause His initial reaction was to believe that the Creature was beginning to move but somehow this felt different Less powerful less insidious More of the temptations of a common street prostitute than the seductive way the creature had wormed herself into Randidly previously

Besides he didn’t seem to be the target If anything Based on what Bertarn said it was anyone BUT him that was targeted

Was it truly Dian reaching out to the rest of the competition But it seemed an incredibly inefficient way to target him

Of what are you thinking Your anxiety is quite clear on your face If you were like this in a battle it would be simple to destroy you

Randidly blinked and turned to find Azriel and her bone white hair standing behind him on the wall peering at him

How how did you

Your female spear attendant I accosted her and Bertarn while they were on a date She told me to look for the wandering cloud Azriel pointed up to the small grey cloud still raining down on them

So She continued her eyes burning Why are you avoiding me

Chapter 238

There was something extremely dangerous in Azriel’s voice when she spoke A strange wariness towards Randidly that hadn’t been there before After a slight hesitation Randidly shrugged and decided not to overthink it

I was warned to stay away from you by Deardun’s Styles I was thinking about what to do this past day

Azriel snorted To think those old fools would even bother to follow up with you They make something out of nothing It is not as though my master truly wishes to change the seat of power in the North

Cocking his head to the side Randidly was inwardly very glad that he didn’t plan on remaining in Shal’s world for much longer than was necessary to repay his debts Still remaining after he finished the tournament would be his debt to the Willow Tree Spear Style who gave him the Engraving books and made him promise to help seek revenge against the Engraving Guilds but realistically Randidly would need to come back to that It was a goal that he could not shoulder at present

Then Randidly blinked Wait female spear attendant did Azriel mean Helen Helen was on a DATE

Well anyway let me assure you nothing will come of it By the time of the next match my master will have arrived in the Deardun and it will be able to protect you

Randidly was once again jarred away from his train of thought rather abruptly It

For the first time since Randidly had seen the beautiful woman Azriel looked uneasy Yes it Perhaps it might seem strange to you but my master was originally a quest monster that has gained sentience and independence from the System after a fashion It has even received a class which should assuage any worries you might have

Worries that he didn’t really have until Azriel acted though it was very reasonable for him to have worries Well it’s not as though Randidly had a particularly adverse reaction to monsters Honestly for the longest time he had considered some of the residents of Shal’s world monsters based on their colored skin how about 1 in 10 had a third eye and how the physical proportions of their body was far beyond what a human body would be able to equal

Although Randidly had fought and killed the Tribulations too it wasn’t as though he had any particular gripe with them They were just monsters that seemed pretty clearly out to kill him

And anyway the term monster

Again you frown like an elderly matchmaker planning for her daughter Azriel announced a small smile on her face You wear your emotions far too openly Luckily your battle lust covers up most of that but still Something to keep in mind Anyways let’s begin We can fight here

Uh wait Randidly said raising his hands Although your master is undoubtedly powerful I don’t want to offend

Nonsense no one will even remember they bothered to say something to you after I win the tournament Azriel said removing her spear from her spatial ring with a flourish Unless you doubt my chances

Randidly just shook his head This sort of shameless direct person was exactly the type that he had the hardest time dealing with Annoyed that she was making the decision for him but curious if his stat gains would make any difference Randidly removed his spear and prepared for the battle ahead

As a start signal Azriel gave him an impish smile and then disappeared

Two days later at dawn of the day of the Top 16 matches Randidly woke groggily His body

He groaned Azriel was not only extremely powerful with her spear but she was also extremely energetic It made Randidly wonder what level her Vitality was at because even boosted as he was by the Golden Roots of Yggdrasil she was always a step ahead in terms of recovery time

Honestly he was beginning to suspect she had several rather rare skills ones powerful enough to rival his own if not in quantity in quality It was a frightening thought and made Randidly even more curious about her opponent the person who everyone considered even more powerful

He hadn’t been there to see it but the analysis and interviews that Claptrap had done for his impromptu talk show had overwhelmingly demonstrated that public opinion was behind Drak Wyrd every step of the way The only real question was who would face him and that was almost universally decided to be Azriel although some suggested two others on her side of the bracket

Neither of which of course was Randidly But he didn’t mind being underestimated After all his attention was focused solely on one individual right now Dian the disciple of the Devourer

Although Azriel had wanted to focus more on training up some of Randidly’s recently neglected skills he had insisted they focus on the basics to help out in his fight against Dian Azriel relented partially but due to that fact Randidly’s skills across the board had gone through a nice little boost these past two days His body was faster stronger and more controlled With this level of strength he had no doubts in his mind that he was able to overpower the Dian he had faced previously

Pleased Randidly looked at his stats

Health(/R per hour) 1322/1473 (+118) (608 (+27

Mana(/R per hour) 649/1506 (+5) (174 75 (+9

Stam(/R per min) 1233/1525 (237 (+9

Vit 169 (+9)

End 77

Str 119 (+17)

Agi 150 (+17)

Perception 108 (+10)

Reaction 142

Resistance 105 (+15)

Willpower 152 (+10)

Intelligence 109

Wisdom 62 (+9)

Control 214

Focus 165 (+4)

Skills (Soul Skill) Four Shaded Clockwork World Lvl 397

Combat Spear Mastery Lvl 119 White Phantom’s Half Step (Un) Lvl 49 Heavy Blow Lvl 66 Dagger Mastery Lvl 10 Iron Skin Lvl 47 Dodge Lvl 65 Fighting Proficiency Lvl 88 Block Lvl 48 Haste Lvl 76 Phantom Onslaught Lvl 43 Sweep Lvl 54 Spear Deflect Lvl 10 Empower Lvl 95 Calculated Blow Lvl 66 Roundhouse Kick Lvl 36 Flesh Eating Virus (Un) Lvl 55 Idiosyncratic Cut (Un) Lvl 65 Pierce the Skies Shatter the Earth Lvl 39 Battle Intent Lvl 97 Struggle Lvl 71 Body Control Freeze Lvl 17 The Golden Roots of Yggdrasil Lvl 45 Stalemate Breaker Lvl 15

The 7 Kata of the Ashen Spear The Spear Advances Ash Trails Lvl 24

The 6 Signs of the Spear Phantom ® The First Sign The Inevitable Phantom Arrives Lvl 83 (Un) The Fifth Sign The Spear Phantom’s Embrace ® Lvl 137

Spells Spearing Roots Lvl 36 Mana Bolt Lvl 28 Mana Shield Lvl 26 Root Control Lvl 95 Arcane Orb Lvl 22 Fireball Lvl 30 Magic Missile Lvl 4 Healing Palm Lvl 12 Pollen of the Rafflesia Lvl 20 Summon Pestilence Lvl 53 Mana Strengthening Lvl 64 Wall of Thorns Lvl 17 Soul Seed ® Agony Lvl 47 Inspiration ® Incinerating Bolt Lvl 73 Circle of Flame Lvl 44 Plantomancy Lvl 29 The Weeping Cloud ® Lvl 64 Hammer of the Dawn Lvl 6 Burning Footsteps Lvl 10

Crafting Potion Making Lvl 37 Farming Lvl 20 Plant Breeding Lvl 9 Mapmaker Lvl 7 Analyze Lvl 24 Refine Lvl 17 Extract Lvl 23 Mana Engraving Lvl 69

Auxiliary Physical Fitness Lvl 83 Meditation Lvl 80 Running Lvl 39 Sprinting Lvl 19 Sneak Lvl 46 Acid Resistance Lvl 22 Poison Resistance Lvl 21 Pain Resistance Lvl 29 First Aid Lvl 16 Equip Lvl 25 Pathfinding Lvl 18 Mental Strength Lvl 17 Curse Resistance Lvl 15 Fire Resistance Lvl 14 Sewing Lvl 11 Cutting Vegetables Lvl 2 Manual Labor Lvl 6 Digging Lvl 5 Cooking Lvl 35 Grace Lvl 47 Bacterial Regeneration Lvl 90 Superiority Lvl 28 Mental Fortitude Lvl 45 Second Wind Lvl 55 Weather Affinity Lvl 43 Clockwork Mastery Lvl 16 Rejection Lvl 36 Aether Connection Lvl 3 Flexibility of the White Hunters ® Lvl 22 Living Blood (Un) Lvl 13

Level UP 2 stat 1 P Def 1 M Supp +1 Control 6 health 7 mana +7 Stamina (+ 5 regen per level) (+1 Health and Stamina Regen per level)

Bonuses +2% Concentration +2% hearing and vision range +1% size Immunity +1%

Although at the same time looking at his Status made Randidly grimace He was only 5 PP away from finishing off the Initiate of Ash II Path However two things held Randidly back First he really was incredibly sore pushing himself to this point over the past two days They would definitely focus more efforts on skills should he win this match

Second Randidly still remembered his previous experience with the Patron of Ash To meet that one again Randidly believed he needed to set aside some time for that

Then Randidly shook his head ruefully Why did he simply assume that they would continue to train after this match He enjoyed it but it just still struck him as slightly odd Azriel’s logic for why she needed to help him train made sense in one way But there just seemed like a dozen or so ways that she could avoid this hassle

If nothing else she could challenge Drak Wyrd to a streetfight How had he really been able to escape her notice Why hadn’t she been able to sound the depths of his power There was something fishy here but Randidly was willing to look the other way while he benefitted so obviously from it But it made him extremely wary He knew far far too little here in a way that wasn’t at all like how he felt back on Earth There were too many big established fish for him to be comfortable

And annoyingly Shal continued to be absent Divveltian was practically pulling out his hair at this point and even Claptrap had been motivated to speaking privately with some individuals greasing a few palms to ensure that any information in regards to Shal would make its way back to their group

The whole situation just left Randidly feeling bitter Why now when he was so close Why after two years of training Was this really just a whim for Shal Why had he seemed so sure of it when he had called Randidly from his own world to this one

Almost on cue there was the sound of footsteps below Sighing Randidly hopped out of the window of his room and dropped down Dian stood there slightly surprised Every morning she had continued to come demanding to speak to Shal Each time Randidly could only helplessly turn her away saying he had left

Honestly the only real result of this was a lot of Randidly’s tension dissipated It was hard to worry about a fight when your opponent was pestering you every day

Hoping to get ahead of things Randidly said He still hasn’t returned You’ll have to talk after the tournament is over

But Dian’s expression didn’t change she just gave Randidly a very long look He shrugged helplessly It wasn’t like he was lying There was nothing that he could do for her Shal was gone

Something seemed to crack in Dian’s expression and she released a long sigh Then I suppose I must talk to you

Randidly blinked Uh excuse me

The tournament is dangerous but Deardun takes certain steps to ensure that other dangers are kept at bay But afterwards or should I lose Dian’s expression turned bitter I don’t expect to live through the month But before I die I must perform a task

Her eyes flashed as she gazed at Randidly And if I can’t tell my secrets to Shal you will do as a substitute Come

Chapter 239

Randidly looked around the street suffused with predawn light It all struck him as a little surreal All week she had been coming to speak to Shal and now suddenly she was willing to speak to him He supposed it did make sense if she was worried about her safety after she lost but this almost seemed like a tacit admittance that she would lose to him in the next match After all this training was victory really going to be this easy

But that sort of feeling wasn’t in the air Dian didn’t feel as though she had given up just that she was nervous about something There was a great anxiousness to her even now as she waited for his response

I assume you won’t just talk here Randidly asked somewhat lamely

Dian’s lip curled No Follow me

Curious and feeling like there was truly something worth learning from this woman Randidly gave the inn behind him one final glance and then followed her She led him through the winding streets of Deardun crisscrossing between alleys and thoroughfares Very quickly they had traversed the city and ended up in one of the more poverty stricken areas

Only after they had dropped down into underground tunnels did Dian stop and then only for a moment to listen Then satisfied she continued

The whole underground tunnels vibe was interesting in a way but in another way it made Randidly doubt very much that he had made the right decision by following Dian to talk Perhaps he should have insisted on a location But finally she stopped in front of a dark opening and gestured to Randidly to walk through

He gave her a very skeptical look She sighed dramatically You come all this way and you don’t trust me

Randidly didn’t bother to reply but instead his gaze turned from skeptical to withering To her credit Dian laughed and waved a hand then pressed her palm against the wall Threads of light emerged tracing strange runes around the doorway and illuminated the inner room which was simply that a small room

These are runes to hide us from the tournament officials’ attention You are familiar with some Engraving are you not Feel free to check them She gestured as if checking strange runes was some perfectly easy activity that anyone could do on a whim based on a small familiarity with Engraving

Which Randidly supposed it might very well be But based on most of the reading that he had done it was NOT that simple Perhaps if he could sample the energy from the runes themselves but he wasn’t sure how to do that without shorting the whole thing out In addition the books seemed to imply that the meaning of the same rune could be very different between two different individuals But there was apparently a lot of controversy over the issue

Perhaps the explanation was something to do with Aether and how the runes in a place drew their meaning from somewhere Theoretically the same runes could mean different things but they never could find two different sources of meaning in one location likely due to the System’s influence

Either way Randidly had no way to check the runes So either she was bluffing or completely unsure of how runes worked or or something

Randidly scratched his head and walked through the door It had really been a long 2 days of training and he wanted to get some more calming relaxation done before his own match This was not exactly stress free

Besides Dian had been very convincing that she genuinely needed to talk to Shal For whatever reason he was inclined to believe her and decided to take this one on faith

Luckily nothing happened when Randidly entered into the room Dian simply pressed a few more things on the wall and followed him in The runes glowed brighter perhaps now active

However when Randidly turned around Dian’s expression was serene and solemn very different from the prideful and direct Dian he had encountered in the past In fact her gaze on him seemed almost sad as she studied him for several seconds Then she shook her head

It shouldn’t be like this But I suppose it must be I fear that I am too late Straightening she put her arms behind her back and began to speak in a more considered fashion as if she had practiced this speech previously Greetings spear user I must admit I have been dishonest in the past I was raised in the Central Region and am from an offshoot of the Endless Heat Style Since Aemont’s involvement with our beloved daughter Alycassia we have watched him

I come to you today because there are several complicated issues regarding Aemont and therefore Shal Things that the wider world doesn’t really know A very powerful seer foretold that in the future the next man who could (#( a Calamity would be the son of the Spear Phantom For that reason Aemont’s appearance was the subject of bitter debate when he sought a match with Alycassia We delayed as long as we could discussing the subject with other Styles but they were young and strong and eventually overcame our hurdles But we didn’t realize how extreme the methods Aemont used were at first

Randidly held up his hands Wait a second does this mean you are not associated with Haelthing at all Are you just trying to hide the fact you are from the Central Region from the tournament staff

Dian shook her head her expression so calm It was truly slightly off putting after seeing her glare for so long No This was never about the tournament staff All of this is for the sake of hiding things from the Eternal Witch the Genie Lucretia

The Genie Lucretia Randidly muttered frowning

Yes She is so named because she will always grant a wish by giving you three gifts Do you not know of her I would think Then Dian seemed to realize something and smiled bitterly Of course the compulsion Ha We were quite foolish it seems

Then shaking her head Dian seemed to come back to the present and began to speak to Randidly directly Legend speaks of how the first people on our planet were hunters who traveled around through the System completely naked with only their spears sleeping under trees and wrapping themselves with leaves for warmth One unlucky man encountered Lucretia who had erected herself a dwelling After looking on with envy for a while the man wished aloud that he would have such a home

Lucretia appeared and told the man how to hunt and skin animals gathering their skin The man tried this and basic clothing was developed The next day she arrived and gave them tools making the skinning easier and teaching them to harvest the trees and create dwellings Soon they did this but some were more affluent better hunters and their houses were much larger Envy was widespread and there was much discontent over those that monopolised the housing

Dian’s smile was bitter They were simply low wooden huts but it was enough to drive these people crazy Fighting ensued and the man who made the wish had his house destroyed That day Lucretia appeared again and taught him how to harness and create fire With the heat from fire the man and his family were kept warm at night but he craved more So he created a small hidden house with a low roof and encased the whole thing in mud so it was difficult to spot For warmth he placed a fire pit right in the middle After lighting the fire the family laid down to rest

Only he woke the next morning coughing from the smoke There was of course no ventilation so his sons daughters and wives were dead from the smoke filling their lungs He was able to escape but the fire had started to burn through the house and spread to the surrounding forest By the next morning the entire forest had burned down and everyone in it was either injured homeless or dead It seems extreme to us now and we don’t exactly believe this occurred or that Lucretia is that old but she has definitely spread this legend and defined herself this way and whatever else you believe about her she will definitely give you three gifts if you find her and make a wish

Aemont found her Randidly said less a question than a statement

Dian nodded Yes Needless to say the powerful Styles in the Central Region were concerned when we realized that this man was the most likely father of our next Hero to defeat the Calamity and also had made a wish with Lucretia And already received two of the gifts An image given to Aemont by Lucretia which let him rise quickly to power And of course a rune of the Devourer which by the way the things played out she gave directly to Aemont’s first son Pronto

Randidly slowly absorbed this information In the story that he had heard back in Qtal Aemont truly did leave heading away for a time and returning stronger with a skill that let him succeed on the battlefront Supposing what Dian said was true about this Rune of the Devourer’ The original story was that after Aemont had obtained his skill he was finally strong enough to accomplish the goal set by the Elders to marry the woman he loved but when he returned with proof the elders moved against him killing the woman and driving Aemont and his two sons away Then they fled to the Northern Region Once there Pronto went to Haelthing while Shal went with a smaller local Style

What is a Rune of the Devourer And when did this happen Randidly asked slowly It was hard to know why Dian would bother to lie about this but it was also hard to see why she was telling him this especially now

Dian nodded This is something that we have all wondered But we are not too sure what the Rune of the Devourer is Based on our information it is an Engraving but a living one that can be moved across mediums As for when we believe that the kills of Aemont’s love as well as the related attacks were all done by Pronto under the influence of the rune For that reason Aemont fled North to seek out Haelthing who

For the first time Dian stumbled her face scrunching up Who although it was only a cover for me to be his disciple was my uncle who raised me after my parents were killed on the frontlines Haelthing contrary to popular belief specialized in stealth and suppression He was widely regarded as a crackpot in the spear user community but Aemont seized on it as a chance a way to perhaps restrain the rune which had driven Pronto to murder his own mother

Sighing Dian’s eyes focused back on Randidly her gaze bitter It seems that the people found it easier to believe that Haelthing was studying dark methods to gain power rather than ways to restrain himself which was why the rumors about it spread so quickly It was seen as more honorable’

Chapter 240

I Randidly started then he changed tactics Why are you participating in this tournament

I’m following Shal Dian corrected her face twisting into a grimace Or I was through you But you I believe have complicated things Although his chances of doing so are small even with the prophecy about the Spear Phantom our true fear was always Lucretia’s 3rd gift for Aemont She would not let his death stop her from giving it

There are a few dozen theories in the form it will take Some believe that she will give Aemont a second life by using Shal’s body Another is that she will create a fake version of Aemont and present it to Shal After all her first two gifts were an image and then an incredibly powerful rune that can allegedly devour the strength of others With these worries in mind some of the Masters of the Central Region put a few geases on him Other’s worried this would weaken his will lessening his chances of becoming the one who could L(&() the Calamity but a master engraver perfected Haelthing’s work creating a rune on Shal’s heart that would hide him from Lucretia’s gaze

And you coming here now Randidly said slowly an inkling forming in his mind

Because several months ago Shal began acting erratic where he had been content to stew in his anger before Because of you Dian confirmed Since he’s now moving I was dispatched to watch him Imagine my surprise when he produces a disciple of the Spear Phantom Style and one from another Cohort at that

Randidly stiffened Not that he necessarily kept it a secret But his skin color and lack of a third eye weren’t unheard of in this world For them to know where he was from

Are you surprised

Saying nothing Randidly turned and tried to focus on something else His eyes traced the lines of the glowing runes that protected this room So this was another ploy All to protect Shal from receiving a gift Yet somehow his presence had galvanized Shal into moving which exposed him to

Probably whatever was currently happening to Shal as he hadn’t been seen in days

Randidly looked up at her About what

That I know of your origin

Randidly waved a hand dismissively ignoring the question It seemed more like a show of force to intimidate him than a conversation topic that would be useful Do you know where Shal is now

No and I was hoping you had some more information Dian said lightly but her body language shifted to something closer to a fighting stance Randidly just frowned saying nothing After several long seconds Dian relaxed

Hmph you don’t scare easily do you I suppose you would have to to inherit part of the moves of the Spear Phantom

So why are you telling me this Randidly said willing to ignore her silly posturing again

Like I said for some information Dian said her eyes scanning Randidly Anything you can tell us about what you did to animate Shal to this extent will be helpful Anything you saw him do that seemed suspicious Any of the people that he has associated with We will take care of everything and perform the necessary investigations

Randidly pondered it for several seconds throwing his mind back Times that Shal had been suspicious It’s not that there weren’t such moments he had suspicions about Shal but usually they made more sense as time went on Besides Randidly had his own secrets too and would be quite miffed if someone had gone around speaking of them especially because it seemed that Dian was a representative of the establishment

In terms of his own interactions with Shal Randidly couldn’t’ really know what influence he could have had He supposed she meant their initial contact in the dungeon But that had been coincidental and Shal had really only saved Randidly so he could be used as a punching bag for the Shamans After that Randidly had been summoned by Shal on some hairbrained quest one that he had almost completed before Shal became increasingly erratic

Well Randidly supposed it made a certain amount of sense that Shal wanted to preserve the honor and integrity of the Style which was why he was now fighting Shal had even passed the diary of Aemont on to Randidly so the Style could continue even as he seemed to harbor quite a lot of anger towards his father

Looking back on it though since Randidly had been summoned Shal’s actions had become slightly erratic First coolly training him to participate in the Qualifier then after his victory becoming more aggressive killing their way into a prison for the benefit of the time and then killing their way out In order to cover that he had sold himself after the tournament and then he had become alternately furious and unreliable disappearing for a few periods

It was hard to think of this most recent disappearance as anything other than an extension of those previous times but Dian seemed pretty sure that it was the result of influence by Lucretia based on Dian’s presence

Randidly sighed But still He didn’t want to share this problem with someone who he couldn’t really get a grip on their motivations So he ultimately chose to say nothing

I don’t think anything comes to mind Randidly said mildly Which brings us to my real question after speaking like this what do you intend to do in regards to our match today

Dian was silent for a long second Then she said Are you sure you don’t have anything to tell me about Shal’s behavior

Randidly’s smile curled upward His mana flowed outward naturally There was nothing for him to say to her

I see Dian said finally If you choose this path I don’t believe there will even need to be a match today Right here

Randidly controlled the roots he was connected to flexing slightly As he destroyed the path of energy flowing through the runes they flickered and died throwing them into darkness Instantly Randidly activated Spear Phantom’s Embrace and moved smoothly backwards and out into the tunnel

Dian’s shout seemed more distraught than angry and she didn’t appear to pursue him After gaining some distance Randidly stopped and looked at the dark doorway

Wait Dian said plaintively and Randidly summoned his spear pointing it towards the doorway but staying still In the doorway nothing moved which if anything made Randidly more cautious

But Dian was apparently being honest because she calmly walked out through the dark doorway unarmed If you insist we can fight on the platform but I will defeat you My instructions were very clear Investigate Shal’s behavior watch for Lucretia and prevent the Spear Phantom Style from maintaining its rank I cannot let you win here and enter the top 8

Randidly frowned That seems rather petty Dishonoring a Style just because they are cursed

Aemont brought it upon himself and his ilk by consorting with Lucretia Dian snapped her eyes burning But there did seem to be some hesitation about her as if she understood how insisting on this would run counter to Randidly and make him unwilling to help her But she likely didn’t understand how THIS and only this had been his goal the past two years and had all been leading to this one victory

Make the top 8 Preserve the prestige of the Spear Phantom Style for another generation This was what it had been all about The long days the exhaustion the wounds the vicious battles and fights it was all for this

Randidly tried to control his rising temper at the thought of Dian taking the moral high ground Well it didn’t matter He would crush her one way or another If anything his talk today didn’t change much but make their rivalry more simple There wasn’t any complex master rivalry between them making Randidly hesitate This was a person whose stated goal was to prevent Randidly’s stated goal Someone he would grind to dust

As he turned away Dian spoke again Please You don’t understand the danger that Shal is exposed to For a long time he has been the hope of our

But you put a geas on him to alter his mind Randidly interjected You’ve controlled and monitored him without really talking to him about what he might represent Is the prophecy about Shal being important to the Calamity even true Or was it something one of the Central Styles made up in order to protect the son of one of their disciples

There was no answer from the darkness so Randidly kept walking feeling slightly sick to his stomach Even if it was a combination of both motivations That didn’t justify their methods

It took him some time but Randidly found his way out through the tunnels and into the sun It was warm especially after the cool underground With extreme care Randidly breathed in and then breathed out

For the first time in a long time Randidly felt motivated Not just the determined motivation that he attacked most goals with but Randidly was filled with a vicious surety that he would crush Dian A pointless individual moving to the beat of someone else’s drum couldn’t defeat him especially not now At this moment his emotions and Aether filled him making him burn

Still Randidly would need to address the things she said eventually Shal’s disappearance might not just be something that happens periodically and in fact be related to something more troubling in relation to this woman who always seemed to make Shal insane Lucretia

It might be a gift from Lucretia

And with the strange phenomenon that Bertarn spoke of There were too many things going on at once It gave Randidly a headache So for now time to focus on the goal directly in front of him

Defeat Dian

Chapter 241

Shal floated in the darkness surrounded by fuzzy silhouettes They waved and blurred falling in and out of focus their bodies huge and balloonish one moment and then twig like and strangely monstrous the next

But he knew they were speaking for sure by the way he could see their mouths moving They were speaking to him trying to communicate something What they were saying however was not anything that Shal wanted to hear Sighing he closed his eyes trying to just return to the sleep It was better to just let all of this flow past without dwelling on any of it If he were to struggle against it now it would slowly wash him away His Willpower just wasn’t high enough for this

Thinking this was a mistake Shal knew immediately because suddenly in his vision a face appeared of his student glowing softly emerald Although his figure was twisted and distorted he was still clearly recognizable Firm stubborn foolish earnest and so so young

From his chest a voice whispered You must get up My strength is yours you only need to take it

Shal rolled over banishing the familiar voice and the image of his disciple He was tired so fucking tired Tired of being pulled in different directions by his emotions for reasons that he couldn’t articulate to do things that made no sense Shal had had some success burning through that haze with his fury towards Lucretia but

The air around him seemed to hum and the strange silhouettes became more frantic swinging their arms and twisting their bodies reaching their hands out to touch him Frowning Shal kept his eyes pressed more tightly shut but his awareness of them seemed partially inward because their shapes remained present pressing insistently against him

But now he was tired of the fury too because it got him nowhere Now that the finally found peace he would not willingly give it up Peace was something he had searched for most of his life Peace was everything The ability to lay down and rest Not bewildered not confused an honest rest This was the ultimate goal

Isn’t ’ another part of Shal thought the ultimate goal following the spear Finishing off the Style we made with Pronto Earning honor for the family apart from that asshole ’

As he had this thought one of the silhouettes resolved itself twisting and curving until it became his brother looking much different than he remembered but very clearly being him His eyes were sunken and his cheeks hollow and his eyes were filled with a defeated look But his gaze was firm and solemn and the spectre that impersonated his brother opened its mouth and spoke

Shal this is all already yours You just need to reach out and take it

Welcome back folks Finally back in the action Claptrap announced with relish Are you all ready to watch some fights

The crowd cheered wildly Claptrap’s eyes glowed with greed as he noticed almost everyone had mugs decorated in the colors of their favorite contestant Filled with ale from Claptrap’s numerous affiliated breweries Among the crowd moved his concessions people now almost two weeks of training under their belts moving with much more professionalism and efficiency

There were still the imitators too of course But Claptrap’s giant C that symbolized him was the dominant force among the crowd He had been at the cutting edge for too long and was starting to outpace those that tried to imitate him with his superior revenues

I’m your host Claptrap joined by my friend Roger

But he was interrupted as someone teleported onto the small side stage where Claptrap and the male spear attendant were sitting Huhuhuhu this certainly looks fun Allow me to join

Aethon Thai gestured producing a large ornate mahogany chair appeared which allowed him to join the two others at the desk Aethon and the male spear attendant clinked their mugs together enthusiastically

With burning eyes Claptrap continued Joined by the vice leader of the Steel Feathers Style Aethon Thai Fans you can be sure that with his sharp judgement we will faithfully catch every second of action and report it to you

Aethon nodded sagely sipping his beer He gestured and a concessions person hastily leaped over the wall and onto the dirt around the arena to run over and take his order After they had figured out the logistics of getting what he wanted everyone was much more satisfied Then Claptrap stood

And now without further ado we have the first match of the day Drak Wyrd of the Radiant Dawn Style versus Derrick Flan of the Cutting Wind Style

The two warriors slowly ascended from the underground arena climbing the stairs up onto the arena Drak was calm his hair short and dark his face studiously blank his dark eyes bright and focused Derrick was a flamboyant looking man with long golden hair Producing his long spear with a flourish he almost immediately pointed the spear at Drak

For the peace of the Northern Region I will stop you here Derrick yelled only earning him a cool glance from Drak

What a declaration from Derrick Claptrap said excitedly very willing to fan the flames of drama between the two contestants It seems that this match is more than just a matter of honor The very peace of the Northern Region is at stake Aethon what do you think about Derrick’s chances of winning

None

The word was like a heavy weight that hit Claptrap mid thought making him falter The crowd felt it too and began to whisper amongst themselves Sure everyone believed that Drak was the favorite to win it all destroying all competition in his way But previously it had been somewhat heroic that he could face everything and overcome it all But from the way that Aethon spoke there seemed to be a baleful finality to it

Drak was a simple looking man but now from Aethon’s reaction they were able to see some of the monstrous strength inside of him It seemed to gush out and fill the silence The burning strength of the Radiant Dawn Style expanding to fill the arena like a bowl Claptrap was frozen his eyes locked on the man

Was there was there really no point in him being here to announce

Huhuhuhu The male spear attendant laughed already partially drunk When there are predictions like that it is the best time for an upset Nothing in this world is sure

Kukuku too true too true Aethon said nodding

The ice cracked and broke and the crowd began to cheer once more slightly reserved at first but then with more energy as a referee talked individually to both contestants checking their status They both nodded their affirmations and assumed their own individual version of ready stances

Drak’s was relaxed holding his thick unadorned iron spear loosely Derrick held is silver spear high above his head light reflecting in dazzling patterns off the intricate metal work that composed it

They both moved Derrick dazzling Drak dazzlingly fast blurring towards his opponent Derrick instantly paled lowering his spear to a more reasonable stance his spear flashing forward But there was an innate light to Drak’s attacks a glowing brightness that made them extremely hard to discern

While Derrick’s defense flashed due to his spear Drak had an innate light

Drak Wyrd has reached the Artisan level Aethon said with conviction finally filling the silence as everyone stared open mouthed at the fight Not only are his individual strikes likely based on powerful images but his Spear Mastery has also had this image of the Radiant Dawn imbued into it This cannot be considered a freshly grown Artisan any longer he is experienced For that reason there is no chance he loses if he wills it

Drak struck smashing forwards using pure force to send Derrick sprawling The disparity in strength was clear and with a calm gait Drak walked over towards the desperate opponent

You filth Derrick began but he went silent as Drak unleashed another barrage of attacks pushing him slowly backwards Injuries began to pile up as the attacks continued slowly growing in speed and complexity

That control that technique Claptrap said audibly for the benefit of the audience Aethon stayed silent grim faced as he watched the fight

It was only after a small delay that the male spear attendant spoke nodding slowly That that’s the ability of a champion Look at that skill with a spear Not even I can do that

The audience seemed to become animated again at that comment laughing and chatting while watching the remainder of the match It continued as expected In every way Drak slowly overmatched and crushed Derrick facing him in a variety of ways giving Derrick every chance to choose the battlefield to highlight his strengths But still Drak annihilated him

By the end Derrick slumped over dropping his spear The crowd’s attention had turned away to the male spear attendant who was extolling his own strengths and Aethon Thai was laughing along with him Claptrap couldn’t take his eyes away from Drak Wyrd standing silently over the broken spearman This was the man that the Ghosthound would need to face in the semi finals

With a serious face Drak looked up meeting Claptrap’s gaze Then he smiled wolfishly showing his teeth

Chapter 242

Randidly walked slowly up onto the stage after they called his and Dian’s name still pondering the discussion that happened earlier Dian claimed to be an agent sent by the Styles from the Central Region to watch over Shal who was foretold to be the next person to do something with the Calamity Specifically she was going to watch out for Lucretia and prevent the Spear Phantom Style from achieving a Top 8 finish and have it fall from grace

As he ascended to the stage Randidly scratched his head He never really bothered to ask about the different strata and what they meant aside from them being related to the colors they could use and the strength of the founder So Shal could no longer maintain his light blue skin if they fell from grace But other than that Randidly wasn’t even sure what the consequences would be

Perhaps these actions would make more sense if he knew because as it was it was positively silly Setting the issues of the arbitrary restriction on the Spear Phantom Style’s prestige why would they place geases on Shal if they thought he would become someone who could contend with the Calamity Wasn’t that shooting themselves in the foot Based on the story Dian had told the people of this world greatly feared Lucretia who was something of a Devil figure but how widespread was that belief and was she really that bad

Well she did spread about the rune of the Devourer but that was another thing that Randidly didn’t have much of a grasp on There was so many different variables moving around that were difficult to pin down

In the end though it wasn’t something Randidly would concern himself with He produced his spear with a flourish The large monstrous spear of obsidian glimmered dully in the noon sun His fingers slid down the shaft steadying himself He raised his gaze and looked at Dian who stood there holding her whip spear her scarlet hair falling down her face

Seeing her here Randidly abruptly realized he could see the lines around her eyes the small imperfections on her skin that could only come with age the dull cynicism in her eyes Randidly’s eyes narrowed Truthfully the only limit on entering the tournament was a level cap If she had been below Lvl 25 it didn’t matter how old she was how long she had watching Shal

But before Randidly arrived and would defend the honor of the Style they couldn’t possibly know that he would appear he came from another Cohort Which meant that they either needed a person under Lvl 25 for a reason Randidly didn’t understand or or they had one on the off chance that something similar to this would happen

Which brought Randidly back to the relative importance of status If there was an extra benefit associated with it it perhaps made more sense that they would plan so comprehensively to knock down the Spear Phantom Style

Either way it meant that this would be a lot more difficult than Randidly would have expected It would also explain why Dian had increased in skill so quickly even more quickly than he had It wasn’t that she had increased her skill so fast but that she had that level of skill all along and was slowly revealing it

His expression serious Randidly lowered his spear and nodded when the referee came over to him He had made a promise to Shal He owed a debt that he had worked towards slaved over for two years and he would be damned if he let it all fall to pieces here even faced with the twisted machinations of two strange factions he didn’t understand

Dian’s expression was still mild Must you insist on this I’m sure you have realized by now

Welcome all We have a special match for you now Claptrap yelled A personal friend of mine Randidly Ghosthound will now face Dian a woman raised by Haelthing the Devourer who was defeated by his master Shal This is truly a predestined battle How do you see this one going

Randidly saw the male spear attendant opening his mouth to answer but a low chuckle cut him off Heh this one even I cannot see through it

The man who had awarded Randidly the belt after the preliminaries leaned forward his piercing gaze running over the two participants both have been hiding their cards eh Then this will be good To see what we really have I’m looking forward to it

Claptrap seemed thrown off by this and the crowd began to mutter but Randidly just looked at Dian Everything else was just a distraction A very huge nerve inducing distraction One that reminded Randidly so much of the very agonizing teenage years Randidly had spent absolutely stupefied by crowds But his experiences since the System arrived had mollified that somewhat

And what it hadn’t made him numb to it had given him the stats to forcibly ignore it focusing his attention on the task at hand There could be no mistakes Not now

Begin The referee announced

Hissing Randidly activated the Spear Phantom’s Embrace and blurred off to the side because Dian was already moving her body moving with a fluidity that he hadn’t seen before Randidly could have lashed out with a spell harrying her but he suspected that was exactly what she was waiting for While she had never shown this speed before Randidly guessed that she wasn’t the type to go all out unless she had to

Playing off that Randidly would start a little below his max speed as well

Or at least that was the plan but

Her fluidity was on par with Helen’s but her speed and execution was a world above at the line of an Artisan In addition to the powerful movement her strange vicious devouring energy billowed outward moving to engulf Randidly His immediate response was to retreat but he had seen how that ended for the people she faced So gritting his teeth Randidly stepped forward and raised his spear

Her whip spear disappeared slashing left and right very quickly Only with Haste and Empower on top of the passive boost from Flexibility of the White Hunters did Randidly squeak through unscathed and he immediately used Idiosyncratic Cut That seemed to catch her off guard and she backed off but now Randidly was just sitting in her pool of vicious energy

Still he would not retreat With his eyes glowing emerald he flexed his will spewing energy of his own out into the air neutralizing the damaging energy by flooding the air with his own Battle Intent Vaguely he could tell that he was on the losing end of the energy battle but for now it was a loss that he could handle as long as it blunted the other energies corrosive effects

Although Randidly was curious how his Vitality boost from Golden Roots of Yggdrasil would contend with the corrosive energy but this was a match he couldn’t afford to lose Not time to get scientific right now

As Randidly closed in Dian seemed to shift gears her speed going up by a tick Randidly countered by speeding up as well using the active form of the Golden Roots of Yggdrasil to smash through her defenses This seemed to catch Dian by surprise because she seemed momentarily at a loss

Yet there was a strange tickling on the back of Randidly’s neck that made him hop backwards in spite of the fact that his offensive momentum was lost

Just in time too because a wave of energy exploded from Dian scarlet where her usual energy was maroon and much much thicker and more caustic It ripped through the ambient energy that Randidly had produced and made his grasp of the Spear Phantom’s Embrace fuzzy just by brushing against it

Frowning Randidly raised his spear and considered his opponent Dian was definitely breathing hard after that expulsion and she looked at him with narrowed eyes It was something that took effort then and not just another tool she had held back thus far But still it seemed that this was a much more concentrated version of the same energy which was extremely dangerous at all times The powerful force it created devoured images and skills Flesh as well

In the face of that Randidly needed to overmatch the energy with his own as well as overwhelming Dian with his physical capabilities and spear skills Which considering her abrupt reveal of her true strength was something of a headache

Still no time like the present Besides truthfully Randidly never intended to rely solely on his spear skills in this one Her strength was too varied and smooth If she was comfortable

But of course Randidly wouldn’t allow that Reaching down Randidly put his hands on the ground channeling mana through him Instantly a dozen or so Root Spiders sprang into being and then began to skitter forward towards Dian’s legs their root fangs at the ready

Obviously this wouldn’t be effective on their own But after watching how Dian used her energy it seemed that it was pretty thick and acidic at the height of a human and would eat its way through armor and weapons But it had never eaten away at the ground disturbing her own stance Which meant that it was strangely selective or that she controlled the amounts around her in different locations

So after letting the threat of the Root Spiders register in Dian’s mind Randidly rushed towards her spear raised Her eyes flashed upwards and she decisively lashed out with her whip spear destroying several of the Root Spiders

Which was exactly what Randidly was waiting for As Dian struck Spearing Roots ripped upwards aiming for her unprotected back Although the tips of the spears began to sizzle and disintegrate more and more came and Dian twisted gathering her weapon back to herself Which she managed but only just in time for her to block Randidly’s Sweep which knocked her backwards a few inches

But again Dian upped the tempo twisting and shimmying her way out of the way of most of the deadlier Spear Roots and scoring a long cut across Randidly’s forearm before she made it away from him weaving through his strikes It was infuriating but

He did inflict three cuts with his spear where Flesh Eating Virus would begin to activate And the Root Spiders had arrived

Chapter 243

Still Dian’s gaze was cool and focused She scanned through Randidly the ground around her and then the skittering Root Spiders Then her whip spear blurred and she struck left and right annihilating the nearest spiders and steadying herself in time for Randidly to arrive his huge spear crashing downwards

As Randidly expected she used her strange elusiveness to simply deflect his strike but staying close enough for her energy to continue to take small bites at Randidly’s will by eating away at the ambient Battle Intent that he filled the air with Which of course was the game she wanted to play

Dian was perhaps an ideal candidate for a tournament like this She was designed to destroy images and skills with her own strange energy and had excellent defensive skills and mobility She could prey on her opponents when they tire

Randidly’s lips twisted into a grin Warm thick strands of energy were flowing up through the ground into his bare feet revitalizing him Not at the speed to make him have any positive regeneration but it was more than enough to survive for now Besides it was time for him to change up the tempo

To set this up Randidly had spent the first part of the fight using mostly Sweep to attack It was a skill he used to rely on quite heavily but it was a rather direct if powerful strike that was predictable So predictable that most spear users at the level of the Region Tournament would see it coming so far in advance it wasn’t worth the time to strike

There were still some situations where Randidly used it now mostly on basic opening strikes and on strikes where he wanted his opponent to block where he was confident on winning a contest of strength And also in times where Randidly wanted to convey a very certain style of fighting

Now Randidly lashed out using Empower and Haste simply striking forward As she had previously Dian twisted out of the way and lashed out towards him slicing Randidly’s shoulder But of course her eyes narrowed and Randidly’s blow veered just slightly with his Flexibility of the White Hunters catching up to her and took a large chunk out of Dian’s shoulder

And this was the exact moment that the remaining Root Spiders arrived leaping towards Dian’s ankles They used their legs to launch themselves forward aiming for the area above Dian’s boots Randidly’s smile slowly became wider and wider It might be crazy but He wanted to crush her where she was most confident

Around him Randidly could hear Claptrap and the male spear attendant raving and the powerful man who had awarded him the powerful belt speaking calmly The crowd roared but it was far away Again his eyes were only for Dian who scanned around looking at the the different attacks and strikes measuring and weighing them

Randidly lashed out again an unorthodox strike that was even a hair faster than his previous one with less control But the point right now was to keep pushing Dian backwards If he did that enough

Dian’s eyes hardened Randidly’s face finished its transformation into a cheshire grin

The wave of fire exploded outward just as the scarlet energy billowed outward from Dian Most of the energy slid downward to engulf the Root Spiders but there were several tendrils that shot forward aiming for Randidly and his weapon But those tendrils were met with only fire

The two forces passed through each other heedless Whatever the strange energy that Dian produced was it wasn’t something that could interfere with temperature Those flames smashed into Dian knocking her backwards and burning her severely earning a small mew from the normally stoic Dian

But as Randidly leveled his spear recovering his stance after the lashing strike earlier those tendrils ripped forward towards him two taking him at the edge of of his shoulder and one going through a little deeper in his flesh under his collar bone Instantly his skin boiled and then evaporated Roaring Aether exploded in protest rushing forward to the spot of the wounds

Within his chest at the spot of the Aether Crossroads and the world that strange otherness that existed in the core of him began to rumble its fury evident Very swiftly the Aether absolutely eviscerated Dian energy but not before Randidly’s shoulder was gore as though he had been stabbed three times with a short spike

There was anger in his grin now It only took a split second to defeat it but it was still a pretty serious wound that would slow him down in an extended match But only in an extended match

Randidly’s spear became level The Spear Advances Ash Trails

His body blurred as Randidly ripped forward towards a reeling Dian She didn’t see it coming at all Randidly’s huge obsidian spear which once belonged to Haelthing the Devourer took her in her side with enough force to rip almost all of her intestines out of her body blood spraying wildly around the arena

Randidly’s eyes softened as he landed at the completion of the technique but it was not enough to sway his heart Dian represented an organization that had thoroughly layered controls over Shal for reasons that Randidly didn’t understand and came to him with threats and half truths demanding his cooperation Perhaps if she had shown more respect but

To his surprise when he turned around Dian was still standing hunched over blood pouring out of her side And out of her body a flickering steadily growing amount of scarlet energy was forming

Amazing The Ghosthound struck with fire and now with spear crossing the arena like a lightning bolt Dian is incapacitated She’s bleeding out And with that But then Claptrap fell silent because contrary to what he expected Dian didn’t fall She was clearly sporting a wound that would kill her if the match didn’t stop

Aethon leaned forward This is dangerous That woman

Dian swayed The air around her shimmered becoming strangely crimson Then she slowly straightened removing her hands from her side allowing more blood to pump out onto the stage The cheers of the audience slowly died drowned out by the sound of that blood splashing onto the stone

Can’t you see it Dian said gesturing wildly Her seeds are everywhere Can’t you hear her She whispers Even to me The nerve of that witch she whispers even to me

Around Dian the energy grew thicker and more wild The ground underneath her bubbled and frothed thick and viscous The Ghosthound stood very still pointing his spear towards her

With a clang that carried across all of the arena Dian dropped her own spear The referee walked over towards her speaking low under his breath to her but she ignored him her gaze locked onto the Ghosthound

Even me I could reach out and take it and with that strength I could crush you Don’t you understand You need me You needed me And now I after so long

She became a pyre of that crimson energy burning before their eyes

I choose freedom

Her flesh melted into nothing before a silent crowd

Lucretia couldn’t help but laugh leaning back against the tree The head of the Yeti and Shal lay around her in the shade of the tree The small glen around them was picturesque Anyone could wander over It was an open area One wouldn’t believe that one of the most wanted women in the Spearman School would rest here

What a foolish child So twisted by the energy she cultivated and the long years she spent keeping tabs on my dearest Shal Did she think that the only gift I can give his power

Lucretia flexed her fingers opening them showing a small glowing orb of energy Within it Dian’s face floated its eyes closed Humming to herself Lucretia began to trace complicated runes into the sphere As she did so Dian’s face came into sharper and sharper relief and the face began to twist into a frown

I can give all sorts of gifts to all sorts of people They need only ask for them I could even hear the silent plea of a very sad girl who just wanted some wiggle room in the geases laid on her by her masters so she could just accept her death on her own terms

Lucretia lifted the sphere grinning at the soul held in the palm of her hand now contained by the runes I wonder what the second gift I shall give to you will be Perhaps even a new body a new purpose in life The irony of it drives me crazy hahahahahahah

Standing Lucretia gestured sharply and a dull eyed Shal stood with her gathering the Yeti head Then as Lucretia continued to hum Shal followed after her Looming above them was the heavy mountains upon the base of which Deardun is built

I really want to see him now Shal you know This strange boy who keeps driving people I thought out of my reach into my arms and others away from me Lucretia called over her shoulder Randidly Ghosthound I wonder what gifts will he require of me

Chapter 244

Randidly winced as the referee in charge of healing looked at the wounds on his left shoulder The woman was no nonsense and frequently prodded the wounds making interested noises at the lack of response to the potions she had given him and only a small amount of responses to her healing skills

Well it does seem like your natural Vitality is working on it You will likely be fully healed in three days before your next match She eventually announced leaving Randidly quite annoyed with the whole proceeding After she had departed ostensibly to go watch for injuries in the rest of the matches of the day Randidly switched to the active form of of the Golden Roots of Yggdrasil pulling up strength and using it to fuel his regeneration

At the same time he was forced to intermittently Meditate to keep his mana high After almost an hour most of the three wounds had healed themselves in and most of his range of motion was restored There was just a persistent ache

Still Randidly wanted to get a move on for the rest of the day There were so many things to do so many skills to train so many questions he needed Claptrap to investigate

But before any of that Randidly just sat to himself and smiled He clenched his fist He had won in spite of the fact that Dian probably had more overall strength than him Randidly was just specialized in a way that neutralized her and she wanted to hide most of her cards for as long as possible If she had gone all out using that scarlet energy from the beginning

Then Randidly’s expression soured But she had died taking her own life It left him very confused as to her motivations Still it seemed that she had been profoundly unhappy Taking her own life was not something that she did lightly Right However there was always the chance that there were some cultural differences in this world that Randidly hadn’t really understood

He had killed people both in battle and by allowing them to die in the collapse of the tower So although it wasn’t as sickening to him as it would have been fresh after the arrival of the System it still made him profoundly uncomfortable to see There was the knowledge that he had apparently driven Dian to this decision which

Shaking his head Randidly turned his attention back inward The match hadn’t been long but Randidly still had some gains perhaps even emphasized by the time spent healing afterwards He had gained an impressive 9 skill Lvls of Golden Roots of Yggdrasil 2 Lvls in Haste and Empower 3 Lvls in the Spear Advances Ash Trails 1 Lvl in Spear Mastery and the White Phantom’s Half Step 2 in Dodge 3 in Fighting Proficiency 2 in Flesh Eating Virus and Battle Intent 1 Lvl in Struggle and Spear Phantom’s Embrace 3 in Grace and Bacterial Regeneration 4 in Flexibility of the White Hunters and Superiority 2 in Root Control and Spearing Roots 1 Lvl in Mana Strengthening and Circle of Flame and 3 in Meditation and Plantomancy

Randidly’s grin was wide and slightly nervous Perhaps it really was a better than average haul Because he had relied on so many skills that were now below this spear based skills he had gained a lot But now with this PP

It was time to become an Anointed of Ash

Randidly placed 5 of his newly acquired PP into the Initiate of Ash II Path also earning another full rotation of his Soul Skill in the process receiving a Blessing of Devouring Ash and the following notification

The world of your soul skill turns The denizens of your inner world evolve The growing matriarch continues to persuade others of your existence The discussion has spread from solely the White Hunters and now all of the people on your inner world wonder about you Their eyes remained fixed on the sky while others begin to search the world for proof of your works

The Earth Golem tribes continue to war refining their martial arts and skills Several great chieftains emerge vying for power

The Great Weave created by the Weavers is coveted by the other races The White Hunters urge for it to be shared so information on the world can be known The Swamplings however remain reluctant

Upon the mountains the Spriggit cities continue to grow expanding outwards Trade and art begins to flourish

From the small animals brought into the world by Arbor and Thorn have grown and bred While the small animals become more common larger more powerful variants begin to emerge

It has been two cycles since this world’s creation Would you like to add anything to the world (Warning the added qualities will be taken from a skill A single skill level will be consumed in the taking Other side effects are unknown)

After thinking about it over a few seconds Randidly wasn’t sure what to add It seemed like a waste not to add something And the loss of a single Skill Level wasn’t very intimidating although the very general other side effects are unknown did give Randidly some pause

But what seemed to catch Randidly’s attention the most was the fact that most of his little Soul Skill creatures seemed interested in him their creator It was simultaneously adorable and creepy So Randidly almost wanted to give them some sort of proof Something to confirm he existed and was aware of them But he was rather mystified over how to go about it

Based on his previous experience Randidly decided to use only a few skills he chose to add Hammer of the Dawn and Superiority But he concentrated both of them to an incredible degree causing all of the energy from his additions to be forced into a single physical form one for each skill

The Hammer of the Dawn naturally formed into a hammer Superiority condensed into a scepter The two split and descended into the world as comets one crashing into the great river that ran across his world while the other smashed a mountain peak

Immediately after doing this Randidly felt a sinking sensation in his stomach Ah they are probably going to fight over those aren’t they I should have done 4

Still it was too late now Randidly felt his skill shifting changing in new ways The Swamplings began to investigate the hammer while both the Spriggits and the Earth Golems moved to see the crater of the scepter That would definitely end up being a war if they both arrived at the same time

Maybe the fighting would strengthen his Soul Skill But something told Randidly that wouldn’t be the case

Randidly had 1 more PP required to finish the path and he took a deep breath before he put it in Then he released that breath and steadied his gaze He didn’t’ feel great about doing this with his left arm still sore but it shouldn’t impede him should he be required to fight In the menu Randidly added the final PP to the Initiate of Ash II Path

Congratulations You have completed the Initiate of Ash IIPath You have ascended to the top of the mountain and you find a face carved of molten stone and burning flame It smiles at you

Randidly felt a familiar tug at his stomach and the world around him warped After a second the twisting stopped and Randidly stood on the flat top of a mountain that gigantic living lava face hanging over him lava dripping out of the corners of his mouth and pooling on the ground Around them in the distance there was only ash dust volcanoes and plumes of lava It was truly a world of ash and destruction

This is simple enough even for one such as yourself without a class The Patron of Ash said slurring its words Randidly solemnly looked up at it Based on the information he had obtained earlier he had expected to contact the Patron of Ash but not be teleported back to the world of ash Every resource he or Claptrap could find was very clear on that

And yet he was still brought here That was slightly alarming

Standing at the edge of the platform Randidly was prepared to once more fight the lava golems What he didn’t expect was for the ground around him to slowly fall away in rings The space where Randidly was standing was safe but the rest continued to descend Then a ring nearest to the outside stopped then the next nearest to the outside stopped which continued until a large coliseum was formed

But the central area continued to sink revealing a crimson and black sphere The colors swirled and as Randidly continued to watch it it seemed that it was in fact a crimson crystal filled with a black liquid that squirmed around inside the sphere Immediately as the sphere rose into the area the temperature rose

At a speed that was slightly alarming the lower levels of the rings began to glow red and then slowly melt

Your task is to proceed to the third innermost ring The Patron of Ash intoned floating down towards Randidly Randidly spared it a glance

It was truly strange to be back here after so long But being back here brought back some memories This mother fucker was definitely going to try and kill him Even though Randidly was clearly aware of that the stated goal was rathersimple so there was no reason why not to aim for it Especially since the temperature appeared to only be increasing due to the presence of the sphere

Randidly almost wished it was going to be Lava Golems If they were at a similar level to what they were previously it would be child’s play to defeat them But somehow Randidly suspected it wasn’t going to be that easy

Chapter 245

Randidly hopped down to the next level of the rings There were 10 in total and Randidly needed to get down to the 8th the third innermost ring And the innermost ring was already beginning to turn into a red color

But immediately upon hopping down the temperature shot up to something that was quite uncomfortable Sweating profusely Randidly jumped down to the next one hoping to get the whole ordeal over with as soon as possible This was one of the rare moments that Randidly regretted not wearing shoes

Blink

Randidly what are you doing Tessa asked rubbing her eyes as she leaned upwards the covers slipping down to reveal her shoulder and the white skin of her breasts Randidly winced he was hoping that she wouldn’t have noticed him coming home But then he started to get distracted by a profound sense of wrongness

It was like he had forgotten something

Were you meeting with Sydney again Tessa asked her voice carefully neutral

Randidly frowned Sydney was probably dead and Tessa

His eyes snapped open and Randidly once more found himself standing in the slowly heating up circles of stone He was now standing on the 2nd circle and based on the fact that the bottoms of his feet were starting to get uncomfortable he must have been standing there for several minutes

Randidly turned and glared up at the Patron of Ash whose smile only spread wider the craggy rocks grinding against each other as its grin spread

You should also know because this is a trial related to the System only a short amount of time is passing in the real world Feel free to take your time overcoming the illusions

Randidly’s smile was vicious Without hesitating Randidly tossed himself down into the next ring of heating rock The distance was only about 2 meters or so but Randidly felt strangely light as he dropped down toward the next level almost as though he was floating through the air drifting

Oh OH Oh OH OH OH Yess right there Derek fuck me

Randidly sat in the darkness of his bedroom hiding in the closet He had ripped out the stuffing from the teddy bears and animals his mother had given him and had made a bed of sorts out of their innards where he curled up He clenched his eyes shut

If it was going to be another long night like this

For a second he wished for his father But then he crushed that feeling That asshole didn’t care about him When he was a burden he left breaking his mom and turning her into this thing

OH OH GOD

It’s fine There is nothing wrong with a sad woman seeking out sex Randidly whispered out loud his eyes regaining clarity She was just grieving in her own way It’s that right

At his words the world twisted and a phantom floated forward half human half skeleton bearing his mother’s hopeless face

Randidly stepped forward on the 3rd ring only pausing for a few seconds before he continued He was prepared now and knew what was coming so it was a rather simple thing to brute force his way through it with his Battle Intent Randidly also saw notifications that his Fire and Pain Resistance as well as his Mental Strength were increasing so it seemed that this would be a valuable experience Which was just what he needed

Before the next round Randidly hoped to sharpen his Willpower to a sharp point ready to strike at his opponent Best to continue quickly though before the heat continued to build Even as he stayed on this same platform Randidly could feel how the temperature was rushing upwards He shuddered to think how bad the temperature would be at the 7th circle It looked like the stone was starting to turn the red of cherries

Randidly leapt to the next platform

Randidly was in a clearing and he paused looking around This didn’t seem familiar Shal was sitting against a tree on the far side his head against his chest Cradled in his arms was

Randidly gasped It was the head of that fucking Yeti And on the ground next to the two of them was a sphere with a face in it Dian’s face

Well well well Who is spying on me now

Randidly spun around surprised to hear a voice so near to him The person behind him had the body of a woman but her face was blurred out swirling with strange colors so it was just a mess of colors But she was tall and slim with light purple hair

Ah that’s smart You can’t see me I can’t see you A clever way to do it Looking for my location Looking for my dearest Shal But still even if I don’t know who you are I can still hurt you

The woman reached for Randidly her hand beginning to glow a frosty blue white color But before she could touch him Randidly snapped back into the rings breathing heavily

For whatever reason that had given him the strangest sensation of danger What sort of memory was that He had never seen Shal and the Yeti together and Dian was there Maybe it was some sort of dream

What what did I just see

The colossally big face floated closer so much so that Randidly began to worry that it would seal the strange coliseum of stone rings but it began to shrink becoming simply the size an asteroid would need to be to cause a catastrophic loss of life when it descended to Earth This allowed it to float marginally closer and it seemed to breathe deeply opening its huge maw wide and sucking in air ruffling Randidly’s hair

It was honestly somewhat pleasant because the breeze at least cooled him off for a couple of seconds while the temperature climbed ever higher

Kakakaka The Patron of Ash rumbled Interesting These test you strike at your inner demons your weaknesses You need to be purified in a way to become my Anointed What you saw is an outstanding weakness of yours

What does that even mean Randidly growled but the Patron of Ash continued to just chuckle in its odd way sucking in air occasionally getting some sense of what Randidly saw

Still it left Randidly’s mind racing He could be self reflective enough to admit that Shal probably was a point of struggle and weakness in Randidly’s psyche probably because Shal fit so perfectly into the disappointed and distant dad role that had been open for years Even thinking it made Randidly grit his teeth with bitterness

Then that image was related to purifying that weakness Or overcoming it Or was it showing him the state of that weakness right now

Because that image definitely had a different feel to it than the previous ones It wasn’t trying to immerse him and drown him like the others with familiar images or emotions It was trying to show him something A name rose unbidden in Randidly’s mind

Lucretia

Shal had left but where had he gone Divveltian seemed to think that he had been behaving weird but to Randidly he had simply shrugged and accepted it because he had been conditioned on mentor figures leaving in his life But perhaps he should have been more skeptical of the leaving After all so far Shal hadn’t done much to abandon him

Aside from beat him berate him constantly refuse to acknowledge him and then leave him without a clue what to do and head off to a dungeon

But setting most of those things aside the only real abandonment was heading to the dungeon Was it possible that already at that point he was under the influence of something else Driven and manipulated by his hatred of this woman to rush towards her In a way it reminded Randidly of what the Creature had done to him

But where the Creature was a master of runes and Aether this woman seemed to use more traditional means of emotional manipulation

If this was the case and that was a big if But it also explained Dian’s sudden strange suicide on the ring If she had been pushed by Lucretia Again only an if

The temperature continued to rise and Randidly gritted his teeth He couldn’t just sit and think He needed to proceed forward So with a step Randidly moved towards the 5th ring of stones descending dutifully towards that crimson and black sphere

Chapter 246

Randidly looked around and then he froze because he knew where he was he knew this memory

I’m dying Sydney said looking at him with her usually joyful eyes now with heavy bags under them

Uh Randidly stuttered but the images were already rushing forward This was months before the System arrived the day his friendships began to fall apart

I can’t tell Ace We will graduate in the spring The doctors say I have a year at least depending on how the cancer responds to the treatment I just need you to cover for me Drive me to my appointments Keep Ace distracted

I

Please Sydney implored leaning forward her hair swung down from the place she had tucked it behind her ears to frame her face There’s no one else I can ask No one else I can trust You are we are

connected Randidly whispered He remembered when he had really been here when she had said that to him How much it had made his heart swell with joy But then how the more he thought about it how much it had destroyed him in the coming months

Slowly over time Randidly had realized that the connection was only a sort of weight that Sydney couldn’t shake How the more moments they discovered in their past were in common the more it made Sydney tired and sad How his existence was a necessary evil Even through the months of chemotherapy treatment as her condition stabilized and then slowly frayed away at the edges as Ace and Tessa grew resentful and suspicious he could sense how much even Sydney hated she needed to use him for this

Yes connected Sydney said her eyes glowing strangely as she looked at him That’s exactly what I was going to say How did you

No I reject Randidly said firming his face twisting with fury All of this this whole mirage I was weak and let this happen once but not again I REJECT

A ripple spread outwards from Randidly shaking the world But this illusion was much stronger than the previous ones perhaps due to the fact that it led to one of the deepest wounds on his heart or perhaps he was approaching the innermost rings But the increase in strength was a big thing

Just as Randidly was preparing to lash out even further with Battle Intent ripping the very fabric of the world Sydney said something that she never did in the past

Are you refusing

Randidly paused a fresh influx of confusion muting his fury for a second Without any real understanding of what was going on Randidly simply looked at Sydney taking in her short hair her bright eyes and the strange look of helplessness on her face

I get it I’ve been a bitch Sydney said bitterly I always push you away But that’s because because It’s always just been too easy between us right Don’t you hate how expected it was Born in the same hospital on the same day your mother cheated with my father and both marriages ended we were tied by fate

Sydney’s expression began to grow more heated I hate that word Fate I’d kill myself to break that word if I thought it would break me away But fate always pulls me back Now you are rejecting me

A tear ran down her cheek even while she looked her face scrunched up in frustration and fury and years of pent of tension

But then her expression broke I should be more happy I guess I never expected this in 1000 years We would always move closer I thought if I let us To have you say no it should make me happy I’m surprised and for the first time it seems like the fate that pulled us together is fraying That’s good right But I just feel so profoundly cold

Randidly just looked at her His anger dying away This was a conversation he had never had with her in the past He had always suspected that she had been avoiding him for some reason teasing him and mocking him ignoring him even while she dated his best friend He had also known that they had gone to the same places as children but

Being born in the same hospital on the same day And his parents marriage his mother had cheated on his father And not vice versa With her father

It felt so distant now But the small child inside of Randidly froze and began to tremble If that was true then his dad

His dad left but maybe it was because he was the broken one And in his fury and resentment and need Randidly had never given him a chance after that Slowly his father had adopted that persona giving Randidly harsh lessons in life all the while ignoring that Randidly always took his mother’s side

Sighing Randidly looked at Sydney with pity in his eyes Were these things true Had she been struggling against this fucked up narrative she had in her head their entire friendship Was that why it had always felt so weird and unnatural and why out of the blue she forced this immense burden on him hiding her sickness which would destabilize both their relationships

You should have told Ace Randidly said his voice breaking Then he turned away

Randidly wait

But Randidly was back in the 5th stone circle and the illusions faded away leaving him with nothing but a deep melancholy It had started as a memory but it had gone very different than he had expected His influence had a palpable effect there and shifted the events Were the things she said true

It would explain a lot In a lot of ways But perhaps it was just his mind trying to fill in answerless questions

But what it did do was fill Randidly with a burning fury The Aether in his veins began to vibrate rising to follow the pitch of his emotions This place was fucking with him It was time to start fucking back So Randidly used Haste and Empower leaping forward just throwing himself through the air heading deeper into

The images hit him like a truck making his head spin but very quickly Randidly oriented himself finding himself in the back of the car They were going to visit his mother in the hospital Randidly remembered He was 7 at the time His father was in the front of the car his hands locked on the steering wheel in a death grip

In the past Randidly had sat in the back confused and scared saying nothing the entire ride He wasn’t exactly sure why From his memory his father had been home alone with Randidly for a week or so very tight lipped and strict Although it was strange to think of this as unusual this was the first instance of Randidly seeing his father’s true colors his bitter and cold indifference

In fact his parents would probably be divorced within the next two months

Still if he was brought here by the trial Randidly wasn’t sure whether to believe the things he saw but they all felt true They all felt like they were real things he hadn’t witnessed Times in the past where he had refused to take action and let himself and those around him walk down a path into a deeper darkness heedless

So Randidly spoke to the father he would grow to hate and resent so much over the next 15 years Or at least he tried to He opened his mouth but the words seemed to escape him They were beyond him His whole body was trembling crushed by the brutal weight of the silence of the car In the same way that the steering wheel was being crushed so too did it feel like his father’s vice like grip was around Randidly’s neck keeping him silent

Safe

Randidly’s chest vibrated even here in the illusion and he felt the tight grip of the mood loosen The Aether in his chest hummed its concern Shaking his head in wonder Randidly raised his small seven year old hand and pressed it to his chest That strange voice inside of him through the Aether perhaps it was the Spirit of his Soul Skill The Soul of his new world

Either way it gave him the support he needed

What’s wrong with mom Randidly asked

Hearing his voice Randidly’s father seemed to crack sighing and slumping back in his chair I don’t know kiddo She’s been gone for a while and won’t I just don’t know yet That’s why we are going to see

The silence continued and Randidly was somewhat at a loss of what to say After all his experience with his father they were extremely limited After this point he might see him once a year for a day And most of that was clouded by his own anger towards the man so

But it seemed like the silence still bothered his father because he continued to speak after a long pause She just left for a while and wouldn’t tell me why

Randidly opened his mouth then hesitated and closed it Honestly he didn’t’ remember that his mother had left for a bit but in the grand scheme of things it was swiftly covered up by the divorce and its aftermath

Then in a move that shook Randidly to his core his father turned around and said to him Rand I hope you know that I will never leave you like that okay

Chapter 247

As his father turned and straightened back looking towards the road Randidly was frozen stiff He he would never leave him Never Fucking leave him

Do you Randidly said his voice raspy and hoarse his teeth clenched so tight his jaw ached Do you really believe that That you would never leave With how bitter and brittle you are

The words coming from Randidly’s 7 year old form probably sounded ridiculous but either way his father flinched causing the car to swerve Where where did you hear that Did your mother tell that to you

Randidly remained silent grinding his teeth but his father didn’t need him to say anymore beginning to rant wildly Maybe I am brittle but at least I’m strong At least I do my best to work things out in a marriage and not just fuck around

Then he seemed to come back to himself and breathed in through his nose out through his mouth Then he spoke again his voice much calmer No I might break and leave too And for that I’m sorry But Rand no Randidly You know I love you right That won’t ever change You are my son no matter whose No matter our real relationship

Randidly was lounging in a beanbag chair the night the System arrived Ace his hair trimmed short lay on the bed looking at the ceiling Sydney had just left heading downstairs to get the pizza The treatments Randidly had taken her to over the last few months hadn’t had the desired effect but she still kept her hair and was able to live a mostly normal life She currently only became short of breath very quickly but she was never a very athletic person to begin with so it was easy to hide

But for some reason she had decided to volunteer to go get the pizza and it had taken her a VERY long time to return After all she probably had to set the box on the ground and take breaks every 10 or so steps

Which gave Ace and Randidly time to sit and hang out like they used to like they had a lot over the past few years

But these last few months things had been extremely strained Just like Randidly’s memory Ace spoke his voice cold Maybe its best you head back for tonight You aren’t a big fan of Starship Troopers right And haven’t you and Sydney spent enough time together today already

Randidly tensed up just like he did in the past After all he took her to the clinic earlier in the day and thought he did an excellent job of hiding their excursion In the past he had immediately nodded said an excuse and fled panicking But now in this world that meant nothing

Ace there is something I need Randidly began but he was rapidly interrupted

Yea man I know you are just being a good friend Ace said dully

No listen Randidly continued There was a burning curiosity in his heart wondering what telling the truth would change Ace Sydney is dying I’ve been taking her to the hospital

But then Randidly stopped speaking Ace rolled over on the bed and gave him a long look It was a strange look filled with fear rage and hurt But no surprise

You knew Randidly said genuinely shocked Then small pieces clicked together How Ace would always know with eerie accuracy when they would be gone The strange comments he made How disappointed Ace had been when he looked at Randidly even when Sydney wasn’t there The strange looks

And the whole reason you were upset is because we didn’t tell you no Then it hit Randidly and his eyes widened in shock It was because I didn’t tell you

Ace snorted and leapt up from the bed Yea you fucking asshole I knew what I signed up for with Sydney beautiful as sin flirts with manic pixie status and as inscrutable and opaque as mud But you man I thought This is life changing LIFE ENDING And you won’t even tell me Out of respect for me Or out of self preservation Sydney’s made of tough stuff man but you Has anyone commented how tired you look lately You float around like a fucking ghost To fucking protect ME Pisses me the fuck off

And Ace walked up to Randidly and threw a punch It bounced harmlessly off Randidly’s cheek Apparently his increased stats were present here even in this dream world

Fuck Holy shit man what are you fucking made out of

Randidly scratched his cheek awkwardly He supposed it made sense that he wasn’t really teleported to the past and maintained some of his strength It was honestly super amusing for the very fit Ace to rebound off of his strike so obviously But it wasn’t something worth getting bogged down over

It was her secret Ace Randidly pointed out I couldn’t just tell you Shouldn’t you be more mad about her failure to disclose You aren’t being very reasonable

Being unreasonable is my prerogative Ace announced recovering from his injury and pointing towards the ceiling Then he lowered his hand and extended towards Randidly Because we are best friends

Yea Randidly said and he felt choked up for a second as he took Ace’s hand and squeezed it lightly Randidly hadn’t realized how much of a weight that he carried because his last interaction with Ace had been so laden with resentment and anger that he didn’t even understand But now now that he understood it all fell away

Ace winced Holy shit man maybe you haven’t gotten any sleep cuz you’ve been slamming weights in the gym How fucking strong are you I mean you look good but and fucking how didn’t you know that I suspected it I’ve been giving you stink eyes for weeks

Randidly shrugged awkwardly I thought well Tessa made me think you both assumed we were err

Cheating Ace said his face twisted in a disgusted expression Like I get she has a nice ass but I really don’t know why you put up with Tessa’s jealousy Plus there’s no way in hell that Sydney has a chance with you

Randidly burst out laughing No way she has a chance with me The girl you said was beautiful as sin’ I’m parking ticket beautiful at best

Ha You always were so dumb with the things you say That’s why I keep you around to make my phrases look smart Ace said throwing his arm around Randidly You see friend those things you think you will never have Generally those are simply the things you don’t reach for

Randidly stood in a small room where a woman lay slumped against the wall her hands bound up to the ceiling by chains

Blinking his eyes focused on her the same time she looked at him She lifted her head up suddenly animated

Lyra Randidly said rather uncomprehending at the whole conversation

She gave him a sardonic smile Look I’m doing my best damsel impression Now you just need to get off your ass and be the hero Got it

Drak Wyrd stood in front of Randidly raising his spear Then he began to move swinging slowly through what Randidly knew was just a training progression But it was at such a level that it had Randidly rooted to the floor His spear danced and spun moving so quickly and so fluidly that it seemed to bend and twist writhing mid air like a living creature

Then Drak switched gears moving from flowing strikes to rapid brutal ones The air hummed with the passage of his spear The rare power contained in the strikes even his basic skills were trained to a level that left Randidly in awe

Was this a current vision Because otherwise and even then he could slow him down with spells but Randidly would eventually be forced into a close confrontation with him And at that time his current spear skills weren’t going to be able to stop Drak for long

Then Drak’s spear blurred moving with pure speed as the goal Randidly narrowed his eyes Even with his skill level and his high Perception This was beyond him It was barely even registerable with his senses So this this was the strength that made even Aethon Thai unshakably sure that Drak Wyrd would win the tournament This level of perfection

But after the training Drak dropped the spear his hand trembling Falling to one knee Drak shouted Liam

A door opened and another man ran into the room Master you know you can’t train now Your skills are already pushed to the limit This is the result of keeping your level so low for so long If you gain anymore skill levels the Aether Starvation

Liam quiet It is necessary Drak looked up at the ceiling his eyes narrowed Everything is necessary to open a path for my family to return to its former glory

Chapter 248

Images of Drak and his associate Liam disappeared and Randidly found himself deep deep within a strange viscous black There was only darkness all around and the cage The cage couldn’t be seen but Randidly knew somehow instinctively that it was there blinding him

Time seemed to flow past and Randidly was carried around and the thin stream of energy he produced was syphoned off elsewhere This continued and continued until the day that the cage broke This brought Randidly a great joy but at the same time the cage had kept him from sinking deeper into the darkness Without it he began to slip down and away

But at the last moment he saw a pinprick of light in the black and reached for it They touched

Suddenly Randidly was syphoned away and found himself in a new blackness This place was smaller in terms of space at first but it was constantly growing Randidly fed his energy into this new blackness filling it even as it grew demanding more and more Luckily now that the cage was gone the limitations on Randidly releasing energy was gone and he created more and more

Too much Very soon the black space was full and the energy began to pack downwards condensing into a liquid energy form And then it filled up around him even the liquid more compact form still being too much for this space It was expanding far too slowly

So Randidly was submerged in his own energy and began to feel profoundly sleepy His eyelids drifted downwards The pressure It closed in on him slowly sealing off his sense of this black space and leaving only

But then something brushed up against Randidly A current An eddy in the liquid energy His eyelids fluttered

The flowing began again more insistent more volume of energy moving And with that movement Randidly struggled and found the strength to open his eyes He saw a wide darkness and to his surprise himself sitting in the darkness his eyes closed Other Randidly had an extremely pained face and opened his eyes slowly too

You must give to others

Randidly blinked in surprise He remembered saying this in the darkness created by the Creature And the thing that was speaking

Yes here Give

Randidly’s chest vibrated confirming that the other that was connected to him had witnessed everything too and knew what needed to be done here Then why

Ah Randidly smiled ruefully So he could see from the perspective of the creature that was in his chest That it really was something with intelligence That it knew it was stuck inside Randidly and was overall very thankful

The dream Randidly nodded slowly To connect us all

US

Randidly snapped awake his skin absolutely burning feeling like it was on fire He tried to straighten pushing himself up off the ground but it seemed that the skin of his cheek had melted fusing to the molten rock of the ring beneath him His whole body was screaming in agony and waves of pain crashed down on him The heat too was an oppressive weight physically grinding away at him

As he tried again to move Randidly realized that he was much weaker than he realized he wasn’t sure how long he had been out but it had reduced his health to around 25% through sheer heat through that time

Instantly he activated Golden Roots of Yggdrasil feeling that energy from the core of this world flowing up into him healing him as rapidly as his body could manage Bacterial Regeneration was working as hard as it could but seemed to be largely neutralized by the high heat

With no other choice Randidly ripped his head upwards long chunks of skin lying on the ground burning and sizzling He was on his hands and knees and those weren’t much better Only after 5 minutes and several ripping agonizing struggles did Randidly manage to ascend to his feet The bottoms of his feet instantly began to scream in protest but Randidly had no time to bother with them

While manipulating Living Blood as best he could to heal the worst of the damage in any small way Randidly looked around He was already on the 9th circle his leap apparently carrying him one deeper into the trial than he needed to go With more effort than Randidly would have believed he raised his gaze and looked at the floating face of lava and stone

I don’t suppose this is where you say I didn’t technically reach the correct ring Randidly asked wryly

The giant face above him slowly twisted its mouth After several seconds it was clearly a smile

No this is acceptable But the challenge is not over You must withstand such a heat for an hour only then is your body at an acceptable level to become my anointed Hmm hmm I suppose since you are closer the time can be shortened to 45 minutes

Randidly’s skin continued to sizzle bubbling and burning The bottom of his feet were slowly being ground away by the vicious burning of the semi solid rock beneath him Waves of heat wafted upwards warping the appearance of the ground around him Shivering Randidly had quite a bit of difficulty just with standing even with the thick streams of energy he absorbed through the ground energizing himself

All the while the temperature continued to rise the air being lit on fire by that strange crimson and black sphere

After using Absolute Control Freeze to suppress the worst of the weakness Randidly began to walk towards the center of the arena his steps stuttering None of his spells would really help here his Healing Palm was at too low of a level to accomplish anything As it was he was currently regaining some of his strength very slowly but it was hard to imagine that he would be able to keep that up as the temperature continued to rise

No the best way

Randidly’s mouth stretched wide

The way that Randidly somehow knew would grab the attention of the Patron of Ash just because of how insane it sounded Because that was the type of character he seemed to be

and if I touch that sphere Randidly whispered

Above him the Patron of Ash heard his words and its eyes began to glow But it said nothing as Randidly walked forward trudging as quickly as he could manage The heat was a physical weight at this point far beyond the ability for a human before the System to withstand Sweat evaporated before it even left the pores and Randidly’s skin began to wither and flake awake

It was hot and dry to an unbelievable degree Randidly looked down at the final ring in front of him grimacing This was the part that might be hard And Randidly took the step and hopped downwards into the next ring

Randidly

The room was dark making it impossible to see But the air was cool and Randidly gasped sucking down large lungfuls of cool air It probably hurt him because this was just an illusion and out around him the heat was still present But for now it was a much needed break

But then he straightened because he recognized that voice no matter where he was He had just heard it albeit in an illusion The deep darkness parted and slowly shapes became clearer around him A dark bedroom in a classical style 4 poster bed writing desk large mirror on the far well a tall bookshelf

A figure got up out of a bed stepping carefully not bothering to dress herself She was just wearing a shift The only light in the room came from the nearby window but the drapes were pulled so only a bit of reflected luminance was able to shine around

But it was Sydney thin and pale even in the darkness her normally short hair grown out to her shoulders She gave him a long look then sighed

Is this a joke To think I fell for it even for a second Then her eyes firmed and she raised her hands Well whatever sick sort of joke Ace had planned I still refuse to meet with him Die

Randidly felt a strange chill and it was more than just the strange sinking feeling in his chest he felt as Sydney waved her hands at him in a threatening manner Thick daggers of black ice shot forward aiming for his chest

In that moment Randidly was frozen shocked both that Sydney would attack him the mention of Ace and the fact that she was clearly using skills that would have come only after the System arrived Did that mean

They were alive All of this time

Chapter 249

Suddenly Randidly’s eyes snapped back to focus and he activated Spear Phantom’s Embrace almost effortlessly moving past the projectiles even though he had been frozen for several seconds This was just the difference in levels and stats Attacks of this level couldn’t even come close to scratching Randidly

Sydney seemed just as surprised that Randidly didn’t instantly fall as Randidly had been when she attacked him because she just stared at him as he appeared in front of her taking a step closer

Sydney you were alive Randidly asked reaching out towards her Your cancer

Guards Sydney yelled snapping out of her shock and creating a thin wall of ice between the two of them Randidly smashed it to pieces with a single hand and then grabbed her hand as she stabbed forward with another dagger of ice pulling her close

Randidly frowned at her Sydney

The doors burst open and a tall skeleton with a flaming skull for a head walked in Randidly simply blinked once again shocked The skeleton’s jaw clacked in amusement

Hehehe Countess you seem to be in trouble My master’s offer still stands If you The skeleton began but he was quickly shut up as wave after wave of Spearing Roots ripped up into his bones picking him up and carrying him into the hallway

Will you just listen Holy fuck were you always this stubborn Randidly growled

Well how the fuck am I supposed to believe you when you are doing shit that seems IMPOSSIBLE especially for Randidly Sydney said twisting away from him Randidly let go afraid that he would break her wrist as she struggled It was a strange reminder One that he hadn’t had since Tessa that he was on a different level and had a responsibility not to hurt people around him

Who else would I be And what is that supposed to mean especially Randidly I

Randidly found himself strangely back in the rings but everything was monochrome His foot lightly touched down as he arrived in the final ring Strange shockwaves spread from the spot his foot touched moving through the jelly like rock His bare foot sank into the stone but there was no pain The heat waves continued but they were just visual phenomenon without any real meaning

This is ash

A loud voice echoed different than the Patron’s but somehow Randidly knew it was him a deeper purer voice not coming through the mouth of a giant monstrous glob of lava but his true body

If you continue you too shall be burnt to ash Endure that is the only path available to you

Randidly felt it now still Not the heat but the weakness Although this strange state meant that the heat was not crushing him as it was his body still was crippled by it But by a supreme act of will Randidly stepped forward reaching out towards the sphere He took a step then another step He was only about 2 meters away now when abruptly the heat began to rise It was though the area around the sphere was a line that divided Randidly from the real world where he was slowly being annihilated by the real heat

After all the way heat decayed meant that the closer you came the sharper the increase would be And after not feeling the heat in this strange monochrome world the pain the absolute agony the anguish

But Randidly just smiled his eyes twinkling and took another step forward

You you walk forward to become naught but ash endure and

Shut the fuck up Randidly said or tried to because the words just emerged from him like a sigh formless and running together But he refused to sway from his path

Whether or not it was purposeful going through the strange illusions taught Randidly a lot Some of it was about his own weaknesses some of it was perhaps speculations on his past but what it definitely showed him is that nothing would happen without acting In the past there had been moments where he had remained still and he had lost something dear because of that

There were probably times where inaction was for the best but for now

Randidly took another step forward even as the ground sunk beneath him The heat continued to rise slamming back against his body going beyond its previous levels In his body the weakness was systemic and he could barely continue So he leaned forward and just let his momentum carry him

If the only way forward was to become ash so be it Because he refused to back down

Only 1 meter away Randidly just leaned forward stretching his arm out as he slowly began to fall towards it his hand reaching His skin then his muscles and tendons caught fire and burned away and a vicious insane pain ripped up his arm But Randidly couldn’t stop now

Still when he tried to control his arm to grab the sphere there was no response the physical necessities for movement had burnt away So he simply fell forward slowly

This his eyes began to glow emerald

This streams of blood protected by a dense layer of Battle Intent ran up his arms taking the bones of his hand and wrapping around them His head throbbing Randidly continued to force forward with his will pressing and pressing and the blood hurried wrapping more and more completely around his hand

At the same time the pain in his head grew more deadening causing the edges of his vision to blur And the Battle Intent around the blood controlling his hand

But he reached disregarding all else If Sydney was alive if Ace was alive

He would pay the debts he owed to people here and then return to Earth For now at least Sydney seemed fine although the fact she was consorting with skeletons

As with all things to accomplish his goals he needed strength more and more Because hanging over Earth was still the Calamity If they had lived this long he wasn’t letting some monster of the System end their lives

Stretching Randidly’s hand extended and his hand

Above the Patron of Ash watched silently as the hand landed on the sphere and a wave of burning heat exploded outward a heat far beyond what it had previously released annihilating the boys flesh and leaving only the bones As the Patron watched the bones fell a bit but were then engulfed by a strange burning energy

Humans it thought were profoundly strange creatures

The crimson glass cracked and most of the black liquid dropped back into the earth burning its way to the core but a small drop hovered there then began to float towards the bones It split up into innumerable smaller drops and then spread out going to each bone piercing in and settling in the marrow The bones very rapidly began smoking their color changing to a dull deep grey

But that didn’t mean they were unlikable

Randidly started awake sitting up promptly vomiting Grimacing Randidly straightened after his body was cleansed and then the trembling started resisting his every attempt to control Very soon he was seizing on the ground his whole body burning His whole body no the pain was concentrated in the bones slowly spreading out in waves flooding his whole body

He reached for his Aether and began to rotate it resisting the pain but it seemed like there was nothing to fight against the pain in his body So he could only lay back and allow the strange spasms and pains to continued gritting his teeth

The last he remembered he was on the final ring reaching for the sphere Did this mean he had touched it or Was this some strange backlash for failing to pass the test and become an Anointed of Ash

But his worries were unfounded After around 10 minutes the strange pain tapered off although the heat in his body continued if anything growing stronger After he could control his body Randidly straightened sighing and was met with several notifications

Chapter 250

Congratulations The Patron of Ash smiles on you +10 to all stats Your body was not refined by the Black Mercury but totally remade cast in ash and reconstituted You have learned the Skill Ashes to Ashes Lvl 1 The sun rises on you a changed man Go forth and spread the power of your Patron

Congratulations You have endured the Trial of Ash and become anointed By enduring the visions you have achieved a lasting inner peace and have seen your path forward Wisdom and Willpower +10 Do to synchronicity your skill Agony has evolved into Anguish (Un) All skill levels have been retained

Ashes to Ashes Your body has now been baptized by Ash As such in dangerous situations you can return to ash avoiding most attacks and reforming soon after High mana cost Range and speed of reforming increases with skill level Mana cost decreases very slightly with skill level

Anguish (Un) Produce waves of pain from your body Effects also now include extreme wariness and confusion The mental aspect of the damage is greatly increased from its original form in Agony Range and damage increases with skill level

Randidly began to laugh This this sort of boost as well as the two skills Although he hadn’t tried them out yet he could basically get the gist of them And overall all he could think was

Powerful Randidly whispered And he truly believed it With this level of strength he had come one step closer to being able to give Azriel what she needed The all around increase in stats were incredibly powerful and would hopefully give him an additional edge

But then Randidly grimaced Although now that he thought about that he remembered the vision he had of Drak The ability that he showed the oppressively high skill levels his ability that was pushed to the limit of those under Level 25

It would become an endurance contest He simply needed to push until the shallow layer of Aether he obtained through his class connection at level 25 was insufficient to support his strength For that Randidly needed to survive and resist for as long as possible or to simply strike forward and crush Drak

Randidly did his best to wipe his grin off his face One thing at a time In addition to the bonuses of stats and skills Randidly also had gotten quite a few skill levels just from his time in the Trial of Ash His Pain Resistance had increased by 3 his Fire Resistance by 9 his Mental Strength and Battle Intent by 6 Rejection by 3 Absolute Control Freeze by 2 Struggle by 4 and Living Blood and Superiority by 10

Which left Randidly with quite a decision because he now had 99 PP remaining and quite a few paths to choose from including some new ones

Heretic XII 0/ Nexus Traveler Cohort 5 0/50 Path of Control 0/200 Basic Mana Engraving 0/100 Journeyman 0/150 Experimenter I 0/50 Anguish I 0/125 Steps of the Godling I 0/50 Intermediate Battle Intent 0/200

Out of hand Randidly dismissed Heretic and the Nexus Traveler In addition both Basic Mana Engraving and Experimenter were probably interesting paths that would give him useful skills but Randidly was on a time crunch and what he needed was immediate strength

Aside from Anguish which Agony appeared to have transformed from both of the new additions were interesting Steps of the Godling immediately Randidly thought of his inner world and how they had a strange amount of worship for him If it was a path that gave him skills to interfere in his Soul Skill that was important but it wasn’t useful now Battle Intent would probably give him a large increase in power but it was difficult to see whether it would give him much in the short term And the 200 PP price tag

Which left Path of Control Journeyman and Anguish Path of Control Randidly had long had but he had been distracted by other paths in the meantime It also was the most expensive but if it provided quite a bit of boosts to his Control stat it was probably worth it After all the most workable plan about pushing Drak to the limit involved keeping him distracted with spells

Journeyman was one of the core paths and would probably give skills and stats rather easily But there was no proof of that and the main benefit was usually that stat per level gains As for Anguish

Randidly’s experience in the trial made him realize how necessary it was to strike with all weapons at his disposal Even if he were to hurt some people in the area it would be nowhere near the damage he would do to Drak And anything to cause him increased discomfort because that would deplete his Aether more quickly

It was also a weapon that Drak wouldn’t expect So Randidly put his PP into Anguish In a pleasant turn of events every 10 PP would earn Randidly 10 Health Mana and Stamina It was a nice boost to his base stats

Plus putting the PP in gave him both the blessing of Cleansing Rain and Murderous Cold And this time Randidly was sure that they were slowly changing because on the first one his concentration permanently increased by 2% and for the second blessing the amount of free stats he received was 8 Most of those free stats he put into Perception so he would be able to keep up with the attacks of Drak

After receiving everything Randidly looked at his stats

Health(/R per hour) 1322/1633 (+118) (643 (+27

Mana(/R per hour) 649/1627 (+5) (202 75 (+9

Stam(/R per min) 1233/1645 (247 (+9

Vit 179 (+9)

End 87

Str 132 (+17)

Agi 167 (+17)

Perception 133 (+10)

Reaction 158

Resistance 115 (+15)

Willpower 181 (+10)

Intelligence 119

Wisdom 85 (+9)

Control 231

Focus 178 (+4)

Skills (Soul Skill) Four Shaded Clockwork World Lvl 501

Combat Spear Mastery Lvl 120 White Phantom’s Half Step (Un) Lvl 50 Heavy Blow Lvl 66 Dagger Mastery Lvl 10 Iron Skin Lvl 47 Dodge Lvl 67 Fighting Proficiency Lvl 91 Block Lvl 48 Haste Lvl 78 Phantom Onslaught Lvl 43 Sweep Lvl 54 Spear Deflect Lvl 10 Empower Lvl 97 Calculated Blow Lvl 66 Roundhouse Kick Lvl 36 Flesh Eating Virus (Un) Lvl 57 Idiosyncratic Cut (Un) Lvl 65 Pierce the Skies Shatter the Earth Lvl 39 Battle Intent Lvl 105 Struggle Lvl 76 Body Control Freeze Lvl 19 The Golden Roots of Yggdrasil Lvl 54 Stalemate Breaker Lvl 15

The 7 Kata of the Ashen Spear The Spear Advances Ash Trails Lvl 27

The 6 Signs of the Spear Phantom ® The First Sign The Inevitable Phantom Arrives Lvl 83 (Un) The Fifth Sign The Spear Phantom’s Embrace ® Lvl 138

Spells Spearing Roots Lvl 38 Mana Bolt Lvl 28 Mana Shield Lvl 26 Root Control Lvl 97 Arcane Orb Lvl 22 Fireball Lvl 30 Magic Missile Lvl 4 Healing Palm Lvl 12 Pollen of the Rafflesia Lvl 20 Summon Pestilence Lvl 53 Mana Strengthening Lvl 65 Wall of Thorns Lvl 17 Soul Seed Lvl ® Anguish (Un) Lvl 47 Inspiration ® Incinerating Bolt Lvl 73 Circle of Flame Lvl 45 Plantomancy Lvl 32 The Weeping Cloud ® Lvl 64 Hammer of the Dawn Lvl 6 Burning Footsteps Lvl 10 Ashes to Ashes Lvl 1

Auxiliary Physical Fitness Lvl 83 Meditation Lvl 83 Running Lvl 39 Sprinting Lvl 19 Sneak Lvl 46 Acid Resistance Lvl 22 Poison Resistance Lvl 21 Pain Resistance Lvl 32 First Aid Lvl 16 Equip Lvl 25 Pathfinding Lvl 18 Mental Strength Lvl 23 Curse Resistance Lvl 15 Fire Resistance Lvl 23 Sewing Lvl 11 Cutting Vegetables Lvl 2 Manual Labor Lvl 6 Digging Lvl 5 Cooking Lvl 35 Grace Lvl 50 Bacterial Regeneration Lvl 93 Superiority Lvl 42 Mental Fortitude Lvl 45 Second Wind Lvl 55 Weather Affinity Lvl 43 Clockwork Mastery Lvl 16 Rejection Lvl 39 Aether Connection Lvl 3 Flexibility of the White Hunters ® Lvl 26 Living Blood (Un) Lvl 23

Bonuses +4% Concentration +3% hearing and vision range +1% size Immunity +2%

It was truly a level of stats approaching monstrous in Randidly’s own humble opinion Most everything was above 100 and a lot of things were nearing or over the 200 mark In terms of skills things were increasing nicely and he would definitely emerge from this tournament much improved The question was only whether he could accomplish for Azriel what she desired

There were also so many different forces at work Depending on whether Randidly was to believe the vision that he saw Shal might be under the influence of a strange powerful woman that Randidly strongly suspected would be Lucretia Beyond that Lucretia had taken some action to tempt away some of the other contestants as he had been warned by Bertarn

And perhaps Dian had somehow taken that and been imprisoned by Lucretia Which would make any fights against her Did Randidly even have the strength to fight against her

For now he put that aside although he should talk to Divveltian about it Out of everyone in the city he was the only powerful Adept level spear user that Randidly trusted Even still based on the story and how Bertarn made it seem like she was universally reviled in this world it was hard to know whether they would be able to do anything to her

Perhaps Randidly should contact someone from the Northern Region

But that reminded him that the Engraving Guild was watching him and the Styles here wanted him to stop associating with Azriel and Randidly did not listen to them Would they believe him or support him

Behind all of this there was this strange tension between Drak and Azriel that included strange political forces forcing them together Heavy in Randidly’s mind was the deal that Azriel made with Drak that she would marry him He wasn’t even sure yet why this was important but it was only due to that action that he had made it to where he was now After all if he was unable to understand Drak’s strikes now if he had fought him before

Sighing Randidly put all these thoughts aside and instead focused his attention inward There was so much to do but there was another match before he was even against that domineering opponent first Randidly would face Ciel of the Steel Feather Style

Chapter 251

Claptrap tried his best to hide his yawn behind his hand Although this talk show’ was definitely entertaining and was very well received by the populace it was just a really boring job He shouldn’t have taken on the job of host himself There were so many other details of his business that required his attention and he was stuck here listening to the male spear attendant waxing poetic on the grace of the Ghosthound

But the job wasn’t without its perks

And now without further ado let’s interview one of our top 8 Ciel Thai Claptrap announced smiling warmly Not that he hadn’t had any interactions with Ciel since she had fulfilled the role of business liaison to the rest of the Steel Feather Style but it had been incidental and honestly both of them had been very busy with the work they were doing in their respective roles This would give them the chance to finally sit and talk Claptrap’s stomach gurgled its glee

Admittedly the male spear attendant would be there which wasn’t ideal And Aethon Thai her father often popped in at random times like these just to amuse himself And there were thousands of people watching and talking excitedly amongst themselves really pleased to have the chance to see and hear one of the hot young talents who was also a beautiful woman talk about herself and her training

Admittedly much less than ideal But it was all he had and Claptrap was going to enjoy the situation even if it killed him

Thank you for having me Ciel said flashing a smile I’ve really been watching this program with interest Claptrap how did you manage to end up working as a clerk for so many years when you had ideas like this stored away

Claptrap felt a twinge of guilt in his stomach All of this everything was a product of the Ghosthound He could take credit for nothing He was just the face of the business But he had been doing this for almost a week now and covered up his nerves very well Haha that shop wasn’t busy very often and you know what they say about idle hands but no one here wants to hear about me right Deardun

The crowd cheered and again that guilt twinged uncomfortably They didn’t have to cheer THAT loud

Ciel you are the daughter of the Vice Leader of the Steel Feather Style The Steel Feather Style has been a staple of the Northern Region since the 4 founding Styles

Technically there were 5 families that founded the Northern Region The male spear attendant interrupted Claptrap But Claptrap just ignored him After all with the state of the Northern Region being what it was and Drak’s presence in the tournament

and they boast the highest number of victories in the Northern Regional tournament of any Style in history Claptrap leaned forward creating an intimate feel between himself and Ciel Her long hair was braided and fell over her shoulder emphasizing her long neck and smooth skin She was the model of the perfect daughter not one you would believe being one of the strongest young spear users Will you add another victory this year

Well I don’t know about that all of the final 8 contestants have their own powerful backgrounds It will definitely be hard But I’m going to try my best Ciel clenched her fist her whole body vibrating with controlled power

It was a beautiful thing

Claptrap was shocked back to himself after a few seconds of staring by Ciel’s laugh

Hahaha please Claptrap don’t look at me like that Is it so strange that I can both be a woman and a fighter Her tone was teasing but there was something lurking beneath the surface

Ah no Claptrap scrambled to answer a strange desperation in his chest It’s just you are very lovely Ciel I was thinking of the old days when you

But it seemed that Ciel wasn’t going to let him bring the topics back to the planned interview Again I must ask is it not possible for a spear user to be lovely Your friend Randidly Ghosthound has his own appeal There are many women who are eyeing him as a potential husband

Claptrap’s mouth worked soundlessly for several seconds trying to comprehend what was happening Unfortunately this gave the male spear attendant the moment he needed in order to stick his foot in his mouth

You are single and unpromised correct Ciel Your combined genetics would probably create another lovely baby regardless of gender The male spear attendant said earnestly as if he was trying to help Ciel

Ciel’s eyebrow twitched and Claptrap could detect some strange mutters among the audience Things were off the rails but in the past week he had learned to be a professional in all sorts of dumb situations

Ohohoho

Aethon Thai appeared on stage along with a chair crushing the wooden chair that he usually used while he came to the stage to splinters The chair he brought with him was a thick monstrosity of metal smelted to look like spreading wings behind him Each of his small laughs was heavy and filled with power causing the stage to vibrate dangerously

Marrying off my daughter I think not This Randidly is 1000 years too early

I’m just saying The male spear attendant interjected stopping Aethon making Claptrap’s blood run cold It makes sense

Does it Claptrap muttered slightly dazed his mind jumping from conclusion to conclusion But then he shook his head Even his insecurities couldn’t connect those dots

There is a history in the Northern Region Aethon began while the male spear attendant began to hotly contest his every word Claptrap leaned back unsure of how to intervene

You know what It does

To everyone’s surprise Ciel spoke All three heads twisted and looked at her confused She sat primly her hands folded on the table in front of them Probably the person who was the most shocked was Aethon whose jaw just dangled swinging slowly back and forth

Ciel shrugged in a very charming manner What can I say There is so much talk about my femininity and his strength these past few days how could I not be convinced Let it be known that should I Ciel lose to Randidly Ghosthound in the next match I will give up the spear and become a bride

The crowd erupted The male spear attendant and Aethon Thai immediately launched into loud tirades But for Claptrap that all faded away and he looked at Ciel After her statement she leaned back in her chair and just smiled some strange emotion playing across her face and body It was almost as if the crazy madness that had seized the surrounding people was originally all emotions that had been housed in Ciel’s body but she had somehow unleashed them on the surrounding people leaving her finally at peace

Claptrap didn’t think that this was as simple as it seemed After all Ciel was the prime disciple of the Steel Feather Style which was one of the big 4 Styles that had controlled Deardun and therefore most of the Northern Region for hundreds of years Her marriage would happen as a political thing cementing the legacy and legitimacy of the Style for years to come

Meanwhile although the Ghosthound had proven that he had a bright future and was extremely skilled he was from a small Style And of all the small Styles in the world the Spear Phantom Style was the one in the Northern Region still viewed most uneasily The exact details were unknown but it couldn’t be denied that they were heavily involved with the Devourer and the related disappearances

For these two individuals to marry it was impossible Their backgrounds were too different The kind of forces behind them were completely on different levels Again that familiar sinking feeling came back to Claptrap

And if the Ghosthound is too far below your league how could I even with money and fame how could I

The rest of the interview passed in a blur and everyone left unhappy Ciel wouldn’t shift from her position and her father didn’t seem willing to press the issue too much in front of the crowd As Claptrap shuffled away listless and with quite a lot of work to do he felt a hand grab his arm

He turned expecting to find the male spear attendant pestering him about some other programing idea the weirdo had but when Claptrap looked it was Ciel gripping his arm lightly her face serious her eyes sad At this distance he could smell her perfume soft and sweet His heartbeat thundered in his ears and he felt his face blush

I’m sorry Ciel began I didn’t mean to hijack your program it’s just

Do you Claptrap interrupted stammering slightly W want to talk about this over drinks

Chapter 252

Groaning Randidly sat up checking the most recent hole in his thigh He had managed to avoid Azriel’s original charge for the artery in his leg but her follow ups to his torso had distracted him enough for her pure speed and technique to overwhelm him even with magic support

That new technique is interesting And the upgrade to Agony Anguish you said These need polished Azriel announced tapping her lip as she stood over him Randidly dutifully used Living Blood to guide his broken body back together He felt Bacterial Regeneration kick in quickly increasing his health back to its maximum value

Of course Anguish’s upgrade had been as impressive as expected But more than that Azriel was right Ash to Ash was incredibly powerful Randidly still wasn’t sure that he totally understood what Ash to Ash did It definitely activated some energy at his core and he felt that was insanely powerful he just had no idea how to control it What he did know was if he was struck by a blow while he had Ash mode activated his body would disintegrate into ash and reform at another position very very quickly

The area where he reformed was currently random and Randidly had been unable to control it even after several attempts at experimentation Still the randomness also punished Azriel who would likely have been able to read and predict him had Randidly had control

Further complicating the training was the fact that to have that mode active cost almost 4000 mana a second Randidly had enough reaction to use it just for a split second but it still usually took around 1000 1500 mana each time

Randidly was filled with passives that could boost his regeneration but even with all of these it simply took too long it was better to focus on training up other skills and keep that back as a trump card Because like Azriel said it only worked once

It became more complicated because Azriel claimed that his eyes seemed to glow with an inner flame when it was active so she was able to use feints and pull back when she saw it to make it almost useless against her But still she insisted they practice

While Randidly was gaining mana he activated Anguish and used his will to learn to shape it concentrating it in an area and direction

Through all of these spells Azriel seemed largely unphased It further cemented Randidly’s fear of the System and also the looming threats of the Engraving Guild and the large Styles of Deardun She might be extremely talented but she was still under Lvl 25 Those monsters above that level filled Randidly with a dull sense of crisis Especially with Shal still gone

Again Azriel announced in that imperious way she had and Randidly rose He still didn’t quite get why her plot to use him made sense but he was perfectly willing to take the opportunity to learn more skills The sky was high and wide and he wasn’t even fighting the monsters with the strength to endanger the entire world If these people couldn’t handle the Calamity how strong would it be

The spar started with Azriel moving so fast his eyes blurred but now Randidly had improved both in his Perception and Reaction due to the large boost from being refined by the Trial of Ash His spear moved to meet her relying heavily on Idiosyncratic Cut to make up for the distance in natural speed

But it wasn’t enough Azriel always seemed to accelerate further

Randidly split his attention summoning roots that ripped upwards in a randomized pattern which made her pause and in that moment he hammered her with the most focused Anguish he could manage By this point she had been exposed to it quite a bit and didn’t flinch but Randidly still used the chance to move forward slashing out with his spear

By the time the strike arrived Azriel was already gone blurring to stand behind him hissing through her teeth as her spear pierced his side Randidly’s eyes glowed with an inner fire a bright orange light that replaced his pupil while his iris became even more brightly emerald

Ash to Ash

The world returned to monochrome that Randidly had experienced when he had come out of the final vision at the trial Everything seemed flat and empty the noises dull and muted the colors sucked away As her blow landed on him Randidly’s world shifted as he swirled away and suddenly found himself standing behind Azriel

Color and sound slapped back into sudden prominence giving Randidly something of a headache and a great weakness came over him as he quickly ran out of mana He no longer had his spear as it was still dropping to the ground where he had disappeared but Randidly didn’t let that stop him as he unleashed a Roundhouse Kick towards her back

That leg was promptly filled with holes and he was knocked to the ground

Randidly groaned

It was frustrating in a way to train like this while he had suspicions that Shal was captured by Lucretia Based on what he knew Lucretia owed Shal’s father a 3rd gift and was willing to give it to Shal The Central Styles wanted to prevent that but Dian apparently hadn’t been doing too good of a job

Perhaps this captivity was Lucretia’s gift But Randidly didn’t think so Truly her gifts were meant to destroy and tear Based on the dull eyed Shal Randidly had seen she was just biding her time probably waiting to give him a gift to the moment it would destroy Shal Ultimately this worried Randidly more because likely what she was waiting for was something regarding him and this tournament

Well it was all speculation at this point But indulging the fact the visions were real made Randidly want to abandon this place and return home searching for Ace and Sydney However he was held in place by a vague feeling of guilt and responsibility towards Shal and also based on his promise with Azriel He hadn’t originally asked for her help getting him through the knockout rounds but she had given it and now he had taken advantage of her to help increase his skill

There was a debt there now and Randidly never wanted to be someone who forgot his debts

Again Azriel said impatiently

Claptrap almost choked to death on his first swig of ale slightly shellshocked and trembling based on the fact that Ciel had accepted so easily It was the most natural thing in the world in her mind to go somewhere more private and drink to continue their discussion As if they had a relationship of some kind As if they were friends

Maybe in her mind they were Claptrap wondered but then he squashed that thought That didn’t make sense her previous actions were definitely standoffish when she had met for the business deal So why

Um you are doing really well for yourself you know I see your symbol everywhere Ciel began tentatively Behind the Style I think your company right Is the most well known thing about this tournament No longer just a clerk huh

Claptrap nodded the guilt rising in his chest his throat souring Well due to the Ghosthound he was changing he was riding his ideas way above his place in life

Claptrap opened his mouth but wasn’t sure what to say so he closed it and then opened it again to take another sip of ale Ciel was staring at the table deep in thought Claptrap just grimaced In what world did he think

It’s inspiring you know The way you changed your life with your ideas It inspired me Ciel looked sharply up her clear blue eyes determined I want to do that reshape my life

It might be hard to notice but my life Ciel gestured slightly Has not always been under my control I am a female and it is hard to escape what that means That means it’s my responsibility to ensure the next generation of the Steel Feather Style has a leader And that inevitably means I need a strong man

Some argue that the path received from the father is very often irrelevant but Every heaven defying genius has an edge because of a skill they trained from birth from their mother and an avenue forward left to them by their father But

Now her eyes flashed and Ciel raised her glass and finished the entire thing in a second then slammed it down on the table Everyone talks about 3 names for the tournament Drak Wyrd and his epic duel against Azriel with rumors abound about their wedding And of course Randidly Ghosthound the mage spear user who worked his way up through the preliminaries through the qualifiers to get here sweating and struggling the entire way

I approached Azriel many times because I thought she would understand the pressures as the woman expected to inherit the dreams of a Style but she always seemed to look through me barely recognizing me I know I’m not like her I’m not naturally blessed in the same ways nor do I have such a monstrous understanding of the spear or instantaneous insight But I work hard I’ve always outperformed expectations

But here my name is never mentioned No one expects me to win the tournament Sure I’ll likely beat your Ghosthound friend no offense but it won’t be enough to rock the boat To make people look at me in shock That’s why I made the announcement before the crowd Only now only through drama about relationships Ciel struggled for a second before she could continue speaking a tear running down her cheek Only through this can I have their eyes on me can I seize control of my path with a shock that will set them on their back foot

Chapter 253

And it is all thanks to you Claptrap Tears were running down her cheeks now thick streams of emotion finally given a form in the light of day You were just a clerk a cute jumpy polite little clerk that I thought would be there my whole life amusing me at the shop with his antics Did you know that I came the day after you left looking for you And when the other clerk told me that you had left to change your life It was the most beautiful and tragic thing I had ever heard I was so afraid you would never return Not because we had anything special between us but because you were a part of my life and I’d never thought anything would change not so abruptly not so permanently

Is it perverse Isn’t it selfish Isn’t it childish But that’s how I felt I wanted you to stay because because suddenly you reminded me of all the things I can’t do But you came back And in a way I was happy And in another I was so confused Because you had all of this illegal armor made by a rogue engraver and you bartered with the representative of the Steel Feather Style as if you were equals You barely even looked at me and when we met you seemed so shocked like you had forgotten all about me You were changed

You were changed

Claptrap’s heart was a tornado of emotions He wanted to tell her immediately that he hadn’t changed that he was still the same old clerk that he had been picked up by a spear using equipment engraving idea creating food preparing monster that seemed to have no weaknesses used as a front for him so he could concentrate on the tournament But

But even as these things were true it was also true that this chance this opportunity to talk with her only occurred because he had accepted these things and passed them off as his own Otherwise he wouldn’t have an opportunity to learn so much about her to finally see that in her own way she valued him even then

So even as the bitterness in his chest twisted and spread Claptrap said nothing and allowed Ciel to continue

But you didn’t stop there did you No you had to revolutionize food and beverages and then these concessions and then the coverage and commentary for the tournament the memorabilia the interviews youbecame ubiquitous And now I look at you and just think what happened to the Claptrap I knew He transformed before my very eyes Ciel let out a breath that she had been holding her slender body wilting slightly Then she breathed back in her spine straightening

I want that too I need that But I’m still sorry I didn’t mean to ruin your show But I needed this

No don’t worry Claptrap spoke hearing his voice as if he was very far away Ciel admiring him I don’t mind I actually appreciate the extra intrigue Although your father

Oh him Ciel said waving her hand dismissively His bark is much worse than his bite He probably wouldn’t do anything to intervene even if the Ghosthound won He definitely can see the talent your friend has But I can’t let that happen

I have it all planned out you see Ciel continued leaning forward her warm and now alcohol tinged breath wafting towards him I defeat the Ghosthound and then face Drak in the semis As long as I put my life on the line I refuse to believe that he will be able to escape unscathed I’ll scar him weaken him Ideally we draw but even I know what a monster he is Just if I make it more difficult for him to win in the finals if I control that I’ll have made my mark in everyone’s minds Then I’ll

You really just want to hurt someone Claptrap said slowly almost believing that he had misheard

Ciel blinked and then nodded

The two exchanged glances for several long seconds Then Claptrap slowly said If you don’t believe you can win do you even think you can scratch Drak Wyrd

The question hung in the air for a long time silence slowly pooling under it

During one of their breaks when Azriel let him recover mana Randidly turned to her with a frown Can you explain to me this marriage thing between you and Drak

Azriel shrugged Not really It’s an old game that I’m quite tired of But it’s useful in that playing at it lets you predict how some other actors will move

Randidly snorted Although it was strangely endearing and refreshing to him Randidly found that Azriel’s relentless pretentious analytical drive was extremely counter productive in discussion For my sake then explain how other people view the scenario

Azriel gave him an unamused glance as if she had completely guessed his thoughts due to his response to her previous statement but then began to explain Before the Northern Region was reclaimed from the monsters and dungeons this was a wild area 5 families worked together and cleared the monsters founding Deardun and creating the Northern Region But at the last minute the greatest of the families who would grow to be called the Breaking Dawn Style were betrayed and ambushed Most of them were killed and only their heavily injured patriarch and his granddaughter were able to escape They considered giving chase but they had experienced their own losses in the clash and the two of them went out beyond the bounds of the Northern Region Assuming they would die they were let go

It was only 200 or so years later as the Northern Region expanded that the now entrenched 4 Styles discovered there was an area already cleared of monsters owned and controlled by that very Breaking Dawn Style They considered aggression but the Breaking Dawn Style seemed to be content to remain in its area and as such they were left alone

Fast forward to now of the 4 original Styles one has gone extinct while mine the Sleeping Moon Style is basically on its last legs with all its hopes on me The Steel Feather Style is still strong but Bertarn’s Toppling Mountain Style has not had someone inherit the full Skill Set in 100 years With more and more Styles sending feelers from the Central Region up here sensing weakness the heads decided better the enemy they know So they want to bind the still very powerful Breaking Dawn Style to them through marriage through me

Randidly scratched his chin

Which of course will be irrelevant when you make Drak Wyrd reveal his cards and I defeat him demonstrating that enlisting their aid is pointless Azriel said so dismissively that Randidly had to chuckle She glared at him Now you’ve had enough time let’s go again

Randidly groaned as he stood

Claptrap wandered the streets confused and angry at himself After he had told Ciel his opinion on her chances she had become extremely sad and bitter Very soon after she had left In his heart Claptrap didn’t want to apologize for speaking what he still believed was the truth but there was no doubt in his mind that he also wished the night had ended differently

He wasn’t sure how and didn’t want to think about it too much but

That hot jealousy that envy and bitterness the negative emotions and a new fear that he would be discovered as just an individual who stole from the Ghosthound riding his coattails choked him preventing any words from passing his lips as Claptrap left the bar and began to wander It seemed to harden in his chest becoming a hot core of negative that pulsed dragging him onward

As long as he carried this in his chest he couldn’t rest he couldn’t sit down he could only wander looking for something Some way to escape it Some way to not disappoint this woman he had loved and who now saw him as an example to emulate The irony crushed him grinding down his hope

So Claptrap continued his unsteady steps following the dark pulses from his chest seeking an answer It would be a very long night for him

The male spear attendant stood next to Helen as they both moved through the forms watching her out of the corner of his eye Although it was good for training his image it was not enjoyable to have her catch him checking her out and be beaten within an inch of his life Which she had done multiple times

Deciding to focus the male spear attendant had thrown everything into his defense abandoning any thoughts of actually beating Helen in a fight but at least hoping he could endure through her attacks But she defied his expectations yet again growing with leaps and bounds becoming stronger every day faster than the male spear attendant could cope with

He wasn’t sure when it had started but this growth was a relatively recent thing Since the start of the tournament There were even moments when the male spear attendant caught Helen looking at her hands seemingly in shock herself at the speed of her growth Which just confused the male spear attendant even more

Where had this come from

Like what you see Helen said twisting around in a way that made her chest flop back and forth but still the male spear attendant winced

Busted

But suddenly he was struck by inspiration She often became so pissed when he denied it what if

Yea I do The male spear attendant said flashing Helen his most charming smile Perhaps he had been going about this all wrong

Helen’s mouth transformed into a flat line and her eyes were dead and empty as she stared at him The male spear attendant sighed It was worth a try

Chapter 254

Randidly walked back through the darkening streets rubbing his neck Azriel had insisted they train for two days straight so there was only one more day remaining before his match with Ciel During this time he wanted to do a lot more with Engraving so he was forced to refuse to stay any longer and just leave Azriel aiming a frosty glance at his back

Paradoxically Azriel had not a single ounce of chill Randidly had always thought his will and Endurance was strong but now He realized that he had just never truly been broken down to his most base state The only explanation that Randidly could think of was that Azriel had a stronger will and work ethic than Shal and Marco Polo who had given him some breaks largely because THEY were tired or bored

Azriel had no such reactions She was always ready to go again It was a strange combination of aggravating and encouraging But it did mean that it had been a long two days

What was perhaps most annoying is that no matter how the the tournament matches turned out there was a very close deadline for Randidly finishing his preparations for what comes after At this point he wasn’t sure exactly what he would plan to do but there was much he could do in preparation for that giving himself more options when the time for the decision arrived

Most pressing was his research on Engraving Raising his strength for the tournament had been previously the highest importance but at this point there would only be marginal gains in his strength That didn’t mean that he wouldn’t use every second he could but it was worth mentioning that there were other things to do If Randidly’s speculations were correct the Shadow IV rune would give him the edge he needed to escape the aftermath of the tournament buying him some time so he could evade the Engraving Guild and the larger Styles There were some implicit and overt threats hanging around and Randidly didn’t’ want to give them time to consider which to carry through with

So Randidly returned to the inn and headed up towards his room planning on spending the next several hours pouring over the second volume of the Encyclopedia set But on his way up a figure was coming down Claptrap

Heya Claptrap How’s business Randidly asked lightly trying to keep the wariness out of his voice He had given Claptrap several ideas the past few weeks which enabled Claptrap to expand his business to a huge degree But there was an unintended side effect Claptrap generally nattered on for an hour anytime their paths crossed filled with questions about the origins of the ideas and how to expand

Fine Claptrap’s eyes flashed strangely and he seemed extremely preoccupied to the point that he simply grunted his answer nodded to Randidly and continued down out of the inn

Breathing out a sigh of relief Randidly ascended to his room and pulled out the encyclopedia After a few minutes spent making himself comfortable and giving himself pen and paper he began to read making notes where he didn’t understand a concept or wanted to summarize a longer page

For hours his eyes followed the lines as he pushed his concentration to the limits looking for clues in the words In a way he was successful for Randidly found himself making connections about the art of Engraving in his mind But in another he was becoming increasingly confused Most of the problem stemmed from the fact that the encyclopedia seemed to have been penned by several different authors

Based on his earlier assumptions these authors were all from different worlds in the 5th Cohort Because while their methods were similar the conclusions they came to was very different But once Randidly recognized that issues he was able to slowly parse apart what they were saying The only problem then was figuring out which of the systems described by the author would most closely resemble his own Aether channels

While this was going on Randidly was intermittently summoning Root Spiders grinding his skills up and activating Golden Roots of Yggdrasil and Meditation These skills didn’t improve by much because Randidly wasn’t devoting very much of his attention to perfecting them but they would slowly increase in proficiency

Small gains one level at a time

After about 6 hours he set aside the encyclopedia finally finished with the 2nd volume Then Randidly organized his notes as much as he could and stood stretching A small pain had formed behind his eyes after the extended period of studying even with his high stats and bonuses towards concentration which demonstrated how pointlessly intricate and demanding Engraving was

Randidly supposed that the only reason he had been able to learn it so easily was his initial high mana pool After all based on what he had learned by this point his initial methods was pointlessly wasteful when it came to mana expenditure Mana was still spent by Randidly while Engraving except in more subtle ways shaping the rune from the inside out rather than grinding away as he had previously

Cracking his neck Randidly considered heading to the roof for some additional physical training but dismissed that It was too time consuming and would be much less efficient than spending time with Azriel Better to focus now on things he could do alone

But there weren’t many skills that he could grind like this

Randidly grimaced Which meant that perhaps it was time to take a break and just think about a few issues Although it was not the most pressing Randidly had been ignoring the implications of his Aether Donation skill and it was perhaps time to address that

At its most basic Aether Donation could be used to give a set amount of Aether to another party a simple donation Perhaps the used could use this to overcome Aether Sickness or create their own skill but the donated Aether would be of a finite amount and run out after a while

The other option the one he had employed on instinct with Helen and attempted with Shal was to have a permanent ongoing Donation Which for a skill like Aether Donation seemed a bit counterintuitive It made Randidly all the more sure that it was designed to be that way because very soon after he created the connection and let it exist he could feel meaning flowing back through the connection informing his inner world and Soul Skill of the power and presence of rivers

What was even more disturbing was that although he had originally checked after making it and found it easy now closing the connection seemed almost impossible Just like allowing a real stream to flow through his land it would be easy to block off a trickle of water But now that it had grown into a river flowing both ways there would undoubtedly be consequences for both of them

The name was clearly a clever bit of misdirection the Creature had created a way for Randidly to create Aether connections almost exactly like people would do with villages with the only difference being he couldn’t provide a class But what Randidly could provide is a large amount of clean very unpolluted Aether at least for now Perhaps that would change as his own inner world developed or as he made more connections but

Permanence was something that made Randidly hesitate however A permanent connection filled him with a vague fear that almost made him smile sardonically he was a man in his early 20s after all

Then Randidly paused He supposed he was no longer really in his early 20s It was probably getting close to his 25 birthday with the time since the System arrived and his 2 years in the prison He just hadn’t celebrated any of them so he wasn’t sure if they really counted Besides the only changes in his body were changes that Randidly would associate with youth

Randidly walked over to the mirror to look at himself Since increasing his stats mostly Vitality he suspected his skin had become remarkably clear and soft His hair was still black but now had a strange luxurious richness that caught the light and made it shine rather than just devouring it It honestly reminded him of a shampoo commercial

His nose was straight his jaw sharp his lips stretched into a self mocking smile revealing white teeth His eyes burned emerald even as he looked at himself in the darkness slightly luminous This was probably an effect of the Aether flowing through him but his eyes were amazingly clear the color noticeable even from a far distance

Perhaps it was the result of his training perhaps it was the subtle result of his Soul Skill increasing his size in marginal amounts but Randidly had gained quite a bit of weight in muscle since the System arrived These muscles were packed on the same frame but it gave him a compact heaviness that he didn’t possess before Even to his own eyes his body looked coiled like a spring prepared and capable

Randidly shook his head and looked away and then began to stretch This was another important point that Azriel emphasized In direct conflicts Randidly was average at best which left him slightly miffed but he couldn’t dispute her So she wanted him to focus on increasing his flexibility but literal and figurative Which required

Stretching Twice daily Until his tightly packed muscles loosened up

Looking at his wiggling toes as he reached for them Randidly sighed All of this was decidedly tiresome He would much rather fight or study than just bend himself weirdly But he couldn’t deny the utility so did his best to ignore these thoughts and focus on the task at hand

But suddenly he stilled a forced casualness snapping into place almost instantly Very slowly naturally as if he had finished his stretch he straightened keeping his movements even

Someone was standing behind him

Chapter 255

Looking at the boy in front of her who so quickly discovered her Lucretia couldn’t help but laugh Ha You are truly just as unusual as they say Turn around so I can have a look at you

Lucretia kept her mocking smile in place as the boy slowly pirouetted to face her but her eyes glowed with curiosity There was something about him that had affected so many people around him moving them in directions that she hadn’t expected Whatever the boy had done had kept Shal from capitulating to her for a long time eventually forcing Lucretia to intervene herself directly The seeds she planted around him seemed to curl up and die unused

How could he cause so much trouble for her

But Lucretia wasn’t bitter If anything it simply excited her She had wandered around this world for a long time She had found a whiff of a path out of this world leaving the System behind allowing her to gain eternal life but even after years and years of experimentation and exploration she felt she was only barely progressing on that Path It required a monstrous 10 000 PP to finish but Lucretia was no stranger to subverting the system

Although she had already spent 3k towards that path she had discovered methods of using Aether given to her freely to take the place of that PP But she didn’t have much time remaining She was old very very old Aether was ultimately a source of life but she hadn’t spent many of her stats increasing her Physical Defense stats which would increase her longevity So although the fire that was Aether was still burning brightly the house of her body was starting to crumble from wear and tear

Which was why an unexpected element was profoundly interesting to Lucretia She wouldn’t know it but her thought process was very similar to that of Azriel who saw in Randidly not a path forward but a chance she couldn’t predict

But when the boy turned around entirely and their eyes met Lucretia’s face froze her mouth going slightly slack Because she suddenly realized why he could have so many profound and confusing effects Why he would fill those around him with enough hope to resist her seeds Why he was an influence she hadn’t been able to predict or calculate even after she had become aware of his existence

Why all of this had been worth it to meet him

His emerald eyes burned a rich pure untainted Aether flowing through them Although it was incredibly well contained in his body in a strange almost profound flow the rushing tides of Aether within him couldn’t be hidden before her eyes After all could any in the world boast that they were more experienced with Aether than she

She was the Eternal Witch Lucretia And although she didn’t know how this boy contained within him a vast amount of Aether so vast that she had her suspicions that it wasn’t a finite amount If he had a source

Immediately a vicious hunger rose in her chest and she almost reached out and ripped that source out of him by force But at the last moment she stopped herself biting off the tip of her tongue to silence her emotional outburst The path she had chosen that she had invested so much into was one of Dark Karma Although she was far from completing the Path she was already firmly on it and even she would not be able to suppress its effects

Any boon forcefully taken will one day be forcefully taken from you

So after a brief struggle she settled down and continued to smile at him wondering what of her thoughts had shown on her face in the past second

For his part the boy looked at her with serious eyes first beginning confused and slowly narrowing into certainty

Lucretia He whispered

Lucretia smiled while activating one of her most trusted skills Examine to see his status Unfortunately the thick confused mass of Aether signals that rushed towards her was so far beyond even her ability to comprehend that she took a step back a sharp pain emerging in her head His frown deepened and Lucretia cursed inwardly

The more she examined it the more it seemed that he possessed a prodigious amount of skills so many that she couldn’t contain her shock But the real problem with using Examine was that there was something absolutely monstrous and complex inside of him so much so that the white noise of its Aether drowned out most of the details of his other skills

Based on the shape she immediately discounted a class

Which was when Lucretia took another step backwards Because she could not detect the familiar trail of Aether from him away towards the source of his class He was Unbound by a village

Lucretia had achieved something similar but that was only by destroying the village she started at and performing some very grotesque Aether surgery on herself And even then the lingering ghost of the System stayed on her faint but present But this boy

Where He continued Is Shal

Ah Lucretia said smiling slightly her mind whirling at 1000 rotations per second distracted by all these developments Then her focus snapped back and she felt a profound sense of satisfaction She obviously had her own reasons for involving herself with Shal but having him also work as leverage was very satisfying He’s taking a nap Why do you ask

His eyes narrowed further and he regarded her silently for several seconds This was endlessly amusing to Lucretia because she could intuit that his immediate reaction was the same as hers to strike at the other immediately but he also stopped himself But for a completely different reason It seemed that he had enough sense to realize that the confrontation would not go well for him

I don’t believe it is that simple The boy said curtly

Lucretia laughed aloud Hahaha Perhaps your name is Randidly Ghosthound correct Perhaps we can come to an arrangement I originally came here just out of curiousity but I can see what’s inside of you my cute little Randidly How about giving me a bit of a taste You seem to have heard about me I’ll give you some gifts too to make it worth your while

Instantly his expression tightened and Lucretia instantly felt the conflicting emotions of irritation and excitement within her chest He did seem to be familiar with her and her gifts based on the unwillingness But also he didn’t refuse her outright and seemed to struggle internally so it wasn’t that he wasn’t thinking about it

The silence slowly stretched and Lucretia was content letting it do so After all she could slowly begin to parse through the flush of information that Examine gave her from him But as she began pulling apart that monstrous apparatus of Aether in his core he spoke

I won’t accept any gifts but if the stories were right perhaps a trade His words were slow and even and he seemed profoundly conflicted but he spoke Lucretia was instantly disappointed This would effectively avoid the talons of her Dark Karma path as it wouldn’t leave either of them with any lingering attachments unless one’s bargaining chip far outweighed the other But if it gave her access to Aether for her to experiment with

Well perhaps it was not the time to talk now Let him stew a little It seemed he was aware that Lucretia had Shal but clearly not the extent of her influence Then for now

Let’s part ways and think about it yes Oh but don’t let those pesky Styles here know I’m near or well Shal Lucretia said lightly backing away She didn’t even give him a chance to speak and phased off teleporting away

Back in her clearing she looked at the trapped soul the bodiless Yeti head and Shal’s dozing form Her smile spread wide She supposed she had enough bargaining chips at this point to deal directly with him All of her other plans were discarded well not discarded just moved to a lower priority

Sowing chaos and obtaining some gifted Aether in the process was interesting but this boy he was the motherlode She had never seen anything like it

Although her handling of him had been rather abrupt and hasty towards the end which she cursed herself for she couldn’t help it Seeing the Aether in his body it was exciting and enticing So much so that she just out and said what she wanted

It made her somewhat embarrassed that the Eternal Witch Lucretia had swooned from a mere glance from a boy

Well he’s not just a boy now is he My dearest Shal Lucretia murmured walking over and touching Shal’s face He’s much more to me than that After all he is your disciple

With the same sort of fearsome abruptness the beautiful woman with long purple hair was gone disappearing from Randidly’s room Sweat poured down his back and he let out a breath that he had been holding for a long while Lucretia’s appearance was certainly bewitching and Randidly could understand why someone would accept gifts from her She had a voice that reminded him of the Siren singer from Franksburg but Lucretia used no skill it was all raw charm and experience

But even so the fact that she had appeared just as he had been thinking about Aether Donation and asked for one

Just how had she known

Chapter 256

Randidly shook his head If she could truly read his mind that was a power even more intimidating than the Creature’s mastery of Aether That would mean she had access to all of his secrets at a glance

But upon review of the whole scenario it had all happened so fast and there had been several abrupt changes in her mood where her face twitched as she looked at him even though he hadn’t said much They couldn’t have been together for more than a minute but she had already proposed exchanging gifts while he countered with a trade hoping to avoid her cycle of disastrous gifts

The exchange wasn’t very well structured especially after Randidly’s thoughts had turned to marketing recently to help Claptrap She had just shown her cards immediately Which likely meant that she REALLY wanted the Aether that he had

Which also seemed to imply that she had been able to at least see it and notice its existence which was intimidating But it was nowhere near as fearsome a power as the ability to see his thought With that train of thought she had come for some reason that filled Randidly with apprehension but swiftly changed her mind upon seeing him and his Aether

Why had she come before something to do with Shal Or the tournament Or to tempt him as Bertarn seemed to imply was happening all throughout the tournament

Sighing Randidly sat down letting some of the tension drain from him So many questions without answers It was pointless to think of them

The only thing a spear can do is advance

So after Randidly went down to the kitchen and prepared himself a meal he came back up and continued with the 3rd volume of the encyclopedia set reading more information on Engraving The more he learned the more Randidly realized how much detail he was missing in his Engraving It was more of the creation of a 3D sculpture on the surface of armor than anything else

Which didn’t really make sense when stated out of context but was the only way Randidly could describe the process Deeper and deeper Randidly focused taking careful notes on what he read trying not to miss anything After all this was the only real option he had for an escape route after the Tournament

Perhaps though he could ask Lucretia for some assistance

But immediately Randidly shook his head It already slightly insane that he was considering giving her a flat amount of Aether in exchange for something to do with Shal He needed to think very carefully about what he wanted and what to ask In that regards he also had very little information about Shal and what was going on with him It was hard to know what to ask for

Randidly considered informing Divveltian but Lucretia’s threat hung heavy in the air Gritting his teeth Randidly sat back from his Engraving research There was just too many things going on at once All the while he needed to prepare to fight against Ciel

Bah Randidly bellowed throwing his hands up to the sky He probably wouldn’t get much more studying done for now so he stood and headed towards the roof Although it wasn’t effective some physical exertions were just what he needed to get all of the ancillary stuff out of his mind and focus on the task at hand

One goal at a time First Ciel

Why won’t you take it It was the ultimate gift my true strength It should below to you The shade of Aemont ask looking at Shal with crossed arms

Shal kept his eyes closed although in his spirit form it made little difference he could still sense the dreamscape around him Everything twisted and shifted but the face of Aemont stayed constant

For whatever reason the shade had begun speaking more directly to Shal a few days ago and now wouldn’t stop with its incessant chatter Shal was swiftly nearing the end of his patience his flinty temper sparking But in his heart he knew that the peace he found in this world was a fragile thing So it was of the utmost importance

Take it Takeit takeit takeit takeit

Shut the fuck up you dead zombie Shal bellowed leaping to his feet The dreamscape swirled dangerously around him and Shal staggered hit with a sudden wave of exhaustion Even this much was too much Better to just

Hmph why Who dares make me You The face of Aemont said dismissively looking Shal up and down You are far from my match Look at yourself you barely remain awake

You Shal growled forcefully resisting the waving of exhaustion and dizziness Now that he was up though he examined Aemont’s disembodied head It floated there ripples extending out from it to fill the air But as he watched the ripples seemed to shift around the shape of a body for Aemont even though it wasn’t visible

Shal had a lot of very negative views on his father and what he had done but one thing couldn’t be denied Aemont was strong If this was Shal being haunted by some remnant of his Battle Intent it would be very difficult to forcibly suppress it

Looking around Shal frowned He didn’t remember how he had got here and now he cursed himself for lazing about for so long His methods for dealing with this spiritual remnant were limited depending on what was happening around him If this was some sort of elaborate spell Shal needed to be careful If this was some sort of trial of spear intent created by this annoying remnant of Aemont he needed to pass the challenge If this was just a dream thrashing around should dispel it quickly enough But the fact that there seemed to be a mental component that Shal was weak to probably meant it wasn’t just a dream

Boy you still have that dopey look on your face Have your entire life Aemont snorted floating towards him Stop thinking and just do Do you hold in your hands an abacus or a spear

Shal’s temper ignited filling his body with heat You fucking ghost Stop haunting me and disappear

Shal charged forward the spear that had appeared in his hands raised above his head

Randidly breathed in through his nose and out through his mouth looking up from the table towards the window where the sun was rising After a brief series of exercises when Randidly had calmed himself down by thoroughly thrashing the male spear attendant he returned to studying Engraving

Luckily or unluckily it appeared Divveltian had left beginning to search the nearby area more directly for Shal so Randidly didn’t need to decide how much to trust the threat of Lucretia on that front But there was a nagging sense of responsibility in his chest over Shal

In theory giving Lucretia an actual donation of Aether was possible and didn’t have any drawbacks As long as Randidly didn’t establish a connection it was a one time thing that wouldn’t have any lasting consequences Except it enabled Lucretia to advance her agenda here but

That wasn’t exactly something that Randidly was too worried about even though Shal would remain here and Helen and Divveltian and his other spear attendants after Randidly left to return to his home world and Cohort They could handle themselves

Or at least he assumed so although Shal’s current absences

Which brought him back to the issue of what to bargain for It seemed to Randidly what was happening to Shal was something to do with the 3rd gift to Aemont from Lucretia So he should ask for that to cease and also for Shal to be released from her influences There were other details that were fuzzy but Randidly couldn’t pin them down Better to talk to her next time she showed up and try and weasel out more of the truth

Randidly scowled The one part of her that was good at selling was her sudden departure it but him on his back foot But he had worked through it And now for sure

Time to prepare for Ciel Randidly opened his menu and looked at his paths He had gained 9 Lvls in Ash to Ash 4 Lvls in Living Blood 3 in Bacterial Regeneration 5 in Physical Fitness 2 in Phantom’s Embrace Spear Mastery and Combat Proficiency 6 in Anguish 3 in Plantomancy and Meditation 4 in Flexibility and 1 in Grace and Mental Fortitude over the past 3 days In terms of his recent gains it was relatively slow but it was still a steady rise in his combat strength

His use of PP was enough to finish off the Anguish I path which was also a good sign He didn’t plan on using the benefits from it against Ciel unless absolutely necessary but it put him one step closer to being able to stand toe to toe with Drak

Congratulations You have completed the Anguish IPath Through pain you advance Through Struggle you are shaped Although you may appear beaten and bloodied your eyes burn with determination Health Mana and Stamina +50 Willpower/Resistance +5 You have gained the skill Torment Lvl 1

Torment Creates a field around the user where ghosts and spirits that haunts the user will appear based on the user’s subconscious Their power and forms increase and vary with skill level Mana cost decreases with skill level Only the user may see and interact with these spirits

Chapter 257

Was it just him or

Did this skill appear totally useless

Randidly tried to refrain from judging too hastily and used the skill Immediately in the room around him a light mist began to form on the ground Very soon these figures resolved themselves into images of his father who stepped forward out of the mist his face lined and serious

What can you offer me The man said simply looking Randidly up and down his gaze lingering dismissively on his armor Even after all of this time and all of this self improvement ’ you are nothing

Randidly dropped the skill his fist clenched in rage He breathed in slowly through his nose then out through his mouth Although he had addressed a lot of things in that strange purification process in the Trial of Ash he had not rid himself of the long years of hatred and resentment and hurt he had towards his father Besides what Randidly experienced in the trial was at best the ghost of the past It would have no bearing on the present

That father that he connected with in that moment existed no longer This father the one who was disappointed was the one who actually existed

Perhaps there were some uses for this skill after all training his mental state and maybe learning some assistance skills from it but Randidly didn’t want to bother with it right now Instead he entered a meditation state breathing slowly

After an hour of sitting like this his eyes flickered and then opened slowly It was time

Ciel sat in the underground room below the stage trembling slightly Ever since yesterday when she had had a long talk with Claptrap about seizing her potential she couldn’t stop She felt out of control somehow It was a wild ravenous hunger inside of her that wanted her to rip and tear her way to the top But

It threw off her mental focus It was a more wild and desperate desire to win than she was used to Whereas she had previously had a firm determination to make the proposal and then win now she wanted to destroy in kill cutting her way to a more perfect fate

But she was not the pampered daughter for nothing Although she had been powerfully incited by Claptrap and it had carried her to now she breathed calmly and her trembling slowly fell away The heat was pushed back as she focused on the issue at hand A single victory seizing the momentum by proving that she was more than just someone who would birth the next generation of the Steel Feather Style

The referee announced her name and Ciel stood gracefully walked up the staircase her nerves and strange fire from earlier disappearing She shook her head amused Why was she so concerned and fearful This was the spear And in terms of the spear

There was no one who could surpass her in mastery of the Steel Feather Style

Ciel stood and turned as her father cheered loudly from the announcer stand and looked at her opponent Perhaps what had shaken Ciel most of all was how Claptrap had changed so much and attributed it to the man in front of her The Claptrap she had known was sweet and somewhat shy but now he was capable and intelligent swiftly becoming the leading businessman in Deardun

Maybe in the entire Northern Region at this rate

Her opponent stood tall holding a thick and black spear made of heavy obsidian His hair matched the spear falling to his chin His eyes were focused and bright a brilliant emerald that seemed to grab the attention and wouldn’t let it go There was a feeling in the air around him too that made Ciel cautious She was also aware that in addition to being a rather accomplished spear user he was a master of spells and would use the combination of these to throw off her rhythm and strike

This was a daunting prospect but her father had insisted on spending the previous few days going over ways to counteract the mage’s ability to strike They hadn’t thought to discuss it before due to the the nature of the tournament rarely attracting the mage types but even her father admitted that when it came to utility there were few who could match the Ghosthound

But utility wouldn’t win matches he assured her Power and technique would Although she knew that the extra attention was likely due to the proposal bet it was still fun But for Ciel what made her the most upset and the most happy was suddenly how important her father seemed to regard her training her in the break

Happy for finally feeling valued and validated Upset because of how much she relied on him for support and validation Ultimately though none of his actions would matter Only hers were In this moment she could seize her own validation from this match

Ciel smiled

Randidly looked at the woman he would be fighting his blood pumping powerfully through him She certainly was lovely He could understand why Claptrap had gone to such lengths to grasp her attention But what had him the most interest in was her spear

It was long and grey and spread out in a fan of steel feathers on both ends of the shaft He hadn’t really encountered it up to now but he made a mental note that he would also need to watch out for the butt of the spear which would also contain a large destructive power

Are both fighters ready The referee intoned Randidly nodded Ciel did as well still smiling at him

Then begin The referee announced Randidly fell into a fighting stance his eyes narrowing Very quickly he rose onto his toes ready to move but at the last moment he stopped While standing still Randidly simply looked at his opponent

She was also still but raised her spear above her head and began to spin it slowly looking at him with curiosity They remained that way for several seconds sizing each other up Randidly wasn’t sure why he hadn’t attacked There was something about her that set his teeth on edge Some sort of trick or power that made him raise his hackles

If you won’t come I will She said simply her eyes glittering But still Randidly didn’t move watching her closely From him he began to release the oppressive image of the Spear Phantom’s Embrace which colored the nearby air but still he hesitated

Ciel shrugged The Shrike Glides through Low Hanging Clouds

Then she stepped forward and her body was whisked forward moving with an unearthly grace actually appearing as though she simply floated forward But floating was a misleading word because the distance absolutely disappeared as she rushed forward It was just so graceful and smooth that it was difficult not to stop and stare

Clang

The sound of their weapons smashing together quickly brought Randidly back to his highest level of tension because he lost out slightly in power against her Which was honestly quite shocking because at this point he had been confident his Strength had climbed to the level that he could go toe to toe with Bertarn

Still Randidly should have known better That was one of the great dangers of the system you could not tell what stats someone had invested into based on their appearance

After he blocked the first slash of her spear Ciel simply spun away around behind Randidly and lashed out again the blows a grey blur With this vicious attack heading his way Randidly finally acted the image of the Phantom’s Embrace surging forward to surround the area Ciel narrowed her eyes but otherwise didn’t respond

However her face became unsightly as her strike hit nothing but air

As he reappeared behind her Randidly’s eyes glowed emerald A ticking filled the air and his spear slid forward a vicious Phantom Appearing behind him arriving at Ciel back in a split second Randidly’s improvements to his stats and Spear Mastery had greatly improved the utility of the Inevitable Phantom Arrives by lowering its build up time

But Ciel vanished before his very eyes

While Feathers Flash the Shrike Hunts

There was a burning sensation in Randidly’s eyes and he was somewhat stupefied to look down and see a wide gash right below his armpit Immediately long experience with Azriel took over and his will clamped down on it gathering the blood that was spurting to the surface and pressing it back in One of the tricks that Randidly learned was that he didn’t need to control all of the blood just create a film of controlled blood at the edge of his body preventing anymore from bleeding out This way he wouldn’t get the bonus returned health for reabsorbing it but he also wouldn’t lose any health from bleeding

Then Randidly stepped twisting away and just in time because three lighting quick swipes ripped through the air right where he had been

Ciel truly deserved the praise he had received Randidly hadn’t even seen how she had moved to avoid his gaze and strike at his blind spot in that second She was too fast too practiced It was the difference of skill levels Perversely Randidly suddenly realized how sometimes higher stats weren’t’ necessary the best option After all the concept of a change up was very real

The boost in speed she received from her skills was such that Randidly’s eyes which had grown used to Ciel’s earlier movements simply couldn’t follow it He suspected that he could force her to slow down and go to his tempo if he used spells

Which was when Randidly realized why he was feeling so off There were so many open points on Ciel’s back and legs for roots to strike it was suspicious She must know that he also had mage abilities so why would she make no effort to protect herself It was either a very ballsy bluff or a trap of some sort

Plus Randidly was now annoyed that his own Spear Phantom Style had been outmaneuvered in close quarters quickness by the Steel Feather Style Randidly could almost feel Aemont’s Battle Intent shaking its head in disgust If she was holding a card back for when he used a spell she could hold it as long as she wanted But in the meantime he would demonstrate that in terms of speed at least

There were none more fearsome than the Phantom

Their spears clashed several times each time Randidly gave up a little more ground loosening his stance and allowing her strikes to knock him around positioning himself for the next salvo gaining some of the tempo back for himself But Ciel was clever and saw what he was doing She already seemed annoyed that her wound had swiftly seemed to seal itself and now he seemed so casually dealing with her strikes how could she not be annoyed

But she was cool and didn’t strike out in anger Instead she waited a few more strikes then when he let her push him back she switched up her attack immediately twirling and whipping the other end of the spear towards him

Randidly’s eyes narrowed This time they clashed and he used the active of the Golden Roots of Yggdrasil Haste Empower Mana Strengthening and Stalemate Breaker absolutely blazing through his stamina But in the process he totally smashed her attack aside setting her off balance

Her eyes widened in shock Randidly’s grin stretched wide as he stepped forward immediately activating Idiosyncratic Cut The blade teleported half a meter ripping through the air towards her with the tick of a clock Ciel gritted her teeth

While the Feathers Flash the Shrike Hunts

Chapter 258

Again Ciel vanished from his view but this time Randidly was ready His awareness fueled by the Phantom’s Embrace billowed out filling the surround 2 meters Every breath every twitch every muscle every spear Randidly could sense it and control it That was the vicious power of the Spear Phantom’s Embrace That was the monstrous genius of Aemont

As Ciel lashed out aiming for Randidly’s back he twisted away using the short shifting steps of the Spear Phantom’s Footwork to avoid the harm Then he twisted around bringing his spear across in a deadly Sweep aiming for her head

Eyes narrowed she disappeared again activating her skill Randidly shifted in response immediately striking Over and over they twisted and teleported moving around each other in a complicated dance of spearmanship Randidly was unable to figure out exactly how she was moving to make him lose his bearings for a second but he could find her once she returned to strike

Unfortunately this was not a sustainable path for Randidly and he was slowly growing more and more worried about it After all he had taken the initial momentum from Ciel but only when a huge expenditure of Stamina and he was now burning more than he was regenerating fighting with her like this It seemed that she was probably also paying a high cost for her repeated use of her skills but it was hard to know

This time when Randidly’s senses locked back onto Ciel after her disappearance he raised his spear for a powerful overhand strike and then simply kicked her in the side as her eyes rose to follow the weapon

Or at least that’s what he planned but Ciel saw it coming and the butt of her spear swirled around aiming to sever his foot Annoyed at himself for putting him in a situation where he only had one foot on the ground there was a split second of hesitation Immediately afterward Randidly surged into motion It was now clear that he couldn’t avoid the strike but

In that strange moment of hesitation Randidly felt something A powerful stirring within the skill of the Phantom’s Embrace Aether began to swirl through his body filling his whole body with a tingling strength

Ciel’s attack ripped downwards slicing into his flesh And immediately Randidly felt a strange momentum fill him Just as the blade cut him he found the power to spin away faster and more successfully than before throwing his unbalanced body into motion

His spear cut sideways at such a speed that even he couldn’t believe it It was so fast that Ciel didn’t have time to activate her skill but instead just hastily raised her spear and she was smashed backwards by the force of his strike sending her sprawling

At the same time Randidly’s chest was heaving the consumption of Stamina by utilizing the Phantom’s Embrace like that was enormous So he stood simply staring down at her as his monstrous regeneration began to kick in rapidly restoring his strength A small trickle of blood ran down his leg over his bare foot and finally settling on the stage

But even though he was tired Ciel appeared even more shaken From the ground she stared at him for a split second the scrambled to her feet

Your speed Ciel muttered The words hung in the air between them as Ciel searched Randidly’s expression for some answer He simply stood there his face impassive The only reason he allowed this brief break was because he firmly believed that her recovery was worse than his own Honestly if someone had as many support skills boosting them as Randidly did along with a class they would be unstoppable

Attack Ciel He’s just stalling for time Aethon Thai called pounding his fist on the table Randidly spared him a glance annoyed It seemed that the man had definitely chosen a favorite and although Randidly expected as much it was still strange that he would intervene so directly

Perhaps she would doubt his words

Randidly turned back to Ciel who had adopted a fighting stance and began to float over towards him He sighed That would be too good of luck huh But the 20 seconds he had given himself was better than nothing and had allowed him to return to even breathing

Her advance was if anything more imposing the second time around and this time she just ripped past him lashing out quickly before rushing around behind him and attacking at his back seeming to skate in a huge loop around him

Randidly grimaced This did lower the unpredictability of her strikes but vastly increased their power She continued to accelerate to the point that Randidly burst out laughing this style of fighting he knew it and he knew someone who had done it a lot better

Taking another gamble based solely on Ciel’s high strength after Randidly blocked her strike he simply threw his body into her path smashing into her without any real intent to attack They fell down in a tangle of limbs and Randidly having initiated the contact spun around first throwing Ciel’s body away

She skidded on the ground then jumped up gasping and wincing Randidly grinned Yes she hadn’t invested as much into Endurance and Vitality as he had But this was still another way just to throw her off Again Randidly was tempted to use spells but he still sensed some further power in the Phantom’s Embrace that he touched upon and decided to refrain

Instead when he stepped towards Ciel the image for the Phantom’s Embrace filled the air a thick cloying helplessness A powerful isolation from the rest of the world and your senses As the image approached Ciel her eyes remained bright and she stepped forward into it without a hint of fear

Her spear lashed out aiming for Randidly’s throat Again he made no move to dodge Inwardly his instincts screamed but there was something else here Something deeper Aether surged once more rotating very quickly through his system His eyes were ice cold his heart burning hot The world inside of him seemed to thrum and vibrate

Strangely a line at the end of the passage about Spear Phantom’s Embrace from the diary floated to the surface So long and sure is the reach of the Phantom that he dances safely in the shadow of the enemy’s weapon

Randidly’s eyes narrowed Just as the strike was about to rip out his throat Randidly moved riding the very momentum that Ciel struck with using it to fuel his speed past his physical limits blurring and twisting jaggedly dodging and smashing with his spear like a hammer barely able to control the borrowed power

True to her training Ciel responded and finally her eyes blazed with a final surety that Randidly recognized now was the time she gave up on waiting and unleashed

The Shrike Cries over a Barren Land

Ciel’s arms blurred and she twisted her spear 360 degrees at a speed Randidly couldn’t even understand From that movement a wave of force blasted outwards Immediately his grip tightened on the spear but there too seemed to be a whispering in the powerful wave that Ciel had created a whispering of Phantoms

So even with his body bursting at the seams with barely controlled powerful from the previously stolen momentum Randidly stepped forward arriving before the wave of force Then he hopped and the blast launched him upwards so quickly the world seemed to blur

When he finally could see again he appeared to be about 5 meters in the air reaching the apex of the leap Randidly released a breath then began to fall

Aethon Thai’s eyes narrowed as he watched his daughter struggle against this scion of the Spear Phantom Especially when he started using that absolutely abhorrent move that Aemont became famous for the Spear Phantom’s Embrace It was partly through driving the body to the edge of danger and having the instincts kick in there and half borrowing the force of momentum but it made use of both to propel one through the absolutely masterful footwork and strike back

Luckily the boy seemed rather inexperienced at controlling it and was only able to lash out wildly But still the power he could utilize was real

Aethon knew too why Ciel would choose to use her most powerful skill then that she had originally planned to use to neutralize the Ghosthound’s spells She didn’t understand what was happening what skills he was using From her perspective he simply increased the speed at which he was moving while increasing his power which was suitably intimidating To seize control of the match Ciel had struck

But in Aethon’s eyes the truth was so much more fearsome

The boy even borrowed the force of her area spell to leap up in the air where he was now hanging rapidly speeding back down towards the ground Ciel looked around wildly shocked that her opponent had disappeared before a whistling in the air drew her gaze upwards towards the descending figure

There was nothing that Aethon could do to warn his daughter Already he had lost his temper and intervened but now as the level of their demonstrated skills increased he dare not say anything even if his daughter had made the foolish pronouncement about marriage They were reaching the stage where they were transforming showing off the spear user that they would become

The Ghosthound was cashing in on the fearsome pedigree and potential he had growing used to the almost cheating technique of Aemont As for his daughter She needed to find what sort of Shrike she would be through this clash

With a huge crash the Ghosthound returned to ground shattering the stage throwing up a cloud of dust Without the slightest hesitation Ciel ran forward spear raised slashing left and right

Chapter 259

Randidly winced slightly sore from smashing into the ground Immediately warm thick threads of energy from the ground traveled up through his bare feet into him but he definitely took some damage from it that would not recover quickly But he righted his stance as best as he could and raised his spear facing Ciel

Randidly wanted to capitalize on the momentum he could see had taken based on the shocked look in Ciel’s eyes but his muscles were continually spasming and twitching It was a small thing that wouldn’t affect his overall movement but it would make a centimeter of difference So despite his desire to seize the momentum Randidly stood still pressing with his will to absorb that strength from the ground helping him recover At the same time Randidly activated Meditation drawing every bit of value he could from the moments of pause

Ciel seemed to slowly find herself and to Randidly’s surprise she didn’t seem upset any longer but oddly excited

Ahaha Ahahah Yea this is why you are an opponent worth beating This is why when I beat you with my own strength Then she trailed off for several seconds then leapt towards Randidly her body once more gliding smoothly over the ground It was a much slower approach compared to her previous ones but if anything that filled Randidly with even more caution

Her previous attacks were arrogant and curt almost dismissive But now Ciel floated over with bright eyes and a small smile and all he could feel from her is the pure joy that came from a difficult battle From an opponent worth giving your all to defeat

Which in a way only made his own desire to fight rise higher curling his own mouth in a smile But Randidly was patient as she floated inexorably towards him he sucked more and more Mana and Stamina into his body There were some definite side effects of using the Phantom’s Embrace in that way

What was most surprising was that the side effects were due to his body being unable to withstand the physical trauma of borrowing the opponent’s force like that Perhaps the efficiency that he would do it would improve as time went on but it was a disturbing state of affairs that his physical prowess ended up being insufficient

When the Wings Beat Feathers Dance

Randidly’s eyes abruptly narrowed as Ciel abruptly increased in speed and her double sided spear flicking out In that split second Randidly opted to meet her directly his own larger spear smashing outward Empowered aiming to cancel out some of her force As the spears crashed against each other Randidly immediately felt a twinge of regret It had been too heady being out of the prison fighting against those at or below his stat level he had grown slightly complacent

Randidly’s joints ached as he forcefully absorbed the strength from her overpowering blows getting knocked somewhat back on his heels Then Randidly stepped forward moving in the space between her strikes his eyes beginning to glow emerald A low mist appeared on the ground a slight distant ticking could be heard

Immediately Ciel hesitated her eyes narrowing The strength of this move of hers seemed to be a peculiar cadence and rhythm of strikes making use of the double sided nature of her spear But now she hesitated as it seemed Randidly was going to use the Phantom’s Embrace So she interrupted her previous move and raised her spear

The spear twisted around so quickly Randidly had to rely on just his instincts Immediately he dropped the feint of the Phantom’s Embrace a sly smile on his face The power of it was real but so was the strain and he wasn’t yet sure he could beat her with just this But it would be a good start

Randidly poured most of the rest of his mana into throwing up Wall of Thorns and Spear Roots between him and the force creating a thick dense mesh of plant matter It was a rather messy job but he only had a split second to manage it so it would have to do

Another thing the barricade had going for it was that there was some suppleness to it it couldn’t simply be cracked by the strange overpowering force form Ciel It would first bend absorbing some of the power before it would be obliterated

At least that was the theory

Randidly braced himself stabbing his spear into the ground

In a way it did work the benefit was just so marginal that it was swiftly swallowed by the blast of force Then that wave of force filled with root bits and thorns smashed into Randidly causing him to wince The force immediately knocked the wind out of him and threw him backwards his arms holding onto the spear stretched to the limits

Although the feedback from Phantom’s Embrace was bad this was almost

Randidly froze abruptly aghast The crack came from his spear And sure enough as he glanced quickly at the spear as he removed it from the ground the obsidian had dozens of spider lace thin cracks running around the upper part of the shaft right above the portion that thad been sunk into the ground

But then Randidly moved his eyes forward because it seemed serviceable at least for now And Ciel looked slightly haggard seemingly drained from her previous move open

Randidly’s grin stretched wide as he rushed forward raising the cracked spear He couldn’t breathe and it felt like most parts of his body were bruised but that was all to give Randidly this moment Fights were not easy They were simple but hard which was very very different

And that was why they were worth giving your all to and worth winning

But Ciel’s face simply tightened as if she were prepared for this eventuality Her hands which were still holding the spear aloft after her previous wave of force twisted repositioning herself but Randidly was moving forward with Haste Empower and Mana Strengthening so she had no hope of bringing her spear around for any sort of defensive posture She would have to

Again the spear twirled around so quickly that it was impossible to follow with the human eye and once more a wave of force ripped outwards Randidly’s pupils dilated He was rushing full tilt towards Ciel already and most of his mana was gone Even if he had the mind to do his previous barricade again he might not have time he might not have mana and he might not do it as well this time because he had been taken by surprise

There simply wasn’t enough time to do anything eloquent or reasoned So Randidly went with his gut on this one and did the one thing he truly knew how to do advance

The only motion he could manage is straightening his spear into a horizontal position pointing the large obsidian tip forward But before he activated his skill Randidly closed his eyes and felt the Aether within him flow that icy boiling steam ripping through his veins

One thing he noticed from watching Ciel repeat this move twice was the acceleration of the spear spin was instantaneous One moment it was still the next it was full motion There was a power in that a power that was somewhat similar to his own Idiosyncratic Cut

The second Randidly existed in was bisected again and then again and again until he had an infinite number of extremely tiny bits of time for his thoughts to flit back and forth examining this image

But hers did not manipulate time directly like Randidly’s did Instead it seemed her sheer power overwhelmed time warping it as it activated A sudden blast of force so strong that the bounds of time were rattled just for a few seconds Chains loosened although not cheated or broken

Power Randidly had gained especially in terms of image and will over the last several weeks What he hadn’t had was a focus to apply that power to Now Randidly could see its shape A way to rip through space and time with tyrannical power To dominate reality to purely rip through it

At Randidly’s core a strange heat began to emerge burning hotter and hotter a swirling small drop of black tar that existed in his marrow now vibrating with excitement It spread and grew his bones beginning to ache as their internal temperature rose But with all the other aches and pains that were assailing his body it was just another blip that was drown out by the feedback from his overworked nerves

His pupils glowed orange while the emerald in his eyes intensified even further becoming lantern bright His eyelids snapped open and he found himself face to face with a wall of air that was distorted with force

All he needed was a spark An ignition

Chapter 260

Ciel bit her lip doing her best to maintain her posture after she forced herself to use The Shrike Cries over a Barren Land twice in a row The burden on her body was extraordinary More so than she had anticipated Originally she had assumed she would still have some strength remaining enough to counter Randidly when he would use his strange Phantom’s Embrace skill to avoid her strikes

But now she would be lucky if she could stand afterwards

It was due to the short time in between uses There was an exponential increase in toll on her body Which was predictable but in the heat of the moment still nothing she could do now

The air around her changed abruptly So quickly it sent a shiver down her spine The grown became grey and cracked their air sulfuric and dry Ciel abruptly found herself on a barren wasteland but not the one she was always told to imagine while using the skill That was a barren flatlands type of desert with a waving mirage in the distance

This this was a dead world of fire choked with ash And in front of her

Randidly stood in front of a volcano his spear pointing at her his eyes this strange mix of emerald and orange

Suddenly he exploded forward filled with momentum the volcano erupting spewing death and heat and more ash filling the sky It was swirling and all encompassing swimming around towards her and Ciel felt very very afraid

But at the same time she felt excitement Because although there was a small voice in the back of her head that whispered she could overcome this if she would only just reach out and take the power offered to her Ciel had no intention of doing so

I want to win Ciel whispered her voice drowned out by the vicious explosion of ash and lava But I want to win on my own Not as a puppet to some other power

It was at that moment that Randidly’s momentum collected at the point of his obsidian spear met the wave of force from her skill and her skill shattered like an egg some of the recoil coming back towards her sending Ciel stumbling backwards Then she was hit by the noise of the world cracking

Aethon Thai jumped to his feet his hands balled into fists

The referee a man that Aethon trusted completely gave him a knowing look He was well aware that Aethon Thai wanted to immediately leap out there and protect Ciel but that would be an automatic forfeiture no matter how much influence Aethon had on the Northern Regional Tournament

In the referee’s mind the hope that Ciel would turn this around and win was why Aethon Thai didn’t act but the referee was mistake Sure Aethon was filled with fear but it was a dreadful excited fear

Because in the moments that the Ghosthound boy used his skill such was the force of his will in that moment that the world changed And not just for the recipient but for the whole of the audience The world flickered just for a split second as the skill was unleashed but everyone watching saw that desolate ashy world of broken ground and volcanos

The boy had reached the Artisan level Even if it was only for a short moment he had crossed the threshold of potency of image The rest would come with time

And it was with a skill that was definitely not from the Spear Phantom’s inheritance

This meant well it could possibly mean many many things But what it definitely meant was that there would be changes to the Northern Regions politics as this boy from a storied but relatively weak Style fought toe to toe with the greats of his generation And possibly earned himself a place in the Inter School Tournament

This potential would shake up the political structure It was hard to maintain a sense of superiority in the face of this example Even if most believed he was a once in a lifetime talent others would see the example he set and plot clawing their way up the social ladder And it was currently crowded enough up here as it was especially as they extended a hand towards the Breaking Dawn Style

Which was not what they needed Aethon felt a headache coming on But again the excitement about the boy’s talent especially as he continually improved over the course of the tournament couldn’t be discounted either All in all

Heh His drinking partner who was apparently the Ghosthound’s spear attendant said as he elbowed Aethon Thai in the ribs At this rate it looks like you will have a new son in law

Aethon froze The strange business man announcer they sat with at the table began to grind his teeth as he stared out at match

Still laughing his drinking partner slapped Claptrap the businessman Ah don’t make that face The Ghosthound already has Helen She will only ever be a second wife anyway so Claptrap I’m sure you will get a turn

Aethon made a brushing motion with his hand Very quickly it was only him and Claptrap remaining on the platform the previous bug having been flung and smashed into the ground behind them with a small act of will To Aethon’s surprise that bug had some skill because he was able to activate a skill with a strong image preserving its life But that was no matter

It was not that he really would hold this against his drinking partner in the long run But a precedent must be set Ciel should not be discussed in such terms

Ciel would never marry this Ghosthound

Ahem Aethon said lightly Let us continue watching the match

Claptrap nodded mutely

His chest heaving Randidly stumbled forward towards Ciel who just watched him with wide eyes As their gazes locked they both became abruptly aware of how weak the other was in the aftermath of those strikes

Randidly had used the force from his skill to break Ciel’s but it had stopped him almost dead leaving his body once more twitchy and weak Ciel was still struggling to cope with the huge force she had created early and then she was buffeted by the backlash from Randidly’s actions

Both of them breathed for several seconds Several small bits of obsidian fell to the ground making a tinkling noise The crack had become even larger spreading almost the entirety of the shaft and from the original crack more and more bits were falling away to the ground

Of the two of them Ciel recovered first raising her spear

The Silent Hunter Descends

Her spear whipped upwards then smashed down towards Randidly Again he was deeply impressed by the sudden speed with which she moved And from the look of that strike it was a level of power above her previous skills this skill was designed to crush and kill

Unfortunately for her Randidly had some rather unfair skills in his repertoire Although he had never used it like this in the past he had some faith that it would work Her attack was fast but it wasn’t so fast that Randidly couldn’t raise his spear to block it So Randidly stood still his spear raised in a defensive posture watching the powerful attack spiral towards him

Then Randidly narrowed his eyes

Ciel twisted her spear whistling right past Randidly but not striking him Her eyes widened and their gazes once more locked

Ciel had expected Randidly had been holding something back and would have just enough strength squirreled away to use the Spear Phantom’s Embrace again To her it was absolutely ridiculous that Randidly would stand and allow her to strike him like that especially after she had been overpowering the entirety of the match

The fact that he just stood there meant he was either an idiot or had another card left

The fact that he hadn’t reacted at all meant he had to be an idiot Which caused Ciel’s mental gears to fall out of sync for a split second and sputter to come back together Randidly grinned All the while warm rejuvenating energy was flooding up through hisbare feet into his body The longer that Ciel took to attack the better

Still she wasn’t the drilled prodigal daughter of the Steel Feather Style for nothing Instantly her spear whipped around sideways aiming to smash his weakened stance Again Randidly simply stood but this time Ciel just narrowed her eyes and committed putting everything into this blow This would make or break her shot here

The spears touched

Absolute Control Freeze

Randidly couldn’t resist the force on his own But if he borrowed the systems help

Their spears smashed together His obsidian chipped even further The wave of force traveled into him through his froze body and then finding no purchase rebounded back outwards his body used almost like a trampoline tensing up and throwing it back That wave of force went back through his spear where more obsidian chips fell off and into Ciel’s body

She swayed then dropped her spear and brought both her hands up to her mouth trying to block the blood filled vomit that spewed out onto the stage

Then the skill wore off of Randidly and very part of his body screamed at him Although he wanted to he couldn’t find the strength to raise his spear so he dropped that too mimicking her Then with all the strength he could manage he took a step towards Ciel who regarded him silently

For a long time they just breathed and looked at each other Then Ciel took a step towards each him and suddenly they were only a half meter away both weaponless

How did you Ciel asked wonderingly her eyes boring into him

Randidly didn’t even have the strength to shrug He just looked at her gathering his mana for one last spell although it was hard to imagine moving his mana burdened with wariness as he was

It was fun

Then Ciel collapsed forward her head hitting his chest For a second he froze but then his traitorous hands which had previously been so tired instinctively caught her

The entire arena was silent

Then a cough

The winner is Randidly Ghosthound The referee announced

Chapter 261

Aethon Thai couldn’t deny that his instincts which had told him right as the fight was beginning that this might happen This was always a possibility But he just he just wished

He watched his daughter fall forward her head leaning against the boy’s chest The boy instantly embraced her A roaring filled his ears as his fists on the desk in front of him tightened This this presumptuous

A voice drifted over from a nearby crater in the ground where the voice’s owner had been smashed earlier Kukuku Stop it you two save something for the wedding night

The blood drained out of Claptrap’s face and he looked deathly ill Meanwhile that blood seemed to drain straight out of him and into Aethon who felt his vision become tinged with red Still Aethon was forced to push down his urge to once more smash his drinking partner because several referees rushed the arena as the Ghosthound too collapsed after the announcement of his victory

Because they were touching already as they fell towards the ground all Aethon Thai could imagine was the worthless Ghosthound taking advantage of the confusion and

Wow I truly am lucky to be a spear attendant to such a bold man right in front of her father kukukuku

With a twitching eyelid Aethon moved at the maximum possible speed cracking the announcer booth and sending Claptrap sprawling appearing at the two youth’s side before the referees could get there his hands extending to shove the Ghosthound away and grab his daughter

To his surprise there was an individual who was only a half step behind him who was reaching for the Ghosthound A bald aged man with soft eyes and a firm jaw Someone that after a split second of surprise Aethon recognized

Divveltian It truly has been too long Heh I was wondering about how this Ghosthound could accomplish so much so he was your student as well

Divveltian smiled and there was something very bitter about it that threw Aethon Heh I’m surprised you remembered me Captain Thai but no I cannot claim responsibility for this boy That move was self invented

Aethon Thai’s eyes widened He created that

A runic rarity skill set Divveltian answered in a very small voice

Hey don’t act like I’m not still here The Ghosthound boy said struggling to stand up To Aethon’s surprise Divveltian stepped back and away letting him stand on his own and although he swayed back and forth the Ghosthound stood straight looking haggard but well enough

Congratulations boy He said simply his face becoming much more serious as his eyes scanned the youth in front of him searching for something And also deathly afraid that he would bring up Ciel’s promise of marriage at this juncture in such a public location Although it would hurt his pride he would simply deny it no matter

It really was a lot of fun But we still have much more to do The Ghosthound boy muttered staring fixedly at Ciel and then fell backwards where Divveltian was there to grab his shoulders

If it wasn’t for both of them having served together on the frontlines for several years Aethon Thai might have eviscerated the Ghosthound and Divveltian both It was a lot of fun GRABBING HIS DAUGHTER LIKE THAT AND THEY STILL HAD MORE TO

His chest heaving Aethon forced himself to turn away holding his daughter protectively Perhaps he thought they would simply flee the city running from this womanizing fool Ghosthound No matter what promises promise ahem his daughter might have made this was truly too much for him to handle

Divveltian’s final words gave Aethon pause but then they parted ways with their injured charges Be careful Captain Thai There is something very bad going on in Deardun I smell a very familiar perfume Something very very nostalgic

Randidly grinned up at Divveltian’s stern face But the older spear user continued to glower at him before finally sighing

You mean to tell me Divveltian said slowly That both of those moves were done for the first time there on the stage That you did them blindly without understanding their effect on your body

Randidly’s smile faltered somewhat Well mostly I didn’t make the mental connection that I needed to ever before It was a concept sort of thing For both of them Once they clicked I felt like I could accomplish it so

Are you mentally handicapped Divveltian said his glare even more vicious now Setting aside the damage you could have done to your body your own resilient nature would have probably protected you I’ll give you that why would you think that you could successfully perform one let alone TWO variants of your moves in one match You are a lucky piece of shit that she didn’t force you to use the Phantom’s Embrace again or you would have just gotten yourself a shattered spine

I Randidly went to say but he was swiftly cut off

No don’t even start I’ve seen the Phantom’s Embrace done you got lucky today Without powerful observational skills and the physical abilities to keep up with what you will see you will just smash yourself without any guard up into their attack Maybe your variant on the charging skill is more reasonable but for the Phantom’s Embrace you played with fire Don’t be gleeful because you won but nervous because you almost died

Again Randidly opened his mouth but then what Divvet was saying slowly sank in and his mouth drifted closed He had a point He wasn’t sure how he had found the perfect edge of force to ride on the first time It had just been instinct Nothing more

But also

You knew Aemont You saw him fight Randidly asked After all Shal hadn’t been able to master the Phantom’s Embrace which was why Shal tried to get Randidly to master it It had ultimately paid off but still it could clearly demonstrate his frustration with his inability to master the skill If Divvet knew of the Phantom’s Embrace

yes Divvet answered shortly When used at its full force it made him invulnerable You are not at that point yet You cause ripples but that skill isn’t even at the Artisan level You need to focus on your image more But I suppose now you understand its full strength

But it couldn’t have made him invulnerable right Randidly asked sitting up wincing Even his own powerful regeneration was having a hard time coping with the huge amount of strain and micro muscle tears that he was plagued with After all he was killed by the Devourer

Divvet was silent for a long time It cannot be denied that Aemont is dead But I stayed on the front lines after he returned to his family The details of what happened in that castle no one truly knows

You fucking ghost Shal spat out along with a mouthful of blood glaring at the figure of Aemont standing over him Maybe he had gotten soft from all the time he had spent training Randidly but Shal had sorta believed that his level of skill and control had increased a level based on his spar with the boy without killing him

But his father no Aemont continued to stand tall and firm a wall in his path

The other real impediment to victory was the fact Shal was stubbornly refusing to attack with the Spear Phantom Style He would only use the Style created by himself and Pronto in those whispered brotherly moments all those years ago

It was shallow and contradictory and inefficient but Shal refused to give up At least this Style was based on integrity And no matter the disparity between them Shal would not give in and use the skills taught to him by Aemont

What was most annoying about the whole arrangement was not that Shal was being beaten but that the whole time ghost Aemont didn’t say anything about it He didn’t encourage Shal to switch from the weak Style didn’t taunt him on his weakness and the weakness of the Style didn’t lord his superiority over Shal at all

It seemed that Aemont even had a deep respect for Shal’s decision Which of course made Shal furious The damn ghost had even stopped its constant Take It’s that had become so common in the last few stretches of dreamscape that Shal remembered

Straightening slowly Shal readied his spear Aemont watched him his eyes mild his hands on his spear relaxed He exuded an impossible confidence just like the real thing had done A strength that made all other things unnecessary A strength that gave him the confidence to take what he wanted and expect others around him would do the same

A strength that inspired strength A strength that

that had a certain brutal integrity

Fuck you Shal whispered eyes burning as he tightened his hands on the shaft of the spear then lashed out towards Aemont

Chapter 262

Randidly smiled at his path screen looking at all of the PP he had accumulated in the last day There truly was nothing quite like almost dying to boost PP accumulation

Randidly had gained 3 Skill Levels in Spear Mastery 2 in Heavy Blow and Dodge 1 in Fighting Proficiency and Block 4 in Haste Empower and Idiosyncratic Cut 3 in Battle Intent and Struggle 5 in Body Control Freeze and the Golden Roots of Yggdrasil 2 in Stalemate Breaker 3 in Spearing Roots 2 in Root Control and Wall of Thorns 1 in Physical Fitness and Meditation 3 in Grace and Bacterial Regeneration 4 in Superiority and Second Wind and 2 in Flexibility of the White Hunters and Living Blood

Of course the greatest gains were the 9 Lvls gained in Phantom’s Embrace and the 17 gained in the Spear Advances Ash Trails

Not included in the list of benefits was the fact that Randidly had apparently crossed the threshold of the Artisan level during his Spear Advances which meant that soon most of his skills would receive a large boost in utility as they grew to meet that threshold as well

There was apparently a certain potency of Willpower that was required for this a certain discipline Once you had proven to yourself that you possessed that it would soon pervade every part of your fighting style which Randidly was looking forward to very much

After he had finished the Anguish I Path Randidly had started putting points into the Intermediate Battle Intent Path which had given 1 Willpower every 10 PP Randidly poured all of these new points into that path before falling short of the goal of 200 at 117 Still it was a significant step towards the end of the path which Randidly predicted would have a nice boost on his Battle Intent

His Soul Skill also finished another complete rotation and a notification popped up

The world of your soul skill turns The denizens of your inner world evolve After the descent of your two blessings upon the world word of your existence has spread from the White Hunters to all races All begin in their private ways to whisper your name

The Matriarch grows old and her daughters bicker the White Hunters’ power beginning to splinter For this reason their population grows as they spread apart but also their previously united strength wanes and they become drawn into the struggles of the other races

A Swampling Champion has risen wielding the Hammer of Dawn to defend the The Great Weave Their power becomes increasingly consolidated as their spells grow more esoteric their influence on the world more insidious

A long and bitter war has raged between the Earth Golems and the Spriggits over control of the Scepter of Dominance Populations of both of both have taken hits but Spriggit fertility had given them an overwhelming numerical advantage But the Earth Golems have the Scepter in their grasp and an Emperor is rising one who dreams of the world under his control

The monster variants taking advantage of the world grow stronger and more bold Boss class monsters are occasionally spotted with enough strength to require an army to defeat them

Underneath this all the gears of the world start to turn Ambient Aether in the world has slightly increased

It has been three cycles since this world’s creation Would you like to add anything to the world (Warning the added qualities will be taken from a skill A single skill level will be consumed in the taking Other side effects are unknown)

Randidly winced Adding those skills as specific items of power to the world certainly had effects Effects that didn’t appear particularly positive Randidly made a mental note that he really needed to check out that Godling Path after he had some downtime in the wake of the tournament Being able to influence the world in a more direct way would make him feel slightly less guilty about what he was doing to them

Although to be fair it was likely that he would just fuck it up worse maybe it was smarter to create more Soul Seed plants that seemed to have some more subdued influence Although they were now causing boss class monsters to spawn so it’s not like it was a gentle thing either

Randidly had a headache Truly it was not easy having a small world floating in his chest But ultimately he believed that improving the world was for the best so Randidly chose to add Bacterial Regeneration and the Spear Advances Ash Trails The former to hopefully mitigate some of the damage dealt by the fighting the latter because well honestly because Randidly was proud of it and it was his own skill Maybe that would add something meaningful to the world

Both were split into a fine mist that drifted downward over the world settling over everything There also didn’t seem to be any immediate effects which was reassuring

Although the biggest gains had come from the Spear Advances Ash Trails it had been because Randidly had suddenly had a profound sense of inspiration about what he wanted to accomplish with the image Everything had come together Repeating that would be extremely difficult If he could then finishing off this Path before the next match was possible but

Not that he necessarily needed it but every edge would be something Still 80 or so PP in the week break before the next match 50 would maybe be doable with the assistance of Azriel with Divvet giving pointers as well

Even if Shal was here

Randidly’s face scrunched up in annoyance That was something he needed to deal with How to handle Lucretia if she were to turn up again

Then Randidly sighed because there was a strange tickling on the back of his neck He turned around slowly much more prepared this time

Speak of the devil

Lucretia blinked at him What does that mean

After a second of floundering Randidly shook his head smiling slightly Of course she wouldn’t know it was a saying from his world It means that when you speak of an unlucky star it will hear and come find you

With her lovely eyes and flowing lavender hair Lucretia smiled a small smile of shock and satisfaction pointing to herself after a small hesitation She almost seemed to be flattered by the thought of it Randidly nodded

Speak of the devil and she will hear and come find you I like it Lucretia said humming Then she turned to him So have you thought about my proposal

I have Randidly said firmly squashing his nervousness Let’s trade

Randidly looked for a long time at Lucretia who just smiled at him Again the room around them was extremely dark The inn around them was completely silent The water in the basin under the mirror was still not even the slightest ripple

Lucretia’s smile stretched wider Well State your terms

Gritting his teeth Randidly hesitated for several more seconds He just didn’t have any confidence in being able to get what he wanted because he had no real understanding of what was going on with Shal What was her influence over him What was the deal with the final gift for Aemont Had it been given already

Randidly had seen Shal in his vision and he seemed deeply in a trance But

What Randidly didn’t have was time There was too much going on at once too much pressure from this situation and from the tournament and the bonds pulling him towards the two people that have assisted him Azriel and Shal He knew this would impact his reasoning skills but in the moment he couldn’t see any way around taking a gamble

Which probably was further proof it was a bad idea

Shal must be released and brought here All your influence on him should be removed And Now Randidly sputtered out but then he forced himself to continue Even if this was the wrong answer it was better to act confident than to let Lucretia have anymore clues that he felt out of his depth Aemont’s final gift don’t hold Shal accountable for it

That was hopefully general enough This was also counting on Bertarn’s impression that Lucretia was heavily bound by her word If that wasn’t true all of this was worthless But she was stronger than him and he had nothing to offer but this

Smiling sweetly Lucretia snapped her fingers Shal appeared standing then swayed and fell onto the bed then sliding off onto the floor with a crash Chuckling Lucretia rolled her eyes and snapped her fingers Shal sighed then seemed to fall into a more peaceful slumber

Done All previous debts are eradicated All current influence has been removed Now Lucretia’s eyes began to glow lavender a sickly imitation of the powerful violet of Aether It’s time that you make good on your promise Give me Aether child

Lucretia left filled with a strange mix of anxiety and excitement She watched the whole process with her magical vision very closely but she was no closer to understanding how he did what he did or what the source of that Aether was than she had been before But what she did notice is that there was a strange faint connection between them now a gossamer thread drifting in the wind remaining constant even as she teleported away

It was something she knew she could use But she also was careful of his awareness This was not a process Lucretia understood and she didn’t want some sort of backlash to be unleashed on her just because she had rushed into something foolishly

Sitting down in her clearing Lucretia petted the head of the Yeti its eyes focusing on her hatefully I know you are lonely but it had to be done It’s fine though he will come back all on his own That little disciple of yours Shal I’m starting to wonder if he knows anything about you at all

Lucretia had very white teeth and flashed them to the Yeti head Then again poor Shally doesn’t even know it yet himself But soon he will And then he will come back to me seeking answers Or I’ll just go find him myself I haven’t decided yet

Chapter 263

Divvet stopped Randidly as he was leaving the inn He’s still asleep and he looks to be locked in some inner conflict Two parts of his Battle Intent are fighting each other It is exceedingly strange

Randidly nodded then moved to step past Divvet but the older man put his hand on his shoulder

Where are you going His voice was stern with a hint of fear hiding at the edges But the emotion was strong enough for Randidly to detect it even in his own emotional state Randidly’s emotion was mostly panic and a low current of self hatred If he had asked for more specific things if he hadn’t been afraid of seeming dumb by requesting too much or by pushing for more answers

Randidly hadn’t wanted to give away how little he knew but in retrospect two things were clear Lucretia had known exactly how little he had known and ultimately Randidly had held all of the power Lucretia wanted access to more Aether whatever the cost She would have agreed to his terms if he had only pushed

Then again Randidly had no idea whether his little information on how Lucretia operated was true at all Perhaps even if he had asked for more she would have just said yes and then

But ultimately Randidly knew what had held him back most was his own social weakness She had taken him by surprise by appearing before he had worked out a plan and taken advantage of it With her sudden arrival Randidly behaved exactly how he had learned to by instinct by advancing

In this instance however it was not for the best It had been several hours but Shal remained asleep locked in some combat of Battle Intent in his mind Divvet had suspected that someone could use Battle Intent to release him from it but it would require someone of the Pontiff level and those weren’t figures that were easy to bring to your side

Especially when Randidly had upset so many of the plans of Deardun’s elite Divvet promised to make inquiries but

All in all Randidly was frustrated at his own inexperience and weakness in the important moment It was a reminder though that although his strength was growing it was a one dimensional strength only focused on the spear use and offensive spells

You are worthless Randidly’s father whispered just to him

Randidly’s mother smiled prettily Sorry hun I’ll be out with tonight You can make yourself dinner right

Randidly’s mouth twitched but otherwise he ignored the phantoms There was no proof this was healthy or even helpful but Randidly had activated Torment letting the ghosts of his past haunt him Because what he needed was mental toughness whatever the cost

To train Randidly said softly as he pulled himself out of Divvet’s grip I’m no good just waiting around here I need the distraction If anything changes

Of course I’ll send someone Divvet said nodding his eyes shifting to a knowing look Perhaps he had some inkling of Randidly and Shal’s relationship because he made no further effort to stop Randidly’s departure

Everyone will leave you in the end His father mused If you have nothing of value to offer And you

Worthless Ace sighed shaking his head floating in the air around Randidly

Aethon Thai looked at the figure in front of him then over to the window to his study where Ciel was still recovering then back to the figure in front of him His drinking partner the Ghosthound’s male spear attendant was battered and bruised but still somehow managed to stagger back up to his feet his usual affable smile in place

Hmm some light exercise eh The foolish drinking partner said rubbing his hands together his expression especially bright

Aethon Thai was flummoxed You know I hit you with almost 20% of my power right there And you are still standing Not only that but You are almost an Artisan Your image

Then Aethon shook his head It seems that in taking a beating at least you are a genius But nothing else

Pounding his chest proudly his drinking partner nodded

Aethon sighed with exasperation This fool didn’t he realize that there were very few situations where a firm defense would be able to carry the day Only when defending can it be useful and when you are solely defending yourself it can only lead to a draw But still those other skills could be trained if he is this talented in

Father

Aethon turned around quickly forgetting this fool that he had brought back to the Steel Feather Style Compound to release some stress Ciel had walked out of the study and stood on the edge of the courtyard wearing simply a thin shirt of his which absolutely enveloped her

Unfortunately it only reached mid thigh on her revealing a bit too much leg in front of this idiot for Aethon’s tastes but You’ve recovered

Yes but Ciel frowned

Aethon’s face turned stormy Are there lingering wounds

Oh no nothing like that Ciel said waving her hand lightly If anything I feel amazing Lighter freer than I have ever before It isn’t such a bad thing right Daddy that I lost

His face softening Aethon stepped towards his daughter No sweet thing it’s not Even I have to admit that boy is strong He deserves to represent us to the Inter School competition

Yes he had very direct eyes It reminds me of you Ciel mused rubbing her chin I’m just wondering I think he completely forgot about our marriage bet Should I just wait or go to him and bring it up I want to be seen as a woman of her word With how many people know about it I probably need to

She trailed off The training spear in Aethon’s hand snapped and his blood beginning to pound Honey surely

No I need to do this Ciel said her eyes determined I’ve always just followed along with what you’ve said done everything for the sake of the Style this foolish bet was the first thing I did on my own I just want to handle the consequences myself To be myself

Although Aethon suddenly had a tirade of acidic commentary on her opponent’s flaws in his throat it remained lodged there he was torn between protecting his daughter and allowing her to grow Ultimately the urge to let her grow won and he remained silent

Not that this was a purely fatherly sentiment Aethon had known for a long time that Ciel had been too meek about her fate to ever be a truly influential powerhouse in her own right She could serve as one of the vice leaders of the Steel Feather Style but she hadn’t yet shown the spine or initiative to have the potential for anything more It was just profoundly aggravating that she chose to finally show some stubbornness for a dumb boy

Milady if you’d like to go over now I’d be happy to accompany you to see the Ghosthound Aethon’s drinking buddy said bowing foppishly I of course stay in the room next to his

Perfect Ciel said hopping down off the raised porch and into the courtyard proper Aethon’s eyebrows raised in horror as the small hop caused even more of his daughter’s legs to be exposed

Surely you Aethon began in his sweetest voice trying not to grab Ciel and just lock her in her room but he was interrupted by the drinking buddy walking up to Aethon and rapping his knuckles on Aethon’s chest

Can’t you see her mind is set Can you not even support your daughter

As the two then departed Aethon just stood frozen After they had gone he spoke enunciating each syllable very clearly

I will kill you someday It will not be quick

But the sentiment quickly dissipated and Aethon hurried over to the several craters he had made sparring with his drinking partner earlier to deal with his frustrations

Even after a careful investigation Aethon was left flummoxed The force had clearly dispersed through that fools body and impacted the ground Yet somehow his body hadn’t taken enough damage to incapacitate him at all It honestly hurt Aethon’s pride a bit This boy nothing short of cutting off his head or ripping out his heart would kill him

And filled his heart with a small amount of fear This Ghosthound he is definitely surrounded by complicated characters

Chapter 264

When will you be leaving the city Turn asked Ikaas his face red his grip on his glass of beer tight Helen just sighed

Being a chaperone was profoundly more fucking annoying than she would have expected In her mind her respect for her mother had risen a great deal that she had the patience to sit through the absolute cart crashes that Helen’s dates were showed a sort of mental strength that defied imagination

Uh well Ikaas’ face was red too but flushed in a good way As it had become apparent that Helen really didn’t need to pay for liquor the diminutive innocent looking girl had begun downing the stuff like there was no tomorrow What was perhaps most impressive about this exchange was that Ikaas was on her 12th beer while Turn had 4 and they both appeared to be at the same level of intoxication

It was in a way cute but in another way rather daunting because Helen was on her 6th and was starting to feel the edges of her vision blur Perhaps perhaps she had severely underestimated this cute cousin of hers

Well whenever the Ghosthound finishes I believe Ikaas finished meandering through her words looking to Helen for guidance We are supposed to stay until Helen leaves

I’m not coming back with you Helen interrupted wearily She had long suspected that her mother would try something like this but she wasn’t going to bite into the temptations left for her Even after spending time with Ikaas familial affection hadn’t filled her driving her to return to the leatherworking hovels she hailed from If anything it had filled her with surety that Ikaas could take care of herself

Ikaas just shrugged helplessly and turned back to Turn who simply burped and smiled pleasantly at Ikaas They both began to giggle like children Helen sighed The Aether in her chest flowing to her from the Ghosthound spun softly warming and cooling her at the same time filling her with life

And hope

The stores around them were closing as it was now late in the night and most people were heading home to sleep off the night’s alcohol in preparation to begin it again tomorrow Helen honestly had no idea how the economy of Deardun was going to survive the tournament and the subsequent introduction of alcohol into the common activities Most other businesses were ground to a halt She supposed the nearby dungeon dives were still occurring but

An explosion shook the streets of Deardun Helen and Turn both leapt to their feet their battle instincts cutting through the haze of intoxication peering towards the western part of the city where the noise had originated Turn frowned and opened his mouth to speak then a ripple crossed the entire city

It was a Battle Intent communication one that only a Pontiff level existence could create It said that a dangerous criminal was being apprehended and to avoid the site of the battle

The absolute dominance of it made Helen shiver She instinctively wanted to follow this will based communication and return to drinking Because everything was fine It was a huge muffling sensation as a will so large that it could affect a whole city settled over them

Fuck that Helen muttered rubbing her arms and standing

You shouldn’t go Turn said nervously There’s no mistaking that the Styles of Deardun support what is happening If you get involved

After a moment’s hesitation Helen shook her head and still began walking towards the noise Ikaas hopped up and followed dragging along Turn her eyes bright

Aren’t you at least curious The girl said her mouth twisting in a smile Then she skipped off after Helen Turn felt the blood drain out of his face

But he couldn’t resist her And after chugging the rest of his liquor he followed

We warned you The middle figure said simply The Spear Phantom Style was never to make it past the top 8 Now our only choice is to eliminate you

Randidly staggered to his feet He had barely managed to throw himself backwards out of the way when the three had launched their first attacks their wills all condensing and absolutely annihilating the spot where he had been standing

Luckily Shal had previously done similar sneak attacks while they were training in the prison and the footwork was practically second nature at this point Otherwise

And based on the attack all three of them were at the Artisan level And their images weren’t flimsy like Randidly’s they contained power

Why Randidly asked through gritted teeth desperately using his will to cause his blood to seep back into his body rapidly increasing his health It wouldn’t restore him to full but it would rid him of any encumbrances and probably bring him back to about half health

We don’t monologue The middle figure the spokesman of the group said with a sneer in his voice raising his spear and moving forward The three figures were all of similar height and were wearing brown robes The only way to differentiate them was by their spears The leader/center had a simple black spear The man on his left had one that appeared to be brown and made of wood The right man had a large golden spear

Do you think you can do just what you please inside the limits of Deardun Randidly said harshly while feeling inwardly very very nervous But just as the familiar fear of death rose in his throat the cold brutality he had learned in the prison rose to meet it He produced his large obsidian spear but winced looking at the huge cracks running through it

That certainly wasn’t helpful

The figures didn’t answer but simply attacked

What was even more intimidating was how well they worked together splitting up and moving to surround him as Black Spear blurred rushing directly forward

Randidly felt a sinking feeling in his chest and produced several Walls of Thorns getting rid of his assailants’ vision But to his dismay they simply ripped directly through the walls not swayed in the least Spearing Roots already ripped upward to meet them but all three displayed a high level of agility weaving through them

Desperate Randidly pressed with his will and Spearing Roots shot sideways out of the previous roots inflicting some small wounds Golden Spear was especially affected by this and a large gash was cut into his side But it barely slowed him at all

It was at that moment that Randidly rapidly used Phantom Half Step creating distance But even then his Stamina was rapidly depleted and Black Spear was too fast cutting through the distance faster than he could create it

Although Randidly was fresh off a win he had no confidence that he could withstand a direct strike from the other’s spear Even just being in the area after he had dodged had left him with significant wounds Aether roared in his body some inner beat waking His body began to heat very very rapidly so that his bones began to burn

With brilliant emerald eyes Randidly bared his teeth Circle of Flame

A huge blast of flame rushed outwards smashing into Black Spear making even his tyrannical advance pause Which was just what Randidly needed

He activated Phantom Half Step teleporting towards Gold Spear the slightly wounded one twice in quick succession Very quickly he appeared before the man whose almost super human reactions meant that a spear was already whistling towards Randidly’s throat

But it wasn’t an extremely accurate attack and Randidly activating Phantom’s Embrace and moving rapidly away was enough to avoid the blow Both of the other two adjusted with equal alacrity although Black Spear seemed singed and slightly slower than previously

Raising his hand Randidly continued to run away through the hole he had made for himself while shooting several Incinerating Bolts He may as well not have bothered the three spear users weaved around the bolts without the slightest decrease in speed Several beads of sweat wound their way down Randidly’s temples as the Aether inside of him roared in challenge

Everything began to spin in a furious current growing stronger and stronger in his chest Randidly spared the surrounding area a swift glance Not only had help not arrived but there was no one on the streets It’s as if

They were being kept away by the powers that be That this attack on him was sanctioned

Randidly’s heart sunk as he remembered the words of his attackers and the warning that Bertarn had given him about proceeding past the top 8 If these people were really supported by the city Then no foreign help would arrive

Shal was out of commission and Divvet was watching him Aside from them Randidly didn’t think there were any powerful spear users in the area

Hahaha need help little boy A dry and almost dead Aether Tether in Randidly’s chest vibrated and a soft feminine voice filled Randidly’s ears

Chapter 265

Lucretia’s voice was warm like rotting milk and it felt just as greasy and unwelcome as it dripped over his skin

What was worse was that it set off a huge surge of emotions inside Randidly causing the image of Phantom’s Embrace to waiver Only earlier that day had Lucretia appeared and Randidly had been too nervous to bargain much and it had likely cost Shal The fact that she dared show up now offering help

It showed how much Randidly had let her get away with She was cocky

And it really really pissed him off

With his will Randidly reached creating a firmer mental connection than she dared Anguish

A familiar pain crashed into him along with a heavy weight of mental buzzing that ground away at the edges of Randidly’s consciousness Immediately he could feel Lucretia’s shock and she attempted to recoil but he held fast mentally gripping her bringing her into his misery Actually

Randidly activated Torment then too and thousands upon thousands of whispers sprang up around him It was disconcerting to say the least This level of action from Torment was far beyond what he was used to but he supposed it triggers for the individual Since he had a mental connection with Lucretia at the moment the skill affected her as well and some of her deepest phantoms made their way to the surface

You are worthless unwanted They said hundreds at a time their whispers twisting and merging into a droning buzz You will die You cannot escape it Give up

Lucretia’s mental struggles began to grow but although he could feel the power of her Battle Intent because this was a connection based on an Aether Tether she could bring none of that to bare She flared wildly just aiming to crush him back with her superior Willpower Although it definitely seemed she was much much stronger than him he did have some levels in the Mental Strength and Mental Fortitude Skills and was able to endure just barely

Also as she resisted him he gained several levels in each which was a nice bonus

But this internal struggle was just a distraction and Randidly quickly put his vindictive strike back at Lucretia on the backburner Although it was incredibly insidious at weakening his will Randidly left Torment active at least as long as he could

Although Torment didn’t reach the three assailants Anguish certainly did and they all were approaching more hesitantly unable to understand the waves of agony that were caused by Randidly’s energy Randidly’s mouth quirked up in a wry smile He supposed they could just wait him out after all Anguish still ran off of health He would drain himself dry like this eventually

At the same time all three assailants burst back into motion blurring to a speed even greater than their previous advance It seemed the strange skills were increasing their sense of urgency Which was annoying because Randidly had to believe something would change if he bought himself enough time

Activating Burning Footsteps Randidly continued to flee backwards farther down the road towards the edge of the city It would be better to move deeper rather than farther out but that would mean somehow breaking through the web of the assailants Randidly thought he could manage it but until he ran out of options he wouldn’t want to expend all of that Stamina

The flames were rather weak due to the low Burning Footsteps skill level but Randidly had put a lot of points into Intelligence which upped the damage and pain they inflicted Although these three seemed to have enough Health to just charge through the fire hopefully the continued burns would lead to a mistake

Which they actually didn’t in terms of giving the spear users any sort of hesitation They stepped right onto them stomping with such force that a shockwave blasted outwards putting out most of the flames Spearing Roots shot out again but they weaved through them A raven condensed above the head of Black Spear as he thrust forward

Randidly threw himself to the side cursing himself letting Anguish and Torment drop

Let this be a lesson to you Randidly whispered mentally to Lucretia as he loosened his grip and let her go He could feel her fury and embarrassment but although it was a short term feeling it filled him with vindictive joy Serves her right

Unfortunately as Randidly got himself back in fighting position it placed him right in front of Brown Spear who lashed out with a speed so fast that Randidly could just block and hope for the best

With a sickening crack the head of Randidly’s obsidian spear shattered and Randidly was thrown backwards where he crashed into a building The wall cracked and caved in slightly and Randidly’s spine groaned painfully Little needles of numbness ran through his arms and legs especially present in his extremities

Holy fuck Randidly swore a real fear rising in him Already he could feel his regeneration kicking in trying to fix the problem but a spine injury he had healed through a lot since the System arrived so he had considered himself largely invulnerable But paralysis Could that be healed through He hadn’t seen any real handicapped people in Shal’s world aside from those people missing limbs

The three assailants approached spears raised Randidly’s hands tightened to fists and although the spear had shattered Randidly was surprised to find that he was still holding something It was still a spear likely the spine of the obsidian spear that Randidly had been using previously

They were taking their sweet time now that they had hit him and seen his weapon break sidling forward so Randidly shifted his grip brushing away the broken obsidian shards which glowed with a strange strength Spine was an appropriate term for this spear because it was long yellowed with age and made of smooth bone Swirls of Engravings covered its surface and for several long seconds Randidly got lost in the craft of it The mastery in the strokes the subtleties of the mana application

Black Spear raised his namesake and pointed it at Randidly Die

Inspiration Circle of Flame

The world turned into an explosive inferno The destructive force was compounded by the fact that directly behind him was the resilient stone home so most of the powerful flames rebounded and went forward left right or up All of these directions being the standing locations of the assailants

All three were sent flying the heat and sudden explosive power burning away their robes and flinging their bodies back As all the mana drained out of Randidly he sighed feeling profoundly tired No rest for the wicked And there was no telling whether that would be a finishing blow even though they all seemed to have low Resistance so it was probably better to run

You fucking bug

Black Spear staggered forward his cloak burnt away revealing a surprisingly young man with short orange hair Most of his leather armor had been charred and blackened and to Randidly’s amusement his boots had been burnt to ash leaving only bare feet behind But it was also extremely discouraging because several of the nearby houses had collapsed backwards from the force of the explosion It looked like Black Spear’s armor had quite a few intricate Engravings that he could no longer make use of but otherwise

He had survived his battle strength intact The other two also staggered upwards from piles of rubble but seemed largely weakened and winded unable to participate as directly as they had previously Both of these two had orange hair of varying lengths as well It seemed like they were family members

I’ll squish you and grind your bones into flour bake you and have your loved ones use your remains to break their fast Black Spear said through gritted teeth Randidly wished him luck in that endeavor almost bitterly He would be hard pressed to find someone who could be considered a loved one Although he was close with Shal they had been estranged especially recently Divvet was like a kindly uncle

Marco Polo Randidly frowned Honestly Marco Polo had disappeared while they were heading to Deardun and he hadn’t ever given it a thought Hadn’t he stayed after the others left

But Randidly was forced back into the moment at hand as Black Spear began to stomp forward his eyes bulging with fury Randidly looked at the pure slender bone spear in his hands checking the balance of it Honestly it felt perfect Better by far than the bulky obsidian spear although a lot of the power and weight had gone It just felt like

It would be the type of spear used by a Phantom There was a jet black stone set right below the blade that drew the eye and was the only blemish on the bone surface Randidly’s mouth twitched When he returned to Donnyton how would Sam react to seeing a bone spear done so well

Don’t you fucking ignore Black Spear began but he was interrupted

Randidly you are late How long were you going to make me wait A voice asked and Azriel strolled forward out from behind a ruined building spinning her needle idly If trash like this push you hard well Maybe my hopes in you are misplaced

Randidly winced It’s been a long day alright Just give me a hand

You need not ask these are foreigners Azriel said crisply And they will be delivered back to the Central Region with our condolences

Chapter 266

Black Spear sneered at Azriel Hmph get the fuck out of my way or die just the same It makes no difference to me Hehehe in what sort of world would one of the Great Pillars listen to some uppity bitch from the trashy North Do you know who you are fucking with

Azriel leveled her spear Oh no you are right Now that I’ve thought about the consequences I’m feeling slightly overwhelmed

Randidly sighed and readied his own stance He had long grow used to Azriel’s extremely dry sarcasm It would not win her any hearts but it at least made her next move predictable She blurred rushing toward Black Spear Randidly activated Phantom’s Embrace and followed It would be preferable if he could stay in the back and use spells to support her but

Inspiration had left his mana pool as dry as a mummy’s throat Or as Azriel’s humor

Brown Spear seemed the more capable of the remaining two so Randidly moved to superimpose himself between him and Azriel Black Spear met Azriel with a roar raising his spear and flourishing it

Brown Spear moved more slowly but his spear strokes were oddly misleading and it was extremely difficult to get a good sense of his tempo Against Randidly’s better judgement once twice three times clashed all three times Randidly had his teeth jarred and was pushed back But strangely the spear in Randidly’s had possessed a strange resiliency and strength that enabled him to just barely hold out Apparently this spear core wasn’t so bad as a spear by itself

But the difference in technique was swiftly showing itself Randidly would conservatively estimate that all of Brown Spear’s skills were at the 150 Level which was a daunting fact His stats were probably high for his level too but were perhaps only a bit above Randidly’s which seemed to leave Brown Spear Puzzled as Randidly managed to resist his strikes time and time again if just barely

While they were fighting Randidly spared a glance for Golden Spear but that man seemed to have taken a lot of damage when Circle of Flame had hit him and used him as a wrecking ball on a nearby house He could barely stand and was just watching the other fight

Randidly snapped back to focus chiding himself for getting distracted during a fight but Brown Spear just lowered his spear slowly and stared towards the other fight as well After backing off a few steps to make Randidly feel better he turned and looked over towards Black Spear and Azriel

Azriel stood arms crossed Black spear was on his knees a hole in his neck struggling to speak

Azriel just shook her head sadly I watched for a bit while Randidly fought against you If I already knew all the moves you would use what hope do you have against me Blame your own hubris Don’t toy with your food you might choke

The Black Spear user swayed then fell forwards barely catching himself at the last moment with his hands A glob of blood splashed onto the ground as his spear fell over and clanged against the stone Then he collapsed

Azriel walked towards Randidly Come we are done here You two feel free to take the body

Gold Spear looked shocked Brown Spear did as well but he seemed to maintain some semblance of speaking ability No he would prefer to be left on the battlefield where he died but he he was the son of

He raised his spear to kill Azriel said leading Randidly away He determined his own ending

Then the two left and after a few seconds the two spear users fled as well heading in a very different direction

Ciel frowned as she looked towards the noises a short distance to the east What’s going on Why hasn’t anyone stopped the fighting

The strange friend of the Ghosthound who had led her towards the inn at which they were staying simply waved his hand airily Likely some youngins who were excited by the tournament Ah the exuberance of youth aye

How old even are you Ciel wondered aloud but the man didn’t answer as he led them finally into a rather cheap looking inn Ciel’s eyebrows knit together as her nerves surfaced Did the Ghosthound even remember the bet she had made She just she just wanted to feel in charge of her own life and had put her hand in marriage on the line

She didn’t know what would be the worse outcome that he had heard and wasn’t interest or that he hadn’t heard and would just be confused by the whole thing And honestly Ciel was a little confused and scared herself It had been an impulsive decision a childish struggle against the influence of her parents in her life

Ciel raised her hands and began rubbing them wildly through her hair messing it up as much as possible What the fuck was she even doing

She hurriedly fixed her hair as they approached the door An old man looked up as they entered Oh boy Are you two ah going upstairs for activities Try and keep the noise level down Shal’s still resting Claptrap is up there visiting him too

Ciel’s guide nodded seriously and Ciel could only flush They weren’t doing the kind of activities that the old man was suggesting

We are gonna need the Ghosthound there too The guide said seriously Is he around

The old man’s eyebrows rose Ciel wanted to die Hopefully crushed to death by the huge weight of irony hanging over the situation Let she be squished so tightly that nothing remained so her father could just mourn her peacefully without knowing about the absolutely abhorrent situation that she was currently in

No The old man seemed to be struggling with something then he sighed He went to train with that Azriel character He had a lot of aggression to work out But be careful I don’t think Helen will approve of your activities if she finds out

For the first time Ciel saw her guide visibly flinch and wilt at the mention of Helen Yea let’s make sure she doesn’t find out Is she here

No she’s with her cousin The old man said and her guide let out a huge sigh and ushered Ciel back out into the street where he began looking around then began to walk directly towards the sounds of the fighting

Is that a good idea Ciel asked skeptically The last thing that she needed right now was to get involved in something that was political enough for none of the protectors of Deardun to interfere Her father had a lot of clout but the leader of the Steel Feather Style was something of a hardass and if there were consequences her father would not be able to protect her from a very large punishment

Unswayed her guide continued forward leading her in a beeline for the increasingly loud clashes

Um oh what’s your name Ciel asked curiously I don’t even know who you are No one ever seems to say your name

The man turned grinning widely Oh I’m the most talented of Mr Randidly Ghosthound’s spear attendants Roge

A huge wave of heat and flame smashed outward and even though there were buildings in between them and the source it hit the two of them and sent them tumbling to the ground After the wave of force had passed they picked themselves up exchanged a glance and then rushed towards the source

Turn Ikaas and Helen stood hiding behind what used to be spear seller’s store which had its front caved in by the force of the spell and watched as Azriel walked out dueled the strange ambusher for several seconds and ripped a hole in his throat

Amazing I want to be just like her Ikaas whispered with bright eyes Helen was slightly affronted that her cousin had chosen this strange woman as her role model especially when Helen who had been protecting Ikaas for years was standing right next to her But she didn’t say anything Azriel was powerful and capable in a way that made Helen extremely intimidated as well

That was true strength The power to seize control of your life To escape the chains of your past

They watched Azriel and the Ghosthound depart and then the two surviving assailants retreat as will without moving to stop either of the groups Helen felt a deep deep sourness in her chest After all she just didn’t feel qualified to step out into that battlefield Those people were on a level far above her

So they turned and left only to find the male spear attendant and Ciel the Ghosthound’s opponent from earlier sneaking up behind them curious about the commotion When Helen explained curtly what happened carefully examining the body language between the two new arrivals they both seemed genuinely shocked

Inwardly Helen nodded Good for him He certainly had appealing qualities although they were really hard to see under his large glaring deficiencies Mostly his ability to handle abuse

The pair of them had apparently been heading to talk to the Ghosthound for some reason but Turn advised against it Those two they seem to have their own business Perhaps it is better to give them some space for now Azriel’s strong opinions are very well acknowledged in Deardun

So the group left cautiously probing the others whether they would like to grab a drink It seemed nobody was really against it so while Turn and Ciel seriously discussed who could have caused this attack to happen in hushed tones and the male spear attendant interjected useless nonsense Helen and Ikaas brought up the rear

Her cousin spared one last glance for the body just left there in the middle of the street and frowned Helen where did the body go

Chapter 267

Shal’s mental’ body had been beaten time and time again by the shade of Aemont who was absolutely brutal Each lesson was long and slow carving into Shal’s body the insufficiencies of his execution of the Style Every flaw was exposed before the creator of the Spear Phantom Style and Shal was again and again left mortally wounded only to magically heal due to the strange circumstances of this place

It was definitely a dreamscape Shal knew but it wasn’t like any sort of dream that Shal had had in the past It was amorphous and shrouded by mist and Shal was barely able to distinguish what was happening in the backdrop It was basically just a flat ground in which to duel Aemont

Inch by brutal inch Shal knew he was gaining ground on the shade too

Their spears clashed and both utilized impossibly sharp footwork while twisting and turning moving gracefully around each other In terms of strength Shal was surprised to find that he was slightly higher but this had honestly been holding him back somewhat Aemont always knew which clashes he needed to win and threw everything behind those strikes making Shal’s earlier victories mean little

That was the genius of Aemont or at least one of the strokes of genius His strength was in the control of his own strength He knew the moments to throw it all into a strike and he knew the other strikes to keep it back holding his opponents at bay

It was intimidating to say the least but Shal quickly absorbed every brutal lesson with his body He refused to give in easily to his father or the shade of his father This was a fight for his pride He refused to give in

Again and again their spears smashed together or glanced off of each other striking and moving quickly Shal’s eyes unfocused and he became less aware of the details of each encounter but more concerned with the broader dance Give to take Move to return Shift to strike

Because the longer Shal witnessed Aemont move Shal realized that this was just a pale shadow of Aemont of old not in skill but in stats This projection probably was barely over 100 in everything and yet could completely outclass him Or the much more frightening possibility that this shade wasn’t relying on stats at all but was simply using his absurdly high skill levels to oppress Shal

It was a powerful lesson So this was the tyranny of the one they called the Spear Phantom Every strike was a set up Every move was looking 20 moves ahead to the conclusion of the fight The goal was not to wound but to guide the opponent down the path of their own demise The Spear Phantom as Aemont discussed in his journal did not bring death but was only the message sent by death to the victim This was inevitable just accept it

Aemont’s spear slid silently towards Shal’s neck Shal’s own momentum carrying him towards it Instead of twisting away or attempting to block Shal just raised his spear All injuries in this strange world had healed almost instantly so Shal decided to ignore it and go for a simultaneous strike

Aemont twisted slightly unwilling to stop his own thrust but also unwilling to trade his life for Shal’s but at the moment Shal’s eyes flashed His spear twisted and curved taking on a life of its own utilizing the skills from his and his brother’s self created style His spear sunk into the heart of the shade of Aemont

Desperation fear a crazed need for strength a way out a way to prove himself

Because the one that I love is so far above my station that I

A woman with long purple hair smiling at me her teeth a strange bone white I can send you deep into the bowels of hell While you are there there will be plenty of chances to create an image worthy of that love you hold so dear What will it cost Well Aemont how about you just consider it a gift

The place she sent me I recognized It was the world that had fallen to their Calamity and which we had to constantly defend against incursions from on the Frontlines The portal did not lead to their military strongholds but to their countryside far away from the battlefields Horrible raid bosses held sway creating their small fiefdoms away from the leadership of the Calamity

There I almost died hundreds of times

Fear loneliness despair

But I killed thousands Tens of thousands

Surrounded by death I found the power I had been promised

Gasping Shal fell back blood spurting out of the wound on his neck Aemont stood coldly his eyes narrowed examining Shal carefully

That was ’ Shal realized suddenly Aemont’s interaction with Lucretia ’

That cold eternal fear the warring pride and frustration that pure hungry love the emotions stuck with Shal preventing him from putting any strength into his limbs He just sat on the ground staring up at his father Aemont was a cold man but for the first time Shal recognized that Aemont was a man of stark opposites An incredible amount of stress was compressed and folded inside his body and he neutralized it with a powerful love that flowed freely without reservations

But that left him with little left to interact with the rest of the world It was just a cold ambivalence

Then a spark of fury arrived setting Shal on fire Do you think

Shal took his time drawing out the words as he slowly stood Do you think this makes up for it all All the time every hour where we needed you and you just weren’t there

With a speed born of anger Shal struck This time he moved with the sinuous grace of him and Pronto’s Twin Fang Style but combining that with the principles of the Spear Phantom Style What he lost in inevitability Shal gained back in an unrelenting adaptable offensive Style that seemed to give even Aemont trouble

Once again Shal’s and Aemont’s spear entered a dance but this time Shal was ready This was a dance he had prepared for all his life And at the cost of taking a spear to the thigh his spear once again shot towards Aemont’s heart

A deep sadness a deep fear a deep wariness like a dead pool of salt water eroding his will every day

I can take both the boys My old friend Haelthing said putting his hand on my shoulder

No

Resolution

I don’t want that thing anywhere near my son My eyes hardened and I turned to go

Shal fell to his knees He remembered very vividly being sent away to stay with family friends while Pronto stayed with Haelthing learning the spear in a much more direct manner Sure Pronto was the first born son so it made sense but

That Thing Shal whispered He was just a boy when it all happened Why why The deep fears of his childhood came surging back Everyday where he wondered whether there was something wrong with him something different something cursed that had him so far away from everyone was it fucking true Did you really take out your anger on a child

Aemont looked at him silently Then he raised his spear his face widening in a smile

Randidly was smashed into the ground for the third time the wind completely knocked out of him Azriel nodded as if pleased

Really it’s shocking I would think that training like this would stop being effective after a time But you recover quickly and learn even quicker You are probably the most talented person I’ve ever seen aside from Drak and myself of course

Of course Randidly grumbled staggering to his feet

Azriel gave him a searching look but I still sense no tenacity from you in these fights Which is understandable because of my level of control

Randidly’s heart dropped out of his chest This psycho murderer who actively moved her spear towards his heart to follow when he dodged was talking about her control

She continued to speak but also you are holding a few things back I can sense it

Scratching his head Randidly shrugged Sure there were some other skills he could use specifically Inspiration but he couldn’t use it now obviously since he had burned it to survive against Black Spear But it was a card that he could use in the fight

But Azriel seemed to accept this nodding to herself This is probably for the best a man without any secrets will not long keep the attention of a woman Let’s go again

Her whole body blurred and Randidly scrambled to throw up his guard

Chapter 268

While whistling lightly an old man stepped forward The world around him blurred and shifted He stepped and again the land beneath him shifted where he was once on a forest path he was now standing atop a mountain The shift this time was more violent as well the ground underneath him cracking as he finished the stepping motion unable to bear the force of his step

The whistling itself was tuneless but wildlife nearby and even monsters felt a deep chill in their bones as they heard it instinctively cowering in fear putting their bodies closer to the ground But luckily it was gone the next moment and those who heard it straightened up in confusion wondering if that strange visceral reaction was just their imagination acting up

But the old man continued to step his hair and beard with not a strand of hair out of place or buffeted by wind He was immaculate a small smile on his face a broken tune on his lips

Step

Step

Then the old man paused this landing creating a clearing in what had once been a dense thicket of trees The broken trunks weren’t just sent flying but annihilated by his steps such was the force with which he arrived at his location

Through layers and layers of wrinkles the old man’s eyes sharpened

Deardun The old man said with obvious disgust his eyes making the distance between him and his target irrelevant He always disliked coming up to the Northern Region Not like some of his compatriots who believed that the Styles up here were inferior This was obviously not the case across the board no matter how other elders might moan and groan about it

The North had been unclaimed land for generations before some of the Central Region Styles moved to a less ordered place The ones who had left were perhaps not the most well established but they were able to come into the North and seize the law of the land It was debatable whether any of the pampered Central Styles who acted so haughty could do something like that now

No the reason he disliked this Region was a certain man lived here one who the old man still held a twinge of fear for although the old man was all but sure the other had died years ago

But still if this could be avoided the old man would have done so It brought him no pleasure to be up here Aemont the cause of all of this trouble also hailed from the North

After a few more steps which brought him very close to Deardun proper probably only a few miles away the old man sighed and lost something His hair grew more ragged his posture less straight the domineering air around him disappeared

Then he sighed again and his stance changed from capable to feeble Instead of the powerhouse that he was the man appeared to just be an old man a target for malicious attacks

With his steps now severely reduced in effectiveness Gerroark Char current leader of the illustrious Endless Heat Style from the Central Region walked slowly towards Deardun each step barely covering a few feet

That the original group he had sent to investigate lost moved his schedule up The death of his nephew was annoying and surprising but the frustrating boy that had renewed the prestige of the Spear Phantom Style wasn’t the point just a bit of spite on Gerroark’s part The disciple wasn’t Gerroark’s goal the master was

Now that it had come to this it was time for him to get personally involved And find out the secret of Aemont once and for all

I avoid the boy as much as possible Both of them really Both of my sons both of them have been through so much But to my eyes one of them is simply an enigma while the other is a monster

While I am on the front lines I can lose myself in the death a pale reflection of the other world that Lucretia sent me to but it is familiar and if not comforting all consuming In those moments my thoughts aren’t torn to bits by needless worry

But letters come about them both Haelthing the fool talks up Pronto’s potential the speed at which he learns But of course he learns quickly But of course he is exemplary The mind inside that body I wonder what rules it What cravings what urges

Time and time again I’ve thought to warn Haelthing but he would not listen He believes in his own strength He cannot know the weapon Pronto possesses

As for the other son the one Pronto named Shal all I hear in the letters is how soft he is how kind It leaves me confused

Are either of these boys still my sons

With a gasp Shal ripped his spear out of Aemont’s chest the spectral figure falling to the ground

How DARE you Shal growled his chest heaving as he stood over Aemont How DARE you We we loved you Were we still your sons YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO SAY THAT Were you even ever our father You left us out to dry you

But then the figure of Aemont morphed and shifted turning into a strange blob of energy The ground began to tremble and small wisps floated up to join that blob which began to swirl menacingly After several minutes of this where Shal just stared mutely it came back down to the ground condensing once more into the figure of Aemont

But this Aemont was more solid more real And the air around him had a different feel to it entirely It stunk of death and fear Aemont’s eyes were different too deeper more intense as he stared at Shal who was still trembling with his earlier emotions

If you have the strength then take the answers from me Shal Aemont said slowly raising his spear This Style of yours let me crush it

You fucking Shal spat out grinding his teeth But he couldn’t find the words to finish the sentence This is all Aemont always cared about when he visited Shal’s strength His dedication his power And power was in a way desirable Shal had no qualms with that but he had always worried that the way Aemont treated him was somewhat different than Aemont treated Pronto

Which Shal now knew was true Aemont viewed Pronto as some sort of monster and Shal as weak Which was why he was sent away Which was why

GaaH Shal bellowed unleashing his building frustration letting the those dissolve into violence fueling his body in a wild attack

Immediately after Shal struck he realized that the changes in Aemont weren’t just superficial His body seemed denser but it also didn’t have any presence as Shal lashed out towards it it faded away

and appeared behind him

Gritting his teeth Shal whirled around but Aemont was already gone scoring a shallow slice across the back of Shal’s arm Again and again Aemont moved and appeared striking quickly aiming for blind spots and tendons aiming to disable Shal with his strikes

And he was frightfully good at it Impossibly good His speed was absolutely impossible Like that foolRandidly had a knack for running away that made Shal initially believe that he would be a good fit for the Phantom Spear Style but Aemont’s movements now made Shal disgusted that he himself was considered the current head of the Spear Phantom Styles

Aemont did not run Aemont dominated that small area around him

But rather than feeling intimidated or overwhelmed a building wild hunger appeared in Shal As he lashed out towards Aemont his spear bending gracefully attacking at weird angles to try and reach him Shal’s eyes examined every movement very closely

Although he might not be the most talented or have the greatest understanding of the Spear Phantom Style what he did have was years of hard mind numbing work memorizing every little motion All he had was a month or two of seeing those moves used how they were designed to be But now with the real thing in front of him

Shal slowly deconstructed all the bad habits he had learned over the years his body slowly being sliced and diced to pieces in the process bearing the brunt of Aemont’s assault There were times that Shal was defeated and knocked to the ground but his body healed in this strange area absorbing the natural energy of the air and he would stand again

As he learned these new uses the proper uses for these old skills so many things clicked in Shal’s mind Step by step he learned the Spear Phantom Style from the ground up and then he twisted it for his own purposes learning to add the serpentine grace and vicious attacks to the repertoire

Time blurred Shal moved Aemont responded ever just beyond the range of Shal’s strikes ever just a step ahead

But that distance was slowly narrowing Shal’s eyes burned furious and hot

Chapter 269

Heaving a sigh Randidly used Living Blood to manipulate the red fluid back into his body

Azriel spared him a glance Take a break I’m hungry Then she walked off leaving him bleeding or almost bleeding in the courtyard of her building After several minutes of sitting on the ground recovering Randidly stood and he left the building wandering towards one of the bathhouses in Deardun

After cleaning himself off and giving his body time to heal through some of the deeper damage that Azriel had inflicted on him Randidly headed back towards his inn Then he froze Then chuckling Randidly continued walking

It was probably pretty foolish for him to just walk around Deardun Especially after those three had ambushed him so directly right in the middle of the city and seemed to have the implicit support of the Styles of Deardun It could happen again

But Randidly was tired And up until now it had completely slipped his mind So after putting on clothes that would cover his face giving him at least some semblance of cover as he returned to his inn Then at the door he hesitated again then shook his head annoyed at himself If they truly lost him after the ambush his old inn would probably be the place they were waiting for him huh

Truly Randidly wasn’t designed for this sort of sneaking around But it’s not like he had the strength to stand up to them directly at least right now so Best to take precautions belated as though they may be

Randidly entered the building and found Divvet and Claptrap who both looked sharply up at him seemingly surprised by his intrusion

Very quickly Divvet smiled widely Ah good you’re back Shal’s been better He still is asleep but his struggles had largely quieted Your friend Claptrap has been there the entire time watching over him

Claptrap seemed nervous which seemed odd to Randidly Perhaps he wanted something Trouble at work Either way Randidly was quite glad that Claptrap had done it Walking up Randidly patted him on the back

Thanks Claptrap Next time you need it I’ll give you some good business ideas to expand your corporation

To Randidly’s surprise Claptrap visibly flinched pulling away his eyes flashing Then Claptrap seemed to deflate and just said Yea Thanks

Then he left Randidly scratched his head and turned to Divvit Divvit just shrugged How am I supposed to keep up with the moods of the young Maybe he’s annoyed that you absolutely destroyed that girl he had a crush on oh that’s right She stopped by Wanted to talk to you about a bet And Helen wanted to speak with you ask well

Randidly had no idea what bet Ciel wanted to speak with him about but Helen’s desire to talk filled Randidly with a certain level of dread Through their connection of Aether he could feel her not her location really but the constant proximity of her life and meaning as they flowed back and forth between them freely mixing

Wasn’t that enough What did she want to talk about

But that of course was a stupid question She wanted to talk about the fact that he was pumping Aether into her body Randidly just wasn’t sure what he wanted to SAY about it At the moment it had felt right Helen had been dueling that asshole and she just needed a small boost to push her strength up to the level where she could win Randidly had given her that strength

Now Randidly was glad he hadn’t pursued the option of giving other people including Divveltian an Aether Donation anymore If he had to explain things to them in the same way Although it was abated for now Randidly was still aware that the System itself considered him a Heretic Even though the system was much much larger than the individual people Randidly still didn’t think it was a smart idea to let people know about his idea in case they secretly had a connection to the system

Although Earth had the Village Spirits Randidly had yet to see any here which made him leery of everyone It certainly was like a strange vacation here away from his planet But Randidly knew that was coming to an end and didn’t want to jeopardize it so close to his return

Besides with what Randidly was suspecting about the spear inside of the obsidian spear after training with Azriel

Randidly shook his head One thing at a time

After going up to Shal’s room checking on him briefly and then returning to his own room for books Randidly headed to the roof After a long amount of time away Randidly activated the Weeping Cloud skill letting the cleansing rain wash over him relieving him of a lot of his tension Then he brought out and equipped his concentration belt and some other engraved equipment boosting his stats to their highest possible levels

Then Randidly produced his spear and looked over it with a critical eye It was certainly strange using such a slender and light spear after he had used the large obsidian one for so long But there was something strangely compelling about this spear he had discovered while using it against Azriel A certain energizing factor

It wasn’t much just a small boost that helped stave off exhaustion in the earlier training rounds with Azriel It was barely anything not nearly as powerful as his own regeneration but it was still a push in the right direction Something noticeable

But then Randidly noticed what was happening and he immediately switched back over to a training spear Because this slender white spear was engraved with a rune that absorbed Aether from the air and from Azriel

Once he realized what was going on Randidly found the strange connection that was beginning to form between him and the spear and the thin trail of dirty Aether that was flowing over to him from it After being exposed to the Aether from his Aether Crossroads for so long this Aether was incredibly muddied and intractable and it was hard for Randidly to see any use for it

Still there were more questions than answers here After all he had gotten this spear by cracking the spear of Haelthing of the Devourer Which would seem to imply that perhaps this spear was the weapon used by Haelthing and the other was just a sheath

The way that the previous iteration was designed was completely counter to this theory however It was much more likely that the previous obsidian spear had in fact been prepared in order to seal this spear keep it out of others hands

Because like Randidly’s other Aether connection the one the spear was trying to form with him flowed both ways Randidly didn’t really understand what it would be taking from him but he sincerely doubted that it would be a healthy relationship If it hadn’t been due to his increased sensitivity to Aether Randidly probably wouldn’t have been able to so easy keep the connection closed as well

Even so even due to the danger

Randidly opened his eyes which flashed emerald Some things were worth the danger There was a secret tied into this spear something that Randidly couldn’t currently get the shape of But knowing more would help and he could sense that he was very near a realization

So with his mental state at its highest Randidly felt along the connection to the spear and began to press Aether from his side towards the spear Initial results were very poor clearly this connection was not designed this way nor was it strong enough to handle the strange Randidly was putting on it by forcing the Aether down it Multiple times that small weak connection collapsed and Randidly could only sigh and hold it waiting for it to reform

Part of the problem was how pure and plentiful his Aether was It gave Randidly a very warped sense of normal in terms of Aether But slowly he honed his control until a small even flow went along to the spear

The Engraving on it began to glow and then shift twisting the energy flow reversing At first it was slow and unsure like old machinery starting after years of disuse but then something gave and there was a crash Suddenly the spear began to devour the energy viciously and then it continued to suck eating away at his will causing him to go slightly lightheaded but he gritted his teeth and pushed through it

At the same time an explosion of meaning smashed into him setting him trembling As the wildness of the energy slowly began to abate its volatility subsiding it slowly settled into identifiable matter feelings emotions and memories Rich thick emotions Love Fear Respect Determination Regret

They rushed through and filled Randidly as he supplied more and more Aether churned out after years of storage

Within the currents the Aether flowed faster and faster more and more so much that even the deepest depths of Randidly’s Aether pool began to swirl albeit slowly This was the largest expenditure of Aether he had ever embarked upon and his body and mind began to buzz strangely a weird resonance occurring as so much power was channeled through him and into the spear The world around him went white

Then it stopped The memories slowed to a trickle More information flowed into Randidly but with a start he realized that it was information about what was going on around the spear Strips of incomplete meaning that it had sliced directly out of the air and ground here and fed to Randidly

Surprised Randidly stopped the flow of Aether If he could absorb meaning through it that would be interesting But that was for another time For now

Randidly touched the memories and they swirled around him And he felt it a picture slowly emerging out of the memories pieced together through a thousand small moments slowly coming together

My name is Aemont And by feeding this spear I could obtain a power the defies the will of the Spearman I could steal another’s strength I could cannibalize someone else’s soul

But

I could not I could not sacrifice another for my own power So

So there is only one choice To use my own emotions to feed the spear

To give away my heart to obtain the power to protect and to have faith I won’t forget my motivation once i’ve become a shell of the man I once was

Chapter 270

Randidly felt it then years of experience of implacable will of dominating violence of a deep sad knowing love and a yearning More than anything else the spear was filled with yearning It was wide and deep and so thick that Randidly couldn’t make sense of it all

There were flecks of memory soft warm moments with his sons as Aemont slowly grew as he returned to visit them while he fought on the front line He was so desperate to make more memories each time he returned Randidly could feel because he had to keep feeding the spear This strength wasn’t enough The challenge set for him by the elders of the Endless Heat Style was impossible some might say

Curious Randidly pushed looking for what he had to do but he was swamped then with a wave of dread and hatred a deep primal fear that caused Randidly to begin to tremble He pulled his mental feelers back shocked but it was exploding forth now a huge fear and anger threatening to consume Randidly Wave after wave of hungry emotion crashed into him threatening to eat away at his sanity and Randidly could only buckle down pressing his eyes closed and smashing the emotions back with his own Battle Intent and Rejection

It was a long slow slog through the waves of crashing emotions and no longer could Randidly spare the attention to sift through the memories They all swirled together in a jumble and just had to be slowly neutralized

Even though it had been years since their inception the poignancy of each individual emotion was intimidating Aemont truly was a master and just from the level of emotions he felt Randidly knew that Aemont’s Battle Intent was absurdly high So high it scared him

But then Randidly lost it again and could only sit there bobbing up and down in his own body besieged by the raging emotions that had been bottled up in the spear for so long

Azriel Blanche cleaned her spear applying small amounts of oil and then rubbing them into the spear with an old rag This was something that she had been taught long ago by her grandfather To care for the spear and not just the Spearman himself Although they were part of the Spearman School that didn’t mean the Spear School didn’t have its own merits

Your spear is just as important as you just as vital ’ Her grandfather had said whispering because his windpipe had been crushed one too many times on the frontline the injuries so heinous that even healing spells couldn’t correct the bone deviations Care for it train it as you do your own body ’

Her grandfather was profoundly weird but he was one of the only people who saw her talent early on in her life and supported her giving her tips and attention when she was just one of a brood of distant relatives Without him she would not have been able to see the things she had or followed the path that led her here to cultivating a monstrous physical memory

Out of respect for him although he was long dead Azriel continued to clean her spear

It was a spear she had been given recently this thin needle of a spear a spear she had demanded from her Style after she had demonstrated impeccably that she was the best bet the Style had to return to prominence

It had been a win she had long fought for and Azriel had originally thought that this would put the matter of marriage to bed the spear was a peace offering a silent apology given by the Style leadership And yet

There was a knock on the door and then a man entered into the room bowing

Ms Blanche Master Wyrd has invited you over to his courtyard for dinner

Azriel’s lips twitched And yet it was still like this Master Wyrd Huh

It’s 4 Does Drak dine so early in the evening

The spear attendant shook his head No but there are matters to dis

No I’ll arrive at 7 Have the food hot for me Azriel interrupted throwing out a powerful drilling Battle Intent that smashed into the man’s gut sending him staggering

Azriel The man said through gritted teeth but then he seemed to realize the situation he was in and hurried away Not that killing him wouldn’t cause hassle but both the leadership of her own Style and the Breaking Dawn Style would relish it it would give them an excuse that Azriel couldn’t deny to force her into talks with Drak After all it was tradition to pay a price for murdering another’s spear attendant

Well if she had to do it the timing was at least good With practiced ease Azriel continued to rub oil into the spear The Ghosthound had apparently taken her suggestion of a break and wandered off with it It had been several hours since she had seen him and she was getting profoundly tired of being forced to seek him out It was especially frustrating that Drak continued to pester her but her pet project to force Drak’s potential in front of her discerning eyes was so lackadaisical

But that was only while they weren’t training While they were training Azriel had always been of the opinion that the goal of strength was to do one thing so well that it makes the opponent’s plans irrelevant That was why she had worked on her speed and the piercing power of her spear She had turned that into an unstoppable advance

The Ghosthound instead grew stronger by applying pressure in 100 mediocre ways It certainly wasn’t near the point that it could threaten her but his strength increased by strange jumps and bursts And deep in her heart Azriel knew why and it filled her with a small sense of awe

Paths He’s completing a path every few weeks’

It was a ludicrous thought Most people could only choose and learn about 30 or so paths in their lifetime A lot of the times they would save up PP for the rarer paths that one would get associated with their Skill Sets which would vastly increase the power and effectiveness of their skills

But the Ghosthound had so many skills that he could just continue to grind them up gathering PP like he was farming radishes With such an upwelling of PP he could finish paths earn more skills and the amount of PP he could gather would just grow and grow

Azriel frowned the more she thought about it however Other people had heard about this strategy before and pushed to use it but they were stopped by the limits on skills imposed by their Class There were some rare spear user variants that allowed for higher numbers of skills but there were none that Azriel knew about that could allow this many skills Even if the Ghosthound had a prodigiously powerful Class it could at most give him 15 or so skill slots and that might be stretching it a little

But based on her own instincts Azriel suspected that he had upwards of 40 skills Which meant most of them had to have come before the Ghosthound got a class Most people preferred to push one or two skills high while getting themselves some useful passive skills before obtaining their Class so the Class they obtained would be focused in a certain direction

In rare cases they were able to obtain elemental spear user Classes giving all of their skills a use But perhaps the Ghosthound knew of a rare Class that he obtained

They weren’t questions that Azriel could answer now on her own so she let them drop sliding out of her consciousness Instead she began to let everything slip away Her consciousness of her surroundings her determination her will her thoughts the looming figure of Drak Wyrd above her and the small restless worry that she wasn’t as perfect as she thought and even if the Ghosthound brought out his true strength she wouldn’t be able to rival it That this whole plan was built on a sham

But it all fell away and left just the image Her mother calmly sitting above her instructing a young irritable Azriel in sewing Time and time again Azriel simmered as a child and then exploded on her mother asking why they had to practice this The spear was the way not the needle Her mother would just smile

On Azriel’s 7th birthday a man had come to the compound of the Sleeping Moon Style a rainbow hunter from the Death School After he had challenged her father and cut off his arm the hunter went for his life Azriel’s mother stepped in with a single thrust

In that moment it was like the world narrowed to become about solely the needle she attacked with With Azriel’s flawless memory every day she saw that move and marveled at the simplicity and dominance of it

Needless to say after that Azriel took her mother’s lessons much more seriously Because she realized that what her mother taught her was not just how to sew and hem but what she taught was patience understanding competence It soon became apparent to Azriel as she watched the situation in the Sleeping Moon Style that her mother had always been the true wielder of power But for a reason that Azriel couldn’t quite understand her mother allowed her father and his brothers to run things and do it poorly

A call to the frontlines that ended in her death had made it so Azriel would never know But immediately afterward Azriel had seized the reins of control disabusing her family about their previous ideas

The rumors had started then the whispered comments greedy whore bitch cunt Immense pressure from all sides from men and women just for leading the Style But the members of the Sleeping Moon Style couldn’t deny that Azriel Blanche was their future It would be based on her power that they would make a comeback She was the pillar they needed so desperately

Wanting to alleviate their worries Azriel made a deal A deal in regards to her hand in marriage Just to consider it but now it was a mistake She should have just broken their resistance with force

Azriel

Azriel opened her eyes

Chapter 271

Frowning Azriel considered the man in front of her Liam Don’t you know not to disturb someone during their training

Liam’s smile was very tired The man had acted as an intermediary between Azriel and Drak for several years now and never failed to smile although it seemed that something had shaken the edges of his confidence Now now I’ve given you up to the limit the dinner is in 20 minutes It’s time

I’m very fast perhaps you’ve seen Azriel interrupted I could make it to his temporary residence in a handful of minutes

Perhaps Miss but I think Drak had something different than spear user casual dress code when he sent the invite Liam said eyeing her training equipment skeptically

Did he If only the previous invite had mentioned it I would have changed Azriel said

I’m mentioning it right now

And you are pulling me out the door in your insistence I arrive early There simply isn’t time Azriel said walking past Liam The man could only sigh and follow behind her

Randidly’s body was trembling His control of mana and Aether were both frayed although they were starting to recover That flood of emotions into his body He could only sit and feel them allowing them to sink into himself The furious angers and the vicious cold fears the love the wide acceptance the regret

Deep endless seas of regret flowed through him filled with grasping hands and discouraging whispers pressing pushing pulling attempting to wear away at the will But also from the emotions was the determination and focus slowly seeping into Randidly’s soul It was a strange experience And one that Randidly wished to have avoided

But Randidly had already gained several levels in Battle Intent and there was so much more fragments of emotions scattered through him

Still the strange trembling made things very difficult He couldn’t train and he didn’t really want to walk out like this in case that there were people who would just see a member of the top 4 trembling falling over his own feet So Randidly decided to remain here and ride out the emotions as best he could In the meantime

Randidly positioned the ivory spear on the table in a well lit area Then he began to study the complicated engraving on the spear a flowing thing that spanned almost the entirety of the shaft curving around and twisting together in strange ways

If what Randidly understood about the spear was correct it was an unbelievable piece of artisanry It could be fed Aether to absorb meaning from the world or it could absorb thoughts and emotions to produce dirty Aether And it seemed that these processes didn’t actually consume what was given but stored the fuel inside the spear itself These emotions flooding Randidly keeping his only movements to trembling felt just as real as his own emotions although he knew they weren’t How was this possible

Over the next 8 hours Randidly brought out more and more of the Engraving encyclopedias checking and rechecking His training with Azriel was temporarily on hold as he continued to tremble although now it was more intermittent than persistent Still wild waves of emotions crashed against him and he just gritted his teeth and focused on his research

The main accomplishment of this time was to divide the Engraving upon the spear into 4 parts At the center was what Randidly could only guess was the place that the consumed substances were stored It was the most intricate piece the most mystifying filled with strange eddies of energy and weird twists and turns

Surrounding this central storage region was the second most complicated work that seemed to act as the portion that allowed this process to be reversed It almost must somehow be the production portion of the spear but again Randidly was completely out of his depth Shadow IV as a rune continued to cause him to struggle and this was much much more refined than that filled with Engraving techniques that Randidly didn’t recognize from any of the volumes

The final two portions were positioned on the outside of the intricate engraving and were what Randidly believed to be the absorption portions They were similar but slightly different Still after his run ins with the Creature and its strange constructs Randidly had some familiarity with how to shape Aether and could identify with a strong degree of certainty which side did what

Both were dense but they were not complicated which was somewhat mystifying to Randidly Based on what he could guess this is the type of equipment that would legitimately make someone a Heretic Yet it was rather unimpressive

Well ’ Randidly supposed Not everything about the system is perfect I guess ’

With a much lowered frequency of tremors in his body Randidly went up to the roof and once more called down the Weeping Cloud and began to Engrave It seemed that the rain drops also did a lot to expedite and smooth the process of absorption too which was a big help but still it wasn’t enough to prevent Randidly from ruining a dozen spears trying to Engrave

It was at that point that the emotions finally seemed to break and calmness returned to Randidly’s inner world With a sigh he leaned back laying out on the ground just letting the raindrops hit him That was profoundly unenjoyable But Randidly drew a lot of benefits from it he knew

However now that he was done

Randidly once more began to Engrave All he had was an old dagger he stored away in his ring so that became the template At first Randidly thought it would be more difficult to Engrave on the relatively smaller dagger but it somehow seemed like the shape of his Engraving naturally changed It was almostas though the Engraving had to be a certain size relative to the weapon

This smaller size made the intricate and dense although simple patterns of this rune easier as the strokes were quick and it was easier to hold an even amount of mana for that time

And he succeeded Randidly inspected his new dagger

Basic Steel Dagger Lvl 13 Serviceable steel dagger made by a competent smith Vit +1 Str +1

Engraving of the Devourer 39% © An ancient cruel rune that can suck away the essence of life from others at the cost of the user’s soul The absorbed energy is raw and rough

Randidly was a little annoyed at his relatively poor showing on such a simple pattern but was more pleased that he had succeeded and his hypothesis was right But then his face twisted a bit It was just ironic to him that after being called a Heretic for so long he had finally become one

Which he supposed was just the way of the world

Putting that out of his mind Randidly turned and made another dagger this one based on the rune on the other side of the spear To his chagrin he succeeded again basically making him one of the fastest learning Heretics in existence

Basic Steel Dagger Lvl 13 Serviceable steel dagger made by a competent smith Vit +1 Agi +1

Engraving of the Inquisitor 47% (Un) A desperate rune that consumes the user’s life to extract meaning from the world A portion of this is lost to the void and the world becomes a little darker

That certainly was not a very encouraging explanation The world became just a little darker huh

After brooding for almost an hour over these strange daggers Randidly came to a decision Against his better judgement it might be worth it to use them on Shal to try and figure out what he was struggling against in his dreams Specifically the Engraving of the Inquisitor

Still best use the spear it didn’t show signs of Randidly’s shoddy workmanship

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN Shal bellowed all semblance of control lost gasping for breath looking at the shade of Aemont standing in front of him What the fuck was that

But Aemont remained silent only raising his spear Shal gritted his teeth

This unending spar stretched on and on but Shal had been slowly getting better He could see it now the way his Style was morphing into something different than Aemont’s the Phantom Viper something quick and brutal and vicious

Yet Aemont continued to show how his own Style was superior by putting hole after hole in Shal’s Which Shal then corrected and attempted again And again and again

Until Shal finally landed a blow on the upgraded version of Aemont and saw a vision a memory Of the 2nd gift of Lucretia and the tragedy surrounding it

Chapter 272

The power I received was great and everyday I grew stronger but it was not enough The mountain that they had put in front of me was high beyond belief Although I knew the curse of the Eternal Witch I could not dissuade myself

She obtained for me an ancient evil rune that would let me give my soul to obtain power from defeated enemies As long as I use it on the front lines against them

But first I must deal with the Engraving Guilds I must agree to ridiculous demands that have me working on special missions on the front lines obtaining materials for dark experiments that don’t bear thinking about But there is no choice Both sides are playing with dark forces and we hold in each other a mutual agreement for silence

For two years they struggle to understand the rune creating prototype after prototype They are broken dangerous weapons which can destroy a man But after two years while my strength is sharpened and I must spend almost all of my waking days away from my beloved and my two sons one freshly born one I’ve never even seen they’ve done it

Over the next three months at the cost of my soul my power doubles

I am death The Spear Phantom I can feel it so clearly as I hollow out my insides for power This is who I am

But I still remember I still know the purpose of the man who I was before I was emptied

So I return triumphant I have killed the enemy that I promised to slay and returned with its head

To find my eldest Pronto holding one of those cursed prototypes I had stored at home Standing over the cooling bodies of my wife and my unnamed son who I never got to see take a breath

What Shal was crying now his hands balled into fists WHAT DOES THAT MEAN

Sensing something Aemont lowered his spear his clear eyes running up and down Shal as if considering what to say And to Shal’s surprise Aemont sighed My son of the woman I had sworn to love died that day You

Shal slowly froze You didn’t name me Pronto did You never visited me like you visited him You To you I’m just

Time slipped past silence hanging between them Neither had anything to say

Then What am I Shal mumbled

Aemont’s eyes were profoundly sad as he raised his spear in salute Then for the first time since Shal had become stuck in this world Aemont began to advance toward him taking the initiative

Although he was struggling to figure out what was going on whether to believe the shade of Aemont and the strange memories he saw Shal’s instincts still kicked in as Aemont advanced Once more energy twisted and flowed out of the misty ground filling Aemont making him seem more real more solid even as the ground around him faded away

Soon it was just the two of them standing in a dimly lit darkness only them and their spears on a flat plane

Damnit It was only ever this huh Shal whispered looking at his hands around the spear This this was the only way you could the only way you tried to bond with us If I’m not your son why did you even bother

Suddenly Shal just felt profoundly tired as he looked at Aemont rushing towards him looking as if he had completely reincarnated But in the face of this Shal couldn’t care about this final confrontation He simply let his spear go letting it fall to the dark floor with a clatter

Aemont paused giving Shal a look pick up your spear

I’m tired of these games Shal said sitting down sighing to himself Just kill me if I really am an imposter son a fake to appease the Endless Heat Style or something reanimated corpse why bother

Because you are my son It is your destiny to hold a spear

Shal waved his hand airily Perhaps perhaps not I cannot find it in me to care I have a disciple now you know I’ve been just as poor a teacher as you have been a father

Shal’s head jerked up as Aemont nodded Then the shade looked at him critically You think I did not know I dwell not only in your chest but in the remnants of my will in my writings That boy threw himself upon the teeth of my diary many a time He has far more comprehension than you It is a pity that his path does not lie in the spear Still you have done well to find him He will bring our legacy honor

In that moment Shal just looked Then he felt a powerful burst of hatred wishing that Aemont’s words didn’t mean so much to him But there was no way around it Whether or not they were related or Shal was somehow risen from the dead Aemont had said that Shal was his son Could it perhaps be something empathetic like because I raised you you are my son Shal didn’t think so

Aemont was not the type to say such things

Your spear Aemont chided again interrupting Shal’s musings To end this to see the truth to escape we must fight You must fight

Suddenly Aemont looked up glaring balefully towards the sky But after a few seconds of this his gaze softened Truly the boy has excellent instincts Much less short sighted than some other people Now are you prepared to continue

Shal said nothing

Aemont sighed You know that boy will likely die in the wake of this tournament

Grunting Shal said He knew the risks participating At this level accidents

No no not due to the tournament not due to his actions but due to you Aemont said Due to your connection with me and the precious daughter of the Endless Heat Style They have a very particular way of letting their inheritance pass from generation to generation and it depends on blood Those old bastards knew more than they let on but they suspect just like you that you are not my son

For now I can only offer my word but I can show you To them your existence poses a threat both ways If you are truly the descendent they expect of the Endless Heat Style you need to be taught If you are not if you are a fake you must be killed so you cannot be used against the Char’s the current ruling family in the Style They will come for you but your disciple will not escape the culling They would rather kill more than they have to rather than miss a descendent

Still Shal remained silent But now Aemont relaxed stepping back watching Shal as he pondered Time to think was the one thing they had in droves

But then a voice made Shal look up towards the sky of this dark place

I miss you

For a few seconds Randidly stood above Shal holding the spear But as he did so he had a profound sense of regret Honestly did he really have to do this now His control over this weapon was pretty low just because he hadn’t had occasion to try out its particular powers Besides there was no proof that using it would have any effect

Also what if the effects were negative

There were too many bad outcomes to Randidly to feel anything but foolish He had an idea that might work and rushed to try it But that was definitely not the way to insure that there would be positive outcomes for them This this was hasty and this was desperate

I miss you Randidly said to the man who treated him roughly through their entire series of interactions beating him training him molding him Teaching him to kill and then becoming furious at him for his callous actions Shal was a lot like life in that way he didn’t make much sense

But Randidly didn’t hate him for it

Randidly also understood that Shal was fighting his own battle one independent of Randidly One that involved Lucretia and a debt generations in coming So on a strange impulse stirring in his chest Randidly removed both the Devourer and Inquisitor knives and set them on the table next to the sleeping Shal

A gift Then Randidly turned and left the room After he closed the door he felt the handle tingle absolutely charged with something It wasn’t mana and it wasn’t Aether but it was something just as powerful Something mysterious

Damnit Randidly whispered to himself standing in the dark hallway The world was wide and full and he was just a very small part of it As hard as it was to admit things moved beyond him things he would never understand He could see a small part of Shal’s journey through the memories and emotions scattered and jumbled as they were from Aemont but

That was not his path to walk

So Randidly returned to his room flexing his hands It really seemed like the tremors had stopped That was good Now it was time to check his gains from the previous 3 days and plan his way forward He didn’t have time for much just to put the finishing touches on his plan for the fight but Randidly planned to give it his all

For the honor of the Spear Phantom Style and for Azriel These were two individuals who gave him help when others would not For their own purposes yet and it was slightly tenuous in Azriel’s case But Randidly swore to himself that he wouldn’t be brittle and leave like his father In this situation far out of his depth he would stay and see this through

Chapter 273

Randidly opened up his Status screen and looked at what he had gained through training

First was Ash to Ash which although costly had increased by 12 Skill Levels They had made a concerted effort to work on that while they could and that had lowered the mana cost by a pittance but it had also given Randidly a marginally larger amount of control and deftness with its use

What the problem was for combat was how powerful the image already was so the very air changed when it was used Drak wouldn’t recognize it at first but if Randidly failed in its use then all that mana would be wasted

The match Randidly shivered He was looking forward to it

But he had also gained 6 Lvls in the Phantom’s Embrace 3 in Spear Mastery and Fighting Proficiency 2 in Haste Empower and Block 4 in Dodge and Bacterial Regeneration 3 in Living Blood 5 in Grace and Flexibility of the White Hunters 6 in Anguish 4 in Struggle and Golden Roots of Yggdrasil 3 in Torment and Rejection and 5 in Mana Engraving

Perhaps due to the vicious flood of emotions that had crashed through Randidly during the use of the spear his Mental Strength had increased by 8 his Mental Fortitude by 10 and Battle Intent by 16

The amount of PP he had earned for his battle related skills surprised him he didn’t think he had much more to learn in those regards or if he did it would require long hours of training to hone himself to a point He had reached a plateau But it seemed that there were still some things that Randidly had yet to work through from his earlier training sessions with Shal in the prison But in his heart Randidly knew that gains like this wouldn’t happen again for a while

All in all Randidly had a pile of PP to spend and he used it first to finish off the Intermediate Battle Intent Path

Congratulations You have completed the Intermediate Battle IntentPath This is a lonely path of constant sharpening and strife Yet you advance don’t you traveler Your path leads through pain yet you step forward This path has no end you know Endurance +5

Branching Path Your Battle Intent grows stronger Shall it expand becoming more multifarious or condense becoming more dense and solid

Randidly paused here but only briefly Although he knew that heading towards a solid Battle Intent was the better option giving him another surprising avenue of attack when he looked at that option all he saw was the word brittle

Randidly would not be brittle The other path might lead towards becoming an Adept and almost definitely defeating Drak but that was not how Randidly wanted to improve Physical condensation of Battle Intent was impressive but Besides although being an Adept was an advantage it was not everything A solid Battle Intent that was weak would be useless Better to focus on his own path now and not over think short jumps in power

Congratulations Your power grows and swirls The range of your Battle Intent has increased Shifts in your Battle Intent now happen more quickly Injuries to your Battle Intent are more easily healed although still not simply

Randidly nodded at this notification pleased There wouldn’t be any initial bonuses based on this but maybe Randidly could refine his control in the remaining few days in his spars with Azriel It was too bad it didn’t earn him another skill but Randidly supposed it was greedy and pointless to get another one at this point anyway

Then he looked at his options for paths with his remaining PP

Heretic XIII 0/ Nexus Traveler Cohort 5 0/50 Path of Control 0/200 Basic Mana Engraving 0/100 Journeyman 0/150 Experimenter I 0/50 Steps of the Godling I 0/50 The Second Seedling 0/50 The Ash of Aemont the Spear Phantom 0/ The Phantom’s Embrace 0/150 Mentalist I 0/50

Grimacing Randidly acknowledged that Heretic had went up again He supposed that was only natural he was continued to gain strength even though he didn’t have a Class But he wasn’t sure at all how the previous Judgement resolved Based on the fact that Lucretia still had the Yeti head it was possible there was a trap still waiting for him out there

Randidly sighed So many fucking loose ends to worry about

Then he focused looking at the list Again Heretic Nexus Traveler Cohort Basic Mana Engraving Experimenter I Steps of the Godling Mentalist I and the Second Seedling were ruled out because they didn’t seem immediately helpful or were confusing as to their effects

Aside from those Path of Control and Journeyman were also set aside for now they were more general improvements and Randidly was looking for more concrete specific ones especially after he chose to just expand the flexibility of his Battle Intent

Unlocking a skill for the Phantom’s Embrace was an obvious choice although the cost was high but Randidly couldn’t tear his eyes away from a path that left him very confused

The Ash of Aemont the Spear Phantom 0/

As he focused on it he felt the heat of that strange other world where he was tested under the watch of the Patron of Ash Then a voice rumbled in his ear

All that dies returns to Ash just as all that is living will become Ash We move in a cycle where meaning is fleeting and lives are worth nothing

But the Ash will remain You have eaten a portion of his remains in that spear there is a path there if you wish to take it

Be warned At the end of this path you will be tested Not by me but by Aemont himself and his Ash

Also although Ash is the basis of us all individual instances are fleeting If you do not choose this now while the remnants are fresh this path will no longer be yours to walk

Randidly pursed his lips Really Patron of Ash Buy now before we sell out and you lose your chance entirely to purchase this wonderful item

Shaking his head Randidly couldn’t deny however that he was powerfully tempted It seemed like a good path And if it ended up giving him some of Aemont’s strength That would be invaluable both in the long and short term He was given some pause by the question marks that prevented him from being able to see the total length but still If he had to

Looking at the other options there was nothing he could really finish quickly so why not take a gamble The Path wouldn’t likely become relevant until later anyway it would be a good idea to take back one last gift from Shal’s world to Earth on the 7th Cohort

So Randidly selected it Then his expression turned ugly for two reasons

First it was a 500 PP path This would take a while And second he had put his remaining 24 PP into the path and received nothing

Fucking Patron of Ash

Randidly swore to himself that he would never trust that molten piece of shit ever again

Azriel was surprised by how pleasant the dinner was Simple polite almost to the point where she was annoyed that Drak had nothing to press no issues to force They knew what was at stake They would fight in the finals and if she lost she would become his wife Not only due to the agreement of their respective Styles but because of a bet she had made for another man

Ah That’s it ’ Azriel thought to herself watching him closely He’s struggling to understand it Now that it has made his life more convenient he fears it for it was not something he expected ’

This realization made the dinner all the more enjoyable as Drak’s discomfort became obvious

Finally after they had eaten their meals and the table was cleared did Drak make his move giving her a deep look Azriel I hope you realize how much this means for the both of us Even if you win we can still unite our families with the North behind us

She said nothing just looking at him

Chapter 274

Intense That was Drak Wyrd Where others might have turned that fame and strength into arrogance Drak pushed it down filling his short brown hair his mild eyes his well muscled stature with it There was a density and permanence to him that others couldn’t rival That was part of his strength the very air crackling with his power

Azriel admired that But in the same way she admired a skilled fisherman who could feed a village in an extremely detached way She wouldn’t be attracted to a person simply because they were strong Because there were so many monsters out there with more strength than men What was the point in having that as the quality most valued in a mate

Are you not interested Are you worried about the pressure from your family I have never understood why you hesitated let it draw itself out this long Drak said slowly looking at her carefully Liam stood behind him ready at any point to give them service

It was honestly so amusing that Azriel found her hand moving gesturing for more wine

Not really to drink just to make the man move and fill her cup

how can you pretend this is beneath your notice Drak asked exasperated with her silence as they both watched Liam pour her more wine Are you really that much of a sociopath

Azriel chuckled It is bad form to tell someone whose values don’t line up with yours they are a sociopath The Northern Region It is not my responsibility

But it is You are the inheritor of a lineage that stretches back to the founding

Styles were established by the Spearman to get rid of exactly this sort of power consolidation Azriel interrupted swirling her wine around It is simple You value this region I don’t I would much rather proceed to the frontlines Out of respect for my family I have allowed this to happen What more is there to say Let it be said with spears

Drak seemed to be struggling with something Do you truly care for nothing but yourself and your freedom

Azriel shrugged and stood Liam brought her to the door But before she left she could hear Drak speaking to her back

But there is something you care about don’t you This Ghosthound To promise me your hand in exchange for a stay on his execution But it was just a stay Azriel Unless you agree

She walked out of the building without looking back

After she had gone Drak crushed the table to powder

He was still there his shoulders heaving when Liam returned The man stood respectfully beside him not commenting on the state of the table which if anything just infuriated Drak more But he channeled that rage elsewhere

Then he took a deep breath and the anger dissipated

Does she truly care so little for her family Drak muttered

Liam hesitated for a second then said It seems rather that her family did not value her mother and sent her as their representative to the frontlines I’ve looked into it too her performance was exemplary but alas before her 4 years were up Afterwards the family devolved into bickering Azriel’s father wasn’t very strong a man

She had to take over herself Drak grunted Yes I understand But still How can she bear the name Blanche and not feel pride for what her ancestors did coming with mine and taming the North

To that Liam had nothing to say He simply waited while his master thought Finally the silence was broken by Drak cursing to himself then shaking his head furious No no no the dungeons are all too far away Tch being out here away from Village Spirits is truly despicable that’s why we need to reunite the North

Drak’s gaze remained on the ground There has to be a way I refuse to believe that she doesn’t care at all for this man she made a promise over now I just need to have the time to crush him slowly

Is that wise Liam asked even though he knew what his master would say

But to his surprise it seemed that Drak truly considered what Liam had to say It wasn’t that Drak was a fool he just sometimes became obstinate on two subjects family and Azriel Blanche This situation was the unfortunate double whammy which gave Liam a headache but also a small measure of joy

Drak was always happiest when he had concrete goals he could aim for as he had always been That will was the reason he had become the dominant force he was in this tournament That will

Yes it is necessary For the first time in a while I feel slightly threatened His presence was not something I expected or can identify Drak said frowning This Ghosthound a generalist mage dabbling in the spear but his skills with those roots are uncanny In addition his spear skills have been steadily increasing

You’ve paid attention to him Liam asked impressed in spite of himself

Drak gave him a sour look Yes although I should have just had you do it When it comes to Azriel Blanche I will not allow anything to keep me from my goal The Ghosthound struggled through his qualifier then endured through the preliminaries then lost to Bertarn then beat Bertarn then beat Ciel in a direct contest of strength All the while as a member of the Spear Phantom Style

They both fell silent for a while They were both familiar with the public story but also with the less savory version that spread among the upper tiered Styles in the North

Do you think Liam asked slowly unsure of what he wanted his master to say Desperately Liam wanted to deny it but it was compelling evidence no one improves that fast no matter who their teachers are

Who can say But I do need power Drak’s eyes were determined

But the Aether Starvation

Can be staved off somewhat Until the tournament I will go into meditation Do not disturb me for any reason Even if Azriel comes to reconsider my offer

Liam blinked then he bowed For the glory of the Breaking Dawn Sir

Ha Drak said as he slowly walked towards the door I haven’t heard that in a while but yes For the glory of the Breaking Dawn

What are you going to do after the tournament The male spear attendant asked Helen in one of the breaks of their own training There was only 1 day remaining until the match between The Ghosthound and Drak and Helen was ready to rip her hair out

What was worse was that the Ghosthound seemed to spend every moment with Azriel sparring repeatedly In her heart Helen prayed and prayed that Shal got off his fucking ass and woke the fuck up just so she would have an excuse to go and interrupt their extended training session but that didn’t seem likely So she could only beat up on the male spear attendant

He annoyingly seemed to enjoy the spars too and to his credit was constantly refining his image of his Iron Bulwark becoming increasingly durable and strong Unfortunately for him his stiff defense could do little against Helen’s twisting and flowing attacks especially as her growth was fueled by the constant pulse of fresh Aether in her veins

Helen shivered God it felt so good It was a chance to become truly great and the Ghosthound had given it to her Inwardly she was torn between waiting to follow him around and show off her strength and murder him to prove she could be independent

But the male spear attendant’s question stopped her dead Because in a way it was everything that she had been dreading This past few months had been ones of constant change The impulse to go for the qualifier seeing the Ghosthound there winning Becoming his spear attendant

Training with him breaking him out of prison

Their Night

She could fuck him to death Helen decided That would be the way she murdered him for making her feel like this when she swore for so long she would never let exactly this happen

But in her heart she knew that he was leaving after the tournament Either to train for the Inter School Tournament or to the frontlines or anywhere basically If it was him if it was him

I don’t know Do you Her own hesitation made her want to eat the entire shaft of her spear but it was the male spear attendant They had seen each other at their worst and spent a lot of time together If nothing else he was someone she could easily kill if he were to threaten to reveal her secret

Yes I think I’m going to enlist Hopefully not to the frontlines but some of the border areas where there are occasional skirmishes After spending time with the Ghosthound it makes you realize you can’t get anywhere if you don’t grab something you know And after I have gloriously defeated the enemies in the area and received promotion after promotion kukuku

Helen rolled her eyes but her tongue got extremely heavy so much so that even the male spear attendant seemed to notice turning to regard her with shock that she hadn’t ripped him to pieces Yet still she said nothing but tears began to form in the corner of her eyes

Because what she wanted to say to the male spear attendant was Don’t die

But she couldn’t because that would open up all of her roiling emotions And she would run and run and break down the door and run up to the Ghosthound and say Don’t leave because all of her emotions were tied up together bound to this short span of time in her life where she had grown and changed more than she could have ever expected

And it was ending

Don’t ’ Helen thought the tears washing away her composure her hardened bitterness after years of suffering under her mother’s tongue and expectations Please ’

The night passed in silence above them rushing forward heedlessly

Chapter 275

Randidly breathed slowly in then out feeling the flow of air through him

He felt sharp There was no other way to describe it He had been training until late last night fighting time after time with Azriel They had trained until both of them were ragged and out of breath and then for the first time in several weeks Randidly allowed his body to relax and sleep Because today was the day of his match with Drak

A part of Randidly’s subconscious wanted him to feel panic that even by the end Randidly had never once managed to beat Azriel But there was another part of him one that rang more true to his ears that Azriel was the type that could instantly recognize and predict an attack after she had only seen it once It only took a single glance for her to reduce its effectiveness against her by 50%

Yet every match they fought lasted longer and longer became bloodier and grittier Their struggles became more intense even as Azriel kept categorically making some of his maneuvers obsolete

But Randidly continued to improve at a rate she couldn’t predict

She said nothing as he left just nodded at him But there was something in her eyes a strange sadness that Randidly couldn’t put his finger on Perhaps it was just that they had both realized that their impromptu alliance was ending today After this match it would be up to her

Randidly took another breath savoring the morning air He stretched out his arm and summoned the ivory spear into his hand For several long moments he simply looked at it running his fingers over it savoring the feel of the bone It was somehow dear to him at this point

There was a strange connection growing between them at this point It was part Aether and part of the same sort of connection that formed between himself and Lyra all those years ago in the village of Donnyton

Randidly’s mouth quirked up Of course it hadn’t been years to her

Very quickly he forced those thoughts out of his mind Better to focus on this connection that was forming because it was his one lingering doubt about the upcoming match Randidly didn’t like relying on a spear like this that he couldn’t understand And Randidly had believed he had understood the purposes of the runes on the spear but his examination was crude More secrets could be hidden inside of it ones that he didn’t want to encounter mid match

The emotions of Aemont were a grim reminder of what tragedy this spear could bring

At the same time Randidly had also discovered that he had the ability to store the spear inside himself somehow through the connection he shared with the spear It was convenient in a way because it gave him some ideas about how to fight against Drak Wyrd but it also escalated his fears to another level

Still after confirming with Divvet that it was allowed Randidly still planned on taking advantage of that small surprise Every little bit counted

Twisting his mouth in distaste Randidly walked up towards Shal’s room one last time He had certainly come a long way since he refused to use his spells so he could experience a true spear fight in the qualifiers He had learned things His inflated pride had been popped and he had learned to care less about experiencing something truly and more about giving his all towards his goal

Which was why he would fight and fight and fight to the bitter end today

Randidly entered Shal’s room and looked at his mentor who still slept Although he had transitioned to something that seemed exactly like a natural sleep he had still been like this for at least a week perhaps even longer That couldn’t be healthy

The daggers that he had engraved in his hotheaded attempt to affect the sleep still sat there on the bedside table Picking them up Randidly examined his work with a critical eye before returning them to to table Perhaps they would be good luck

And perhaps that strange impulse he had to put them there and leave them there was really the tug of fate

Randidly left the inn and walked towards the arena and was surprised to find the male spear attendant and Helen

If you go to fight with that sort of expression you definitely need an entourage to go with you The male spear attendant proclaimed

Randidly’s mouth twisted Then he frowned Where is

Damnit he had forgotten his other spear attendant’s name And he didn’t even know the male spear attendant’s name Struck by this sudden stunning realization Randidly opened his mouth to ask but was interrupted by Helen

our letter that Shal was found just caught him too late He was still traveling around the north asking for news and is only heading back now

Randidly looked at Helen feeling his heart quicken slightly It was amazing in a way Randidly thought that he had slept with this powerful opinionated independent woman And her bright gaze now as their eyes met made even Randidly who was uncommonly dense realize there could be something more there

He squirmed uncomfortably but didn’t look away It was a good feeling As their gazes continued to remain locked her eyes seemed to soften and she took a step forward

Goddamnit

Randidly’s eyes were torn away as the male spear attendant ran up to him and threw his arms around Randidly engulfing him in a hug Tears streamed down his face I’m I’m I’m gonna miss you so much

Patting his head awkwardly Randidly quickly extricated himself Almost instantly the male spear attendant’s eyes dried and he straightened adjusting his clothes Randidly walked up to Helen feeling a strange pressure in his chest

With words eluding him Randidly just blurted out something dumb Hug for luck

Strangely Helen glared at him Then she leaned forward bringing their faces and bodies very close and whispered There will be a lot more than a hug waiting for you after you win today

Then she turned spinning on her foot and their bodies were so close that as she twisted her ass brushed against his groin lightly before she took a step away Randidly just scratched his face briefly losing himself to memories

Helen spoke breaking his reverie They say he’s never known defeat never even broken a sweat

I might not win but you can bet I won’t let him off that easy Randidly said looking up at the sky For every gallon of blood I’ve shed these past few weeks I’ll make him pay What I’m aiming to break is his pride

On the walk to the arena Randidly looked at his path screen He really had only gained a few scant levels the past few days mostly in Living Blood and Golden Roots of Yggdrasil There was good news though at 25 PP in the Ash of Aemont Path he received 2 distributable stat points that he immediately put into Perception So at least that wasn’t a waste

People flooded the streets already an hour early waving their mugs emblazoned with Randidly’s Tassle yelling and cheering In a way it was already a win in a lot of people’s books that he had made it to the final 4 while just being from a small style It gave people hope

It really seemed that Claptrap’s strange absence from the inn was just a reflection of how busy he had been marketing products to the populace of Deardun Everyone had memorabilia To the point that Randidly couldn’t help but roll his eyes Hopefully this fad would fade quickly but not so quickly that Claptrap would find the ire of the populace turning against him

Either way Randidly was glad that he could have such a positive effect on Claptrap That shy merchant that he had encountered selling illegal product to had really grown into an individual who had a lot of things going for him Even without Randidly Claptrap would be fine

They arrived at the arena and were quickly ushered inside while the surging and cheering crowd was kept at bay Helen and the male spear attendant were led away to a private area while Randidly was taken to the familiar basement

There was only one other figure down there below the arena Azriel’s match wasn’t until the afternoon so even though it was only a silhouette Randidly knew who the other individual was

Drak Wyrd more a blob of darkness than a man looked up towards Randidly as he walked forward Their gazes met At the same time the two men smiled

But while Randidly’s smile was one of excitement and rising competitiveness Drak’s was twisted and cruel

It would for better or for worse definitely not be a simple match Randidly somehow knew But he simply sat For now it was just time to wait

Chapter 276

Humming to herself Lucretia strolled through the streets of Deardun openly ignoring the celebrating people drinking themselves into fits of jubilation and contests of strength To her eyes it was extremely distasteful but she didn’t really judge the average person for their strange ways of coping with life

Because honestly Lucretia had made her bread and butter playing to those people Of warping their expectations and changing their lives

In her chest warm and icy and sweet Aether flowed the fresh and extremely pure dose she had obtained from the Ghosthound It still shocked her how potent the Aether she had obtained from him was It was too much for her to handle at first But the more she savored it using it sparingly on a few pet projects she had long tinkered with bringing them to fruition the more she had a craving for more

All in good time She whispered to the air stepping carefully over a man who was passed out on the street

Lucretia dared walk openly here because although the highest powers in Deardun would give her pause their attention wouldn’t waiver from the arena today There was something in the air a powderkeg about to blow all related to the Ghosthound Several groups wanted him dead for various reasons and their noose was slowly tightening even though the boy didn’t know it

Which was inconvenient for Lucretia because she very much wanted more of this very pure Aether So it was necessary to finally force her sleeping card to awake Hopefully his time in the darkness had driven him a little off the edge and make Shal more amenable to her influence

Very quickly Lucretia arrived at the inn they were staying at and looked up smiling to find that her spell on Shal had faded to just a subconscious suggestion allowing him to remain asleep should he choose it And sleeping he still was just as she had intended

Almost as if he was waiting for her an elderly bald man was sitting in meditation in front of the inn a spear across his knees

Lucretia clicked her tongue How did you know Very rarely are my comings and goings not seen as a surprise

The man chuckled as he straightened and stood lowering his spear towards her You probably do not remember it but there was one night you snuck into Captain Aemont’s tent I saw it Even then I had a knack for hearing the music of the soul and now that ability has grown more than I thought possible It was unavoidable that I would hear the rising crescendo of your involvement increasing

To her surprise Lucretia was slightly happy that this man was here It meant that she could share just enough just so he would know about how wide and deep her influence ran Now when she was so close to succeeding at so many things it was a heady drug But Lucretia was also guarded by a caution that had kept her alive for 300 years There was no need to move quickly

Shal we head upstairs Lucretia said wagging her eyebrows at Divveltian hoping he would catch her invisible pun

Unfortunately he was supremely unamused and unwilling to listen to her I think not Shall you draw your spear in the next few seconds or am I going to kill an unarmed woman with a clean conscience

Even before he finished speaking he launched himself forward rushing towards Lucretia In her heart she felt a small glow of admiration at his decisiveness If he were a bit older and gave her a murderous look like that while they weren’t on a public street Lucretia was forced to fan herself with her hand desperately dispelling her manufactured blush

Of course she already had a date to this ball

Their spears crossed with a clang Divveltian seemingly surprised to find the slightly charred corpse with a hole in its neck fighting against him wielding a terrifying black spear The eyes of the man were almost completely dead without the slightest sign of life But his spear was quick impossibly quick moving at a speed that seemed to tear some of the muscles of the body as it made the moves

Narrowing his eyes Divvet turned his attention to the new threat a rising music filling the air making Lucretia coo in amusement and bob her head Truly Divvet was a talented and dedicated spear user that had finally found his own because he inflicted wound after wound on the wielder of the black spear

But he earned several small wounds of his own And the wounds of Black Spear were not bleeding but there was an increasingly bright red light coming from the body’s eyes

Lucretia laughed ignoring the passersby who seemed to realize this wasn’t normal

Divveltian hissed between his teeth What the fuck is this This body is from the Endless Heat Style and yet

Uses the Creeping Rot Style You have a good eye you really must have traveled around a bit after you retired from the Frontlines Lucretia mused But my transactions have earned me quite a few souls who want a chance at eternal life With a little bit of a certain kind of energy

Lucretia’s grin was wolfish It is very easy to tie some old souls to young bodies with a spark of life Even easier when the recipient is willing but Well no point in letting this drag out Isradius kill

Black Spear nodded his eyes glowing red He raised his spear and Divveltian roared and raised his own the phantom image of spears appearing behind him moving to the rising music sweeping everything else away

With a huge crash the two men rushed each other and lashed out aiming to break the other Black Spear with a strange dank weakness in his strike Divveltian filled with music of battle The shockwave passed harmlessly through Lucretia and smashed several of the gawking onlookers into nearby walls inflicting serious injuries

Divveltian staggered back but Black Spear was stopped dead too although he appeared slightly superior the light in his eyes was immensely diminished

Lucretia frowned however sensing how some of the bones in Black Spear’s arms had shattered and were healing very slowly Whether it was the difference in Style or body size and shape there was something about the soul using the body that was destroying it at a speed that was unacceptable But Lucretia was never one to only have one option

She raised her hand to cue another card but a voice interrupted her

Kukuku It is for the best then that I came back for a quick drink before the match otherwise how could I have ended up the hero A young man that Lucretia vaguely recognized as one of the Ghosthound’s spear attendants arrived producing his spear and pointing it at Black Spear

Kid don’t get in Divveltian began but the young man just waved him off

Old man you knowthere is only one thing I’m good at and that’s taking blows There is no need to worry about the glorious I or my name is not Roger K

The young man was struck from behind a spear smashing into his back and sending him tumbling like a ragdoll The body hit the ground and bounced then rolled several feet then went still Her second pawn walked forward his eyes glowing red

Divveltian’s eyes widened You why

The wounded young man stirred even as the wound in his shoulder began to bleed profusely He got his hands underneath him and then grunted moving himself up Then he grabbed his spear and pushed himself farther off the ground even as he trembled

An ambush Fool the more wounded I become The stronger my will to survive

The young man heaved himself up with a momentous act of will Although he was a bug to her Lucretia was so impressed with his determination that she clapped for him Sensing the applause the young man grinned and bowed to her almost falling over in the process and losing large spurts of blood as his weight shifted

In spite of herself Lucretia smiled He was truly amusing But what was even more amusing was the look on his face as he straightened and saw the assailant who attacked him There was a long silence as the two regarded each other

The young man rubbed at his eyes Holy shit I must have drank more this morning than I thought I had

Are you really so shocked that I’m strong That I’m not relying on you guys for power The voice was filled with barely disguised disgust and fury

The young man simply shrugged seemingly at a loss Claptrap what

No don’t bother to talk Claptrap hissed his body walking forward his eyes glowing red as the soul Lucretia had grafted onto him seized control to use the spear to its full effect I’m tired of it I’m tired of you all pitying me of treating me like I’m just a convenience rather than part of the team So I’m done with you all And I will make you pay for every ounce of misery you forced me to experience

Chapter 277

Even with a wound in his side the male spear attendant stood perplexed almost heedless of his own blood loss Of course his high physical defense stats were starting to slow the bleeding down but he had lost a majority of his health in the single blow and must be feeling it Lucretia mused

But in his stance there was no weakness only confusion

Misery Does our friendship really mean so little Claptrap The male spear attendant said his eyes sorrowful But this heartfelt wondering served only to infuriate Claptrap further

There This is exactly why Claptrap bellowed the red glow in his eyes hardening You don’t take me seriously at ll Even now even as I hold the power to kill you you don’t feel threatened Because it’s me Because I’m Claptrap the lovable merchant the SIDEKICK With the final word Claptrap threw himself forward his spear raised A powerful image of a monster appeared in the air behind him fuzzy and distant but vicious and potent

However unlike his first strike the male spear attendant was ready this time and his Iron Bulwark sprung into being around him his spear held defensively The two forces crashed and the Bulwark was ripped into scrap metal The male spear attendant managed to interpose his spear between himself and the strike but even the shaft of that was bent slightly with the force of Claptrap’s attack

This exchange served as a signal for the other two and the fight between Black Spear and Divveltian resumed Divveltian throwing all his reserves at Black Spear pounding him forcing his body into awkward positions Whereas before Divveltian had challenged Black Spear directly and lost now he continued to harry him slowly increasing the damage done to the physical body which the deceased soul inside of the body had little ways of addressing

Still those small wounds were short lived as the red in Black Spear’s eyes grew more bright and small flames began to emerge on those wounds licking at them Slowly they grew closed healing through sheer force of will

Black Spear stepped forward its eyes baleful and glowing Divveltian just growled and closed his eyes A music was emerging sweeping the streets higher and stronger than before and spears began to materialize everywhere

The small crowd that had gathered at the end of the street watched eyes wide This level of confrontation was rarely seen by the public Lucretia knew and she didn’t want to be the one that spoiled how weak the average person really was So she waved her hand and her third and final zombie moved out of the shadows cutting the onlookers down

Beckoning the final zombie over to her side Lucretia turned to watch the two contests with interest

Whatever Divveltian was doing it was working Although Black Spear was able to heal he couldn’t do it quickly enough not with the weight of the crescendo of spears that Divveltian was using to slowly tear the skin off of Black Spear’s body

If Lucretia didn’t know better she would have said that Divveltian just had an epiphany mid battle and was powering up immensely But the likelihood of that actually happening Shaking her head Lucretia turned to the other battle

It seemed that Claptrap had seen the state Black Spear was being reduced to and lashed out harder and harder Each time the male spear attendant was knocked to the ground But each time the male spear attendant also sprung to his feet his shoulder broken his thigh bleeding heavily now as well but the image of the Iron Bulwark behind him stronger more vibrant

GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY WAY Claptrap bellowed and there were tears in his eyes Lucretia saw But she just smiled She could feel his emotions roiling within Claptrap Fear shame uncertainty But also behind the others a certain amount of satisfaction and excitement and pride He enjoyed these new powers very much she could tell He just wasn’t sure if it was worth the cost yet

Too late Lucretia whispered patting her third zombie on the head Then to amuse herself she began to braid his hair

The male spear attendant stood his ground Why did you come here if not for us We

IF NOT FOR US Claptrap was spitting with fury now almost insensible That’s exactly why I know you think I’d be nothing without you I know you think all of my success is just because of the Ghosthound And maybe maybe he is responsible Maybe he deserves it He’s all they talk about all anyone talks about even But I refuse to be a fucking dog living in his shadow like you

Besides Claptrap continued his voice going lower more menacing and Lucretia was gleeful as dark angry emotions grew stronger filling his body It was never about you it was always about Ciel and then to see like everything else her bet her hand in marriage to the Ghosthound And you cracking jokes after she lost treating her like a cheap harlot

In spite of himself the male spear attendant chuckled Oh kukuku Yes my wit is sharp But they were aimed more at Aethon than her I

Just shut the fuck up and get out of my way Claptrap interrupted his eyes flicking to Divveltian who continued his onslaught on Black Spear Or I will show you the difference between us

The male spear attendant didn’t move Claptrap’s eyes hardened The monster appeared more defined but also different larger now with a human torso but with the head of a slug and arms that were part tentacle part hook They lashes forward with vicious intent

Although the Iron Bulwark was definitely improved it was still ripped to the side and the male spear attendant’s body was hammered into the ground One of his legs snapped and a deep gash was left on his chest

Claptrap stepped over him not trying to finish him off but also not paying him any attention The monster above him roared for blood the red light growing brighter and Claptrap stumbled but continued further

No point help first Claptrap mumbled annoyed at the way the monster inside of him was rebelling against his control After a brief struggle the monster relented

Lucretia was overjoyed The fact that they were fighting already she couldn’t wait to watch the monster inside of him slowly eroding Claptrap’s own will beating him down haunting his dreams and twisting his perspective Although she hadn’t started out like this now watching this sort of dark transformation was her favorite part

But to both her and Claptrap’s surprise after a flicker an image appeared interposing itself between Claptrap and the ongoing fight an Iron Bulwark

Claptrap snorted and swiped his spear aiming to disperse it but his spear hit the Iron Bulwark and rebounded off with a clang

Even Divveltian paused briefly at the sound his eyes widening before he resumed his furious offensive inflicting large blows on Black Spear

Lucretia tapped her jaw frowning

You you’re at the Adept level Claptrap said some of his confidence visibly leaving his face

There was a chuckle Perhaps you didn’t know My name is Roger Kingsley and I am a genius

Claptrap turned around to gaze at the male spear attendant Roger Kingsley who held his gaudy spear flashing with light from the slowly rising sun Although his body was trembling his eyes were bright his gaze even More and more of his Iron Bulwark sprang into being hemming Claptrap into one spot

Sit in timeout Roger announced Until you remember that we are friends I meant no insult to your woman

She was never my woman Claptrap said bitterly raising his spear The monster bellowed morphing and twisting growing a shark fin and an arm that resembled a spear Then it they lashed out together attacking the Bulwark between him and Roger The thing cracked but the image held much to everyone’s surprise

Lucretia narrowed her eyes The transition to an Adept level was mostly one in utility rather than power There were some that got to that level through a mental insight allowing them to prematurely condense their image Or they used the Intermediate Battle Intent Path which gave you a very real boost to crossing that line

Somehow she knew that this Roger had done neither This was done through sheer force of repetition constantly refining his image This was an annoying variable

You you Claptrap roared fear and confusion filling him as he ripped through wall after wall of spiky iron some of the stray metal ripping small gashes on his side He was surprised when Roger stepped forward meeting him in close combat

Claptrap’s eyes glinted and he lashed out using the techniques of the soul inside of him to attack unpredictably Roger was sent staggering but recovered instantly righting his stance As Claptrap watched the Iron Bulwarks around him wavered then disappeared Condensing suddenly those Bulwarks reappeared on a smaller scale covering Roger in a thick glistening armor He looked like a chosen of god glittering there his body covered in huge sheets of spiked iron

In that moment Claptrap began to sweat The armor flickered and then reformed a more refined form more sleek And yet there was still a billowing aura of power that spread out from Roger that shook Claptrap to his core This was even now even now they treated him like he was just a joke to be stepped on

Roger grinned at Claptrap One spar for old times sake friend I promise to go easy on your or my name is not Roger K

At Lucretia’s instruction her third zombie struck him from behind drilling a hole through the armor and into Roger’s back puncturing a lung

Roger stumbled forward and his Bulwarks flickered Claptrap watched it happen almost in slow motion the man who he would have once referred to as a friend falling in front of him defenseless his self created armor technique broken

Although it was a chance Claptrap couldn’t find the strength to strike Now that he was at this moment this

But Claptrap was no longer the only passenger in his body His arm lashed out the blow catching the male spear attendant cleanly in the neck

Chapter 278

Everyone was silent as the head tumbled to the ground and the decapitated body fell to the side sagging in on itself Claptrap began to tremble his eyes wide his front wet with blood The monster above him seemed pleased and gathered up scraps of the dispersing image incorporating the Iron Bulwark into its body

You will all pay for that A furious voice echoed and Lucretia glanced to the side Black Spear was down his head smashed to a pulp his spear rolling away from the body Divveltian’s eyes bulged as he took in the fallen form of Roger

Lucretia smiled and gestured Her third zombie threw himself at Divveltian and after a second of staring at the life he just took Claptrap shook himself and followed after the monster braying for more blood

Seeing the three of them engage in furious battle Lucretia stepped past them slightly bored Instantly she appeared in Shal’s room standing above him Reaching down she stroked his face lightly checking he was alright Unfortunately that annoying energy still hung around him obscuring his mind from her skills Still

Lucretia glanced to the side and made a surprised sound She picked up the dagger laying there curious This was a crude rune based on the one she had provided to Aemont all those years ago

The more she looked at it the more she grinned Crude was perhaps the wrong word It was simply less discerning in the Aether it could grab It would fill you with polluted Aether very quickly A dagger like this would be very useful if given to a foolish individual With access to Aether from the Ghosthound methods like this were less efficient but that didn’t mean they still wouldn’t be fun

On the other table was a dagger with rune she was shocked to see This would extract meaning

This caused Lucretia to frown as she picked up the other dagger Also dangerous Probably so much so that she wouldn’t ever give it to someone else It was also clear that this was the Ghosthound’s work It made her wonder how many skills that boy had Was he planning on performing some sort of soul surgery on Shal in order to wake him up

She abruptly felt a flash of hatred for the boy then relief he clearly hadn’t tried A foolish gambit like that and it probably would have ruined her plan

Ah speak of the devil Lucretia muttered feeling along the thin emaciated almost dispersed connection the Ghosthound had used to donate Aether to her She could feel him best this way feel his desperation and pain at the way the battle was going Her smile stretched wide and hungry She had been sure to tilt the odds even further against him so he got to this point

But now now that she sensed his weakness her will flooded along the connection reaching into his Aether then she pulled She could sense his resistance at first brief and strong so strong that it stopped her dead both with his unwavering resolve and with her shock at how powerful he was But then that faltered and she could escape dragging a river of Aether behind her

She felt a connection growing between them and her eyes widened So it could also be used like this But then things began to happen very very fast

She felt a consciousness notice her mental attack on the Ghosthound tracing the huge fluctuations of Aether Which was enough of a shock that it took her a second to feel its aura to understand what was happening

Found you The air vibrated with the consciousness’ satisfaction Her eyes widened

There was only one group of people that could make her feel this instinctive fear Master

While the other classifications weren’t really defined increases in strength but rather in qualitative differences in their ability to use images Master was different You could not trick your way into the abilities of a Master

But why was he here

The Inn rumbled and the wall was suddenly gone and a normal old man was there Just a normal old man who began to change before her eyes growing more indomitable and vicious his expression gleeful as his eyes flicked from Lucretia to the bed behind her

Her heart sank He wasn’t even here for her He was here for

Die He said simply and to her great disgust a Spear Phantom appeared drifting towards them She recognized the gaunt edges of Aemont’s jaw If anything this filled Lucretia with an enormous amount of fury To have the gall to mimic the Spear Phantom to kill his own son

Fuck you She spat the fresh pure Aether cycling through her body faster than she would have believed it was possible Her movements were fast drawing her spear and striking a defensive pose Normally Lucretia would consider herself a mid tier Pontiff able to hold her own against those at that level She perhaps had less actual firepower than most at that level but she was smarter and wiser always picking her battles

This was not a battle she picked but she was fueling her defensive strike on the raw pure Aether flowing through her heedless of the consequences Stars appeared overhead innumerable and deeply mysterious thousands of galaxies swirling above

Both attacks met each other and shattered Lucretia staggering backwards and spitting up blood to absorb the force of the shockwave so it wouldn’t hit Shal’s sleeping form The man Gerroark Char leader of the Endless Heat Style just frowned

Heh this strong No wonder you’ve been so annoying for so long But if you are this desperate to protect him It’s true isn’t it

Lucretia said nothing furiously reaching for more Aether But to her surprise she found that her body simply couldn’t absorb anymore without giving something back Meaning she thought her eyes narrowing She didn’t have time to find a way around this not without giving the Ghosthound strength through her meaning so she did something desperate and instead reached further into him grasping for anything

Gerroark continued to speak But that still means you both need to die For the purity of our line you understand And that disciple of his too and probably that man outside I believe he defeated one of my disciples you have possessed but it’s the principle you know Ha look at me so chatty But I never believed I would be so lucky to slay the Eternal Witch today

The man’s eyes narrowed to gleeful slits Now die for me

This time Gerroark didn’t play around with other images and the world around them transformed into a desert heat crashing against her Shal rolled over in his trance frowning

Damnit Lucretia howled inwardly

But then she found it inside of the Ghosthound It was smooth like a ball but it glowed with power sitting deep in the Ghosthound’s soul realm Lucretia’s eyes widened SoulSkill And not just something basic like controlling a Village but something so potent that she couldn’t wrap her head around it

As the heat grew more intense Lucretia reverted to banging against the strange barrier around the skill desperate If she could somehow convert it

Then to her surprise it opened Before she could reach into it however something came out

Xierk Taf was the greatest warrior the world had ever seen In the bitter war against the Spriggits he had always been at the forefront seizing control of the Scepter of Dominance for his own use Very soon he had become the Emperor of the Earth Golems beating the Spriggit machinations back to their mountains The war stalled and he turned his attention abroad

A dispute over the Progenitor based on the Weave started a cultural revolution as more and more doubted the existence of a Progenitor at all In his greed Xierk used this fueling a war with the Swamplings confident that the Hunters would maintain their neutrality as always It was so and he waged a bloody war to seize the Weave and take the Hammer of the Dawn

Xierk Taf was the greatest warrior this world had ever seen

But the Swamplings surprised him He was able to seize the hammer but they burned the Weave rather than allowing him to have access to it Xierk wondered what answers were there but he had other concerns

His greatest friend and general died in that final fight holding the hammer wielder at bay for just the moment Xierk needed In the aftermath he looked around and saw his people grim impossibly strong tragically few and Xierk felt regret He looked at the two relics in his hands wondering why the Progenitor had decided to create them

He wondered if the life of his best friend was worth all this

He wondered if he really believed in the Progenitor any longer

Desperate he asked for the Hunters for help and they assented And so before all of the gathered races Xierk demanded peace and offered his life He laid himself upon the funeral pyre holding the two weapons an example he had hoped for why chasing power was fruitless

An appeasement he hoped to the other races to show there was no need for revenge against the remaining Earth Golems For although Xierk Taf was the greatest warrior the world had ever known he could not protect his people It was his great shame

Instead of dying in the fire Xierk blinked and found himself standing in a room facing off against an elderly creature producing a crushing aura of heat A woman was on her knees behind him and there was another one of these strange soft creatures on the bed behind him They reminded him of Spriggits but almost stretched upwards with longer arms and torsos and legs

You are Xierk The voice was questioning but it also was soft eternal and filled Xierk with a strange familiarity

Xierk to his surprise shed a tear a mixture of sulfur and water And you are the Progenitor

Xierk’s wasn’t a question

Chapter 279

There was a pause and the voice ignored Xierk as it continued You feel regret You crave assistance for your people I will do what I can but it must be a trade For my assistance you must buy time for the man behind you in the bed Stop the opponent in front of you

Xierk felt confusion but there was just something reassuring about the voice There was also the strange warm emerald glow that Xierk could feel filling him the same glowing emerald that came up out of the earth which they always called the Breath of the Progenitor

Narrowing his eyes Xierk tightened his grip then he smiled So he came over with his scepter and the hammer Well then

It was not that Xierk’s anger and bitterness towards the Progenitor had disappeared and yet he could not bring himself to ask the questions that had been burning in his heart since his friend died Because as soon as he heard the Progenitor’s voice

Xierk found a truth inside himself That the path he was on was one he had chosen for himself It was a heavy weight

Although Xierk didn’t know where he was or why the directive was simple fight the opponent before him He would show this enemy of the Progenitor why he was called the strongest warrior his world had ever seen

Perhaps in this world he would be the strongest too Xierk’s smile grew wide With the Progenitor protecting his people there was no reason to hold back

Lucretia was struggling inwardly to understand A few things were immediately clear

The strange rocky figure had definitely come out of the Ghosthound’s Soul Skill Was it the spirit of the Soul Skill Somehow it had appeared answering her call And

The Rockman spun the scepter in his hand which glowed emerald The image of the desert around them shattered and the Rockman stepped forward Gerroark’s face instantly turned serious He even drew his spear

Well met warrior Gerroark said his eyes with a trace of uncertainty in them The Rockman rumbled his agreement and then moved blurring forward raising his hammer Gerroark moved to engage and very swiftly they were trading blows at a speed that Lucretia couldn’t follow

True the Rockman was fighting toe to toe with Gerroark just like she needed but Lucretia could barely move It was costing her an abhorrent amount to keep the creature here She could feel for every second that it remained in this realm outside of the Soul Skill part of her soul was being syphoned off into the Soul Skill

But she wouldn’t stop it she realized her heart sinking She felt the bindings of fate around her for safety but knew she wouldn’t struggle against them She had done this often enough to others it was just shocking that it had happened to her

Three gifts The first the daggers the second the Aether the third this strange Rockman And by the third gift she would destroy herself

For the first time in a long time Lucretia felt tired Her age caught up with her making her slightly listless and uncertain Was this truly how she was going to die

No She whispered heatedly even as the Rockman knocked Gerroark out onto the street and hopped down to follow him I refuse

A movement behind her caught her attention and Lucretia twisted around shocked Shal’s eyes were open He had sat up He was looking at her seemingly lost in thought

Earlier that morning Randidly finally stood as their match was announced The figure opposite him stood as well They did not bother to look at each other but both walked slowly up to their own individual stairs and up onto the stage

The crowd erupted into a wall of noise pounding the stage Ghosthound Ghosthound

Although he was not predicted to win there was no denying that Randidly was the more popular of the two spear users Drak was seen as surly and elitist Everyone craved the sight of Randidly striking this figure down making him bleed and struggle That was what people were here for

In his heart Randidly felt a small bit of disgust This was bloodsport to them But he couldn’t deny his own hand in this Whereas before it had simply been a point of pride a display of strength by the larger Styles now it was more than that It was something of people going to the zoo

It hit him all at once How the alcohol helped the people forget their own bitterness and just enjoy the show relegating themselves eternally to the sidelines How the people who drank the ale and watched would never think themselves the type to appear on stage They would always be the drinkers the watchers and how they would unconsciously fill their children with the same doubt in themselves

This had been going on for generations already of course in a lesser way After seeing the large Styles dominate But now there was alcohol available It would ease those frustrations relax the drinker Make them satiated with just this All because Randidly thought it would be funny to help Claptrap make a quick buck

Shaking his head slowly Randidly felt a strange weight settle on his shoulders That would be the case unless

Unless someone who came from nothing like them broke those expectations Grinning to himself Randidly drew his practice spear stretching lightly while the other spear sat inside of himself waiting for the moment he needed it

It was one more responsibility he could add to the pile Randidly thought grimly Break expectations for the people who didn’t come from the top tiered Styles Force Drak Wyrd to reveal his hidden cards for Azriel Let Shal come awake to an outcome that leaves him proud

Are both fighters ready The referee asked looking back and forth between the two of them Both nodded

Randidly hadn’t had much occasion to actually watch Drak Wyrd but his full attention was on him now Power seemed compressed in the man’s body a palpable aura of competency There seemed to be no weaknesses in his stance and his eyes were steady and determined There wasn’t even any overconfidence although there did seem to be some cruelty in his expression as he gazed at Randidly

Was it possible to use that

Incinerating Bolt The Spear Advances Ash Trails Randidly said

There had been some time when he had debated taking a more passive role but Randidly knew that this was not necessarily a race against time but against exertion Drak Wyrd with his dark determined eyes could only fight for so long without his Aether Starvation kicking in weakening him immensely

Trusting in Randidly’s own ability to keep himself alive Randidly decided the best option was a powerful offense that would force Drak to expend his energy while defending He would probably be able to quickly dispatch most things defending himself and wounding Randidly but Randidly knew of no other way to push this match than to gamble his Health Stamina and Mana were high enough to make Drak Wyrd expend his Aether

And Randidly was going to use all of them

As the bolt ripped forward Randidly’s body soon followed aiming for the moment Drak dodged or blocked the bolt to strike finding a moment of weakness

Drak opted to deflect it doing it effortlessly flicking his spear and knocking the bolt away At the same time he accelerated forward meeting Randidly in the middle of the arena with a crash

Immediately Randidly activated Stalemate Breaker and pressed forward with everything he had using Empower and Mana Strengthening as well They were dead even which shocked Randidly as much as it did Drak his normally blank expression stretching as he raised his eyebrows

But Randidly had used ? of his Stamina in those brief seconds just to bring him to a standstill Christ

Circle of Flame Randidly shouted

As he expected Drak leaped backwards moving quickly out of the blast radius but of course it was a feint Still what Randidly hadn’t expected was that Drak’s spear would slash out behind him without even looking cutting through the Spearing Roots he was aiming to use to catch him in the back without slowing him down at all

Still with Drak’s spear behind him Randidly activated the Spear Advances Ash Trails again Focusing on the concept of ignition feeling his body thrown forward with its power

Drak didn’t even blink blocking Randidly’s spear with a stance that made Randidly feel like he had just thrown himself into a concrete wall Then Drak’s spear wriggled and Randidly’s was knocked to the side leaving him completely undefended

Growling Randidly spun away aiming to slash at him from the side but he abruptly sensed that a kick was about to hit him as if Drak had predicted this very move and prepared to deal with it

Randidly’s eyes glowed Emerald The ground around them transformed into mist and there was a soft ticking in the background The Phantom’s Embrace

Unlike Azriel who had grown wary of this skill Drak made no move to change his kick Randidly felt every aspect of the kick in a second his eyes glazing over as his other senses took control Randidly spun borrowing the force of the attack to disappear spinning faster around Drak’s side his spear moving in an arc

An arc just short of Drak but it did rip upwards cutting a shallow gash into the corner of Drak’s mouth

Breathing heavily Randidly stepped backwards Thick roots of golden energy came upwards flooding his body with strength increasing his recovery Living Blood activated too doing its best to control the blood loss from the huge gash in Randidly’s left bicep where a counter attack that Randidly hadn’t even been able to follow with his eyes had struck him

Both fighters looked at each other A trail of blood dripped down Drak’s face to his chin then dropped onto the ground

Although he earned a pounding headache for it Randidly used Living Blood to its limit keeping all his blood flowing back into the wound as his body slowly knit together Grinning Randidly pointed down to the drop of crimson

Your blood hit the ground first

After he had spoken Randidly realized for the first time how silent it had become in the arena His words carried far and Drak’s face only darkened further Sighing inwardly to himself Randidly wished he had the presence of mind to wait a few more seconds An increased recovery time would have made this wound so much more manageable But noo he had to trash talk

We will see whose body hits the ground first Drak said his voice raw as he raised his spear once more

Chapter 280

Randidly opened his mouth for a retort but thought better of it His entire body was quivering slightly with the rebound from using the Phantom’s Embrace The physical toll was higher than it had ever been in battles against Azriel but Randidly had somehow expected it That was simply who Drak Wyrd was

But because of that Randidly was forced to allow Drak Wyrd to take the initiative This was both a necessity and strategic he needed those extra seconds to recover but he also wanted Drak to attack and use his Aether depleting himself Goading him on like this seemed like the best strategy

Then Drak moved and Randidly began to feel a prickling of doubt even as the rising tension in his body drew his mouth into a grin

Drak advanced like a force of nature Suddenly everything else fell away leaving only a wide vast expanse with the sun slowly creeping up over the horizon The light and heat smashed into Randidly sending him sprawling

The force of the image itself was enough to completely suppress him Randidly hoped that it had at least cost some Aether

Even though he was knocked up off balance the world became cold and dark in stark contrast to the rising sun A low mist clung to the ground in front of Randidly and a low ticking began With burning eyes Randidly felt Phantom’s Embrace settle around him like a mantle As long as he wasn’t forced to use the dodging component again

Drak’s displeasure was palpable as their images warred against each other So much so that Drak stopped and just pressed the huge sun smashing down towards Randidly’s image for the Phantom’s Embrace

An image of course wasn’t completely necessary for an attack Even Randidly who was starting to get a hang of using them wasn’t entirely sure of what exactly they did but they clearly helped As best as he could understand it the process of focusing on an image was strangely similar of focusing on punching through someone when you threw a fist

You obviously didn’t throw a fist hard enough to go through someone but the difference in mental aspects increased its power

Images were that except impossibly more broad and on a larger scale At least for the Phantom’s Embrace too there was a sensory component so that everything within the area of influence of the image Randidly was aware of

Which was hard to wrap your head around logically By pretending to be part of a cloud of energy his subconscious upped his detection skills within that cloud giving him a sort of radar Well not radar more like an amorphous body

Of course the System fueled by Aether and held within meaning took care of the details but it

Randidly twisted his mouth as the impact came Drak seeming to take his image and physically smash at Randidly’s causing him to stagger again The image of the dark location flickered the mantle around Randidly’s shoulders weakening

Gritting his teeth Randidly suppressed his first instinct to lash out at the image That was foolish From just the earlier contact it was clear whose image had more weight Randidly was very adamant that it wasn’t stronger

Which left only the option of testing how his completed path affected his Battle Intent

Multifarious and varied the darkness and mist and ticking pressed forward towards Drak Wyrd seeping swiftly forward Again he responded by lashing out but again the affected parts of the image were squished and dissipated but Randidly just pressed more forward filling the gaps

Within him Randidly felt as the Aether began to circulate more quickly moving to match the rising need

It was strange and oddly draining to allow his image to get knocked back but Randidly was starting to get the hang of it especially after his spars with Azriel She never bothered to clash against Randidly directly in terms of image likely because she didn’t feel the need to but it had given him at least the first steps in utilizing it otherwise he would simply have been smashed backwards by Drak here

Apparently Drak abruptly realized that this was pointless Or rather than pointless his own limit in terms of Aether was much different than Randidly’s Growling Drak continued his advance and Randidly winced inwardly torn

But it was too early to run He needed to save his highest mobility for when Drak struck with his higher tiered skills Better to meet him now before he worked up a head of steam

Empower and Haste Mana Strengthening and the active of the Golden Roots of Yggdrasil and finally Stalemate Breaker all activated Randidly thrust forward with the Inevitable Phantom Arrives the attack one of his most powerful on short notice with all of the combined active and passive boosts

Drak had twisted and was past him turning smoothly around Whatever he had done Randidly was shaken That speed the grace of his spear It wasn’t just levels higher than him Randidly would have sworn it was above Azriel No even possibly at the level of Divvet or Shal

But there was a joy too as Randidly twisted and tried to reset his stance to address the attack from this new direction As he turned however he found his right arm wouldn’t move There was a huge gash in his shoulder revealing the bone Blood belatedly realized that the skin was broken and began to bubble forwards

Even as his will stretched out to cover the wound corralling the blood back into his body the training spear that Randidly had brought into the arena cracked in the middle broken into two pieces The front piece fell from the numb fingers of Randidly’s right hand

Drak had finished his turn and his attack was already halfway towards Randidly’s exposed chest

Fuck

Randidly used the Phantom Half Step several times in quick succession and that gave Drak a brief pause but then he just came forward determined

Although it was slightly crazy Randidly was smiling He wasn’t sure if it was the pain or the absolutely flawless execution but Randidly felt something joyful and raw in his chest facing this opponent

Come Randidly whispered almost without realizing what he was doing

Drak narrowed his eyes a dark emotion taking over and continued to oblige Still the wave of Anguish that smashed outwards in an intangible flood set him back somewhat For Randidly the pain sharpened things but he also had a high Willpower and Resistance with a skill level that granted him some immunity to the brunt of the pain

Randidly also had several skills which dulled it somewhat He had been used to Azriel stilling briefly then continuing to rush forward so Randidly hadn’t necessarily had high hopes for its use But Drak stumbled

When he first realized what was happening Randidly hesitated so shocked that it had worked well that he suspected a trap But then long hours of duels kicked in his instincts warning him he couldn’t afford to miss this chance Hundreds of streams of Spearing Roots ripped upwards aiming for Drak’s body

Advancing Randidly conjured the strangely marked spear into his left hand which was still working while his passives worked away at recovering mobility in the right Moving quickly like this wasn’t ideal but at least the throbbing headache Randidly was earning kept blood from spilling everywhere

Even though it had taken him by surprise by the time Randidly’s attack arrived Drak was ready Without even blinking his spear whipped out shearing through most of the attacking roots in place to do any real damage to him

Still Randidly didn’t give a shit smashing forward with the rest and thrusting forward with the spear in his left hand At the same time Randidly produced a Wall of Roots directly beneath Drak aiming to throw him off balance and used Summon Pestilence to shoot handfuls of bugs to block the eyes of his enemy

Drak’s senses were better than Randidly could believe because even through the bugs and the roots and the thorns Drak’s off hand rose from the shaft of his spear and shot out catching the spearhead of Randidly’s spear

Randidly blinked A thin trickle of blood fell from Drak’s hand but the spear was stopped dead Roots slammed into Drak but only left shallow scratches What in the fuck was his body made out of And how high was his Resistance

Drak thrust forward Randidly’s life probably saved only because of the lift provided by the Wall of Thorns keeping Drak off balance As it was he could only twist to the side

Circle of

But Randidly was hit in the side of the head with the shaft of the spear as Drak grunted and swiped at him just using his superior physicality to interrupt the spell Randidly scowled Saying the name wasn’t necessary just a habit If he wanted to play that way

Fire smashed outward from Randidly burning away the roots and sending Drak stumbling backwards protecting his face

But Randidly’s grin fell away as Drak lowered his hands and seemed supremely unhurt From the fire and from

Drak to his own surprise fell to one knee his body trembling shutting down on himself

Randidly continued to grin as he looked at his competitor somewhat pleased Gotcha

Chapter 281

Randidly pressed his own Aether into the spear banishing the murky Aether he gathered from Drak and reclaiming some of the frustration and rage that Randidly had sacrificed to suck it out of his opponent Although it was just a small cut in the hand it was enough for the strange rune to act on that small wound

Drak blinked and then slowly looked up to stare solemnly at Randidly Then his eyes turned ugly

You are a Devourer A Heretic

Randidly said nothing although he couldn’t help but shift uncomfortably at how familiar Drak was with the term More than that though Randidly couldn’t deny that in this case he had purposefully sucked Aether out of his opponent as a way to get an advantage

Even though he had clearly heard and the crowd was murmuring the referee said nothing Which was all the signal Randidly needed

Another hot barbed wire jab of Anguish went out making the already trembling Drak flinch For his part Randidly made Spearing Roots smash Drak forward towards him

Which he suddenly realized was a mistake

Because although he had now a deep Aether debt to pay Drak was clearly very willing to dig himself deeper

Not only was Drak moving at a speed that Randidly was hard pressed to follow when he was caught flat footed he also simply punched Randidly rolling forward from his crouch and knocking Randidly flat

The spear followed silent the real threat Randidly could feel it in the air but was off his balance from the brutally strong punch

Gritting his teeth Randidly felt his world go grey Silence spread The spear pierced through his chest killing him

As the other body disintegrated another body formed unfortunately still with a useless right arm But he was behind his opponent The world was strange too strange connections and densities It seemed that the audience had a palpable presence of heavy grey Drak was thick and viscous too colors and distortions flitting around him in this strange world

To conserve his mana Randidly let the effect drop and raised his hand holding the spear and driving it into Drak’s side One more good syphon of the Aether and

That’s enough

Instincts kicked in again also from Azriel He was throwing himself backwards out of the line of the attack It was instantaneous so much so that some part of Randidly knew that it must have been a skill splitting the air to aim for Randidly’s vulnerable neck

Even afterwards Drak didn’t stop and Randidly’s eyes narrowed as he retreated farther missing the tip of his left pinky Just a small bit of flesh too slow to avoid Drak’s retaliation

A skill was good news for the depletion plan But there was also bad news Because Randidly had felt the spear cut Drak as he dropped it avoiding the first strike The continued connection growing stronger each time he used it let him syphon Aether again albeit more weakly without the physical contact with the spear

But Randidly had acted quickly and got a fair chunk of Aether from the wound Only to find

The Aether was different now Thicker and more familiar

His Aether Or

Aether that he had gifted to another regifted

Drak straightened the energy running through his body making him glow slightly his strong blunt features almost disappointed as he looked at Randidly

No more playing You will be the lesson that I need to give them

Again the powerful image of the sun came back but this time it was not just rising but seeming to fill the horizon then it rose expanding further and further filling the sky until all was the sun Until one realized that this celestial body that was dawning was so close and so much larger than the world that it was comical

This was not a dawn This was being consumed

There was a strange jaggedness to the air that Randidly recognized as something akin to his own Anguish it caused the opponent pain and slowly sapped away at their will with this heavy weight Drak for his part was the center of this sun seemingly concentrating very hard to maintain it but otherwise was staying put

Gritting his teeth Randidly realized that this was worse than he thought Because this didn’t just aim to eradicate his images leaving him naked but it also pressed like a physical force that drained his Health Mana and Stamina

Aether crackled around Drak’s body and he finally seemed satisfied his eyes flashing as he stepped forward even as the huge sun continued to dwarf the world in Randidly’s view

Desperate Randidly lashed out with Anguish even as he began to worry about the state of his health Drak paused briefly but a lot like Azriel he had seen this before and was able to neutralize it when it hadn’t taken him by surprise Maybe too the strain of defending against it would have cost too much Aether and he had decided against it

This was strong This was crazy strong the weight of the image the implacable nature of the attack even as Drak was left free to move And this was just a broader technique if his anti personal attacks were this strong

A wave of Spearing Roots came up out of the ground avoiding Drak’s spear as best they could and striking him Another wave even as Randidly winced at his depleted mana reserves They struck him again and again scratching wounding him a little further each time but Randidly quickly realized that there was something about Drak’s skin that was special Perhaps a Skill

It was like a piece of flesh armor Or a fine wrapping of silk It didn’t do much to prevent blunt force trauma but Drak had his Physical Defense stats for that Instead it was some sort of extra resiliency

Which might explain why Drak moved to protect his eyes so quickly but didn’t bother with his body And didn’t sport any burns even though he had been blasted with Randidly’s flames

Still there wasn’t really much that Randidly could really do with this information And with his mana running low

Randidly switched tactics stepping forward Again this was a terrible idea but at least this time Randidly had a better idea about how terrible it would end up being

Drak’s spear moved forward faster than Randidly could see and Randidly tensed his world going black and white before immediately dropping it to save mana

Twisting Drak avoided striking Randidly causing him to grin Like Azriel in that respect too if you used a skill the same way against them twice it would be less than half as effective But if you kept varying the use

So when Drak’s preternatural grace let him turn back to face Randidly this time he was punched in the face and sent sprawling Randidly bit the bullet and used Stalemate Breaker costing him a hung chunk of Stamina but it would restore itself quickly Health too was concerning now at about 30% but the regeneration was still high enough that Randidly could delude himself into thinking he might be able to get up around 50% should they banter for a bit

Mana was more concerning At 25% and the regeneration while much higher would be negligible in such a short amount of time Instantly Randidly sank into Meditation but didn’t know if it would be very much use

At the same time Randidly realized the dawning sun overhead hadn’t left And as he watched only his Stamina climbed upwards as his health was held constant by the strange image’s effects while his mana drifted downwards one point at a time

I have not been this humiliated in a long time I will grind you to dust Drak said straightening The Aether around him was dimmer but the fact it was still bright enough to be seen was not good It wasn’t something that would run out or even close before Randidly’s body did

Randidly tried flexing his right hand and winced like nails of hot agony twitching back and forth Better but not useful yet Arm still out of commission

Does it really count grinding me like this when you’ve borrowed the strength of another Randidly asked wonderingly trying to buy time as his roots brought his spear back to his left hand and he began to focus his will

Drak just showed his teeth and began to stomp forwards So much for banter

Chapter 282

With his timeline sped up by his opponent’s lack of charm Randidly was forced to burn another 5% of his mana pool smashing Drak with more attacks of Spearing Roots It wasn’t that they weren’t effective he was clearly feeling sore and tender in some spots from the hits It was just that they were called Spearing Roots not Hammering Roots and Randidly left every trade feeling like he had spent too much for too little

But to be fair that feeling might be mutual after all of the annoying things Randidly had pulled Well it was the semi finals and this was the last opponent that Randidly really planned to fight But in his heart he knew he could push Drak just a little further His mouth spread wider in a grin

Everything went into this But Randidly needed a bit more time to do what he had planned to shatter Drak’s confidence and force him to reveal the true trump card of his Style The interference of the Spearing Roots was important but

Randidly’s eyes flitted across the battlefield even as he felt his Health Mana and Stamina tick slowly downward The problem was he just didn’t have time The strength of the image that Drak was conjuring

Pausing Randidly ruminated on that idea or at least he wanted to but he was forced to scramble backwards as Drak finished just bulldozing his way through the spells and arrived in front of Randidly At this point Randidly held no misunderstandings about his own ability to cope with Drak in a frontal attack His spear skills were so far above Randidly’s that it was disgusting

Drak practically acted as though his spear wasn’t there and had left his initial spear broken his arm shattered

Dodging to the side a realization hit Randidly making his heart sink In that moment that attack that had wounded his arm Drak probably could have ended the fight even killed him But he hadn’t He had broken his weapon and main arm then kept coming It had been a ploy to break and hurt him regardless of how the outcome of the fight would have gone

Drak Wyrd hadn’t taken him seriously enough to finish when he had the chance

All that rage and fear that Randidly could have been killed crystallized in his chest forming an icy cold core even while his bones began to burn with increasing intensity and heat Drak lashed out again his spear a flash of light the giant rising sun above them rumbling forcing Randidly to use Phantom Half Step sending himself backwards

Grunting this time Drak thrust his spear becoming a burning light that left Randidly blinded

Randidly’s breathing slowed his senses at their peak The Aether in his body roared swirling wildly growing and building seemingly furious at being cooped up so long within his body

And Randidly felt it too that Drak’s attack just kept extending a thrust targeting the fact that Phantom Half Step could only retreat in a straight line away from the force Randidly’s body trembled as he tested it Gritting his teeth Randidly let his breathing slow further smashing Drak with a directed attack of Anguish

The spear slowed somewhat but did not falter But that was all the extra time that Randidly needed

It had to be perfect timing or

His mana dropped precipitously low Ash to Ash

The spear had already drawn a drop of blood sinking its tip into Randidly’s chest when he activated the skill so his body immediately exploded in a cloud of hot and acrid ash Instantly Randidly reformed behind Drak raising his spear

His right arm twitched painfully raising and gripping the shaft gingerly

With a speed that didn’t seem fair Drak twisted around his spear hitting the spot where Randidly had been at the waist Luckily Randidly was already ascending to the sky utilizing Pierce the Skies Shatter the Earth to move rapidly out of the way without the predictability of Phantom Half Step

Less than 10% mana 19% Stamina although that was rising rapidly with Second Wind and only 24% Health Really getting down to the wire

But of course Randidly had a 4th resource one that he still had in a large supply

Aether sung as he channeled it through every corner of his body then through his body and into the spear which began to shake not designed to handle so much Aether at once But as Randidly shot upwards with the skill he raised the spear aiming it higher thrusting it upwards into the sun above the arena

Then he sucked inwards using the natural power of the spear to draw in meaning

The sky above trembled Drak seemed to falter his stance shifting into something more surprised than dangerous

Again as Randidly reached the apex of the jump he drew in everything he could pressing with his will feeding more and more Aether into the spear The spear was humming now the runes on it glowing brighter and brighter the machinations of it furiously activating

In spurts then in larger chunks Randidly began to feel subtle things about the world a hint of the images The feel of a breeze the superheated air the desolation that a world beneath such a sun would experience but then he began to feel the eternal fires of the sun Then the superhot chemical reaction that would fuel that and the dwindling supplies of that supernova the expiration date that would mean the end of this power

Fire explosive and dangerous a draining supreme fire that did not burn but simply incinerated everything

Still Randidly drew the meaning inward as he began to fall towards the ground Now the spear was screaming almost in agony

Then it all clicked He found an image practically fully formed floating in small pieces inside of him

The sun above Drak’s great image shuddered and died leaving the battlefield abruptly free of its influence Randidly crashed to the ground some distance away from Drak and turned to face the man who was totally shocked

Maybe now they would finally have time to

An inarticulate roar erupted from Drak’s lips and he rushed forward towards Randidly who could only sigh No rest for the wicked But now he could do something dangerous to meet this opponent head on With the infinite seeming Aether swirling within him he began to shape the image he wanted Notifications popped up but he ignored them eyeing Drak

Spearing Roots ripped forward again smashing into Drak but Randidly’s opponent ignored them too furious to even stop and block them like he usually did Grinning Randidly continued to split his attention half on the image the other half on his Spearing Roots Instead of attacking Drak’s vital points Randidly aimed elsewhere hoping

And his faith was rewarded when a Spearing Root ripped into Drak’s side sinking into his body staggering him Instantly every Spearing Root rushed forward to the spot ripping the wound wider Randidly had repeatedly hit the same spot using his high Control stat to focus his attacks on the same points And after wave after wave of that he had finally punctured that strangely thick skin of Drak’s

Drak howled and instantly used his spear to decimate the roots But it was not before Randidly had created more Spearing Roots from the tip of the root that had punctured his skin using that small opening doing an insane amount of internal damage

There was no hesitation to it either no fear of killing his opponent Perhaps it was a result of all the time spent preparing for just this with Azriel but Randidly almost felt that if his opponent couldn’t survive this it wouldn’t be an opponent that had hung over him for so long

Drak staggered then advanced even faster barely inconvenienced by Randidly’s blows Which was exactly what Randidly wanted

Congratulations You have created the Second Kata of the Ashen Spear As this was created on a higher Cohort world than your own all benefits have been forfeited Please name the skill

As the Sun Stills

As the Sun Stills ® Lvl 1 has been created

Chapter 283

Randidly felt the images traveling through his body even as Drak continued to advance He hefted his spear and waited his eyes sliding to a half closed state to watch The sun in his image burned brightly but then there was a soft ticking and time began to rush past

Faster and faster the years passed shooting forward millennia gone in the heartbeats that Drak used to move closer At the core of the sun which fueled the chain reaction from which it got its power something changed The product was different cheaper less pure than it had been

The whole sun rippled changing color its fires going from a hot orange to yellow then to a blue green Slowly it died further as time passed and darkness formed slowly at first small pockets within the giant sun With increasing speed those pockets of darkness sunk to the core of the sun beginning to take up more and more of the reactor’ space at the sun’s core This led to a dimmer fire which led to more darkness

All at once Randidly could feel how shallow that flame was as only the surface layer of the sun continued to burn Then all at once that went out leaving this corner of the universe in darkness Everything collapsed inward on itself super condensed to a single point The universe trembled this hyper dense core struggling against something some law of the universe

Drak had arrived and struck The universe tore noiselessly

That hyperdense blackness sunk into itself gradually drawing everything around it into that tear in the universe devouring it

The First Rays of Dawn Drak bellowed his rage clear etched through every line of his face as he struck out Randidly just waited

Again Drak displayed that intimidatingly high level of speed his spear twisting around Randidly’s defense and aiming for his throat Randidly simply smiled Because as Drak’s spear approached aiming to slip past Randidly’s it couldn’t The air around it twisted drawing it closer to Randidly’s defense It swerved mid air aiming for the spear where the image of the tear in the world was concentrated

Randidly held no self delusions It was a powerful image but the suction created probably wasn’t all that great But time and time again Drak had shown that he was canny but a weaker version of Azriel Azriel always reacted well and then made your moves obsolete after she had seen them once

Drak reacted extremely poorly when he was surprised but had the natural stats to defend himself from the worst of it Then he used his understandings to take countermeasures reducing the effectiveness of the blow

But the important part was every time there was an opening created by using a surprising move

Ponderously Randidly moved his spear the weight of the image slowing him to meet Drak’s weapon

Although the suction wasn’t very strong the weight and mass of the strike was All of the image that was once a sun was concentrated in that point after all It was a defensive move that created an hyper dense image on Randidly’s spear that attracted other’s spear to it As time would pass the gravity and density would increase but Randidly wasn’t quite sure to what point

In the wake of the impact Randidly was forced to drop the image as his head was throbbing and he could feel blood running down out of his nose The requisite level of focus was a bit Grimacing he tried to steady himself but continued to stumble backwards the recoil of the blow overwhelming his body

In addition most of the Aether within him had turned sluggish as his body subconsciously stopped its flow probably oversaturated with it

If there was good news it was that Drak had been thrown backwards by the impact forced to face the mass of that hyper dense image directly Instantly he gasped and lurched to his feet but there was something new in his eyes as he looked at Randidly now

Something ugly and vicious and fearful A rat finally cornered

Randidly’s grin was small So finally ready to use your ace Then I

Something was in his chest Randidly doubled over furious at the interference but inside of him an almost disintegrated Aether connection surged to life

She dragged and clutched sucking Aether away At first Randidly struggled but then he just loosed his hold for several reasons First he had Aether to spare Second his body couldn’t handle all the Aether that was inside of him anyway And finally once more he felt the tug of something Some intuitive understanding of fate

It felt final giving away his Aether like this His eyes widened A gift Of course But he would need lucretia to

You You you fucking Drak was finally bantering god bless his heart but his anger was such a heavy thing in his chest that he was inarticulate Still Randidly would take what he could get as Second Wind and Bacterial Regeneration did their wonderful work Instantly he slipped into Meditation and began channeling the Golden Roots of Yggdrasil more consciously

I have never this Drak couldn’t seem to reach a conclusion with his words and just seemed to be spewing his fury Slowly at first but then with greater volume and intensity the audience began to cheer swelling to a deafening roar of approval to see the poster child for the great Styles reduced to this by a spear user off the street

It gave them hope

Shut the fuck up Drak growled the audience finally giving him something to center himself on A wave of oppression spread outwards from Drak sweeping the whole arena Randidly saw Aethon Thai’s face twist into something akin to shock as it hit him staring at Drak

For his part Randidly felt very little from the wave of oppression Or rather perhaps he had just dealt with the effects of the giant sun for so long that this lighter force wasn’t anything worth writing home about But to everyone else first experiencing it

And Randidly had to admit that the scale of it was daunting

Drak turned his burning eyes back to Randidly Fine you win I can understand somewhat why Azriel would use you She wanted to see it yes The skill that gives me so much confidence The skill with which I have never lost It is the first of the Skills of the Breaking Dawn Style and the one I have spent the most time learning Now consider yourself lucky It has been a long time since I was forced to use this

Randidly didn’t feel very lucky or vindicated Because at the moment he was distracted by a scrambling at his insides as Lucretia continued to rummage around Through their connection he could feel her desperation

How

But then something clicked and he had an idea

Drak slowly began to walk forward Dawn’s Warm Glow

Light surrounded Drak suffusing his body Instantly his wounds seemed to bother him less and he moved faster beginning to trot meaningfully towards Randidly

Randidly opened up his Soul Skill allowing Lucretia to reach in This needed to be done perfectly He needed to outmatch her without letting her damage the Soul Skill

Inwardly a deep monster smiled There was a possibility A gamble which would remove some of his versatility but

The thought of it filled Randidly with a wild joy What was battle without struggle

Inspiration Superiority

The skills twined together and he felt something shift Just a little but there was now a confidence inside of him at his core that would never shake Randidly could never fail He needed three things A gift a plan and a seal The gift was easy

Randidly reached into his soul skill and felt the state of things Instantly he implicitly understood the great war that had occurred there and the man who was offering his life for peace Randidly picked him up and filled his body with Aether using that Aether to project him at Lucretia’s location

But to maintain that connection that balance something else was needed Through the connection between them Randidly pulled drawing meaning from Lucretia Thoughts memories feelings techniques images everything

He pulled and pulled Somehow the weight of fate settled behind him drawing Lucretia through the hole into his Soul Skill It was a gradual process but soon

But even as he did that Randidly felt Lucretia’s influence find its bearings curious and scared but not injured from the transfer Slowly it began to explore Randidly’s Soul Skill

Which was undesirable Gritting his teeth Randidly made the spear that was Lucretia’s second gift to Aemont slide into himself going through is body and into his Soul Skill picking up speed Because of their connection Randidly pressed forcing it forward The Soul Skill buckled somewhat at this and Randidly felt a splitting white pain in his body but he continued to press

The Spear descended spearing through the barrier of the Soul Skill sliding shrinking impaling Lucretia’s meaning before it spread too far It shrieked and struggled but the spear sunk into the ground binding that insidious meaning still at least for now

Randidly opened his eyes looking at the glowing figure walking towards him Lucretia would be slowly drawn into him sealed within his Soul Skill by that spear But that did leave him without a weapon

Randidly cracked his knuckles Somehow he didn’t believe it would be a problem

Chapter 284

Drak tried to quell the rising tide of blood that turned his vision red as he walked swiftly toward his opponent

Unpredictable adaptable versatile Drak had been ready for all of these things from his opponent The other man was taller than he was with black hair hanging around his face framing his bright emerald eyes Although he was passable with a spear he was not at the level that Drak had really taken the fight seriously

But this destroying his image in the sky Drak still didn’t understand how the Ghosthound had accomplished this But he did understand how it would look to the crowd Undoubtedly his ancestors were rolling over in their graves embarrassed enough to kill themselves all over again

Drak refused to lose to this untrained fool It was only that mediocre level of spear skill that had led Drak to strike the Ghosthound earlier aiming to maim his right arm rather than taking his opponent out of the fight

Now he had a hot acrid regret in his chest the desire to hurt his opponent rather than simply disabling his arm What was more frustrating was that it appeared the Ghosthound had somehow healed his arm to some degree in the last several minutes of fight which was absolutely ridiculous

Time after time this worm insisted on humiliating him

As Drak strode closer he examined his opponent closely Everything the other man did spoke of a powerful devotion to spells which was concerning There was also something strange about the opponent now A difference in bearing But his spear was inexplicably gone which Drak wanted to be happy about but just made him deeply suspicious

After all the Ghosthound had produced it so quickly earlier in the fight

Drak arrived and lashed out The Ghosthound hopped backwards not using that strange instantaneous skill but moving the old fashioned way Narrowing his eyes Drak struck again upping his speed

Leaning back the Ghosthound managed to move just beyond the range of the spear

Growling Drak advanced then twisted as the Ghosthound appeared to predict his move and rushed forward aiming a punch for Drak’s gut

With a powerful effort of will Drak relaxed his gut and smashed the butt of the spear outwards completely willing to trade blows Although his ancestor’s blood would curdle in their veins what Drak needed was to wound his opponent build momentum in his favor Pleasing the crowd would have to wait

But again the Ghosthound surprised him activating that strange Phantom move and using the force of Drak’s blow to throw himself across the arena but not before moving his hand from a fist to sticking a finger deep into Drak’s wound on his side where those god forsaken roots had pierced him

Growling again Drak rushed towards his opponent the light from his skill growing brighter increasing his speed and strength Time to crush him then

Drak considered activating another skill but until he figured out how the Ghosthound had destroyed the first image he had floating above the arena he would be cautious This skill was his bread and butter It simply increased his speed coordination and strength all the while blinding the opponent with its light but Drak’s high level in other skills combined with it very well making it nigh unstoppable

This time when Drak attacked it wasn’t a move aiming to gauge his opponent it was time to finish it To his chagrin the Ghosthound appeared to have gathered the broken pieces of his earlier spear holding one 1 meter piece in each hand

Drak’s lip curled up at the same time that strange violent mental pain struck But of course he was prepared pressing through it His spear blade disappeared and he could tell by the Ghosthound’s lack of reaction that he couldn’t follow the movement The speed boost and the bright light made it

The Ghosthound mirroring Drak’s own earlier move reached out with a hand and wrapped it around the shaft of the spear catching it

Pupils dilating Drak put all of his strength into throwing his opponent but the Ghosthound had already let go The strength with which he swung had Drak somewhat off balance and the Ghosthound moved closer

Hot bloody crimson fury

Waves of powerful heat exploded outwards as the Breaking Dawn Style once more reasserted itself as the most powerful Style It had ruled this land cleaned it and protected the people here until the other 4 Styles had banded together to oust it out of fear But even then it did not falter Drak refused to lose

The Ghosthound reached out with a hand and Drak made to take a step back but he only ended upputting himself off balance Eyes widening Drak looked at the Ghosthound’s hand where he could see that small sun once again consumed by blackness slowly growing more powerful and then more dense

This fucking

There was only blood in his eyes Drak ripped himself backwards avoiding the stickiness the strange draw of that hand Then he raised his spear and struck

The Ghosthound’s eyes were almost mint rather than emerald as he shifted his hand almost ponderously to intercept the spear attack

Twitching his wrist Drak caused his spear to shift past immediately the Ghosthound moved and Drak almost cursed inwardly How could this asshole somehow predict him

But to Drak’s surprise the Ghosthound stepped into the blow and his stab raked sideways off the man’s ribs It gave Drak a sharp flash of pleasure to see that the Ghosthound’s face twisted in discomfort from the blow finally revealing weakness but that emotion was short lived Because as Drak made to pull back the Ghosthound’s arm came down holding Drak’s spear against his wound driving the point deeper even

Still his other hand moved forward and Drak narrowed his eyes He remembered the strength that skill possessed Leaning back Drak once more felt a flash of pleasure as the Ghosthound missed the hand that held that skill drifting slowly past Even with the strange gravity field around the strike Drak was able to avoid it

Then the blow continued on and Drak’s eyes widened But it was too late

The Ghosthound struck the shaft of his spear shattering it much in the same way Drak had shattered the Ghosthound’s spear The pieces of wood fell to the ground clattering softly

Fury was all that was in his body and Drak could only roar throwing a punch filled with the burning heat of his image of the sun and backed by the power of Dawn’s Warm Glow It was awkward after all these years of fighting with a spear to throw a punch but it felt good

It struck the Ghosthound causing the man to stagger his shoulder caving in under the blow Truly while this skill was in use he was unstoppable no matter the opponent He was a disciple of the Breaking Dawn Style and the death of those who crossed him would be slow

Drak felt it then not just the warmth from his skill but the glory of victory Although he had been pushed far by the opponent people would forget A victory here would mean that when he beat Azriel she would marry him no questions asked Their houses would be joined and

A smile tugged at the corner of Drak’s mouth Their children would be the most powerful the Northern Region had ever seen So much so that they would unite the Region and jockey with Styles from the Central Region in terms of power and influence

Taking the gift from the Eternal Witch was unfortunate but Drak knew just like the Ghosthound in front of him he could overcome the Witch with strength After the tournament after the Inter School competition he could rapidly gain levels reaching a level where he didn’t need to watch his Aether consumption And then

Drak raised his spear and threw a punch An over the shoulder brutal haymaker style punch that contained all of his power Combined with his stats and the bonus from Dawn’s Warm Glow this would probably cave the Ghosthound’s head in rendering him brain dead at best

Which was the best outcome Drak hoped he would never see the visage of this sick loser ever again

The Ghosthound saw the oncoming punch and smiled

The punch hit him or it should have hit him but suddenly the Ghosthound was a blur borrowing the force of the blow twisting spinning and one of the Ghosthound’s legs whipped upwards so fast that even had he had a spear Drak probably would have been taken by surprise

But as he did not have a spear

His hands couldn’t move quickly enough His defense felt full of holes The weariness and strange Aether ate away at his awareness dizziness slowly infecting him Then there was an impact

Drak’s vision went dark

Chapter 285

The crowd jumped to its feet roaring and cheering after the referee had made a count to 10 and then pronounced the Ghosthound the winner of the match

The winner for his part stood still staring solemnly down at his opponent his eyes strange Both arms were at his sides unmoving The right from the muscles being severed earlier in the match and now barely recovered and the left because his collarbone had been crushed by Drak Wyrd’s second to last strike

Aethon Thai’s eyes narrowed It was a deliberate gamble betting that weakness would cause Drak to go for the kill throwing a powerful but slow blow His first strike had been sharp and brutal aiming to incapacitate leaving the Ghosthound weak

Seeing this the Ghosthound might have been able to dodge in the strange almost ideal series of movements he had possessed towards the end but instead he let it hit And after being frustrated time and time again Drak let the strike get to his head His next foolish strike led to it being countered

Plus the Ghosthound couldn’t have countered the other strike The earlier shoulder wound and built up damage from the fight combined with the ripped gash in his side from seconds earlier had him too physically incapable to counter most other blows Any spear blows for that matter

But the Ghosthound acted decisively then moved Although in most other things the Ghosthound was inferior in terms of seizing opportunities he was truly the superior fighter

Then the arena rumbled and Aethon’s eyes narrowed With a single step he crossed the distance to the Ghosthound sweeping the boy up before the projection descended And descend it did a burning bristling sun

You you are still alive Aethon whispered his eyes widening

The arrival only looked to be in his early 40s with short close cropped hair and a charming smile But the flash of teeth from that construct of images made Aethon’s blood run cold Obviously Aethon Who could kill me Now how about you hand over that boy who beat my worthless great grandson Or else

Without your true body here we can stop you You are not welcome here not until

We Aethon The projection of the Crimson Dawn Aegiant Wyrd spread his arms wide looking around Who is we I don’t think there is anyone coming to help you

Aethon was silent as he recognized that was true The Sleeping Moon didn’t appear and the Toppling Mountain Matriarch was out of Deardun on business since three days ago She took most of the elders with her

Business Aethon thought grimly

So Aegiant said still sporting that smile Hand the boy over

Aethon looked down at Randidly Ghosthound who was wincing from the jostling but extremely solemn as he regarded the two fighters Then Aethon turned to look at Aegiant

A projection was an amalgamation of skills The main body would lose access to those skills while they were gone but the projection would contain a portion of them based on how solid the image of the skills was Creating a projection was the demarcation line between Adepts and Pontiffs A skill so powerful it could exist independently of the body With Aegiant’s history too he might even be at the Master level which wouldn’t matter as long as his main body wasn’t here

And based on how old Aegiant must have been Aethon knew that this would be very close to his actual skill But still the body’s stats should be low

Feeling abruptly very tired Aethon sighed He had long seen how politics were breaking down in Deardun and had done nothing because he was confident that the Steel Feather Style would be one of the main powers even with the return of the Breaking Dawn Now he wasn’t so sure Ciel would definitely grow strong after her loss but Drak Wyrd and Azriel Blanche would likely grow faster

If those two were bound together Well probably no chance of that now But if Aegiant was in Deardun with Drak to succeed him

The Breaking Dawn Style could crush the Steel Feather Style It would probably have happened too if not for this boy

Aethon held the Ghosthound’s gaze for several long seconds Then he sighed turning to face Aegiant

And then Aethon fled as fast as his legs could carry himself and the boy

Lucretia watched half filled with fear half filled with dread half fascinated as the strange being summoned from the Ghosthound’s Soul Skill fought Gerroark Char to a standstill Part of it was his weapons which were unbelievably powerful but the other part was ingenuity and a deceptively strong body

More and more meaning was syphoned out of Lucretia so much so that she was forced to start sacrificing parts of herself Emotions swirled and one at a time she gave them away Hatred for Gerroark Impatience for this to end Her deathly fear of how this would end

The blows between the two fighters destroyed buildings but their inn simply trembled protected by the strange rock man

In the bed Shal stirred and immediately Lucretia focused She currently had three emotions remaining in her body and one of them surged becoming unstoppable completely all consuming Struggling to her feet Lucretia hobbled over to his bedside

As her other emotions ran dry and Lucretia wanted to save her personality to speak with Shal she fed her curiosity about the Ghosthound into the rift It was a wide and powerful emotion as this boy continued to mystify her and would do nothing for her Right now maintaining other things was more important

Shal opened his eyes blinked and then sat up Then he shook his head and his eyes focused taking in the room Again the inn shook

Their eyes met and Lucretia smiled She could hear Gerroark’s roar of fury outside and a deep rumbling from the rock man which might be a chuckle In the small room neither spoke for several long seconds

Then Shal said that’s why Why it was so strange Why they wanted me to lose the honor of the Spear Phantom Style so my skin couldn’t be dyed this color

Smiling Lucretia reached and drew back her sleeve revealing her arm Her skin was thin and translucent and through it several thick blue veins could be seen carrying her blood

But Shal was still talking Even as Pronto was being consumed by that cursed spear addicted to the rush of Devouring feeding away his personality I was sent away too Aemont couldn’t bare to see either of us for the longest time If he could he would have stayed but we both reminded him of his failures Pronto of Aemont’s lack of strength And I

Shal fell silent for a few breaths and then said But I can still feel he loved me

Her curiosity ran out and Lucretia had a choice of which emotions to feed now After a brief hesitation and she followed her instinct and fed to it the emotion that had driven her so long fear of death The emotion that made her the Eternal Witch running away from her doom

Lucretia had seen her parents slaughtered by the Calamity and hated it Hated how fragile they were how easily killed How the world would end something so finally So she fought and struggled and scratched and tore to find a way to live To find methods to shatter the System and avoid death

Now the Ghosthound was a lead but

Lucretia chose to feed that fear of death to the hungry syphon maintaining the rock man ignoring the fact it was the basis on which she had lived for so long She just looked at Shal with bright eyes waiting

He opened his mouth and asked So you are from the other world The world opposite us on the front lines

Lucretia nodded and spoke drawing his attention back somehow savoring this bittersweet truth Aemont avoided you because you reminded him of something that defied his very reason for living for working so hard You were a symbol that trivialized it

Again the inn shook more powerfully this time as the struggle outside appeared to be reaching its later stages Still Lucretia did nothing to prevent herself from being sucked away consumed

Shal closed his eyes sighing Because the third and final gift that Lucretia gave to Aemont was a son

Lucretia’s eyes crinkled at the corners as she nodded No longer did the being consumed bother her because that emotion of fear was gone Now she began to feed the largest the final the most confusing emotion she had in her heart into the rift a mother’s love for her son

So I’m a half

But Lucretia’s eyes hardened because while fear had driven her to do some terrible things a mother’s love took even fewer prisoners and was much more active in seeing what she wanted

Now that she was sure he was aware she wanted to spend more time with him slowly growing closer to knowing him In addition her induced coma had finally rid Shal of the mark left by Aemont holding his strength and memories Whether it was destroyed or consumed Lucretia didn’t care because now Shal was solely hers

But that was for later For now

Holding onto the soul of Dian and the head of the Yeti Lucretia threw herself into the Soul Skill before it could consume her She needed resources because she couldn’t avoid its pull now But she could put herself in a position with power

Because only then would she be able to break out

Chapter 286

You fuck cunt Get out of my way Helen bellowed fighting against the huge press of bodies After Aethon left with the Ghosthound in tow and that projection followed destroying a 10 meter section of the stands in the process the crowd around her rioted running to get out of the arena

Which was dumb Helen thought because that was the direction that the fighting was going

The referees really had no idea what was going on and were trying their best to control the worst of the riots to protect people but without using force there wasn’t much they could do The people could only riot

A man’s elbow smashed into Helen’s side and her eyes narrowed Flicking out a hand she smashed him to the side the difference in their stats clear She was done playing nice

Striding forward shoving the larger men out of the way while trying to avoid hurting any children or women Helen quickly made progress Very quickly she had gotten far enough through the crowd to be away from the arena and have space to hop up and pull herself on the roofs of the nearby buildings

The people who had kept close behind Helen using her to get out of the arena as fast as possible were disappointed but Helen just glared at them before turning her attention elsewhere Her mother and Ikaas were probably with that oaf that was trying to seduce Ikaas so they would probably be safe Meanwhile

Again a shockwave of force looked like it leveled a small building as Aethon continued to retreat the Ghosthound in tow Fucking Fucking fuck

She began to sprint along the roof rushing after them She wouldn’t really be of any use or be able to slow the projection of a Pontiff but She couldn’t just sit here and do nothing Especially because

What if that man killed Randidly

The thought hit her so hard that Helen stumbled mid step hit the lip of a roof and tumbled into the alley As the split second of chilling emptiness struck her there was nothing that she could manage She was just adrift But as she fell her instincts kicked it and she twisted around landing on her feet

Two children who were taking shelter in the alley jumped to their feet The three of them eyed each other Helen’s eyes softened and then she moved at full speed blurring past them

They had been drinking out of Claptrap’s Ghosthound Tassle mugs the bright emerald clear even in the dim alley

The streets here were clearer so Helen was able to move very quickly So quickly that she caught up

Fool You took that blow rather let me destroy a building You could have saved the boy but you also tried to save everyone else The projection mused stepping closer Aethon lay slumped in a crater in front of a building where a dozen or so people peered out through the windows their faces white Randidly lay between Aethon and the building kneeling and looking around

Helen was behind the projection so she immediately began to circle around

Not all honor has left Deardun Aethon said hoarsely getting to his feet slowly a wound on his side There is still strength here We do not need you Aegiant

Up for debate But not with you Your successor will undoubtedly be more amenable

The two began to fight their spears not even moving to Helen’s eyes but huge gashes appearing in the ground around them Unfortunately most of those were near to Aethon and they were moving quickly closer to his body

Aethon’s face was sagging his breathing haggard Aegiant was smiling lightly

Randidly stood throwing a normal stone

But then his eyes narrowed and he pointed and she felt something flow out of him that strange and pure Aether he controlled and gave her filling the stone concentrating in its center An image a sharp powerful one that he used against Drak A sun slowly consumed turning from a bright light into a hyperdense pinprick of darkness that grew more and more dense

Randidly was sweating his legs trembling and Helen scrambled over the nearby roofs to position herself near him dropping to the ground

Randidly’s voice was hoarse Dodge Aethon

To Helen’s surprise Aethon listened and dodged left His arm was severed in a spray of blood obscuring Helen’s view of the battle But she could hear Aegiant’s laughter Why would you let the boy distract urk

A huge collision every bit as powerful as the strikes between Aethon and Aegiant Then a bellow of anger BOY YOU WILL

Randidly blinked then his eyes rolled up into the back of his head After swaying for a moment he began to fall backwards

A Shrike Cries over a Barren Land

A wave of force hit Helen sending her sprawling missing Randidly by several meters

When Feathers Flash a Shrike Hunts

This time there was no wave of force but Helen was still groggy from the first and managed to calm her swimming vision What she saw when she looked up made her pale

Randidly and Aethon were gone even while Aethon’s arm remained on the street And it seemed that Aethon could direct his skill somewhat for while Helen had simply been knocked to the ground concussed the area where Aegiant had been standing was just rubble for 100 meters That area had been warehouses and part of the wall but they were still strong buildings

Howling Aegiant climbed out of the rubble I’m going to kill everyone in this entire shit town You hear me

Aethon looked down at the boy frowning It was doubly difficult now with only one arm to carry the boy but he was managing To be sure it was a great distraction and well worth the cost of his arm which could be regrown by paying a Village Spirit enough contribution points from the front lines but

That was foolish Aethon said simply

The boy’s body was limp and although he was clearly trying to communicate he couldn’t get his mouth to work At the very least his continued consciousness was a good sign although

Your skill is strong almost too strong And you used it to the point that your mind couldn’t handle it Which was necessary otherwise it wouldn’t have even slowed him But the first impact surprised him but the second impact he used to break the image Your overstrained mind had something shatter inside of it That’s why not even I dared use images against him his will is that strong

The boy waved a hand feebly Aethon snorted

Well just lay there Now that we have some space I can get you out of the city and

To Aethon’s surprise the boy stretched his hand and touched him lightly on the shoulder Aether pure and clean the most robust and responsive he had ever felt began to flow into him Just a little just a handful but

Then the boy slumped seemingly finished with his task

Which left Aethon very torn This Aether lent credence to the thought that the boy was a Devourer just as the rumors about his Style had hinted Was it part of their techniques

But Drak Wyrd had even more obviously been using Aether that wasn’t his The reason for that boys dominance was the years he spent pushing his skills upwards while avoiding gaining any levels To use all of the skills and images he had he should have triggered a pretty bad case of Aether Starvation in himself And yet

Plus this Aether was not at all what Aethon would have thought Aether from a Devourer would be like It was so perfect Like he had been drinking bottled water his whole life and only now had he found a pure fresh stream

More than anything though was that the boy had been grievously injured in his gambit to buy them time Aethon would have assumed the boy would be dead weight in such a situation like his daughter or even Drak Wyrd would be But that was the strength of the Ghosthound Adaptability tenacity

Direct injuries to images and the mind were notoriously difficult to recover from Some never did But if those images were recreated coming back together it was a refining process The reforged version would be even stronger

And somehow Aethon didn’t think that Randidly was the type to never heal It filled him with a strange pride It filled him with an even more concrete dread To give the boy time he needed to send him back home And he needed Divveltian to tell him where to send him

Switching directions Aethon rushed forward

Chapter 287

Shal was left momentarily dumbstruck as Lucretia the Eternal Witch the one his memories confirmed was his true birth mother disappeared abruptly Her blood flowed in his veins and she was from the opposing forces beyond the frontlines which made him

A string of curses refocused Shal’s attention to the hole in the wall Getting to his feet he was surprised at how good his body felt Fit and refined And his mind was clear and sharp for the first time in a long time Aemont’s shade before he had dissipated had explained that it was because he was taking up residence there and Lucretia was trying to keep tabs on him Both of their influences had muddied his inner world making the flow of his Aether turbulent

Now that those two mental weights dispersed

Shal flexed his hands as he walked to the hole in the wall What he found made him gasp

A strange golem like figure stood over Gerroark Char Patriarch of the Endless Heat Style holding a hammer and a scepter grinning down at his opponent

This has been a joyous dance but it appears that my role here is done May your body remain whole for as long as your people sing your praises The golem’s words were strangely accented in a way that Shal couldn’t place Its body slowly began to dissipate

Gerroark sighed standing I agree It was a good reminder to not neglect training I suppose I’ve been pre occupied since I became a Master Having that advantage It has become a crutch

Chuckling in a strange rumbly way the golem shrugged It is as the Progenitor wills We all have our fates

Then the golem was gone the lights dispersing completely leaving to settle his own fate Still the situation was unbelievable Gerroark a Master currently was heavily injured portions of his armor shattered Blood was on his lips

To the side Divveltian stood over a bound Claptrap There were several unmoving bodies on the street around them In addition two strange figures seemed confused and lossed standing off to the side Shal hopped down off the second floor to the street level bringing all eyes to him Gerroark seemed to sigh

perhaps I have been foolish these past decades the glory of my family is worth nothing if my personal strength has fallen Gerroark mumbled but then his eyes sharpened as he looked at Shal But I must know

I am not the son of your granddaughter no Shal said the words coming out surprisingly easily It left him wondering who his family was who he felt connected to He felt oddly adrift The person he was closest to was Pronto and Shal had been forced to

He shut his eyes willing the memories away He would deal with that later

Gerroark nodded seemingly relieved That is for the best It means that I will attack you but if you have the strength to survive I will not pursue the issue

Shal’s eyes snapped open Fighting a Master He felt dread fill his body as well as a wild recklessness That recklessness was what he held onto slowly letting it grow and fill him It was a trait he learned from Pronto Whatever else his flaws he had been an excellent brother More of a father than Aemont had ever been

Masters were those people who were so close to the Spearman’s ideals that they held sway over the Aether of the world Which made them the ones with the ability to create lasting Skill Sets and even Soul Skills by the most talented

But in battle they were oppressive for another reason Their grip on the world’s Aether was so strong that they could deny it to you Slowly at first and the effect was weaker the more powerful the target was but soon you would find your images unraveling your body growing weak your will fraying

Your skills useless

Apparently it was dependent on the world which is why that strange golem which got its Aether elsewhere was rather unphased But with the golem gone

Divveltian stepped up but Shal shook his head Getting him involved wouldn’t

With a thump Aethon Thai appeared in the fighting zone holding a limp Randidly Suddenly something in Shal’s chest clicked This was his connection his family

His disciple Someone that even in the wild storm of emotions in Shal’s chest he had a responsibility towards

If not for him Shal’s fickle nature Randidly wouldn’t have been brought here For two years he had forced the boy to train in that prison environment and there was a sickness in Shal’s stomach as he saw Aemont’s style of parenting in his own actions

While Shal had been dealing with his own issues the boy had continued to fight apparently to the point that he was

We don’t have time for this Aethon growled throwing the boy and a scroll into Divveltian’s arms This fool has made too many enemies That scroll can teleport you 100 kilometers You know better than I where to take him where it will be safe Go

Divveltian hesitated just a second then he snapped the scroll and disappeared carrying the body Shal impulsively reached out opened his mouth but

What could he do What could he say Randidly didn’t even seem to be conscious

Another thump A glaring projection appeared near them a man that Shal didn’t recognize But Aethon and Gerroark both knew who he was based on their reactions

Where the FUCK is that boy The projection growled

No one answered It was a strange standoff the four of them with Claptrap bound over to the side watching with wide eyes The two other watchers moved closer to assist Claptrap with his bonds

Finally Gerroark gestured and Shal could feel the world respond to his will The projection screeched in fury throwing itself at Gerroark but already it was dissipating the edges of it ripping away By the time it reached Gerroark it was a puff of energy and then nothing

Gerroark gave Aethon a look Now There is no need for you to remain There is personal business Shal must prove he is too difficult to kill or

To everyone’s surprise even his own based on Aethon’s expression Aethon shook his head No I owe the Ghosthound boy a favor I suppose it’s fair that his master cash in on that He will not fight alone this day

The sky above them darkened and Shal felt his Aether grow more distant more difficult to utilize

Fine Gerroark growled his eyes bright Then let’s begin

Randidly was barely conscious Whatever that fucker had done had left him mostly blinded and unable to focus Thinking at all was too painful Using Skills moving facial expressions talking

The jostling didn’t help but strangely it abruptly stopped The blurs and colors slowly stopped spinning and Randidly focused as hard as he could narrowing his attention

He was in on a platform Divvet stood outside of it next to a bored looking man in a uniform who pressed

Energy stange constructs of Aether in the air around him They caught his attention and Randidly focused and immediately regretted it groaning His headache felt like someone was sharpening a rusty ax on his cerebellum

But then

Randidly thought it was a smile at first on Divveltian’s face which was shocking enough But then he realized it was too low and too red It was on Divvet’s neck and weeping downwards in long streaks

Divvet fell forward and the bored looking man was suddenly an alarmed looking man spinning around his eyes wide but then he fell too and there was now just a new man standing there holding two objects one in each arm

The energy began to swirl and flare brighter around Randidly blocking off his vision but he could recognize the man even through the swirl of energy The man seemed annoyed and his name

Marco Polo

The energy went bright and Randidly lost consciousness

Helen her chest heaving arrived at the inn Or the site where the inn used to stand

It had been leveled totally and completely There was no sign of Aethon or Randidly Just a hole in the ground where the building had been She wondered idly how Deardun would heal after it had been scarred so completely like this How the great Styles would defend their actions doing nothing aside from Aethon’s interference

How the people would remember this Regional Tournament

There was only some dead bodies and Claptrap standing over one crying Emptiness and fear swirled in her She had been too late Everyone All of them had moved on leaving her here alone She had no idea where the assurance came from but she felt deeply truly that they had left It was an unavoidable fact And she

The body on the ground at Claptrap’s feet was Roger’s

Helen was shocked how easily that name came to her when looking at him He had been decapitated but he was also covered in wounds which wasn’t that strange for him His face though

Locked forever into that dumb look of determination And now that she saw it so clearly so frozen in time Helen recognized where it had come from That was Randidly’s expression the tight lips the narrowed eyes the firm belief that he would succeed

Helen had always thought that Roger was the furthest from Randidly’s potential of them all barely taking it seriously but He was here on the ground the proof forever shaping how she would remember Roger

Maybe he had been the one who looked up to him the most Needed him the most Wanted to be him the most That day when they had all met Roger’s pride had been crushed The arrogance that he had based on his pedigree was lost to him so he had to find something new A new source of strength

The brutal dedication and refusal to give in he had learned from Randidly would have undoubtedly been something he could rely on for his entire life They really seemed so similar in that moment their faces overlapping

But where Randidly’s eyes would glow emerald with that expression Roger’s eyes were dead and empty

I killed him you know Claptrap spoke up Because I hate you all I hate how weak you made me feel

Helen just turned and walked away

Does it piss you off Claptrap taunted tears streaming down his face Are you just afraid I could kill you right

Claptrap Helen said softly turning and looking over her shoulder You’re trembling

Then she turned and left The emotions she felt were ugly and vicious yes but there was something colder and more lonely numbing it all She didn’t have the will to deal with Claptrap and his issues

In the wake of Randidly’s abrupt departure they all had their own demons

Chapter 288

Simon Bliss had seen a lot of things that surprised him in his life As the 14 year old son of two mothers as the guy who had tried every drug under the sun and had convinced a lot of people to try the more reasonable half of them he was no stranger to weird phenomenon Even hallucinations could be considered run of the mill before Simon’s eyes

Still he was given pause by the strange message that filled the air in front of him making him look up and away from his Playstation He wrinkled his nose annoyed

This was extremely dumb Was it some sort of prank

Mom Other mom Simon yelled not caring that Denise would wince when she heard his voice Of course that was only if she heard it But they were both out at that stupid charity dinner that Simon had refused to go to and

Everything around Simon shifted The television and the lamps went dark But still a message appeared in the air in front of Simon

Welcome to New Earth Your world has bene entered into the Nexus and as such is now running on a new system designed to give you the tools and challenges to survive and live a fulfilling life Good Luck

Simon Bliss

Health(/R per hour) 17/17 (13 5)

Mana(/R per hour) 19/19 (9)

Stam(/R per min) 13/13 (8)

Vitality 3

Endurance 1

Agility 4

Reaction 3

Resistance 1

Willpower 1

Focus 1

Congratulations As the System has determined you have a very slim shot of surviving the next 30 seconds you have been given a random Uncommon rarity Path The Bubble Path is open to you

Simon eyes scanned through the Status screen with a discerning eye Could this really be the sort of situation from the stories he read where the world ended and aliens took over and everyone got stats

If so his build was leaning towards some sort of mage build Although it did annoy Simon somewhat that his stats distribution set his Resistance Willpower and Focus at 1 which seemed to be useful for the mage class but it did fit his character Even if it rankled

Someone screamed outside his door Right outside his door which was a little bit surprising as they lived on the 2nd highest floor of a pretty nice apartment building Immediately as the scream continued Simon’s heart began to pound

But this was a game so other more nontraditional instincts kicked in Simon scrambled to the kitchen and grabbed a long sharp knife and ran up to the front door bursting out without a thought

What he saw made him stop for a second as he struggled to process what he was seeing Part of the building had been sheared off So instead of the hallway that should extend a good 50 feet to his right there was just nothing but night sky and the ground below A woman was at the edge of the location of the shear apparently looking down when what appeared to be a green slime fell on her shoulder

Now it was slowly spreading to engulf her face even while she waved her arms frantically her eyes white with panic Around 6 more slimes dropped down onto her covering her body Clinically Simon noted the red cores in their body and his other instincts told him that these were the weak points of these monsters

Almost numb he looked left At least a dozen more slimes were rolling forward towards the source of the commotion Simon had a powerful urge to just leave the woman out here on her own but then he saw that a few slimes leave the pack and ooze under doors working their way into the apartments

More and more slimes were dropping down mobbing the woman Her lower body was stuck in what looked almost comically like a glob of jello around a meter of the green slime around her body

The screaming was abruptly cut off as they covered her mouth and now she flailed wildly barely able to move Her eyes locked onto Simon’s pleading with him for something But Simon’s mind was elsewhere

He needed to get away but

They were on the 9th floor and the two stairs were either behind the oncoming rush of slimes or in the part of the building that had been sheared off with the elevators

Would the police come Simon wondered idly Then a thought struck him The message had said he was very unlikely to survive the next 30 seconds Did that mean

The woman’s struggles were growing more feeble her eyelids fluttering as they simply drowned her The slimes coming down the hall were almost at Simon’s door If he was going to survive he needed something crazy Something crazy enough to get him off the 9th floor and

Simon gave the slimes a long look They seemed slightly resilient

Simon did his best impression of a linebacker spear tackling the woman thick in the midst of slimes and both fell off the edge tumbling down His overweight frame was enough momentum apparently to make up for the rather poor attempt The contact seemed to wake the woman up and she began to scramble frantically at Simon’s arms her fingers weak

His annoyance was simmering to a boil when they hit the ground

Simon blinked and sat up confused as to why he felt so slimy and his movements felt difficult He opened his mouth and it was flooded with liquid The world around him was green

It snapped back into place The slimes But he couldn’t breath and everything hurt his calf throbbing painfully

His calf was now the sheath of his kitchen knife he blearily noticed his horror mounting Why the fuck had he jumped with it in his hand He flailed briefly before he stopped himself That would do nothing That’s exactly how the woman had died He needed to to do

Something soft knocked against his temple His eyes narrowed The cores

Desperately he reached up and grabbed it surprised to find it soft and spongy He flexed his hand for a few seconds and then something gave and it collapsed Immediately the slime in the area around his head dissipated seemingly losing all substance and fading from existence

After several gasping breaths Simon was able to recover somewhat They seemed to have crashed onto the 3rd floor as the shearing wasn’t as straight as Simon had originally thought Which was rather good

Almost as if it was waiting for him to notice he felt the weight of the slimes around him and the woman’s body who he was still entangled with dragging them left and off the edge as the floor partially gave way

As he was pulled forward the knife in his calf was tugged free of the wooden floorboard but not before it sent a stream of agony up his leg turning his vision white Then for the second time of the night Simon fell

Chapter 289

This fall was much shorter but paradoxically much more painful as it didn’t seem like the fall was enough to knock him unconscious for the worst of it Instead he was forced to deal with every jolt of vicious pain from the knife stuck in his calf

More concerning the slimes appeared slightly stunned and otherwise unaffected and began climbing over each other to cover his face

The next few minutes were a series of desperate struggles grasping at the cores and squishing them which became increasingly easier It was around the time that most of the slimes were gone that Simon was finally able to give attention to the series of small blue screens that had popped up

Congratulations You have learned the Skill Bash Resistance Lvl 1

Congratulations Bash Resistance has increased to Lvl 2 You have gained 1 PP A PP is gained every time you gain a level in a skill Look in your path screen to use PP

Bash Resistance has increased to Lvl 3

Bash Resistance has increased to Lvl 4

Congratulations You have learned the skill Stab Resistance Lvl 1

Congratulations you have learned the skill Blood Clotting Lvl 1

Based on your skills you have gained access to the Hearty Constitution Path

Blood Clotting has increased to Lvl 2

Congratulations you have learned the skill Crushing Grip Lvl 1

Crushing Grip has increased to Lvl 2

Bash Resistance has increased to Lvl 5

Crushing Grip has increased to Lvl 3

Crushing Grip has increased to Lvl 4

Crushing Grip has increased to Lvl 5

With a thought Simon dismissed his notifications finding himself in a pool of dissipating slime and sweat with

A woman’s dead body Still and dead killed by the slimes or by him pushing

Simon stumbled to his feet his heart pounding his lungs opening and closing at a rapid pace So fast that he started to feel faint He struggled to his feet then stumbled forward Where the building ended a street began and Simon walked out onto the street and vomited

Then Simon was forced to spin around as there was suddenly a strange grumbling noise What he found was a miniature version of a hippo perhaps the size of a large dog with strange red skin It eyed him for a second then opened its mouth revealing a circular maw lined with jagged and broken teeth more like a shark than anything else rumbling again

Simon once more vomited this time hitting the strange creature It’s eyes flared wide and it bellowed rushing forward mouth open Now there were screams everywhere and those instincts of Simon’s that had somehow urged him to move slowly died

All of the apartments were dim cut off power He imagined being alone in the dark when those slimes swarmed unable to see the cores unable to think from panic

Simon felt something click and his hands fell to his sides as the creature made to devour him He pissed himself for all the good it did him But he just couldn’t If the world was like this it would probably just be easier to

And who was he kidding a guy like him would never survive

Simon was shoved out of the way as the woman he had pushed off the building scrambled forward interposing herself between Simon and the monster Their eyes met once more hers hard and determined his scared

The monster bit down ripping almost her entire forearm off before throwing its head back and forth tugging her around like a ragdoll Screaming she collapsed

Why Simon began to ask but the words wouldn’t come beyond the first just the swell of nausea in his chest as he watched the creature maul her His calf twinged painfully and belated Simon reached down to remove the knife

He immediately felt numb as blood began to spurt out quickly pumping onto the nearby street As he straightened he froze because he saw a child no older than 8 backing away from three of the strange red hippos as they advanced towards him Forebodingly the woman’s scream fell to a whimper and then she went silent

The child spotted Simon and flailed towards him tripping over his own feet and falling Help Help The child screamed

Simon limping as best he could his pants damp with his piss turned and fled heading away from the apartment building towards a field that had apparently been transplanted nearby Luckily for Simon’s guilt as he hurried away the child’s screams were very quickly eclipsed by the revving sound of an engine and Simon saw out of the corner of his eyes a hummer hurtle down the road

A series of wet thumps followed by the silence slowed his hasty retreat so Simon surreptitiously turned around His eyes were empty and hollow as he gazed for only a second at the scene Then he turned around again continuing into the field There was nothing remaining on the road but red piles of gore that he didn’t dare look too closely at

For what felt like an hour Simon rushed away but his breathing was growing heavier and heavier his limp more pronounced Feeling dumb and embarrassed and torn in 1000 different directions Simon stopped taking off his hoodie wrapping it as best he could around the wound Was it too late to do something about blood loss His Blood Clotting Skill had increased to 7 while he had been running but

Then not sure what he hoped to find Simon continued to run After all if he didn’t find something this way

He had left that boy for no reason

Not that it mattered that hummer asshole had

Simon stopped leaning up against a tree sweating dry heaving But there was nothing in his stomach anymore to throw up It took a few minutes but it seemed that his body slowly calmed down allowing him to continue the dull aches in his joints becoming more and more prominent But he still stumbled forward

Finally there was a soft dinging and Simon forced his bleary eyes to focus

Congratulations You have discovered an exceedingly rare world variance The power of Aether concentrates here forming The Golden Lily Spring As the first person from your world to find a world variance you have gained the Blessed Child Path

Blessed Simon said his voice hollow Then he stumbled forward listless The field had turned into a lightly wooded area and sure enough as he pushed through a particularly thick clump of trees he found a small dip where there was a pool filled with golden lilies

The change in elevation proved too much for Simon’s weary legs and he tumbled down landing at the bottom of the small hill rolling until his arm splashed into the water Weary Simon Bliss felt the edges of his consciousness fade away and he slowly fell into fitful rest

After waking up Simon slowly reoriented himself To distract himself he opened up his path menu and threw himself into familiarizing himself with this new System trying his best to forget the sound of the child’s screams

Even though nothing he would have done could have changed it the image wouldn’t leave his mind Nor the image of the red sludge on the ground afterwards

Over the next week Simon continued to learn and grind skills slowly growing stronger Occasionally he ventured away from his spring mostly to fight small groups of slimes that he found However he never dared approach the hippo creatures which still filled him with fear

After finishing the Bubble Path he learned the offensive skill Bubble which threw bubbles of compressed air at opponents This made it simple to blow away the slime revealing the core After finishing the Blessed Child Path Simon earned the Soul Skill Chosen of the Golden Lily Spring Higher and higher he trained until

Until the day a pillar of light appeared in the sky telling him he could go to that location and receive a Class But still Simon hesitated He had made himself a nice little hut in the past week gathered different foods from nearby houses surviving on water from the spring There were even strange berry bushes growing up now If he left this place

So Simon stayed Even when around two or three weeks later another pillar of light appeared in the same direction Still time was relative Where he once just had Mana Bolt and Bubble Simon furiously grinded his skills improving to Water Jet Mana Shield and Healing Palm In Simon’s mind the image of that boy wouldn’t desert him so he resolved himself to become a support healing type of mage

Almost as if the world had heard his wishes Simon received The Water Mender Path and was able to learn the skill Mending Stream Now Simon Bliss had made contact with some of the survivors in the neighboring areas as he explored but he was terribly afraid of them Both because of how he had seen those on the road die and also

Someone had been driving that car Someone had saw the child and pressed on the gas Hard

Still Simon wasn’t a fool Mutely he would meet with them trading supplies for his healing water It wasn’t as fast acting as the healing potions that cropped up but it lasted longer and healed more overall Better in a long drawn out fight to have a bottle of Simon’s Healing Stream

Simon also began to learn some basic Herbalism and First Aid mostly guided by System hints swiftly becoming a source of medicine to the surrounding regions It was almost surprising how many people showed up at his little spring once they heard about the aid he could bring Because most of the injuries that people dealt with were not Health related but rather poison paralysis or missing limbs Those didn’t heal very quickly even with the new System if at all

But Simon’s water did

As the people around him grew more organized and strong so too did Simon grow more skilled in his healing ways He also had improved his offensive spells to the point that he no longer feared those red hippopotamuses Weeks turned to months and Simon found himself barely able to remember that boy who screamed on the road

But Simon never forgot that he turned away from someone in need

On a rainy day filled with a strange conviction Simon went alone into their den and massacred them It took him four long days of grinding away but he finally killed the last of them and received a golden coin Nonplussed he gave it to a leader of the nearby area an athletic 20 something with close cropped hair and piercing eyes

Soon another golden pillar came down this one much much closer and Simon understood that that man had used it to found a village Almost as if that had been a signal soon three more pillars came down in quick succession in the surrounding area They were all very close together and Simon had another difficult decision to face he was very interested in obtaining a Class but which of the Villages should he use to do it

The obvious choice was from the man who he gave the coin to who Simon thought would treat him well but leaving his spring

There was another Village located quite close to his spring after all

But a new notification kept Simon preoccupied and worried

Warning A Tier III Raid Boss has spawned within your Zone All other Villages in the Zone have lost the ability to connect to other worlds Once this Raid Boss has been slain there is an exceedingly rare chance that other Tier III Raid Bosses will spawn in the entirety of the Zone In addition upon the death of the Raid Boss your Zone will move onto the next portion of the System acclamation Be prepared

which seemed extremely ominous didn’t it

Chapter 290

It was a time of three long weeks filled with dread Simon put off his travels for a Class instead waiting within the sphere of influence of his spring just hoping that nothing would change around him The monsters around him grew abruptly weaker too and then abruptly stronger as dungeons came into being around the 4 towns

Then one of the towns fell to its Tribulation and became another dungeon they had to worry about

From Simon’s position there was a village directly West that was the village founded from the golden coin Simon earned Then there was another village to his North and a bit West which was the closest one to him Then directly north of Simon and North of the other village was the new fallen Newbie Village which became a dungeon The final Newbie Village was more East of Simon than anything else the farthest away But all three surviving villages worked together to address the new problems

Simon found himself very quickly outclassed by the level of monsters in the surrounding areas as he didn’t have a Class to improve So he isolated himself further It seemed the golden lilies kept monsters away so Simon stayed put hoarding more and more of his Mending Liquid learning Refine and turning it into something much more potent

After three weeks there was another notification

The Tier III Raid Boss has been slain by Lucifer In the wake of its passage the Boss has passed onto Lucifer an Ancient Rarity piece of equipment

Your Zone has opened up to the worlds above Two Champions descend into your Zone These Champions are randomly determined Fulfilling quests and services for the Champions grants increased experience accumulation and skill growth These Champions stand opposed to one another Your Zone will not progress until one Champion has triumphed in its war against the other

The first Champion to descend to your Zone is the Wild Rider A loner and more at home with animals than people the Wild Rider’s true bond is only with his steed the Ivory Stag Pledging to the Wild Rider will immediately grant the Soul Bond Skill

The second Champion to descend to your Zone is the Skeleton Knight Brutal and efficient the Skeleton Knight prizes order and discipline above all else Pledging to the Skeleton Knight will immediately grant the Ancient Stamina Skill

The Wild Rider will be marked with a green pillar of light for two weeks The Skeleton Knight will be marked with a grey pillar of light for two weeks Good Luck and choose your Champion carefully for they will shape your Zone

Above him Simon could look and see the green pillar of light very close It seemed to be beyond the villages but still quite close Meanwhile the grey pillar of light was much farther away more to the South and East

While undoubtedly needing a Class Simon was also tempted by the thoughts of Skills by pledging to the two Champions But mostly he was drawn to the idea of the Wild Rider Not only was it closer but having a Soul Bond with a monster seemed rather interesting

Even through the thick fear and worry that had gripped his heart tightly since arriving at this place Simon felt a glimmer of hope Perhaps this world this world changed by the System wasn’t so bad after all

But still the caution won out Over the next several weeks Simon simply communicated with the traders who came through his spring which had become something of a trading outpost with several huts built for the people who passed through Simon learned about the two Champions

To the Southeast the Skeleton Knights had a castle in the middle of the badlands which most people had avoided anyway but they wanted to explore in the future to trade with the other villages He had an army of lesser skeletons too but most of those were deployed to the South struggling against Donnyton and Franksburg

Meanwhile the Wild Rider was very close to these villages and had taken over suppressing the nearby dungeon It was unclear from looking at the Wild Rider whether it was a man or a woman and they spoke only sparingly but they were fair and respectful Trade could be conducted with them and traveling in and out of their territory was fine

There were some drawbacks to both in the form of new and more powerful monster spawns in the surrounding area some of which obeyed the Champions but others which did not It made sense that the Wild Rider would bring more monsters suitable for riding but why did the Skeleton Knight fill the badlands with zombies and crypt spiders

The other news was mostly what Simon thought of as propaganda coming from the Southeast talking about the heroic battle to slay the Tier III Raid Boss Rumor had it that some of the Classers from the area were already at level 40 approaching 50 and could slay a normal Raid Boss with one hand

Both of Donnyton and Franksburg were upgraded villages and both had their strengths Donnyton was filled with interesting characters who led their squads to victory time and time again hunting in the badlands Even the Skeleton Knight was on his back foot against them and peace talks had begun

Meanwhile Franksburg had Lucifer the man who slew the Tier III Raid Boss Travelers claimed that the Ancient Rarity equipment he obtained was a cloak of darkness that allowed him to teleport

Simon was torn between believing them because of the System and calling them crazy

But it did serve as something of a spark So Simon set his goals and then trained and trained grinding up to the goals he set for himself After two long arduous months he finally reached those goals and looked nervously at his status screen

Health(/R per hour) 67/67 (33 5)

Mana(/R per hour) 108/108 (53)

Stam(/R per min) 43/43 (8)

Endurance 11

Strength 12

Agility 24

Perception 21

Reaction 20

Resistance 10

Willpower 10

Inteligence 52

Wisdom 25

Control 16

Skills Chosen of the Golden Lily Spring Lvl 175 Bash Resistance Lvl 15 Stab Resistance Lvl 6 Blood Clotting Lvl 22 Crushing Grip Lvl 18 Mana Bolt Lvl 40 Running Lvl 23 Physical Fitness Lvl 8 Bubble Lvl 26 First Aid Lvl 32 Meditation Lvl 31 Mana Shield Lvl 23 Herbalism Lvl 19 Healing Palm Lvl 17 Dodge Lvl 19 Bloom of the Golden Lily Lvl 5 Refine Lvl 20 Sense Ailment Lvl 33 Sixth Sense Lvl 22 Mending Stream Lvl 45 Water Jet Lvl 28 Water Manipulation Lvl 15

Scratching his head Simon wondered whether this would be enough He had put a lot into his Physical Stats just so he wasn’t too imbalanced but

He couldn’t wait much longer The two Champions had been here for months now marshalling their forces recruiting people They didn’t really mind what you did once you pledged but if they called you you had to come to battle where you would receive increased experience and skill gains Simon needed that to catch up even if he could only support It was time

A noise made Simon look up Reflexively his Sixth Sense skill flared to work scanning but there didn’t appear to be any danger Instead it felt like some sort of opportunity Here on the day he planned on finally leaving an opportunity

Bemused Simon Bliss trotted forward out of his small area carefully moving through the underbrush Rather than a monster like Simon had worried it was a person collapsed on the ground

Immediately Simon sensed something was wrong based on the posture In addition the man’s shoulder appeared to be bleeding and his shoes were stolen What sorta asshole monsters

This thought focused Simon’s attention once more He carefully scanned the surrounding area looking for the culprit The man wouldn’t have just been dumped here would he

But looking at the man with the perspective of his earlier thoughts Simon’s heart sank Of course he must have had a good sort of equipment as footwear and had been beaten and left to die Or even beaten where he had wandered here looking for Simon for aid for healing

The man had black hair to his shoulders and was wearing some strange sort of leather garb Perhaps he was related to the Wild Rider

A twig snapped nearby and Simon jumped his Sixth Sense scanning wildly consuming his Stamina without a thought But it was nothing just a small animal Timidly Simon crept forward out of the cover of the trees towards the man Once he was in range Simon activated Sense Ailment his senses extending towards the man

Immediately his senses recoiled and Simon was sent reeling his mind nearly splitting from the vicious pain that tore through him His Sense Ailment didn’t give him much traditional information it simply reproduced the ails the other was feeling in Simon’s body at only a fraction None of the other pains even complex fractures that left a grown man crying had even swayed Simon who admitted his tolerance for pain was pretty low

The fact he was experiencing that sort of head pain was unimaginable Some sort of head trauma

More fearful for the man’s life now than he was nervous Simon hurried closer rolling him over It looked like the man hadn’t shaven in a few days but it was hard to tell with all the dried blood on his face In addition there was a pretty deep wound on his stomach which would need looked at

Simon grimaced He really truly was trying to leave his safe haven He couldn’t in good conscious just leave the man there right

Chapter 291

Dragging the man back to his cabin was more difficult than he anticipated Truly though Simon had the strength in his gangly 14 year old body that a grown man would have he still didn’t have the size to heft him over his shoulder and could only drag him

Which wasn’t good for his wounds so Simon stopped periodically checking him before continuing his journey Once back at the cabin Simon stripped the man as best he could cutting away the ripped leathers revealing the wounds Simon winced Jagged but healing on his side and shoulder

The real problem was that head pain Simon guessed Maybe some internal bleeding or something Far beyond his skill in conventional means but

Simon brought out some of his Mending Fluid He had three types The basic the concentrated and his masterpiece a highly concentrated mixture that Simon believed would revive the dead He looked at all three torn

It took a lot to make any of these He had 10 regular vials which was enough to make a single concentrated He had three of those but it would take 10 of those vials to make his strongest concentration That pain though

Feeling like he wanted to play it safe Simon gave the man all three of his concentrated potions then settled to wait In the meantime he created more Mending Fluid and Meditated slowly wondering who this man was

It was clear from his hard muscled body that he was extremely active Perhaps a Classer from one of the nearby villages then But he wasn’t someone that Simon recognized Not that so many people came here these days mostly the same faces of the traders

What cemented this man’s status as a Classer in Simon’s mind were the dozens of crisscrossing scars on the man’s body In fact there were so many that Simon began to wonder whether the man hadn’t fought even BEFORE the System came It just seemed too complete for about 6 months His body had grown up receiving scars as if it was natural

A day passed Simon barely sleeping the man’s breathing easing somewhat but still remaining unconscious Surreptitiously Simon tried Sense Ailment already flinching

Which he was right to Once more Simon was sent to the ground barely sensible Only after a few seconds of twitching could he stand again

Fine Simon growled You’ve forced me to use my big guns

Both the extra concentrated mixture and another concentrated mixture that Simon had made these past few days went into the man

So it went for three weeks Simon putting off his travels to treat this man each day making a concentrated mixture refusing to use Sense Ailments again It was scary But Simon had to admit that if there was real brain damage then honestly there was nothing that he could really do to help the man

But after 21 days the man stirred Simon moved closer curious just in time to see the man’s eyes spring open wild and vicious glowing a strange unnatural mint green color The wave of bloodlust that seemed to radiate off the man sent Simon stumbling backwards scooting along the ground to get farther away

The man’s eyes were strangely confused but that slowly cleared as he winced raising a hand to his head He held that posture for several minutes seemingly content to just concentrate and let himself sit

Here Simon said aloud careful not to startle him Most of the bloodlust had left the air but still Simon held up a bowl of vegetable stew and another vial of his concentrated potion

Without blinking the man’s eyes turned to Simon seeming to take the boy in who shifted awkwardly A lot of people were confused how his arms and legs were so skinny but he had plenty of pudge on his torso It was something that had haunted Simon through all of middle school and high school had been looking pretty similar before the System hit

He had even lost some weight and put on some muscle too Not that you could really tell Not muscle like this guy had either of which Simon was slightly envious

After about 30 seconds of careful study the man seemed to relax and took both the food and the vial but set the food to the side Simon made a mental note of that Only when your Vitality was about 30 could you go for a while without eating and this man had gone 3 weeks without any food but the fluid and some water Simon gave him How much Vitality did he have Maybe upwards of 50

Then Simon’s eyes widened with shock because the man flicked the vial then concentrated and a single vial of the concentrated liquid focused further becoming a glowing golden drop of liquid This did however set off a chain reaction in the man where he leaned back grimacing seemingly wracked by pain Still he maintained a grip on the vial and lifted it to his mouth drinking the single drop of the stuff

Within 10 seconds his face eased and the man sighed rubbing his brow He nodded gratefully then picked up the bowl of food and devoured it within a minute Then he leaned back in his bed sighing

I’m Simon by the way Simon offered in a small voice

The man didn’t straighten but looked up at him from where he was lying There seemed to be something of an ironic smile on his face

Finally he spoke David

Nice to meet you David Simon said meekly It takes a lot of Mana but I’ll make you some more of that fluid when I can

The man’s eyes brightened at that and he waved a hand Abruptly Simon realized that the man had an interspatial ring A Classer for sure then Watching carefully Simon’s mouth dropped For the man had removed around 20 Mana potions out of the blue without a thought Then the man collapsed returning to fitful sleep

Simon almost dropped David’s potions when he picked them up because they restored over 100 Mana per consumption

Holy fuck Simon whispered But again that small spark of desire that had been smothered inside of him at the arrival of the man flared back to life If this was the power of the equipment available to Classers Simon had to leave this place no matter how scared he was

Randidly groaned taking stock of himself It wasn’t good but he was beginning to cope with the worst of the effects

When Randidly had used his skill and that Aegiant fellow had struck back at his image Aegiant had forcibly shattered it Not just the image itself but the flow of Aether inside Randidly’s soul that channeled and produced it Literally the skill construct inside of him had been blown to smithereens hundreds of small pieces of Aether scattering inside of him

Which normally would be fine because the pain only came when the broken skill was activated But these small bits had flown into other skill structures becoming lodged in them And every time he activated a skill with a bit inside of it there was a resonance with the broken skill which caused the pain to spike precipitously

Additionally it kept him from concentrating hard enough to see his notifications or bringing up his menus All in all Randidly was basically just a person before the System now who didn’t dare use his Skills for fear of that vicious mental agony far worse than anything he had ever experienced

The active skills were easy but the reason the pain had been so bad initially was probably because Bacterial Regeneration was working overtime while Randidly was out remaking his body Thankfully this kid had a strange elixir that helped ease the pain and heal the wound but

It would take time Randidly experimented briefly while he lay there for the next hour or so carefully touching a fragment of the destroyed skill in Bacterial Regeneration The pain immediately flared to life but it was at a manageable level rather than the strange resonance pain

Slowly ponderously he pressed it moving it careful not to jostle it too much spiking the pain Of course it was still miserable but

It would move

Randidly collapsed exhausted Well it would move slowly but giving him access to that skill would probably take him 8 hours of concerted agony slowly moving the bits out of the way into the empty space inside of him And Bacterial Regeneration was towards the outside with some of the fewest pieces inside of it Some of the others

A long slow recovery Randidly thought grimly Which was why he had lied about his name to Simon although the kid seemed nice enough Although he had his high stats Randidly didn’t have access to skills or even his menu at the moment Best to be safe

Especially if his vision about Lyra and the Creature was true

In addition Randidly wanted to determine what was going on within the Zone before he did anything else There had been other villages and he wanted to check on how they were developing

If anything being dropped away from Donnyton like this was a blessing Less a chance that someone recognizes him here while he needed time to recuperate Sighing Randidly lay back and let himself drift off to sleep

Chapter 292

Simon looked at his companion with some concern Are you sure you are recovered enough to travel

David nodded his eyes calmer than Simon would have believed based on how he had seemed wracked by pain over the last three days Simon did value how little David seemed to speak content to nod and gesture rather than communicate Which was a relief in a way because they seemed to fit well together Simon waiting silently and the older man just seeming to struggle with his internal injury

To Simon’s surprise although David did not really talk he was pretty effective at communicating his desires his current desire was to leave with Simon on his journey to receive a Class Abruptly faced with this truth Simon had hemmed and hawed saying that he didn’t believe David’s condition had progressed to an acceptable level but that had just made the other man hobble away to a nearby bush removing the strange minty blue berries there

Then the man began to brew Mana potions the implication clear If David’s condition was insufficient provide more of the Mending Fluid

Which was ONE way of solving the problem but it wasn’t the way that Simon would have preferred True he had almost left weeks ago when David had arrived but now things were different somehow Before Simon had convinced himself that the world wasn’t as bad as he had imagined

Now that he had left once and found the beaten and robbed David well that shattered that world view

What was strangest about the strange new traveler was that he refused Simon’s spare shoes it almost seemed like a point of pride to David that he didn’t have shoes Perhaps his shoes had some sentimental value After the System arrived life was much much cheaper than it had been previously even though there were many many fewer living souls in the world

As the slimes in the apartment near Simon had demonstrated this System was designed to eliminate the weak

Well okay then Simon said unsure of what to say and the two of them began their travels North The distance they were traveling wasn’t far maybe just 12 miles but it was through territory where there were prevalent monsters This was due to the fact they had to traverse around the base of the dungeon that transformed after the Tribulation succeeded in eradicating the humans who had lived there

These were monsters that were transformed humans those who received a Class from that village transformed by the fallen village and forced to respawn over and over fighting with madness the entire time

Simon was suddenly regretting his decision to leave their safezone and glanced at his companion his heart pounding But there was something profoundly calming about watching the other man walk There was just a surety to him Nothing would go wrong

Screeching several howler monkeys jumped down and ran towards the two of them Before Simon could respond David stepped forward and karate chopped the front runner That monkey fell back reeling and another monkey attempted to tackle David

Unfortunately Simon was standing behind David unable to assist with that one but he was able to turn and point at the third oncoming monkey A blast of water smashed forward sending that monkey stumbling Two bubbles followed popping next to the monkey’s face his ear drums rupturing blood pouring out of its ears

Simon glanced at the tackling monkey and surprised to find it reeling David must have used some martial art because from the corner of his eye it had almost seemed like the monkey had run into David and just bounced off This further cemented in Simon’s mind that David fought even before the System was here

Those sort of skills you couldn’t learn them in 6 months It was impressive

The final monkey seemed to notice what was going on and skidded to a stop then it turned and fled leaving its disoriented and wounded comrades David calmly walked forward grabbing the necks of monkeys and wringing them

Feeling pretty good about the experience Simon walked forward and used Crushing Grip on the deafened monkey wringing its neck The creature died but Simon shivered somewhat Even though it definitely would have killed them it was hard to stomach taking another life after

That boys screams

Simon pressed his eyes closed his body trembling Breathing became a struggle until he felt a soft pressure A hand on his shoulder

Simon opened his eyes and looked at David From David’s expression it was clear that some of his injuries were acting up after the fight but still the lines of his face were filled with concern for Simon Feeling oddly helpless Simon forced himself to straighten and produced some concentrated Mending Liquid for the man who smiled wryly at him but took the vial

Again that liquid got Refined to a tiny golden drop which David then consumed His expression eased In silence they both turned and proceeded onwards

It seemed that the display against the monkeys had done a lot to scare the nearby monsters because for the next 4 hours they didn’t encounter anything Until a group of humans came up to them led by a stocky woman riding a bear Simon blinked

Really riding a bear That was possible

The groups regarded each other in silence for several minutes sizing each other up all the while Simon’s tension mounting Rather than him the bear riding woman seemed to be considering David

Simon looked between them noticing how their eyes locked But while the woman seemed extremely fierce there was a mildness in David’s expression which was even more tireless

Finally the woman spoke You are you pledged to the Skeleton King I don’t want trouble and your strength is obvious but

David shook his head and the woman relaxed visibly She raised her hand and it flashed green a strange symbol in the air Ah that’s much better then I hail from Star Crossing but I am pledged to the Wild Rider Are you from the Refuge

David turned to Simon with a frown and Simon whispered It’s the Westmost village controlled by survival enthusiasts and martial arts nuts mostly Combat focused hunters

His expression clearing David turned back to the woman and nodded She seemed to relax further but turned to Simon with a grin

Does our friend never talk

It’s not that he never does but Simon turned to David the other man looking down at him with his deep emerald eyes After he was unable to find the right thoughts Simon just shrugged It’s almost as if he doesn’t need to He’s communicative in other ways

David smiled The woman laughed A man after my own heart My name’s Thea Thea Glasshammer Where are you two headed

Star Crossing Simon supplied I I’ve decided to finally acquire a Class And maybe pledge to the Wild Hunter

Thea’s eyes brightened and she gave a sidelong glance to David Now your friend clearly already has a Class but will he be joining you in your pledge

David just smiled That seemed to drain the rest of the fight out of Thea and she hopped off her bear a giant black thing and walked over Now that she was on the ground Simon realized that she wasn’t nearly as stocky as he had initially thought she simply looked that way wrapped in thick fur armor

His eyes were almost inadvertently drawn to her hips which swung with a very noticeable sway Simon gulped

One of the two men who accompanied Thea a man wearing a grey robe chuckled The other a warrior type with a large ax seemed completely uninterested in the conversation though his eyes had not left David for a second since the groups had met

That’s Jast and Teo Thea said pointing to the mage and then to the warrior in turn And this big lug is Chrysanthemum

It took Simon several moments to realize that she meant the bear The bear’s name was Chrysanthemum and the creature was big enough to swallow 6 of him With such little distance between them Simon could barely stand his ground If it attacked

David shared none of Simon’s concerns stepping forward and reaching out towards the bear It sniffed him idly then seemed to nod deigning to allow him to touch her Thea chuckled

Don’t be surprised but bears were already pretty smart to begin with but the Soul Bond Skill imbues your bonded animal with a portion of your stats and that includes Intelligence She can tell how you strong are more easily than even I can

This made David frown and he crouched on his haunches lowering his eyes to Chrysanthemum’s The two regarded each other Simon made to say something but Thea held up a hand stopping him her smile slipping off her face

For 20 seconds the two regarded each other

Chrysanthemum growled David rumbled deep in his chest in response All at once the two exploded into motion David rushing to the side avoiding the swipe of Chrysanthemum’s paw The two began to streak between the trees Chrysanthemum clearly the faster of the two but David much more agile moving like a ghost among the trees

They are playing Jast asked gaping And Thea just nodded her expression torn Simon blinked several times

David was playing with a bear

Chapter 293

The group of the 6 of them arrived at Star Crossing everyone in a rather good mood They had encountered a recently spawned Tier I Raid Boss taking it by surprise due to David’s quick warning and were able to harvest three pieces of equipment from its corpse One of which Thea offered to David but he shook his head firmly gesturing to Simon

So Simon found himself with his first piece of System generated equipment

Chainmail of the Metal Scarecrow Lvl 22 An armor made from the torso of the Iron Scarecrow Powerful deterrent against flying opponents Endurance +5 Stamina +30

Simon couldn’t keep the smile off his face The boost to Endurance could keep him alive but the Stamina bonus helped him keep up his mobility for longer in a fight With this alone he definitely felt safer For the first time Simon felt like it was worth the effort to come out here to town

And he hadn’t even gotten his Class yet

You can find the Village Chieftain in the lodge he will take you to the Village Spirit Thea said almost as if she could read Simon’s mind as she waved to a few passing people I have to head up and back to the Wild Rider’s preserve hopefully we meet again

She flashed David a smile and rode off on her bear the pair lumbering forward The two others split off going their own ways

Star Crossing was set up strangely because it was built on the bones of a weird corner of town that contained two gas stations two motels and a quaint little inn The inn was called the Star Crossing which was where the Village got its name and the other buildings had been retrofitted to suit their new purposes The motels had been expanded and now seemed more like a dormitory than anything else One gas station was a weapons and supplies store the other food and storage

The road between the two gas stations was filled with stalls where people sold their wares There was also a large recently constructed stable at the far end of the road on which these buildings sat and from what Simon could see it was filled with some very strange mounts

Evidence of the Wild Rider

Apparently David’s thoughts had gone in a similar direction because he was looking over towards the stable and frowning Then his quizzical gaze shifted to Simon

Probably built it for all the people pledging to the Wild Rider Because it is so close to here

David’s gaze sharpened and he made a vague gesture in the direction that Thea had left in Simon’s eyes widened If he was understanding the man correctly

You don’t know about the Wild Rider About Champions Simon asked feeling confused David shook his head

So for 5 minutes they stood there and Simon explained what he knew of the Champions both from the notifications and from gathering information since while people traveled through his small spring Although he had only been gone for several hours he already felt a small pang of homesickness It had been a rough few months and that place had kept him safe so

But then he mentally chided himself at his diverted attention Much more intriguing was the fact that David seemed so perplexed by the Champions Had he somehow missed their arrival But that didn’t really make sense Unless he was held captive for a while before he was beaten and released But that would make his captivity at least a month

At some point David seemed satisfied and just shrugged and then pointed towards the Star Crossing Inn Back to business

Nodding Simon followed David who walked confidently through the crowd towards the inn It was illuminating to see how people treated David Simon had thought that Thea’s reaction was somewhat strange especially since she hadn’t yet seen him in action How had she so quickly known that he was powerful

But everyone here knew somehow Not in a direct way Simon guessed but through some sixth sense Taller and broader men stepped out of the way of David almost subconsciously shooting him furtive glances once he walked past Looking at David’s back Simon once again reevaluated his companion

This sort of comfort even with the scrutiny he was seeing this confidence perhaps he was famous before the System Like a high ranking person in MMA or something It wouldn’t really explain the scars though which were not wounds you received from fighting with fists

When they arrived at the inn’s doors a bored looking man scanned them both What are you here for

I Simon gulped down his fear and tried again I want to get a Class

Oho Usually we don’t get Classless riffraff showing up these days Everyone who wants one is already a member of a village Everyone else is either settled or part of the Class research initiative Why so late boy

Simon frowned He was 14 and the man in front of him was middle aged but he had sorta assumed most of those dumb things had disappeared Apparently that was not the case David folded his arms standing behind Simon giving him the strength to open his mouth once more and say Because I waited

Waving a hand the man turned away Fine fine No need to unleash your pet dog on me Jeesh Standard procedure an applicant has to select one of four roles to determine the test for the Class Are you a Tank Damage Dealer Control Or Support Are both of you taking the test

David shook his head Simon thought about it

I suppose Support The man nodded going over to a messy desk and rummaging around before producing a piece of paper

Support eh Alright what kind You can choose Physical Mage Healer or Detector

Like Simon hesitated glancing at David David pointed forward mimicking Simon when he shot the blast of water at the monkey Simon blushed

Mage

Mage easiest test too Lucky you you have a chance Support type Just show me what you can do

A flash of anger rose in Simon’s chest But instead of lashing out Simon felt profoundly sneaky David punch him

David grinned then walked calmly towards the man his fists clenched The man snorted

Nice try but I’m a melee Tank Clever support kid but The man hadn’t moved at all as David approached and even let David karate chop him

The bone shattered with an audible crunch Screaming the man fell to the ground The inn went silent around them

Simon was wide eyed looking at David David for his part seemed extremely confused He looked at his hand then at the man then back to his hand Then he turned to Simon and of all things shrugged

Oh for the love of Simon said rushing over to the screaming man pointing He activated Mending Stream and the water fell on the man’s body very quickly numbing the pain and jump starting the man’s natural healing process

I was kidding earlier I’m a Healer Simon said thinking on the fly his tongue feeling very fat and dry in his mouth I just wanted this to demonstrate my ability

You You fuckers The man said furious his eyes hard but he was trembling still sitting on the ground glaring at David Luckily the break was a simple one and within 30 seconds the bone had healed snapping back into place restoring mobility The pain was undoubtedly completely gone but the man rose cradling his arm

If you think that you can join the town after injuring me you have another fucking thing coming The man bellowed just as a group of guards led by a familiar face ran into the room

Heh Teo the warrior chuckled taking in the scene with his direct gaze Causing trouble already No wonder Thea liked y’all What seems to be the problem

Chapter 294

Luckily it seemed that the man in front of the inn Kirkland was widely hated and Teo readily accepted the fact that Simon had David break Kirkland’s arm to demonstrate his healing After all Kirkland couldn’t deny that they healed him while also claiming they maliciously attacked them

Teo herded the still huffing and trembling Kirkland away then turned and spoke to David The Village Spirit will be down soon You owe me a favor And you know what I want

David seemed to sigh and Teo grinned wider before leaving Simon frowned and spoke while everyone else left

He wants something From you

David nodded glumly then punched his fist into his hand with an audible wack then pointed to himself and then out the door Simon’s eyes widened He wants to fight you

Smiling wryly David sat and began to focus his attention inward his expression becoming clouded Simon was already used to David doing this at every free moment and it seemed to have some effect on the man’s recovery so Simon let him be

Instead Simon wondered idly why Teo would be so excited about a fight to request it as a favor especially after seeing David play with Chrysanthemum and now shattering a man’s arm His Strength was high Maybe as high as 60 or even 70

Simon shuddered right when a small child skipped into the room taking in both of the people here with a single glance

Ha The girl laughed pointing at David Oh wow how did you get so fucked up on your inside I can’t even pick it apart You Someone shattered one of your skills forcibly Hahaahah What terrible luck I can’t tell your level and Class with all of the interference but with the average strength of this planet you are doomed to die Go have sex or something enjoy your last weeks before the headaches get worse

David just seemed aggrieved but ignored the child as she came skipping towards Simon Eventually she stopped her eyes opening wide too wide taking him all in She had no iris or pupils just a pure white eyeball to match her short white hair

Hmm Yes I think you’ll do You can have a Class if you want one My power gives people some of the best Classes Well not the best Classes per se but I let you see a bit about each class before you choose Wow what a bonus Okay ready The girl was looking at Simon expectantly

Checking to make sure David’s face was still neutral Simon nodded After the girl gestured impatiently he stepped forward and allowed her to press her hands to his shoulders the little girl struggling up on her tiptoes to do so For a second nothing happened but then it was like a circuit was completed and he felt power passing between them

There was a flash and three Class options appeared in front of Simon Before he had taken in any of that information more information appeared below that blurring for a second then settling into readable forms

Dreamer A strange Class which focuses on the imagination of the user Skills and talents vary based on the user Class Skills 1 Skill Slots 12 Stats per lvl 3 Score 56/100

Assassin A Class specialized in stealth and surprise attacks Given enough time Assassins can kill almost anyone Class Skills 4 Skill Slots 6 Stats per lvl 4 Score 69/100

Wave Guardian A powerful Class that combines physical and magical skills these defensive individuals specialize in water magic and protection Class Skills 2 Skill Slots 6 Stats per lvl 5 Score 75/100

Simon glanced through the Classes very quickly surprised He had heard that the Classes you received came from three sources a scan of you right when the System arrived a random Class and then a scan of your capabilities currently And honestly Simon was quite pleased with all three It was also convenient that they were scored

Immediately Simon felt a powerful desire to be an Assassin just from all the MMOs where he had played just that role but he quickly silenced that notion Especially because there was Wave Guardian which was 6 points better based on the scoring system that the Village Spirit possessed

Plus Wave Guardian was water focused which was the direction Simon wanted to head anyway and possessed an extra stat per level Simon opened his mouth to make his choice

Simon

The voice was softer than Simon would have expected more youthful and surprised him so much he stepped to the side awkwardly But David was staring at him intently

Before you make your choice the Village Spirit changed the scores at the last second Originally the score for Dreamer was 76

Hey You Wait how did you even see that Do you have a detection skill The girl’s anger melted into curiosity within seconds seemingly completely fine with being caught in her lie When David didn’t say anything further the girl shrugged turning to Simon Well yes he’s right but I did it for your own good Wave Guardian is the better option

Especially for someone trying to defend a village David said his voice still low Simon that Class does not suit you

Suddenly Simon felt a sinking feeling in his chest That was what this was about That he wasn’t strong enough for a combat Class

With his hands balled into fists he said There are more Class skills and higher stat gains Plus the Class is focused on water I know I’m not Not very brave or strong or or fucking like you but I can learn and then

Yea you could But you would not be happy Learning to hurt others is not worth it when your gifts lie elsewhere David said quietly his eyes closing Abruptly David seemed to have aged several years the developing wrinkles in the corners of his eyes clear

The girl started clapping Wow so philosophical Well I’ll tell you another little secret although this will hurt a bit Mr Emo Philosopher here is right in a way the Class skill you get is powerful enough in its way to raise the score that high And

Grunting the girl leaned forward then tumbled to the ground beginning to flail David chuckled then turned to Simon What she wanted to say I bet is that the skills you get every 10 levels will be similarly powerful But of course it’s your choice

Was it really his choice Simon supposed so but he was faced with two choices and he hated it It felt like he was choosing between the person he was the spoiled useless brat before the System came and the person he wanted to be

Strong confident able to defeat enemies and help people Powerful water magic healing protective spells everything could be his if he chose the Wave Defender All he had to do was face his fear and fight

Pressing his eyes closed Simon for the first time forced himself to look at the image of that child chased by the hippopotamuses about to die For that boy didn’t he have to fight Wasn’t he angry enough at the unfairness of the world that he would fight for that kid

But looking at the child instead of that anger there was only a cold dread A thick layer of fear settled in his chest stifling his ability to breathe How could Simon ever hope to fight these monsters even with a Class

Feeling somewhat defeated Simon selected Dreamer

Congratulations You have received the Class of Dreamer You have gained the skill Astral Projection Lvl 1 You may learn 12 additional skills to these and those you already possess Skills may be forgotten to learn new skills +6 Health per Level +16 Mana Per Level +6 Stamina per level +2 Reaction Wisdom or Control per level (these points may be distributed between 2)

Astral Projection Simon mused But before he could try it he was interrupted by the girl hopping to her feet and clapping

Perfect Welcome to Star Crossing There are some things I need to personally take care of but I’ve assigned Thea Glasshammer to assist in helping you level when she returns from visiting the Wild Hunter She’s the one that brought you in yes Hopefully you will get along well For now feel free to fight some weaker monsters in the surrounding areas and familiarize yourself with your new skill Good luck

She turned to leave and then called over her shoulder Oh and you I sorta hope you don’t go insane from the pain and die yanno Then she was gone

David actually chuckled and the two of them walked out of the main inn receiving some surly looks from the guards Apparently they had not done themselves any favors by attacking that dick head

Hey thanks Simon said lamely I I think you are right but I just wanted

David only nodded

Simon scratched his head as the two of them pushed their way through the stalls towards the edge of the Village If you could talk this whole time why haven’t you Did I

David gave him a look but it contained all the meaning it needed I didn’t talk because I didn’t need to

Nodding lamely Simon followed the older man into the woods thinking that he wished David would talk more while simultaneously wishing he wouldn’t The silence was nice and Simon didn’t feel the pressure to answer but it was a bit lonely Still at least they were doing this together

Simon’s smile was bitter Everything was like this for him He both liked and hated every option which meant he was just never satisfied He had hoped that this would change with the System but life was still life

Chapter 295

Thea Glasshammer saluted to the Executive Directors of Star Crossing

Report Andre said the tall African American man who had seized the golden coin to found the town and established himself as chairman of the village

The Wild Rider actually thinks the Skeleton Knight is losing the war against the villages to the South based on his movements Thea said with a frown

This is a bad thing Denise a thin Asian woman interjected

From what the Wild Rider says yes Thea confirmed Although they can decimate his forces it would be a miracle if they managed to kill him His stats are just too much higher than even their best Meanwhile the more pressure he’s under

The faster he grows That’s how the Champions work Cale drawled the final member of the Executive Board a slightly overweight man who had been a baker before the change

Exactly Thea confirmed

And the Wild Rider remains unwilling to act Andre asked frowning

Yes According to them the way this should have played out was the Skeleton Knight expanding hunting for the Wild Rider Meanwhile the Wild Rider would be running and hiding waiting for his Ivory Stag to grow up from an infant It would be a race would the Skeleton Knight catch the Wild Rider in his net or would the stag grow powerful enough to turn the tide Thea said The pressure from the chase would be important because it would hasten the growth As it is

So because it is safe the growth is slow Cale said shaking his head Which is terrible news for us

Worse news for the Southern Villages Denise commented She turned to Andre Has the Southern Boogeyman shown up Or are they still fighting on their own

Andre was still frowning when he spoke It is possible but based on what our scouts have said the Ghosthound is still missing Which is a blessing and a curse if what is stated about his powers are to be believed Either way his actions jump started those Villages to the point they don’t need him to go toe to toe with the skeleton army

Thea kept her mouth shut for this part of the conversation even though she had so many questions to ask She had of course heard of the Ghosthound a man who had started the first village in their Zone shaped and protected the second planted a tree and started a cult and then abruptly disappeared right when the Tier III Raid Boss arrived

But everyone agreed he was the most powerful individual they had ever seen And the rumor was that he didn’t even have a Class

Which was a crazy prospect Thea knew that logically most Classes didn’t add THAT much extra stats per level but the bonuses to Health Mana and Stamina alone were enough to make the difference in a fight in most cases How could a Classless person hope to match that with just what he received for finishing paths The more well received theory was that he had a Soul Skill but that was even more troubling Aside from the 4 people he had given Soul Skills to and the Village Founders Soul Skill none others were known

The fact he had done this much on his own

So people focus Andre said his hands spreading out on the wood of the table What do we do What does the Wild Rider want

They definitely want to do something Thea supplied shrugging The problem will only be exacerbated if we allow the conflict with the Southern Villages to buoy the Skeleton Knight’s strength without getting the Wild Rider involved But all of the options are bad ones

If it’s a matter of Cale began leaning forward but Andre gave him a look They all three fell silent and Thea felt inwardly furiously The leaders of Star Crossing were hiding things from her simply because she had pledged to the Wild Rider Although most of the people had pledged there was something about the situation holding the Executive Board back

They were unwilling to fully trust the Champion that had descended to their world even though the alternative was so abhorrent Perhaps it was only because the Skeleton Knight’s reign was such a far cry from the freedom these people desired that the Executive Board kept her around in such a high position at all

Either way it rankled Through her mental connection to Chrysanthemum Thea felt her companion’s emotion turn angry as her own emotions bled over Quickly she schooled herself as best she could keeping her face impassive

There is another reason we called you here Denise said turning to Thea Those two you brought in One of them was given a Class We’d like it if you could assist in his early leveling He also expressed interest in the Wild Rider so

Simon was it Thea said remembering the two figures Remembering the visceral feeling of Chrysanthemum’s joy as she had played with the other man David

Denise paused yes I believe so A lovely name Anyway help them but watch them too They caused some trouble when they went for a Class The usual arrogant sort of violence Something to watch out for

Thea had a very hard time believing that but she nodded anyway

A gong began to sound Cale swore Denise’s eyes narrowed

Well it seems we have company Andre said mildly as he stood

Randidly grunted with exertion his will straining The worst part of this whole recovery was how fucking squirrelly the bits of his broken skill were as they were embedded in the wrong place They seemed to wriggle aiming to get around his pressing will

It had swiftly become apparent that while his skill being smashed to pieces was the main injury his Battle Intent and therefore his application of will was also heavily injured Luckily the amorphous quality he had chosen for it meant that his will was well on its way to reforming

Randidly supposed he shouldn’t be surprised He had let his Battle Intent take a beating against Drak then overexerted himself using his new skill too many times and then he had used it against a Master class opponent who had absolutely steamrolled him Surprising honestly that the injuries weren’t any worse

But that was slowly recovering so he was becoming increasingly even handed with his surgery With a grunt Randidly leaned back relaxing somewhat letting the dull ache of pain fade away Several bits of broken skill floated in the space where the skill was once housed liberated

Randidly had been able to completely clear the skills Bacterial Regeneration Running and Hammer of the Dawn A strangely eclectic list but they were the most commonly used skills of the ones that had a light serving of the bits of skill

What Randidly really needed to clear out was Physical Fitness and Fighting Proficiency the two passive skills that were basically causing him constant low grade agony Fighting Proficiency wasn’t so bad but Physical Fitness had 9 bits embedded in it one of the worst ones And these were all deep worming their way into the crucial bits of the skill

While Randidly could remove them moving them incorrectly or too quickly or too ANYTHING meant that there was a strange irritation to his pain This irritation led to persistent debilitating headaches that could only be sated through the use of the Mending Fluid that Simon provided

Which meant that the limiting factor in Randidly’s recovery speed was really Simon not that he would ever tell the kid that He had enough stress on his plate Currently he was over in the corner curled up practicing his Astral Projection Skill

Randidly’s inherent suspicion of Village Spirits had driven him to intercede but he wondered whether that was for the best He truly believed that remaining a Dreamer was the honest to self path for Simon But perhaps it was far far more difficult to maintain that innocence in the world after the System

Maybe just after coming back from Shal’s world seeing Simon had triggered a nostalgia in Randidly foolish as it was

Randidly scratched his hands strangely irritated Well the reason wasn’t strange He hated this weakness this waiting At no point in his life had he ever been disabled like this And honestly this wasn’t a very complete disability He was just less overpowered

Or more accurately less able to refine himself and pursue his goals Randidly had a lot of things he wanted to accomplish finding his friends addressing the Creature’s use of Lyra’s identity but right now he wasn’t sure how he would fare in either endeavor He simply didn’t know enough about the Zone Where could they be

And there was something about the Champions that raised Randidly’s hackles More hooks that the System could put into you But he was curious too His Aether detection wasn’t sophisticated but there didn’t seem to be anything like an Aether tether other than the Class one on Thea Glasshammer In fact the only other connection was between her and the bear

Randidly abruptly straightened his eyes flashing Grimacing he drank some of the refined fluid Simon sat bolt upright

Trouble The boy began before collapsing into a fit of wheezing A gong began to sound likely a call to arms Randidly just yawned cracking his neck

Some light exercise would be nice

Chapter 296

Simon was trembling but there was something about David’s cool confidence that helped ground him Still the other man hadn’t seen what was coming so there was still a vicious live wire of worry at Simon’s core After all in his Astral Projection form he had managed to see how large the assault was

And based upon what he saw these first waves were only the beginning

The two of them walked out of their small tent seeing people respond in an impressively orderly fashion Most people and the few children that were here walked back and away heading towards the Star Crossing Inn Meanwhile those grim faced individuals with weapons and armor pushed the other way heading towards the perimeter of the village

David immediately began heading towards the perimeter which is what Simon thought they SHOULD do but had he been alone it was hard to say whether he would have actually done it

As they pushed through the crowd they saw a familiar face standing up on top of a low wall receiving reports and directing people to different areas Thea She saw them almost immediately her eyes drawn to David’s rather imposing air Simon supposed After a brief hesitation she hopped down off the wall and approached the two of them

I didn’t know if you guys would be willing to fight She said her eyes burning as she looked at David David looked at Simon Simon gulped

Well anyway we are glad to have you Stay with me you can be considered an addition to my battle group for now Accept the party invite it will help keep communications up When the notification popped up Simon accepted it immediately David you are this messed up name correct I’ll send you an invite too

Thea was already turning away moving deeper in the lines yelling for people to move to reinforce different areas but Simon paused David was glaring forward struggle written on his face as he looked at the air in front of him That familiar expression of pain was there too as he struggled with whatever injury plagued him

After a few seconds it passed but David just shook his head his expression annoyed Then he caught Simon’s eye and gave a small smile tilting his head forward Nodding wordlessly they followed Thea Simon wondering what happened

Did his injury prevent him from receiving notifications The Village Spirit did say that he was extremely unlucky and would go mad from the pain and die Was it a System related injury

That possibility was seeming increasingly likely and increasingly difficult to work around Simon’s skill with Mending Liquid had been steadily increasing but it didn’t really seem like it was increasing fast enough David’s body was a veritable black hole for the stuff Clenching his fists Simon resolved himself to commit more fully to its production With the Mana potions that David could make it was rather simple and it was good for some PP

The area around Star Crossing was filled with low rolling hills that broke up the terrain and made it rather difficult to climb especially for Simon who realized that he needed to invest more stats in physical areas But the difficulties cut both ways and when they reached the top of the hill they would be fighting from it became apparent that Star Crossing had handled things like this before

The side of the hill the enemy had to climb had been sheared away with only a criss crossing series of stone steps cutting back and forth all the way up Otherwise the angle of the terrain was too steep to climb

Inwardly Simon was very glad they had arrived from a direction not facing a dungeon

But that relief drained away as he looked out at the horde approaching the hill his heart tightening Their bones and jaws clacked creepily as they moved their bodies swaying to and fro carrying broken and rusted weapons The skeletons’ eyes gleamed with a red light as they looked up at them seeming to grin

Thea swore quietly getting up on Chrysanthemum’s back At least the fuckers will take some time to get up here Long range attackers Fire at will

Immediately a slew of Mana Bolts Fireballs and Entangling Roots erupted staggering and destroying a lot of the front line of skeletons They didn’t appear to be sturdy at all but disconnecting the bones did little Severed arms continued to inch forward the bones of the fingers struggling to drag them forward

Torsos that had simply lost their legs were even worse dragging themselves gleefully up the back of their compatriots riding forward There was a certain joy to the skeletons Simon thought numbly They were enjoying this

The heads Thea bellowed Hit the heads and the animation of the bones ends

Now the skeletons had come close enough that the non mages could fire and hatchets arrows and throwing knives whistled out hitting the front line aiming for their skulls This time a lot of those skeletons that were taken down stayed down but there were more coming

Congratulations You have leveled up You are now level 2

Simon blinked then chuckled Party experience huh Because he hadn’t really done anything so far

David pointed his expression firm clear of the usual pain that he had when moving around For a second nothing happened and Simon felt a pang of pity Was his access to the System truly damaged That would end up getting him killed in this world as he is unable to grow more powerful or

A flame hammer the size of a moped crashed into the spot where David was pointing 5 skeletons near the epicenter of the crash were vaporized instantly When it hit the hammer splashed liquid fire which began to burn away 6 7 others that were nearby Beyond that a dozen or so fell to the ground the shockwave shattering their bones or knocking them to the ground

Then with increasing speed David pointed again and again and altogether 10 of those hammers crashed down destroying the densest part of the enemy’s forces leaving them with large holes in their ranks as they marched forward Even after they hit they continued to cause problems as they burned bright and hot for around 30 seconds before dissipating

Attacks from our side stopped as everyone just looked wide eyed at the scene in front of them Of all of the other skills used none of them was really as effective as an arrow which could pierce a skull and destroy the skeleton Fireball incapacitated but was rarely hot enough to melt the skull Mana Bolt shattered it sometimes if it was strong enough but you had to hit at just the right angle Entangling Roots was just a delaying tactic

This was like watching somebody play a video game David pointed and 50 skeletons were instantly killed another 150 debilitated or put out of commission Just how

Don’t let your guard down They are still coming Thea bellowed Then she turned quietly and said to David Weren’t you a close range type

David did his typical shrug and Thea could only sigh Well if you need Mana potions I can

Waving his hand David produced 3 Mana potions all of them a dark blue much more potent than the ones he had given to Simon drinking them all at once Then he gave the two of them a thumbs up

Simon wasn’t sure what was scarier That he had potions more powerful than restoring 100 each or that he was able to casually drink 3 of those more powerful potions without so much as blinking He didn’t display any sort of mental strain there which you would usually experience if you used too much Mana too quickly around half of your pool And he had drank those 3 potions

Even assuming they ONLY restored 150 which was one of the most silly statements Simon had ever thought that meant he had over 900 mana

Simon had just over a 100 Plus David was better with his physical stats

Honestly Did this man have any weaknesses at all

Chapter 297

Although it looked flashy Randidly regretted using most of his Mana pool and all of the Mana from the few energy storage rings he had been able to make in the past several days Honestly he hadn’t given much thought to the aftermath but without access to the Golden Roots of Yggdrasil and Meditate his Mana Regeneration was half of what it usually was

230 an hour was probably an amount that would make other people horrified but to Randidly it simply wasn’t enough Inwardly he made a mental note to work on freeing up a skill that cost less from the influence of the Aether Shards Still he had enough Mana potions to push him back to fighting strength But he would not be doing that display again in the near future

Thea was still giving him a strange look which made him slightly uncomfortable Randidly knew that it would perhaps be better to keep a low profile avoiding the notice of the Creature for now but it seemed Donnyton was busy dealing with their own skeleton problem Hopefully this town was beyond its range

But that wasn’t a real hope Honestly Randidly just didn’t know enough about how the Creature was acting and what it wanted But it hadn’t sought him out yet and in such a state there wasn’t much else he could do

No right now Randidly’s primary concern would be healing himself and Simon’s potion was critical for that Randidly didn’t want to be cruel but the faster Simon grew and leveled the more quickly he would have Mana to make more of his fluid Also the more valuable Randidly was to the village and to Simon the more likely he would receive the materials he needed to grind the healing out quickly

Randidly grinned Plus this was going to be fun as fuck He hadn’t done anything like this since Franksburg was dealing with the monster horde

Without saying anything to the two individuals next to him Randidly stepped forward hopping down off the hill sliding his way down towards the sea of skeletons The leaders of the pack were still staggering avoiding the flames the Hammers of the Dawn had left but they looked up when Randidly arrived before them their jaws clacking

Randidly flexed his fingers careful with what he did trying to keep the physicality of the movements to a minimum while relying solely on Fighting Proficiency In spite of his efforts the small bits of Aether lodged in his passive skills began to ache

His hands blurred striking out left and right and then Randidly stepped forward moving very quickly into the middle of another group His hands were like iron claws smashing the skeletons to pieces They were almost comically slow and clumsy compared to him and Randidly wasn’t even using his spear he was simply relying on his superior stats and the bonuses from Fighting Proficiency

Thea was yelling his name and then frantically calling out orders but Randidly just grinned It didn’t matter if they kept shooting spells they wouldn’t really be able to hurt them But while his newfound silence was a heavy burden in some ways that Randidly wanted to stay within the comfortable ambiguity for now Better to just remain silent and let things work themselves out

With a slight grin Randidly pushed deeper

Simon was breathing heavily carefully aiming his Bubbles and Water Jet then using Water Manipulation to slow down skeletons and push them into damage

Experience poured in already raising him to Level 6 his distributable stats piling up as he didn’t dare take his attention away from the battles going on in front of him There was just too much going on too fast

Goddamnit Thea growled next to him Where the fuck is that idiot going What if he took an arrow to the back of the head He isn’t invulnerable

She turned to him then Is he

Both looked at each other for a minute It become abruptly apparent to Simon that Thea was much much younger than he had initially assumed probably for the same reason that he had at first thought she was stocky The armor on her body was thick worked leather padded with what appeared to be bear fur It gave her a burly look but the closer you were the less scary that was and the more it seemed like a 6 year old wearing a coat far too puffy for their body

Simon shook his head focusing his attention back on his Water Manipulation Better to stay focused And the incredible thing was his Skill Levels were shooting up like mad He must have gained 5 levels in the past few minutes of frantic fighting At this rate

Thea took his head shake as answer to her question and sighed Well I guess he will be fine He’s deep enough now we don’t even see him Archers Fire at will once more

David’s actions were still noticeable as the skeletons that arrived at the base of the hill were in pairs or threes disrupted from the rest of their troop some of them sporting missing limbs that had been smashed aside as David charged forward

The hill defenders had done well enough thus far to keep the numbers low but more and more were making it through as the ones from the flanks which David hadn’t thinned out arrived at the front filling in for the destroyed skeletons

Firing frantically the archers continued to whittle them away to almost nothing but more and more skeletons were coming staggering up the hill Their strange bodies enabled them to ignore the steepness and begin climbing directly up without using the staircase

The steepness then became a problem for the defenders because pressed to the hill as they were while climbing the target they had to attack was much smaller

Still there seemed to be several archers among the people of Star Crossing that were accurate enough to keep the danger to a minimum

His chest heaving Simon fell back on his ass His hands were numb his legs were trembling his vision was blurring He cursed himself He had used up almost all of his Mana without even noticing Water Manipulation became more difficult the farther away you were leading to a rapid drain while he used it in the fight But still

Simon closed his eyes Maybe he could be useful in other ways

Astral Projection didn’t seem to require Mana or Stamina but just his focus and will With his body weakened already there really was no point to stay here and worry Besides he would be protected by Thea and Chrysanthemum

It was a strange feeling separating his consciousness from his body but it was freeing Although it did have the unfortunate side effect of forcing Simon to look at himself but

Quickly turning away from the sight of his own eyes rolling up into the back of his head Simon floated forward slowly at first but gaining speed as his will spread outwards There was a limit to his range Simon knew based on that strange feeling in the back of his head A growing weakness that would at some point cut him off

But Simon was too afraid to test the limit After all it was one thing if stretching that far snapped him back to his body But if the weakness meant that the connection just was severed and he was just a spirit while his body wasted away

Putting that out of his mind Simon rushed forward It was pretty easy to follow David’s trail There were dozens of shattered skeletons And then hundreds

Honestly Simon wasn’t sure which was more intimidating that there were this many skeletons or that fully ? of the thousands strong army appeared to have been culled by David as he passed through

The speed was pretty scary too but even the fastest sprinter couldn’t rival a spirit and Simon could begin to see the signs of fighting ahead As it seemed he still had a lot of soul tether remaining Simon continued on

And stopped dead likely for the same reason that David was hesitating slightly when faced with what he found At the back of a large group there was a skeleton that was clearly controlling the others a creepy looking thing with long arms and legs and yellow eyes That head of its pulsed with strange power waves spreading out from it and dissipating in the air in a strange way

As Simon watched the long arm thing stretched to its full height of about 4 meters and pointed towards David The ground around him wriggled and skeletons began to climb up skeletons with weapons and darker bones than Simon had seen in the past

Yet still David hesitated because standing between him and the skeleton were people People holding up pikes warding him off seemingly just as surprised as he was that they encountered each other Beyond those guards were several carriages and a larger group of people who appeared to be non combat related all staring at the new arrival

David said something quietly and Simon had to strain to catch it

I have to kill that

The man at the lead of the group of 10 guards gave his fellows a glance then shook his head sadly Let it go kid the Skeleton Knight is gonna win this war This is just one Reanimator of many Just pledge to

But David was done listening and moved his body blurring reaching an even higher level of speed slipping through the pikes around the long shafts knocking two guards aside and charging forward

It was so fast that no one could even react This was just

A different level

The head guard swore Fucking Christ another monster Vandal Slow him down

A slim boy no older than Simon himself stepped forward out from behind the Reanimator skeleton He had pale straw colored hair and tiny beady eyes But what really drew the eyes was his mouth which seemed to stretch far far longer than a mouth had a right to The ends of that mouth curled up

As David continued to rush forward the boy removed something from his belt and popped it into his mouth

Chapter 298

Drake Graft shifted his hand position on his halberd trying to choose his next words very carefully Let it go kid the Skeleton Knight is gonna win this war This is just one Reanimator of many Just pledge to

But the young man started moving in the middle of his statement and moving with such speed that he was past him and his men before he could even blink That level of speed at least 100 Agility

Drake felt a sinking in his chest as he swore He KNEW when Sydney had assigned them to help the Skeleton Knight’s forces that something was going to go wrong She had been too understanding too warm in ways that he had never really seen before The absolutely glacier aura she exuded seemed to have thawed somewhat

Originally Drake had thought it was because some of the stresses of protecting their Newbie Village had fallen away when she finally decided to agree and allow their group to pledge to the Skeleton Knight But now

Had she just been aware how difficult this trip would be and had been manipulating him A scary thought and one that rang too true to be ignored

But that was for later Regardless of whether he had been set up he had a job and he meant to complete it However Drake knew his own strengths and stopping this man Fucking Christ another monster Vandal slow him down

It seemed that Vandal had already noticed the situation because there was no hesitation in stepping forward interposing himself between the Reanimator and the black haired young man All of the usual playful laziness was gone and now there was just a strange glee in Vandal’s eyes

Drake’s heart sank If that idiot went into one of his battle manias now He was just as liable to destroy the Reanimator himself in a fit of rage

As the human blur continued to advance Vandal raised one of his culinary creations to his mouth and slipped it in His jaw worked softly seeming to tease the meat His smile widened

The blur arrived curving to avoid Vandal right at the same moment Vandal transformed the monster flesh he cooked and consumed shaping his body in that image Basically where there was once a small boy there was now a towering were panther pouncing at the blur smashing it aside

The two tumbled sideways the force of the pounce so high that they careened into a nearby carriage demolishing it somewhat In an instant Vandal was back on his feet lashing out with his claws but to Drake’s horror the black haired man was on his feet even faster

With almost comical ease the man avoided Vandal’s slash then he stepped forward and punched Vandal in the diaphragm Wheezing Vandal collapsed instantly scrambling to get back to his feet Drake winced

He honestly wasn’t surprised Vandal’s cooking could let him reshape his body giving him boosts to any stats he wanted to focus on for that dish The only problem was that Vandal had no instincts from that species and his ability to fight was clumsy at best Vandal had always been dismissive of Drake raising just these concerns stating that it was more than enough to rely on his superior stats but

What if you fought an opponent who rivaled your stat total

Honestly HOW did this fucker rival Vandal in speed

The blur resolved itself into the young man once more taking a second to pause and look down at Vandal and this time Drake gave him a much more searching glance activating his sensory skills to the max He was a little under 2 meters tall with black hair down to his jaw His body was wiry and athletic the kind of man that a year ago Drake would have assumed worked out everyday but now he would say that he was some Newbie Village’s ace monster hunter

But of everything it was his eyes that Drake caught and couldn’t let go of They were bright emerald almost burning with intensity It was a piercing gaze that hid a will that left Drake shaken

Who the fuck was this guy

From the portion of the carriage that wasn’t destroyed there was a soft noise and the man turned but not before a blast of purple blackness hit him in the gut throwing him across the clearing From the ruins of the carriage a figure stepped outward clothed in a tall robe Drake involuntarily stiffened Although he understood what had happened to him it was still a bit disconcerting to see

The bony hand of the skeleton mage still pointed towards the black haired man who had smashed into a tree trunk with the force of the blast The hood fell away revealing a skull

Thanks Copper good thing you were there Vandal growled still in Werepanther form standing slowly

The skeleton waggled a finger at the monster in front of him What do you mean good thing Are you saying you just almost killed me by accident

Well Vandal began but Drake cut him off striding forward

How hard did you hit him Coppernicus How long will he be down

The skeleton scratched his head looking at the toppling tree and the smoking body Probably way too hard But the way he fucking moved Anyways probably we have at least 5 minutes of unconsciousness and 5 more minutes of afflicted weakness after that unless

The black hair young man stood smoothly Then he casually cracked his neck looking at the three of them Coppernicus froze and Vandal involuntarily took a step back Drake just raised his halberd and hurried forward aiming to join the other two but he was far far too slow

unless he has a Resistance over 50 in which case

The young man rushed forward this time aiming for Coppernicus who seemed to realize what was going on and drew several strange runes in the air in a single breath For all that Coppernicus’ fate had cursed him with this body it had also given him some advantages including his general resistance to fatigue fear and his quick reactions

Those curses formed and flew forward The young man made to avoid them but they homed in landing on his body glowing brightly purple Flaring brightly the curses immediately went to work slowing and weakening the young man

He’s going to Coppernicus shouted but it was too late the curses flared bright then shattered broken within two seconds

Luckily Vandal moved much more quickly than Drake did and had arrived at the young man slashing once more with his claws What happened next Drake more heard than saw as several pops and cracks reached Drake’s ears and suddenly Vandal was on the ground completely still

Drake blinked slowly the mental movie replaying the scene in his mind

The young man had deftly caught the strike from Vandal and then twisted his arm as if he was dealing with a child He punched Vandal’s right shoulder knocking it out of its socket then smashed his palm into Vandal’s sensitive feline nose As Vandal reeled back in pain the young man unleashed a low kick hitting the side of Vandal’s knee and making it bend sideways

Finally the young man reached up grabbed Vandal’s head and brought it down to meet his knee The teen fell boneless to the ground Surprising himself more than anyone else Drake felt a sharp pang of fear Vandal was one of the only ones who could make Sydney smile If he died

But the young man was moving past him now and Coppernicus sent an even thicker swarm of curses his way These the young man didn’t even avoid but allowed to hit his arm and to his surprise stopped and studied them briefly

Then the young man turned to Coppernicus You are a person It was a statement not a question This seemed to confuse the young man which was the first time that Drake had felt some sympathy for him Even Drake who had been there at the beginning when it happened was still slightly confused as to what Coppernicus really was What he had become

But then the young man shrugged and flexed his hand The curses flared brightly and then popped Then he turned to walk away

Panting with the effort Drake arrived by Coppernicus’ side right as the opponent seemed to leave The two stared at his back both very confused

Who Coppernicus began but then he shook his head and walked over to Vandal who was shifting back into his human form Luckily the worst of the damage sort of just seemed to fade as he shifted back and after a few seconds Vandal sat up burping lightly With bright eyes he looked at the departing back

Hmph I knew we could win Vandal declared That asshole wasn’t so tough

The young man paused and then turned around All three of them tensed Some of Drake’s men were near the young man halberds raised but he gave the order to stand down If that guy could handle Vandal in a split second a normal person even one with a Class would be absolutely useless

Then the young man pointed and all three raised their arms in defense With his usual quick reactions Coppernicus summoned a shield of darkness between them and the assailant hoping to blunt the worst of the damage

Nothing happened The young man turned and continued to walk away The three blinked and exchanged a glance Then they all jumped as three flaming hammers the size of mopeds crashed down one destroying the long legs of the Reanimator one smashing its torso and the final hammer slightly delayed annihilated its head after it fell to the ground

For several seconds there was only the sound of fire

Is it too late to change sides Vandal muttered I thought the Wild Rider was supposed to start off weak

That wasn’t a Champion and he wasn’t even pledged Coppernicus said his voice even without vocal cords thick with fear That was just a guy

No one had anything to say to that

Chapter 299

Simon’s spirit body flew much more quickly than David’s physical one and he quickly sat up David killed the spawner

Thea gave him a look seeming to size up whether to believe him But then she slowly nodded That explains a lot They’ve become much more disorganized in the past few minutes But it’s just that

Thea gestured Simon’s eyes went wide Perhaps he should have guessed based on the amount of skeletons that he flew over in his spirit body but there were just far far too many skeletons below More and more skeletons climbed over the shattered bodies of their comrades which formed ramps to get up to the defenders

Although they didn’t march in formation like they had in the past they still moved forward a wave that extended for hundreds of meters packed densely full of skeletons Plus there were different kinds of skeletons too Mages taller ones with 4 arms skeletons with yellow bones one monstrous skeleton with black bones

It’s gonna become a scrum Thea said grimly removing a hammer from her bag Simon looked at it curious and Thea glared at him as she climbed on top of Chrysanthemum

Look I know it’s dumb but I don’t know I thought it was cool to have a name like Glasshammer and wield a hammer She said defensively It’s just ugh nevermind Just probably retreat back to the village You will be safer there Your spells are useful but they aren’t strong enough to be on the front Goodluck

With a nudge her bear roared and charged forward down the hill barrelling into their opponents before they could reach the crest of the hill and cause havoc in the lines

After watching them smash apart dozens of skeletons in a few seconds giving their best David impression Simon turned away and took several steps back towards the town But then he hesitated What was he really running from Weren’t there still things here that he could

Fluid

The voice was hoarse the word a growl Simon spun around to find David standing there his forehead scrunched up in pain It took several seconds for Simon to process this but then he snapped to attention He cast a glance over his shoulder but the skeletons were still a few dozen meters off so Simon quickly concentrated producing some fluid in a vial which he swiftly passed to David

What happened I was watching was it that darkness blast Simon asked his words running together and David gave him a look his lips twisting

No it was the curses David grunted after drinking the fluid He sighed and a lot of the tension in his face left it but not all of it There was a mental component that I didn’t notice at first When I broke them all at the end

David grimaced Activated Mental Strength when I shouldn’t have

Then his eyes seemed to snap back into focus and he spared Simon a glance It was a strange calculating glance one that made Simon feel a stab of fear Then David shook his head and produced several Mana potions Up for making some more If you can get me back in action I can defend you while you grind How close are you to 10

Only one away Why Simon asked glad to have something to focus on besides the loud sounds of the fighting He drank the potion quickly his hand trembling slightly

That was probably what he had expected the least about the fighting How much the noises would affect him How they would haunt him Sure he’d fought monsters before but never in these quantities never so many in such a close proximity it was like

It was like Simon could hear it around him the sound of life ending Even if it was weird skeleton monster life enough of them were dying around him that the small noises of it added together and became something sickly silent and deafening And that wasn’t even including the sounds of people being injured screaming sneezing begging

Simon focus David said his hand clamping down on Simon’s shoulder After getting one huge tremor out of his body he continued to focus refining more fluid which David quickly consumed His expression had eased a lot which made some of the tightness in Simon’s chest disappear Even if Simon couldn’t affect the battlefield at large this man could

And Simon could help this man Therefore Simon was helping them all That feeling Simon supposed it was how doctors felt all the time treating athletes politicians mothers leaders but it was a very warm one and it focused Simon’s mind He might be out of his depth but he wasn’t powerless here Because of Simon David could save someone like that kid on the street even though Simon didn’t have that power

Straightening David stood and walked to the edge of the hill Several skeletons were skittering upwards their hips bent at weird angles so they could move in a strange bug like fashion He crushed them instantly his eyes sweeping side to side

With a point of the finger David called down three more flaming hammers which hit the densest clusters of skeletons that were approaching the top of the hill But really it was just a drop in the bucket

Simon David spoke again shocking Simon It really was weird after being with the man when he was silent to hear him speak He had a good voice too for speaking low and strangely urgent It demanded attention I’ll protect your body Use the Astral Projection to scan around for the places where people are in trouble If with your senses and my speed

Already understanding Simon nodded furiously and activated his skill His body collapsed awkwardly making a loud thump as it fell Simon winced He hoped he wouldn’t feel that when he returned but somehow he knew he would But for now that all fell away Because for the moment

Simon felt like a hero

Randidly stood above the boy’s bed his arms crossed The pain of activating his skills earlier was gone but he was still slightly skittish about it Mental Strength was absolutely studded with shards of Aether and it had cost him dearly to use especially flaring it up so much at once

In other more positive news his access to menus was starting to come back It also gave Randidly some insight into what that black potion he was given in the past actually did

The problem was that the status screen and menus was something provided by the ambient Aether of the System as it seeped into the world Which was fine at first and most of the time it was later reinforced by the connection to the village giving you access to the information at the System’s disposal

But when his skill had been shattered Randidly’s soul space had been filled with wild damaged ambient Aether effectively numbing his sensitivity to the ambient Aether of the world Only now after most of the Aether was controlled and the real problem was the shrapnel did the calm Aether allow signals from the world back in

It was still fuzzy but at this rate in a few days he would be back up to full usability Which was a good thing too because once he had access to his status screen and soulscape he could address the elephant inside of his body Lucretia

Sighing Randidly rubbed his brow One problem at a time And perhaps the hastily created seal he had made on her in his soulskill will end up having worked much more effectively than he had expected

Like hell Randidly muttered a real headache coming on But then he focused on the boy in front of him With Simon’s help Randidly was able to keep the casualties in the fighting down to single digits He had however made it clear that he was on an absolute different level than everyone else

Again a problem for later and one that Randidly couldn’t really see being a short term issue just a long term one Still for the moment what Randidly was most concerned with was Simon

He had overexerted himself but Randidly couldn’t really be bothered about that Although he knew it objectively was happening he couldn’t avoid adopting Shal’s callous rejection of any acknowledgement of weakness He just kept pushing them

No what bothered Randidly now was the skill that Simon had obtained Astral Manifestation An ability to create an avatar to interact physically with the world while in an Astral Projection state Randidly sighed Which increased Simon’s ability to fight especially with his fear but

It set him once more on a path that Randidly feared would break his innocence

As someone on that path it was something of a point of pride that he had guided Simon elsewhere But this world this System

Sighing Randidly leaned back and looked at the sky The stars seemed so close so vivid and bright An early result of the lack of pollution for 8 months

This System had changed Randidly for the better in a lot of ways Although murdering someone was something that Randidly now contemplated rather casually he still felt balanced in control now But something in his heart told Randidly that Simon could not make that same transition And the System was forcing him forward towards it anyway

Chapter 300

Drake stood at attention his hands behind his back Sydney sat at her desk her chin in her hand as she meticulously read every word of his report

They had marched hard for a day and a half back towards the East End Village Drake driving the men ragged in order to report the failure as soon as possible It was a personal failure one that he was furious over But they had truly encountered something they could do nothing about

That man

So they had arrived only a week after they had departed and Sydney was naturally ill prepared for them She quickly dismissed the mages she was teaching more like training to use deadly combat magicks to their full effect and now sat alone with Drake reading his report word by word

It hadn’t been immediately apparent what a deliberate and intimidating move this was until Drake had experienced it multiple times Say nothing else of Sydney she was thorough And her patience and chilly malice could keep her alive even after the world had come crumbling down giving her control over a population of just over a 1000

In her own way she was a genius But for similar reasons she was dangerous Still Drake owed her and she had sworn to protect the city as its leader For now she had stayed true and the seeds of loyalty were firmly in his heart even with the possibility of this most recent manipulation

Sydney looked up Her hair which had been dyed when they met had been allowed to grow in natural with the fake parts trimmed off a dark brown Her eyes though were pale amber in an almost bloodless face She was lovely and knew how to use that to her advantage And based on the bored and serious expression on her face she was currently making no effort to leverage her attractiveness on him

Which made him relieved and respect her more She was younger even than his own daughter for her to try and use sex to control him would be insulting And she knew it and therefore she did not do it

Perhaps that should give him pause but Drake didn’t mind her pragmatism It too made him admire her

A dark haired man blew through a squad of your men overpowered Vandal in seconds and shrugged off Copper’s spells He destroyed the Reanimator gifted to us by the Skeleton Knight and walked away She repeated it aloud Drake almost flushed but said nothing There was nothing he could say

Sydney clicked her tongue Then she looked pointedly at the door After a moment it swung open revealing the tall skeleton with the flaming skull that the Skeleton Knight had positioned here as a liaison

You called The thing asked lazily striding forward

You were listening What do you make of this You told us the Wild Rider was weak Her words were sharp and short her eyes narrowed Drake felt his tension increase drawing his posture even more straight

Sydney was sniffing around for a betrayal which was understandable but if Drake could talk to her he would saythat didn’t make sense But then again based on how she was acting she probably knew that and was acting annoyed and paranoid to make the Skeleton Knight’s representative think she was less perceptive than she was which might be useful down the line

It was above his pay grade And pointless in his opinion But everyone who he had ever served under in the military had done similar things and it was the ones who were the best at it that stayed above Drake the longest

And although she was young Sydney was the most impressive general Drake had ever seen

The skeleton shrugged giving Drake a look Are you sure your foot soldier isn’t exaggerating

I haven’t spoken to them all but I’ve spoken to the three primary fighters They all agree If anything Drake is downplaying it Sydney said taking the papers off her desk and throwing them into the fire Drake suspected that she had obtained a memory skill because there was no way she would so casually destroy evidence as thoroughly as she did

And even so it was a double edged sword If something happened to her a replacement without her wide base of knowledge would be inept at best

It seems impossible The skeleton said after a minute of thought There are ways to get that strong in a short amount of time but they require a lot of resources that shouldn’t be available in this world yet If what they say is true even I would be annoyed trying to kill that guy The System just got here it’s not possible Perhaps it came across from another world There is a portal in Donnyton yes

It is widely reported that those from the other side are strong but have animal features Sydney said lightly walking over to the window but a possibility I suppose

The Skeleton Knight has given you all the resources he will give to accomplish your task The skeleton announced its flaming jaw clacking He does not appreciate being disappointed

I don’t disappoint Sydney said softly then she turned to the skeleton Then I’m glad you understand Drake replace anyone who is spooked or injured and leave again in the morning Before was shock and awe now go more snatch and grab

Sydney turned on her heel and walked to the side door which led to her chambers

But ma’am if we run into that man again Drake began but Sydney shook her head

Don’t worry Iznock will handle it She said pointing to the flaming skeleton He will be leaving with you in the morning Good evening gentlemen

The door closed with a soft click

Thea stood before the board of directors once more once again talking about a similar subject but the focus was now very very different

Reports indicate that he was virtually invulnerable to all attacks from the skeletons He could destroy them with a single punch He could call flaming hammers down from the sky shattering groups Andre said calmly Is this accurate

Thea could only shrug helplessly As far as I can tell yes Simon his companion also reports that he turned the tide of the battle by killing this Reanimator monster cutting off most of their forces and making sure no more were created

And his intercession saved countless lives Cale said the sarcasm in his voice thick Denise coughed into her hand giving him a look causing the other man to roll his eyes and raise his hands

Thea frowned They were taking this much differently than she had expected them to

Sir I think that establishing good relations with these two will pay dividends down the line for our Village

Andre nodded slowly sharing a glance with the other two board members It certainly appears that way doesn’t it

Sir what are you saying Thea asked slowly

Denise sighed It’s likely true that he’s a powerful mage of some sort But all of it together the spells the physical strength and speed killing the enemy leader while only his companion is watching David is a fiction Even with the System here magic’ just doesn’t mean anything is possible A strength this substantial it takes time

It’s much more likely Cale said almost whispering That our dear friends David and Simon were planted here to save the day and keep us from getting a bloody nose in the first battle so they can serve us up to the Skeleton Knight on a silver platter later

I’m dubious Andre said raising his hands at Thea’s darkening expression Especially about how they could coordinate with so many skeletons to have them die as David struck them But Thea which is more believable That a man who is so strong it puts him on the level of Champions shows up or that this was a ploy to earn our trust Even if he was that powerful in one aspect how can he be miles ahead of our people in every stat

Thea opened her mouth and then she closed it To that question She could find no answer

Chapter 301

In his dream Randidly was in his bed struggling against the darkness The ticking was eternal a constant companion the slow passage of time His sheets were heavy like lead all of the strength he had gained from the System swept away leaving him with only his weak human body

His hands felt thin and frail trembling as he tried to wrestle with the covers The soft silk eluded his clumsy fingers sliding away

Tick Tick Tick

In front of the bed Lyra sat her legs crossed regarding him closely But it was not Lyra it was just the Creature wearing her face like a trendy scarf Although there was a small smile on Lyra’s face the eyes behind the mask were dead and alien considering

I could kill you at anytime The creature whispered You are weak You cannot escape But this is what I want For you to come to me on your own begging Give me control I’ll save you I’ll fix everything I’ll

Tick

And then the ticking stopped Randidly straightened his eyes blazing emerald dragging up the strength to overcome the covers from the depths of himself

Fuck He breathed in and then breathed out You

But the creature just laughed because this is exactly what she wanted the whole time

Randidly’s eyes snapped open his dream interrupted by a pounding headache a vicious pain at his very soul He winced as he sat up deactivating Mental Strength Mental Fortitude and Torment which had all come active in the dream In fact the dream might even have been caused by Torment He still didn’t have a great read on what that skill did

It was disturbing though for other reasons Randidly didn’t sleep much but now he vowed to sleep even less what if he activated Agony while asleep Or Circle of Flame The damage

He shook his head putting it out of his mind as he grabbed some of the Mending Fluid that Simon had prepared yesterday drinking it all down Then Randidly sighed and focused his attention inward and began the arduous process of removing shrapnel from his skills

About an hour later he relaxed and chided himself for drinking all of the potion at once He would need to go find Simon to rid himself of the aftereffects of the headache But it was quite a bit less severe than usual

He had managed to free up Empower Dodge Block and Calculated Blow this time in terms of combat abilities Those final three were most of the reason that Randidly had to experience constant pain while fighting he couldn’t avoid triggering Dodge and Calculated Blow and there were times that Blocking was just instinct

Empower would enable him to take another step towards having the same instantaneous power he had before his injury if not the same Endurance He also freed up Mana Bolt which was almost amusing to imagine him using it again after so long Still it was much less Mana intensive and would be effective against this level of opponents

The other great bonus was that his status screen was finally back most of the chaotic Aether remnants cleared in this round of healing At this rate Randidly would be back to full power in a week or two at which point he would be forced to make some decisions on what to do So for now gathering information was what was most important

Engraving too had been cleared which would give him something to do in his downtime Randidly’s only real worry now was overuse Because yesterday during the fighting he noticed that when the pain grew to a certain point it created a feedback loop

As he discovered previously the problem was activating skills with shrapnel present created a vibration back through the shattered fragments which caused the damaged skill area to resonate causing the pain However at a certain point the vibrations at the damaged point became enough that the wound itself began to vibrate exacerbating the pain And due to its connection to all the pieces everything started to vibrate

It was a scary thought but if Randidly pushed too far he suspected that everything would vibrate out of control driving him to the point where all of his skills with shrapnel were shattered effectively destroying himself Which was probably why the Village Spirit believed he would die in the future

Small blessings that Simon’s fluid calmed it down somehow

Randidly flexed his hands The headache was annoying but he had grown used to worse So for the first time in the last several weeks Randidly opened his Path screen slightly excited to see what he had gained

The results did not disappoint Randidly had gained 6 Skill Levels in the Spear Advances Ash Trails 9 in the Golden Roots of Yggdrasil 12 in Second Wind 13 in Bacterial Regeneration 6 in Stalemate Breaker 5 in Phantom’s Embrace 5 in Empower and Haste 15 in Fighting Proficiency 9 in Spear Mastery 7 in Spearing Roots 13 in Mental Strength a staggering 20 in Mental Fortitude 9 in Pain Resistance 5 in Hammer of the Dawn and Dodge 3 in Block and Calculated Blow 6 in Meditation and Flesh Eating Virus 9 in Battle Intent and Struggle 10 in Superiority 6 in Grace and Flexibility of the White Hunters and 8 in Living Blood

In addition Randidly had two other things of note The first was he had gained the skill Talon Strike which Randidly supposed was what the System considered him to have used to strike the skeletons the previous day and gained 13 Skill Levels And also there were several levels in a skill that just appeared to be gibberish to him which he assumed to be his broken skill Randidly sighed

Still it was a huge amount of PP totalling 223 Which was a tempting haul that would make a huge dent in the strange Path he had chosen the Ash of Aemont the Spear Phantom But

Randidly was hesitant whether to use it This was for two reasons The first was that he didn’t want to advance his Soul Skill before he understood the state of it He supposed he could put his senses in there now but he was afraid of meeting Lucretia before he was ready especially in terms of Mental Strength and Fortitude as well as Battle Intent which were all lousy with with Aether shards

The second reason was related to his weakness but came from a different source This was a path from the Patron of Ash and Randidly just wasn’t in the shape to handle it if there were some sort of ridiculous tests that he so often used

This weakness was incredibly frustrating but then Randidly smiled his expression wry Although he was much weaker than usual it was changing slowly And his weakness compared to everyone else’s

It was incomparable Slightly amused and feeling better Randidly looked at his Status

Health(/R per hour) 1764/1764 (+118) (716 (+27

Mana(/R per hour) 1700/1709 (+5) (222 (+9

Stam(/R per min) 1623/1758 (255 (+9

Vit 187 (+9)

End 98

Str 135 (+17)

Agi 176 (+17)

Perception 153 (+10)

Reaction 164

Resistance 128 (+15)

Willpower 215 (+10)

Wisdom 88 (+9)

Control 247

Focus 188 (+4)

PP 223

Skills (Soul Skill) Four Shaded Clockwork World Lvl 766

Combat Spear Mastery Lvl 138 White Phantom’s Half Step (Un) Lvl 50 Heavy Blow Lvl 70 Dagger Mastery Lvl 10 Iron Skin Lvl 47 Dodge Lvl 78 Fighting Proficiency Lvl 113 Block Lvl 54 Haste Lvl 89 Phantom Onslaught Lvl 43 Sweep Lvl 54 Spear Deflect Lvl 10 Empower Lvl 108 Calculated Blow Lvl 69 Roundhouse Kick Lvl 36 Flesh Eating Virus (Un) Lvl 63 Idiosyncratic Cut (Un) Lvl 69 Pierce the Skies Shatter the Earth Lvl 39 Battle Intent Lvl 133 Struggle Lvl 9 Body Control Freeze Lvl 25 The Golden Roots of Yggdrasil Lvl 74 Stalemate Breaker Lvl 25 Talon Strike Lvl 14

The 7 Kata of the Ashen Spear The Spear Advances Ash Trails Lvl 51 As the Sun Stills ® Lvl 1

The 6 Signs of the Spear Phantom ® The First Sign The Inevitable Phantom Arrives Lvl 85 (Un) The Fifth Sign The Spear Phantom’s Embrace ® Lvl 160

Spells Spearing Roots Lvl 48 Mana Bolt Lvl 28 Mana Shield Lvl 26 Root Control Lvl 99 Arcane Orb Lvl 22 Fireball Lvl 30 Magic Missile Lvl 4 Healing Palm Lvl 12 Pollen of the Rafflesia Lvl 20 Summon Pestilence Lvl 53 Mana Strengthening Lvl 65 Wall of Thorns Lvl 19 Soul Seed ® Anguish (Un) Lvl 59 Inspiration ® Incinerating Bolt Lvl 73 Circle of Flame Lvl 45 Plantomancy Lvl 35 The Weeping Cloud ® Lvl 64 Hammer of the Dawn Lvl 11 Burning Footsteps Lvl 10 Ashes to Ashes Lvl 22 Torment Lvl 4

Crafting Potion Making Lvl 37 Farming Lvl 20 Plant Breeding Lvl 9 Mapmaker Lvl 7 Analyze Lvl 24 Refine Lvl 17 Extract Lvl 23 Mana Engraving Lvl 74

Auxiliary Physical Fitness Lvl 89 Meditation Lvl 93 Running Lvl 39 Sprinting Lvl 19 Sneak Lvl 46 Acid Resistance Lvl 22 Poison Resistance Lvl 21 Pain Resistance Lvl 41 First Aid Lvl 16 Equip Lvl 25 Pathfinding Lvl 18 Mental Strength Lvl 44 Curse Resistance Lvl 15 Fire Resistance Lvl 23 Sewing Lvl 11 Cutting Vegetables Lvl 2 Manual Labor Lvl 6 Digging Lvl 5 Cooking Lvl 35 Grace Lvl 65 Bacterial Regeneration Lvl 116 Superiority Lvl 56 Mental Fortitude Lvl 76 Second Wind Lvl 71 Weather Affinity Lvl 43 Clockwork Mastery Lvl 16 Rejection Lvl 42 Aether Connection Lvl 3 Flexibility of the White Hunters ® Lvl 44 Living Blood (Un) Lvl 42

Shaking his head Randidly pulled out one of the Engraving encyclopedias Patience was annoying

Chapter 302

Simon frowned You want us to head south and east looking for the Wild Hunter Isn’t he more to the North

Thea shook her head her lips pressed into a thin line as she loaded bags onto Chrysanthemum’s back The bear laid still seeming to be as tense with the whole situation as her soulbound companion was No we believe that the movements of the East End Village and the Skeleton Knight will have driven them away from their usual spot Our scouts reported rapid movement and we are trying to keep track of them as best we can The three of us will head Southwest circling around the Dungeon before curving back North before The Refuge If we haven’t found anything we will stop in there Hopefully the East End Village moving with make that asshole commit to a side in the Champion’s battle

Simon’s frown deepend Dauntless does as best he can That group

Yes yes I understand their population is a bit unique His struggles are his own Thea interrupted clearly annoyed But that doesn’t justify turning it into a whole tribal barbarian thing

Glancing to the side Simon took in David who was still slowly savoring more of the Mending Fluid had had provided for him He seemed rather unconcerned with conversation but focused instead on the bear watching its side rise and fall

Well my real problem is what we are doing is dumb and Simon began but Thea whirled to face him

We were given orders Although its preliminary you received a class from Star Crossing That comes with certain responsibilities Thea said with a glare Even when you dislike your orders even when you think they are foolish and misguided you obey them Or you leave Make your choice

As she stomped away Chrysanthemum standing beside her a low voice interjected

Thea

She spun around her eyes bright and dangerous What Are you going to be a little bitch too

David’s face remained impassive although his mouth twitched He pointed to Chrysanthemum You tied the straps wrong It’s gonna wear through the leather like that

Simon covered his face with his hands trying his best not to laugh Thea’s face went white and then red and then she hurried over to Chrysanthemum to correct the issue David just turned away looking at the horizon a small frown on his face

thanks Thea said awkwardly and without a word the three of them departed

Simon froze his eyes glued to the large komodo dragon type creature that was making its way across the meadow They had been traveling slowly through the countryside searching for four days although from how bored Thea seemed it wasn’t like they were searching at all

At any rate these past few days the variety and the strength of monsters in the surrounding area abruptly increased The most impressive of which was this Komodo dragon the size of a compact car Level 28 an absolutely fearsome foe

Noticing where his gaze went Thea gestured Simon over towards her Chrysanthemum crouched down remaining silent David seemed completely unphased stepping so quietly that Simon didn’t even notice him when his gaze was away from the man Compared to that Simon felt like a drunk bison just stumbling over every tree branch

This Thea seemed worried That monster likely won’t attack It’s one of the species that I’ve seen around the Wild Rider I had no idea that they extended this far South

Isn’t that a good thing That means we might actually find the Wild Rider Simon said excitedly even as he looked at the beast and couldn’t ever imagine defeating it But if he used his imagination he could imagine him up there on his back riding him Having a lizard mount wouldn’t be bad He wondered if there was some sort breath attack that it could use

Well yea Thea said lamely motioning for them to turn away and head in a different direction Almost as if it sensed the movement the lizard perked up turning its head to look directly at them Even Chrysanthemum seemed to crouch lower to the ground afraid of attracting its attention

It flicked its tongue out lazily staring at them As it did so around 5 smaller lizards skittered around it coming out from behind its large body to look These were only the size of a large dog and Lvl 12 but they were clearly of the same species Children

David slowly unfolded his arms and lowered his hands to his sides His hands were twisted into sharp claws

Seemingly bored the komodo dragon turned and walked away leading its young ins The group visibly relaxed

It’s strange though I haven’t seen mounts that powerful yet Thea muttered after the komodo dragon had walked away The highest I have seen is Lvl 20 maybe

But then she fell silent shaking her head before saying We should stop for the night get some rest I don’t think we will find anything else

A system message appeared interrupting her speech

Warning As you have entered within a certain range you have detected that a Tier III Raid Boss has spawned nearby in the last 24 hours Upon visual confirmation of its body a notification will be displayed to the entire Zone as to its approximate location As you are the first to discover this Raid Boss damage to the boss and its spawn increased by 5% for the next week Experience and skill proficiency gains against the boss and its spawn increased by 10% for the next week

Fuck shit cunt and of course this would happen NOW Thea swore fuming

Simon looked around at both of the people around him whose faces had turned serious and said timidly So what exactly How powerful are the Tier III Raid Bosses

Thea grimly stared at the ground for several seconds before answering and even when she did she seemed extremely distracted They well we don’t really know But we know that it took 3 weeks of Donnyton and Franksburg working together in order to locate it and another week and a half to bring it down

As Simon opened his mouth again she cut him off as if she already knew what he was going to ask Franksburg has a population that rivals all three of the Northern Villages Donnyton appears to have much less but still more than any one of us because it was the first village to form And in terms of firepower

She gave him a level look they are currently fighting toe to toe with the Skeleton Knight According to our information the skeleton army has dozens of those Reanimator skeletons and we’ve just seen the one Which might have destroyed us if not for your friend here

Even David seemed concerned frowning slightly The group lapsed back into tense silence as Thea seemed to be wrestling with something internally And whatever it was it was huge It probably related to what they should do now

They had huge bonuses Simon supposed relating to chasing down the boss but there would be costs too Mostly danger And they would be giving up their mission of chasing the Wild Rider right after they obtained evidence that he was nearby Thea was probably torn by her sense of duty to figure out which was more important for the village

Explains why the creatures are stronger David rumbled suddenly The Tier III Raid Boss

Is after the Wild Rider Thea whispered and she turned to look at David her eyes narrowed David didn’t see it because he was peering forward away from her but Simon saw how wide and haunted Thea’s eyes were in that moment She was scared and fearful and there was a weird glimmer of betrayal hidden in the depths of her eyes

People will die David continued making his stance on what they should do clear Simon in spite of his fear found his spine straightening He heard how quickly the Raid Bosses propagate and produce minions who grew stronger along with it And Tier 3 Raid Bosses started at Lvl 30

Abruptly Simon wondered what he was doing How could he hope to rival a Lvl 30 existence

But Thea had made her decision Eyes bright she nodded Let’s hunt ourselves a Raid Boss

Chapter 303

Drake looked at Iznock Even though his head was a flaming skull the expression of annoyance was clear on his face

We were misled Vandal said sighing After turning away the young boy rummaged in his pockets and removed several small pieces of meat and tossed them into his mouth Instantly his expression turned blissful

Drake’s hackles raised but he hid it well Vandal harvested the flesh of those he defeated monsters or men and used it to cook varying dishes When consuming those foods his body would be transformed taking on some of the strength of whatever he was eating There was even a rumor that he was experimenting with combining different monsters finding more and more power

It was an intimidating thought the way he could increase his power and after seeing Vandal defeated Drake had a lot less patience for the boy Even as Drake watched Vandal’s body shifted slightly his arms growing longer the hair around his face going wild

Luckily it didn’t appear to be the type of creature that would have emotional instability but considering Vandal’s temperament It was very frustrating dealing with such unreliable pieces around him Following orders became that much harder And all of the responsibility lay on Drake’s shoulders to keep the men in line

Coppernicus looked around at the plains in front of them tapping his jaw It was clear that at one point there had been some sort of grand tent set up here The tracks of hundreds of monsters was in the area and piles of manure several days old The hangers on of the Wild Rider following their master’s free spirited wanderings

Finally Coppernicus spoke If it isn’t here where is the Wild Rider

Iznock just grunted raising his hand A giant axe made of black rippling energy formed Then with a series of sharp blows Iznock began to scar the landscape tearing wide swaths of the ground up destroying all of the remnants

And people say I have anger problems Vandal said giving Drake a look

Drake ignored it In this case he agreed with Iznock’s sentiment even if it was inefficient Others would be looking for the Wild Hunter if it truly had moved To send the message that the move had been done out of fear most would naturally make the connection to the servants of the Skeleton Knight

Sewing fear confusion and panic among those out here fawning after the Wild Rider was for the best It would get the civilians scared enough to stop throwing themselves in danger’s way

Both of his hands moving through several strange positions runes forming in the air then falling to the ground around him in a circle Vandal continued to give Drake sharp looks but the two of them stayed silent while Iznock destroyed and Coppernicus cast his spell

The runes on the ground flared brightly and Coppernicus turned to look

Southwest He said softly but he was frowning But there is something else there something dangerous

Iznock straightened the huge axe dissipating Then what are we waiting for Let’s go kill it

Randidly moved quickly delighting in his now healed Empower and Physical Fitness which he had struggled all day to get it down to a single piece of Aether embedded in it It wasn’t ideal but the pain was manageable Thea remained behind with Simon but would be ready to rush forward if they finally found the enemy It was annoying but while they were under the effects of the bonuses none of them were able to contact others through the System

They were on their own Which wasn’t exactly true because they had come across human tracks a group that appeared to be between 4 and 10 people patrolling likely from the Refuge

Then they had found the blood

Due to the danger of victims Randidly ran ahead his eyes blazing Perhaps there was a bit of guilt to this but Randidly felt profoundly motivated to hunt down and kill this Raid Boss especially as he was absent while the other one assaulted Donnyton and the surrounding area

A small bird badly shaped almost warped to the point that it was nowhere near being flight worthy formed in the air beside Randidly It moved quickly flapping its wings as just a habit while moving with impossible speed

It opened its mouth and spoke I can’t get a good sight on them but there is definitely something moving in that quarry to your west They look small so watch for ambushes

Randidly remained silent Honestly Simon’s growth was a good thing but the speed of it was insanely fast The skill level improvement was so rapid that even Randidly was impressed Some of it could be attributed to the bonus they had from chasing this Raid Boss but over the past 24 hours Simon had gone from barely being able to form anything while in his Astral form to this pseudo bird that could communicate

It didn’t seem like its combat potential was high but it was incredibly useful for guiding Randidly

When Randidly reached the quarry he paused considering He didn’t really need to because the monsters in front of him were clear skulking in the shadows of the rocks And these unlike most others that Randidly had encountered since the arrival of the System were truly monsters They had a squishy fleshy purple blob as their core and from that about a dozen limbs spread outward Some were legs somewhere feet some where scythes some were mandible insect like limbs

As Randidly arrived they all turned and he saw that each had a large eye at the center of their blob staring at him

There were about 7 and 3 fled away while 4 more rushed towards him half rolling half bounding from limbs to limbs their multifaceted bodies letting them move with surprising grace through the quarry towards him

Snorting Randidly jumped streaking towards the creatures Immediately he felt something was wrong as a headache was already beginning to form Did he accidentally activate a skill or

But then Randidly was among them lashing out with Talon Strike Their bodies didn’t really bleed when he struck them but chunks of flesh were ripped off debilitating them Within 10 seconds Randidly had torn them to pieces Those pieces quivered on the ground somewhat unwilling but Randidly moved past them intent on following the escaping ones

At the last moment Randidly sensed it and hopped ot the side One of the strange monstrosities careened past scythe flailing aimed for his neck Spinning around Randidly was surprised to find that the 4 monstrosities were completely whole once more and were rushing back towards him

Randidly growled and he moved again Talon Strikes methodically annihilating their bodies leaving not even a shred behind All the while his headache was getting worse This was not a good sign

His gaze very focused Randidly watched the destroyed bodies on the ground for several seconds When nothing happened Randidly started to back slowly away The air in front of him twisted and that queer bird formed once more

Why aren’t you finishing them off It asked its voice sounding so tiny And your attacks keep missing why

Randidly spun around moving out of the way of the scythe but he could feel the long thin trail of blood down his back Which gave Randidly paused They were able to wound him With his Endurance

The level they displayed was 26 which was powerful Randidly supposed but these monsters possessed no extremely raised skill levels like the individuals back on Shal’s world that allowed them to fight evenly with Randidly These monsters

His headache grew more intense

Cursing slightly Randidly jumped directly upward around 10 meters into the air just to buy himself some time Then he turned his attention inwardly Mental Strength and Curse Resistance were activating just slightly but it was enough to very quickly raise the pain to serious levels

Considering Simon’s statements too

Fucking illusionists He was fighting illusions

The 4 monstrosities below threw their bodies upwards towards him

Chapter 304

Randidly ripped their bodies to pieces as he fell to the ground Although they were illusions they still seemed capable of hurting him Perhaps it had something to do with a skill though that affected him mentally causing him to think he was wounded or something dumb like that

Which also didn’t make sense Why wasn’t his high Willpower or Resistance negating this

Point me to them I can’t see them Randidly growled At least Simon’s distance was convenient for this Otherwise Randidly supposed he could use Hammer of the Dawn repeatedly carpet bombing until he destroyed them but it would hard to know if he ever killed them

Without knowing what they looked like

Several arrows formed mid air pointing towards the monstrosities The arrows were wobbly but they all appeared to point towards the eyes of the monstrosities So that was their core That would make this easy

Randidly twisted avoiding a swing of the scythe limb from one of the monsters and stepped towards another using Talon Strike to strike the eye As his hand ripped into its body he felt a soft tap as he encountered something strange The monstrosity wavered and winked out leaving a thin gray little humanoid shape the size of a meerkat

It looked up at him with scared eyes and Randidly crushed its body his expression even As he did so that fear disappeared replaced by hatred and then it was nothing but mush Snorting Randidly turned to the nearest monstrosity and approached it faster than it could avoid It began to spin its limbs lashing out but Randidly’s hand accurately ripped every limb out of his way and stabbed into the eye

Randidly frowned as it continued to flail at him Rapidly the wobbly arrow moved along the monstrosity’s body Gritting his teeth Randidly tore into the monstrosity’s body until he finally found the small grey humanoid crushing its skull

Unfortunately this gave the other two time to approach and now the headache was increasing to the point it began to throb a vicious insidious pain

Fuck it Randidly spat out and 4 Hammer’s of the Dawn crashed down smashing the ground to pieces annihilating the two remaining monstrosities with fire The ground burned the flames licking upwards and Randidly watched it for several seconds his expression intent But he could sense that his skills stopped activating

The bird reformed in the air in front of him You okay You’ve got that expression

I’ll be fine Randidly said grimly turning to look towards the direction the monsters departed He quickly did some mental math Yes Mending Fluid would help him now and if he had enough of it he could probably force Curse Resistance to being healed and lower the amount of shrapnel in Mental Strength

But that would give the monstrosities and the Raid Boss spawning them several hours to strengthen themselves and grow in numbers Although the damage they would do to him was lower there would be more and based on what Randidly knew about Raid Bosses the worst part of them was when they started creating Lieutenants which would possess the Raid Boss’ ability to grow and could lead others of its kind

In addition these monsters if you weren’t prepared for them they would absolutely rip through a village Hell even if Donnyton faced these they would probably suffer heavy losses before they found out ways to deal with them and Randidly didn’t know much about this Refuge they sure as hell weren’t Donnyton

He had the strength The headache was annoying but it was just pain something that Randidly had a lot of experience with

And he had Simon on his side Apparently his Astral form was immune to the illusion or the distance was enough to make the skill ineffective Either way their duo was uniquely capable of handling these threats Randidly couldn’t afford to take a break now not while these absolutely fearsome monsters rampage killing these people

Randidly took a small vial of the Extracted Mending Fluid and took it which almost instantly took him back to the baseline with some remaining in his system to combat the beginnings of pain the last time

Then Randidly moved activating Empower to the max ripping forward Now wasn’t the time to care about Stamina it would come back fast enough No this was a race against time

What’s the situation Thea asked bringing Simon’s attention back to his body He was getting much better at moving his consciousness between his Astral body and his physical one and now he could practically teleport his focus between the two while maintaining some awareness of both

To everyone’s shock most of all his own his Skill Level in Astral Projection had grown to 52 where it had begun to slow down but still Astral Manifestation was nearing 30 too The huge amount of PP had enabled him to finish off a Path and start him on the Astral Body Path which was giving him increased Intelligence and Wisdom

Simon was finding some strength and it felt really great

He uh David fought something but it was weird He couldn’t hit them until I pointed them out and he kept attacking the air It sorta seems like these monsters use illusions Simon said feeling extremely embarrassed in front of Thea’s intense gaze

Alright I’m going ahead then Keep us informed You can see them right Just point them out Thea said hopping on Chrysanthemum’s back

Uh but Simon began trying to explain that based on David’s expression he really didn’t want any help but Thea was already riding off her bear bounding forward with more speed than he would have expected

Cursing Simon focused his consciousness leaving his physical body and returning to his Astral one With an act of will that body moved from the quarry David had left it rushing forward to catch up with him Within seconds he had found the other man who was methodically tearing into the air seeming to search for something

The small grey monster beneath him was hissing and spitting but even as it dodged side to side David’s strikes got slowly closer Then he found it and killed it Simon reformed his projection Thea is coming

Why There was a hard edge to David’s tone and Simon abruptly realized that there were at least a dozen of the small bodies crushed around as David blurred to rush forward The other man had torn through a dozen in the time that Simon and Thea were speaking and was already moving forward And at this speed

Simon began to sweat He should have hopped on the back of Chrysanthemum If they got much farther away

Uh Simon realized he hadn’t answered when David gave him a look Well

There was a screech and suddenly from several bushes on the slope ahead of them there was a rustling Then fully 30 of the small grey humanoids dashed forward aiming for David

Immediately David’s face scrunched together and he waved a hand 6 Hammers of the Dawn crashed downward in the thick of the creatures probably killing almost 10 But they rushed forward and a few dozen more followed them rushing downward

Slowly ponderously three more creatures left the brush looking towards David with glowing eyes Two of these were around double the size of the grey humanoids and had a copper tinge to their skin The final which stood in the middle was as similar size to the grey monster fodder but was slender and had golden skin Small tentacles wriggled from its head giving it a strangely feminine vibe A Lvl 32 floated above its head

It hissed pointing and its two copper attendants rushed forward aiming to swarm David

David was lashing out left and right fighting against things that weren’t really there as the grey humanoids crowded around It was actually slightly comical to watch or it would have been had the outcome if David fell not been so scary

But even surrounded he was an absolute machine twisting and attacking eliminating one monster at time although each time it took him around 10 seconds to find the bodies

Focusing his will Simon created arrows near the ones closest to Randidly and instantly he began to rip through the surroundings killing the monsters But Simon couldn’t help but notice that there were several long cuts on David’s arms and legs although he could see nothing attacking him Was he being damaged by the illusions

Then the two copper skinned monsters arrived and the grey ones dived to the side David looked up high above their bodies at least 10 meters into the air and then he was just abruptly thrown backwards smashing into a nearby tree There had been nothing for Simon to see but there was clearly a huge impact

With a grim expression David got up rubbing his neck Thea was rushing forward but would take another few minutes before she would arrive Her max speed was much lower than Davids

In the meantime Simon needed to figure out what the fuck was going on And what he could do to help

Chapter 305

Randidly looked up at the towering goliath above him just in time to see its leg smash forward aiming for his chest The thing appeared to be made of maggots hundreds upon hundreds of thousands of maggots wriggling and falling free leaving a trail of nightmarish waste along the ground behind it What was even more troubling was that there was another of the same behind the first lumbering forward

The nightmarish bouncy ball with arms creatures scrambled backwards moving out of the way clearing a path for their larger reinforcements There was a split second where Randidly hesitated wondering if dodging was the best option because the nightmare creatures remained close ready to pounce

This combined with the growing head pain caused Randidly to wait a bit too long the foot of maggots struck him in the chest throwing him dozens of feet backwards and smashing him into a tree

Luckily the tree instantly cracked and Randidly was able to collapse to the ground in relative peace But it was a shock the strength of that strike The pain of it was enough to shake some of the edge from the constant headache And when he scanned the two maggot goliaths rushing closer Randidly felt a sinking feeling in his stomach

It was going to be very hard to destroy their bodies enough to get at the creatures that made up their core There was simply too much mass to their bodies Idly Randidly removed a maggot from his shirt and hopped to his feet rubbing his toes in the ground

Sighing Randidly stopped for a second as the enemies approached and just enjoyed the feeling of Golden Roots of Yggdrasil It truly did so much for him beyond just increasing his Health and Mana regeneration It felt right having this connection to the Earth It made it so much easier to feel grounded and to prepare for the fight that was about to arrive knowing he could count on the ground beneath him for support

To see the effect Randidly used two Hammers of the Dawn striking the large maggot goliath Huge chunks of the body were burnt away smashed to pieces and the remainder quickly caught on fire Heedless it continued forward reaching out a maggot y hand towards Randidly

So it seemed that he hadn’t hit anything vital But if this was an illusion and Randidly had missed completely what ACTUALLY happened What damage had the spell done

Then Randidly had a flash of inspiration If the aimed spells didn’t work just rely on the unaimed ones There was still a single chunk of Aether shrapnel in Burning Footsteps but maybe it would help Randidly understand what was going on around him

After activating the skill Randidly immediately regretted the decision but he gritted his teeth and rushed forward weaving back and forth around the maggot goliaths as they swiped at him with their large hands This seemed to infuriate the smaller monstrosities which screeched and leapt towards Randidly

Randidly wasn’t sure what this was supposed to really do but he avoided combat with them while he sprinted back and forth covering the area with a burning trail of footsteps which would hopefully hem in the monstrosities

Immediately one of the monstrosities skittered to a stop looking down at the flames in front of it Then it raised its singular eye and hissed

Randidly grinned Better you than me bud

In that moment another monstrosity took the opportunity to run up behind its friend and use the other as a springboard to throw itself up over the fallen first and to the area where Randidly had paused

Shrugging Randidly slapped the creature out of the air and into the fire

Immediately the cadence of the noises it was creating changed and the illusion faded away leaving just a single small grey humanoid rolling in the flames clearly pushed beyond its pain tolerance Randidly could only shake his head sadly this fellow wouldn’t survive a single day in Shal’s training program let alone Azriel’s

Unfortunately there were two problems with this plan Technically three

The first was that the pain in his head was reaching the point where it was making it very very difficult to focus and it was only getting worse as these larger monstrosities acted using an even more advanced form of the illusion technique

The second or second two problems were that the maggot goliaths didn’t seem affected in the slightest A pillar of maggots swept across striking Randidly and sending him flying almost senseless from the force of the blow

This time there was no trees just the long slope to crash into and slowly roll down Randidly’s pride taking a huge hit in the process After dozens of meters of rolling he finally managed to latch onto the ground and get a sense of what was going on The maggot goliath that had taken a hit from the hammers had completely recovered while Randidly wasn’t looking the illusion bastard

The other displaying a surprising amount of dexterity leapt across the space between them aiming to directly crush Randidly After scrambling narrowly to the side Randidly belatedly deactivated Burning Footsteps the strange buzzings in his head fading somewhat

Of course it wasn’t that the pain stopped It just wasn’t constantly increasing anymore As fast

They were strong too strong and fast This level of opponent would dominate a Zone easily Either this game had a terrible case of vindictive RNG or they were using his own strength against him Most likely the latter although it was clear that these monsters had been able to kill some other nearby people

Simon Randidly growled his eyes scanning the area No more threats But there was a shadowy figure farther up the hill that seemed to be watching the whole experience with eyes far too intelligent for Randidly to be comfortable

He raised his hand and fired off a Mana Bolt It wasn’t a polished spell compared to some of his others but it was one that was backed by a very high Intelligence and the price tag was just right The bolt of energy slammed into the figure and sent it staggering but then Randidly had no more time the goliaths had arrived

Simon as if belatedly realizing what Randidly wanted formed his lopsided arrows in the air directing him to the spots where he could strike the monsters Feeling slightly without confidence Randidly advanced Even if the opponent was here this level of maggots there were simply so many that it would be difficult to do damage through them all

But his hands were sharp and vicious coolly cutting through the flesh seeking

The arrow shifted and Randidly could only grin The fact that it ran meant he was close His barrage intensified doing his best to hit the areas in a logical fashion and after a few seconds his Talon Strike sank into the flesh of a shoulder and the maggots trembled and flickered around him revealing a furious copper face about at his chest

Only after cutting off the creature’s head did Randidly speak Spill your blood for me and bring your progenitor out here Simon Next

Randidly couldn’t hesitate now the pain was constantly growing To his mounting horror his vision was beginning to swim from the pain alone Not that his vision was particularly useful against these enemies but this was a level of pain that Randidly had hitherto not experienced It certainly wasn’t a good sign

With a roar Randidly leapt at the next maggot goliath Even if it could hide in its body it was still stuck on the ground If he moved with enough force

But mid flight he sensed the blow coming and twisted to the side letting it glance off of him rather than smash him again Still this strike knocked him farther than he would have guessed This opponent moved forward like a living floating bubble of mercury twisting and sliding its body full of thick tentacles of dark reflective metal

Grimacing Randidly looked around The other monstrosities gathered closer aiming for him The remaining maggot goliath bellowed and rushed closer This metal creature likely the Raid Boss itself seemed content to just ooze slowly nearer helping its minions surround and swarm Randidly

The headache had sharply increased in intensity and that continued to rise His eyes were watering and everything was vibrating It was impossible to see and his hearing was beginning to be drowned out by a ringing that emerged from his soul

Randidly growled his higher functions of communications falling away and reverting to his baser caveman instincts

He would kill them if they approached closer

They moved closer

With eyes burning brightly Randidly raised his head to stare at the sky and then he activated a skill absolutely embedded with chunks of foreign Aether Even though it was dangerous Randidly couldn’t find it in himself to care He was swept up in a great rage a growling hungry thing that refused to acknowledge the opponents before him He would crush them

Besides how much worse could the pain get

Activating the skill Randidly’s consciousness went white and then the human parts of Randidly slowly shut down from overexposure to pain

Chapter 306

Thea dug her heels into Chrysanthemum’s sides causing the bear to skid to a halt It was strange but the more they traveled forward the more this strange dull pain in the back of Thea’s skull grew To her horror when she checked her Status her Health was also ticking down albeit slowly

Was this a power of the Raid Boss If it was this boss was a nightmare for group battles It could slowly rip away at the Health of the backline fighters pushing them so far back that they wouldn’t be able to exercise their superior firepower They would completely roll through civilians without any effort at all on the monster’s part Merely its presence would cause pain and loss of Health

Luckily it seemed that at this range the effect was minor and Thea was sure that right over the next hill was where the fighting was occurring

David was strong and true Damn what the Board of Directors thought he wasn’t a spy Or if he was he wasn’t

Thea hesitated trying to formulate her thoughts correctly In the meantime she prodded her partner and the two began to trot forward heading deeper into the influence of the pain aura

He was a good person Thea finally decided When they had first heard about the Tier III Raid Boss Thea had felt only fear And then her second thought was that she could avoid this fight with this beast by continuing her mission of testing Simon and David by leading them on a wild goose chase in the South seeing if they revealed anything or became impatient

That failed on two fronts of course They found proof that the Wild Rider had been here recently and also encountered a Raid Boss Not exactly the idle circumstances to test either of them Not that Thea was even sure what they were looking for after watching David fight

He was the real deal 100% Which should have made her feel better but it just made her feel as though this was a worse outcome It was small mindedness and suspicion that drove the Executive Board to this decision and it wouldn’t assuage their worries if there really was just a wandering person with this much power Was David from Donnyton or Franksburg Or even the solo Village far to the East

One question at a time Thea reached the top of the hill and looked down and then froze There was a creature sitting there cross legged seeming to regard what was happening below A being she recognized The Wild Rider

A friend of yours The Wild Rider asked tilting their head towards what was occurring below

The Wild Rider stood only about 1 5 meters and was absolutely covered in furs Their head was covered in a low hood that only sometimes revealed a flash of lips Mounted on top of the hood was a pair of elk horns or perhaps they were coming directly out from the Rider’s skull Either way they stretched half a meter in each direction giving them a regal look

And when they spoke it was as if 100 different animals were calling and strangely all of these came together for sound

It was always hard to understand this strange cacophony voice and it was only after a few seconds that Thea realized the question was directed at her The strange waves of pain that were flooding up from below were making it hard to think

But after a few seconds she nodded The Wild Rider breathed a long sigh

He has lost his way Only by relying on his ala does he remain And even that will not last long unless

Unless Thea asked her eyes glazing over as she looked down below her David stood still looking at the ground He barely even seemed to breathe In front of him several small grey creatures a large bronze skinned one and an elegant seeming gold one lay moaning in agony rolling back and forth

Of them all the gold one seemed the only one capable of movement and as Thea watched it was attempting to crawl away but its body wouldn’t obey its orders Its arms gave out pretty routinely and its whole body was shaking

Thea could hear the smile in their voice Unless we act Unless we teach this rider to stop ignoring his mount

Randidly coughed lightly and then sat up rubbing his eyes Darkness Deep eternal darkness and swirls of energy calm and consistent He knew this place And

Ah you’re awake

The unexpected voice caused Randidly to spin around instantly raising his guard Was it the Creature once more trapping Randidly inside of himself

But no the figure that Randidly found when he spun around was far far too slender and innocent looking to be the Creature Besides that she gave off a very different feel than he had ever gotten from the Creature

The girl was only as tall as his shoulder and appeared 12 She had warm brown skin and short dark hair From underneath the unruly hair small protuberances of bone stuck out of the crown of her head 8 altogether giving her a strangely noble appearance

But it was her eyes that held Randidly’s gaze They were a glittering metallic gold She smiled at him Greetings I am Ten’malla Teyit but I have come to this world of yours as the Wild Rider I figured meeting you here without my Regalia would help move this along You should feel proud to see my face it is a great honor amongst my people

Randidly just looked at her frowning slightly This was the Wild Rider

Well that explained somewhat how they ended up here Could everyone related to the System do things like this That certainly made them very dangerous enemies

Seeing Randidly’s expression the Wild Rider’s smile swiftly withered She coughed into her hand Sorry that was a bad joke Um but we need to act quickly You are destroying yourself

This certainly made Randidly focus He abruptly became aware that he could no longer sense his skills or soul there was some sort of force blocking him isolating him from it This did have the bonus of lowering the pain to manageable levels but

The Wild Rider raised her hands Don’t struggle please It’s hard enough to do this as it is Believe me I mean you no harm If I did I would have simply left you to die

What’s going on Randidly asked his tone more stern than he had intended

The Wild Rider’s smile withered further taking a step back all of her previous joy and playfulness gone Um your shattered skill the Aether fragments They have been forced to vibrate by the activations of other skills so much that they are resonating Resonating so much that they are beginning to activate other skills with enough fragments in them which in turn

makes it 100 times worse Randidly said imagining just that scene Then he turned to the Wild Rider keeping his voice as neutral as possible If we can get some of the Mending Fluid from my companion Simon

No it’s far too late for that for two reasons The Wild Rider said shaking her head One his liquid doesn’t have the potency you need even after all these weeks And also there is no way to bring it to you safely The skill activations

She trailed off Randidly tried to imagine what it would be like to walk towards him when he would intermittently release something like Anguish Circle of Flame or the Spear Advances Ash Trails Basically any of his offensive spells would inflict huge amounts of damage and pain Sure it might be in a different direction but as you got closer

Then Randidly said feeling abruptly very tired This fucking injury

Spreading her arms wide the Wild Rider said you are in luck In a way we share the same fate If we do not find our Ala we will die Individually we are weak Together strong

So you want me to pledge to you so I can get a bonded animal Randidly said his mind abruptly clicking together for several reasons Was it possible then that the Wild Rider was exaggerating But no what she said made a lot of sense Now that he was aware of it he could sense a terrible rumbling from outside the bubble the Wild Rider had wrapped them in keeping them safe

That was not a good sign At all

She laughed and it was high and bright reminding Randidly that she was just a preteen No Haha you don’t need to pledge to me I’d honestly prefer you didn’t it just means I have to give you missions or something Sometimes the #)(# of the System is

She trailed off then tilted her head to the side Ah from your expression you couldn’t understand that This world is truly very early on in its growth Well no you don’t need to pledge to me to learn my skill And also you do not need this

Then what Randidly asked feeling exasperated now Was she able to help or wasn’t she

In an even more childish display the Wild Rider stomped her foot How can you not get it What could I even teach you You already have your Ala and even my bond with Traefalgr is not so strong How did you do it

Randidly frowned What

Why do you think I brought you here away from the distractions of your impending death The Wild Rider asked her head flopping back and forth her short hair swishing marginally Because this is where your Ala sits waiting for you asleep Only they keep you alive now bearing the worst of the Aether backlash And only with their help will you heal this wound in time to save yourself

Ah She added as she turned away You have about 5 minutes before your Anguish skill drains you of Health That should occur before permanent brain damage but that is the hard time limit currently Goodluck

Then she vanished

Chapter 307

Randidly looked around slowly So what the Wild Rider was saying was he already had a companion and it lived here inside of him Here at his core deep in Aether

A smile danced across Randidly’s face slowly growing stretching across his skin Then he stepped crossing through the deep darkness inside of himself flooded with Aether It was a lonely and echo y area not a place to exist

Randidly s memory of that moment still shook him the freely given support the strange acceptance the deep need the bright first spark of hope So much was conveyed into a single deep emotion expressed only as a vibration And yet Randidly had left whatever it was here He had thought

Well he hadn’t really thought at all He had struggled with the Creature then and that struggle had consumed him Even later when he had the vision of that strange being in his chest during the Trial of Ash he hadn’t given it another thought afterwards Once more his current struggles had kept him from pursuing that truth

And now only when he was about to die he was going to go barging in asking for help

Randidly felt like a dick of a landlord And of a friend Or of a companion It was sorta hard to conceptualize what they were to each other

But still he walked forward taking his time even though the threat of his death loomed above him After everything this creature had done for him it just felt right to be respectful despite the urgency It wasn’t as though a few seconds either way would likely make a difference He didn’t even know exactly what he had to do Just ask for help

Randidly found himself at his heart the ice cold iridescent heat spot at his heart where Aether flowed outward which was where this being dwelled for whatever reason

After a moment’s hesitation Randidly reached out Are you

Here

The word was worlds wide strangely conveying so many things The being’s struggles and pain the plight of Randidly’s body Randidly’s body as its vessel a wistfulness a curiosity a great wariness a dulled mind and a small joy at the other’s visit

They all crashed into Randidly sending him staggering somewhat Being here directly here made each word produced by the other to be incredibly powerful To the point that Randidly had a hard time enduring But he couldn’t turn away That power made Randidly believe slightly that this being might be able to provide some solution

Even now he had no idea what he was doing or what his goal was But he knew he was desperate and based on the Wild Rider’s words the answer was here

I might die I think Randidly said unable to really articulate it any other way He could feel the rumbling going worse shaking the very foundation of this place An earthquake of the soul

I fix

It was even more complex this time the sound But he could feel the sentiment Some of the more detailed plans were lost in translation somehow However before Randidly could even feel the flood of relief there was another word that gave him pause

But price Two

Where the previous words were filled with complexity this was simple just vast Far reaching wide Grave sacrifice Whereas now Randidly was a vessel somewhat they would need to bind themselves to each other A permanent bond One that would benefit both but also shackle both Their lives would be tied together As for the other price

Randidly just smiled and stepped forward A lot of the information contained in the other being’s brief words was lost as he pressed forward but it was mostly a sense of vastness and time that Randidly didn’t really have the time to parse apart It was a permanent bond that they would be forming

It was not that this form they had already had wasn’t permanent Randidly thought Well he couldn’t be sure but the way that being had settled in the Aether Crossroads in his chest made him believe that it was here to stay

Perhaps he should think more closely about it but Randidly trusted this being He had seen from its eyes felt its pure emotions and the care it had treated Randidly with Even now that they were so close he could feel it using Aether streams to control the worst of the soul tremors But it was too little too late It had no body no real existence somehow It was just a strange free consciousness that took shelter here in the Aether to survive

Or at least that is what Randidly suspected But although he didn’t have all of the information he still believed in the being It was willing to help him and had in the past So much that Randidly had accomplished escaping the grasp of the Creature and seizing control of his Aether was due to this being

Randidly took another step forward putting himself at the heart of the Aether Crossroads inside of him which was where the being rested It swirled around him hesitating

Sure Price

The concern it displayed only made Randidly more sure There was a mental barrier that he had erected probably unconsciously between them With a straining effort Randidly took that down The next part was harder His Soul was self destructing his physical body was failing and Randidly needed to get both of those things to accept the strange being At the present he was cut off from all of his skills so he couldn’t even rely on his broken Inspiration skill to get him out of here The being would have to accomplish the rest itself

Randidly just smiled wryly I’m pretty helpless here Can you

Pain The other promised worry for him clear in its tone Laughing Randidly just shrugged Pain was passing death was not

Sure

One last time the being hesitated but Randidly sensed something different here Now it did not worry about hurting him but rather as far as it could remember there was just the darkness and then there was Randidly’s heart It was nervous to leave

Randidly smiled but it was starting to get strained He could feel darkness at the edges of his vision even here in his soul His life force so much as it existed

Yes I’m sure

Thankfully the being acted immediately But Randidly was already fading somewhat Once more the darkness claimed him

Thea tapped her hammer against her palm her hands covered in sweat It was hard to just sit here According to the Wild Hunter they would have to act quickly to save David’s life but immediately after they had told Thea to wait

So she had Almost 10 minutes of waiting and

David swayed and then fell The aura of pain that filled the air left Instantly the Wild Rider leapt up from their sitting position and dashed towards David Meanwhile Thea had another quarry

Chrysanthemum roared some of Thea’s frustrations bleeding over into the bear and she raced forward bounding towards the barely moving monsters Thea’s eyes burned a hole in the gold skinned one her hammer gripped tightly This apparently was the Raid Boss David had held it still and hurt it stunned it even but he hurt himself in equal measure She would need to act before it could recover or the sacrifice would be for nothing

It only took about 8 seconds to cover the distance but it felt like an eternity Activating Righteous Hammer Thea leapt off Chrysanthemum’s back arriving over the golden figure preparing to strike But then Thea blinked then swore

She had overshot the Raid Boss and arrived at the bronze one Thea spun around and prepared to strike Then she froze

The bronze creature was behind her That meant

She spun around again and found that the golden Raid Boss was gone and in its place was a strange mercury bubble stretching and twisting into long and powerful looking tentacles The blood drained from Thea’s face Did she really just mess this up

But then an arrow formed pointing downwards towards the ground At the same place that Thea had seen the golden Raid Boss had been laying from afar Thea’s eyes flashed

Illusion Ha

Thea used Quick Strike to move before the opponent could react bringing it down at the location pointed to by the arrow There was a strange shudder and then the monster reappeared its skin split strange black blood flowing outward

Again Thea used Righteous Hammer striking the monster again and again until its head was just a mass of gore Only then did Thea stop her chest heaving Chrysanthemum was behind her calmly eating the other monsters swallowing her distaste along with their bodies Better safe than sorry

It seemed that the Wild Rider had reached David in time feeding him a strange potion so Thea just sat quietly wrapping her arms around her knees Although she was used to it and it got easier the sight of death It still affected her She was glad in a way but it was also hard

So for now Thea just sat letting the rest of them clean everything up

Chapter 308

Simon was profoundly disturbed by the Wild Rider Well perhaps disturbed wasn’t the right word but the other person shrouded in furs with the large moose antlers spreading from their head certainly cut an impressive figure In comparison Simon felt profoundly underwhelming just a regular skinny teen wrapped in leathers

That feeling was reinforced by the Pledgees of the Wild Rider

After Thea and David had combined forces to kill the Raid Boss and Simon was shocked by some of the resulting notifications he had returned to his physical body to find himself surrounded by two children riding wolves and an elderly woman on top of a rhino Tersely they informed him that he was coming with them

Simon had seen the interference of the Wild Rider in the battle although he didn’t really understand exactly what they had done he assented to going with the Pledgees All the while as they rode back together the children on the wolves were whispering to each other giving Simon long looks

He stared at the thick skin of the rhino beneath him unsure of what to say Sure he had definitely progressed in skills but there wasn’t anything flashy in what he did Trying to keep in mind that his assistance was part of the reason that David had been able to kill so many Simon just sat silently

After a 20 minute ride they arrived at a small camp absolutely bustling with humans and animals of various breeds What was perhaps the most confusing was that some of the animals appeared to be directing the people and didn’t have a rider strutting around the camp The Pledgees gave these animals a wide berth and hopped to attention whenever these alphas growled

A tall shaggy sheep with thick snow white fur of all things seemed to be in charge and trotted neatly over towards the newly arrived group the crowds of barking crowing screeching and hooting animals moving organically out of the way

It gave them a look then got down on its knees in front of them

What One of the children gasped and even the old woman frowned The sheep simply snorted turning and giving the people the stink eye

The old woman turned to Simon She uh she will be escorting you the rest of the way Get uh on her Be gentle she

The sheep snorted again louder this time and the old woman’s rhino made a pained expression and nudged the elderly woman Simon tried to remain as unobtrusive as possible and was slightly aghast at the thought of getting on the back of this sheep Simon supposed that it was larger than a typical sheep around the size of a motorcycle but still

At the prodding of the children Simon awkwardly walked forward and put his leg over the sheep’s back After several seconds giving Simon time to position himself the sheep stood lifting him off of the ground

Then the sheep began to run The world seemed to blur All of his earlier respect was forgotten as Simon was forced to run his hands through its luxuriously soft fur in order to keep his seat on the sheep’s back This sort of speed

Wasn’t this even faster than David moved

Then abruptly it was over There was a single small tent ahead of him a beautiful patchwork thing made of brilliant and bright squares of cloth in every color of the rainbow After Simon had shakily dismounted the sheep trotted ahead using its nose to open up the tent and walking right into the area After a brief hesitation Simon followed

So now he found himself sitting with the Wild RIder simply waiting Several candles burned throughout the room and Simon was seated on a series of cushions Neither had said a word as of yet and it was really starting to make Simon nervous

Just as he opened his mouth to speak the Wild Rider moved standing Quietly they walked to the back of the tent and pointed Your friend is not yet recovered but you should speak with your other companion She struggles

Blinking Simon was so shocked by the abrupt movement that he didn’t initially recognize what the Wild Rider was saying Uh Thea

It was extremely unexpected that she was the one who was struggling After the reward she had received for killing the Tier III Raid Boss wouldn’t she be delighted Not just the skill but also that item

But still Simon nodded uncertainly and followed the Wild Rider’s direction walking back into the room at the back left of the tent almost surprised to find that there was a great space there another room filled with cushions where Thea and Chrysanthemum sat To Simon’s surprise the sheep was also there seeming to converse with Chrysanthemum with low growls and snorts

Thea Glasshammer for her part sat on the cushions almost slumped over leaning down her head between her knees In her hand she held a small crystal about the size of a walnut but glittering with rainbow light the soft glow illuminating the lines of her hand

Honestly none of that was even what had Simon stopped dead What really stopped Simon was that Thea was out of her furs and she

You’re my age Simon blurted out his eyes widening Thea straightened her thin face at first blank and then pursed in annoyance

Why do you sound so shocked Theasnapped And I’m NOT your age I’m almost 16 What are you like 12

I’m 14 Simon said clenching his fist And almost 15 I think Maybe even 15 I sorta lost track of counting when

Suddenly the fight went out of both of them and they looked awkwardly at the ground The System’s arrival had done a lot of things and one of them was warp people’s sense of time It was hard to tell how many weeks had passed towards the beginning there as everyone scrambled for food and shelter from the newly arrived monsters

Combined with the fact that the increased Endurance and Vitality allowed people to stay up for 24 hours without blinking an eye days quickly lost their meaning and it was only recently after their contact with Donnyton who had instituted a uniform calendar already that they once more kept track of the days

The new calender put them in early November and they tentatively thought that the System arrived at the end of February based on what they remembered Still they lived in a mild climate but not THIS mild The temperature should have lowered to at least the 50s but it remained constant right under 70

But based on the announcement when Thea killed the Raid Boss perhaps that would change soon

Abruptly realizing that they had been silent for almost a minute Simon floundered and then finally said is the skill good

After a brief hesitation Thea stood and held out her palm that wasn’t holding the crystal A strange white at the edges black at the center flame emerged flickering in the dim tent barely producing any light

Ghost Fire Thea whispered Will burn and cause extreme pain on the victim while being completely invisible to all others I can throw it but much easier to press it up by hand to be sure on who it touches I haven’t really used it on anything but it seems strong It is a skill taken from a Raid Boss after all Uncommon Rarity

Then Thea sighed letting the fire disappear The problem is I’m a physical fighter My Mana can only support using it once every several hours So I have to decide whether to invest more stats into Intelligence and Wisdom or

Her expression was helpless Simon blushed He had been listening but

Thea was really really cute

Inwardly Simon was somewhat aghast that he had originally taken her to be rather husky She just wore several layers of bushy fur that made her body look slightly tubby looking It wasn’t that she actually weighed any more than him

THAT thought made him flush Honestly with his belly he was definitely a good deal heavier than she was

Are you sick You keep making faces Thea asked her expression concerned She took the crystal and put it into a pouch on her belt and stepped closer to him

Which of course made Simon flush even more Uh I

Your friend is awake The Wild RIder interrupted pointing to an ever deeper entrance shrouded by a thin gauze blanket Glad for the distraction Simon hurried over joined by the sheep

Chapter 309

Randidly opened his eyes Then he winced His entire perspective was still vibrating with a vicious insidious pain He wanted to vomit With his will he wildly pressed down on the vibrations trying to get a handle on what was going on around him What was he doing

The Raid Boss the Wild Rider the being inside of his chest

Well at least he was alive but he didn’t really feel like that was a positive thing right now His body felt extremely strained bare and strained Almost as if he hadn’t drunk water in several days and everything was becoming taut and dangerously close to self destructing

But to his surprise when he pressed with his will the vibrations lessoned A notification popped up but Randidly ignored it as one side of his view was already crowded with notifications Instead he pressed harder clamping down on the vibrations Not easily but evenly they slowed and stopped reaching a manageable rumble

Strangely his soul and skills seemed to buzz shocked by the sudden lack of vibrations which was almost just as disorienting Another wave of nausea hit him causing Randidly to groan No matter how high his stats were it was hard to deal with an upset stomach and while he was on the subject just how long had it been since he ate something

A curious question that Randidly discarded for now but swore to revisit It was past time for him to put his Cooking Skill to use After sitting up Randidly inspected his inward world What he saw caused him to wince Most of the skills that had Aether shrapnel in them seemed oddly blurry some of their energy bleeding out through the cracks and wounds in them that the Aether shrapnel had created Luckily no other skill had been so damaged that they shattered but some of them were definitely weakened

However as he watched he could see the Aether slowly regathering the damage slowly healing So he would recover but how did he get to this point He should have been pretty far gone after using Anguish to weaken the Raid Boss

Curious Randidly turned his attention to his notifications At that moment Simon rushed into the room followed by of all things a large sheep with intelligent eyes Thea and Chrysanthemum filed in after followed by the strange figure who Randidly assumed to be the Wild Rider with her Regalia on

David Simon began his voice worried but Randidly raised a hand feeling a creeping beginnings of a headache No talking yet please Seeming to sense what he wanted Simon fell silent and begin to produce some of his Mending Fluid In the meantime Randidly looked back at his notifications

He gained various skill levels which Randidly ignored for now But then he started to find notifications that he didn’t expect and made him frown

Congratulations A Tier III Raid Boss has been slain in Zone 33 This is the 2nd Tier III Raid Boss to be slain For their accomplishment Thea Glasshammer has been given an Uncommon Rarity skill as well as a Stone of Fate

Congratulations The first Stone of Fate has emerged on Earth in Zone 33 For this a natural treasure the Eternum Mine has spawned at a random location in Zone 33 Find the Eternum Mine clear the monsters who hold it and mine it for Stones of Fate and other treasures

The Stone of Fate is a treasure of the System that can upgrade any System related construction It can be used to upgrade a Village upgrade a Skill to a random higher rarity upgrade a stat to a more powerful version or even upgrade a Class Stones of Fate must be used at a Holy Altar which can be purchased by Journeyman Villages or higher

In addition as this is the 2nd Tier III Raid Boss to be slain a Zone wide quest is given Slay the final Raid Boss and open the Raid Dungeon After slaying the 3rd Raid Boss a key will be acquired that will lead to Zone 33’s Raid Dungeon More information will be available as the quest progresses Good Luck

Interesting but unrelated to how Randidly survived But it was worth noting that Thea had moved in and finished off the Raid Boss while Randidly was unconscious And honestly she deserved the bonus The Stone of Fate would probably be more trouble than it was worth until she used it as other greedy people moved closer to her in order to steal it

All of the options were intriguing Randidly believed that most people would be drawn by the Class upgrade but Randidly was most interested in what upgrading a stat would entail Well not that he coveted it anyway It would be useful but ultimately it was more reliable to rely on training to strengthen yourself

Randidly winced Training that he could do once he started to heal more and figured out what happened He continued to scan through his notifications Simon handed him a vial of some of the more potent fluid which Randidly took and drank taking the edge of the remaining aches in his soul

Congratulations You have recognized your inner bond with L#() #NKL You have learned the skill Soul Bond Lvl 1 Due to previous unrecognized accomplishments the skill level has increased to Lvl 49 48 PP has been gained

Your connection with ()098 dkjldu09(9032 kjldkajslkdf dja902392k23 ()91203fjdkla s lka ndklfa sdl “““““““““` laksjd lkj

98098i23jkln Y/N

You have selected yes You have gained the skill Aether Detection Lvl 1 You have gained the skill Aether Manipulation Lvl 1 You have gained the skill Living Aether ® Lvl 1 You have gained the skill System Interference Lvl 1

Warning Due to the nature of your skills your Heretic Path has progressed You have gained access to the System Transgressor Path 0/1

Your bonded being currently is only a soul It is possible for it to assimilate with another body to obtain a physical form Please choose carefully before you make your selection

Randidly’s expression darkened Well it can be considered a good haul of skills but it seemed that it came with a host of problems The System Transgressor Path Randidly grimaced If this was just an upgraded version of Heretic that would already be difficult to handle But unlike the Heretic which was numbered this was simply a path That cost a single PP

Ominous and confusing Probably wouldn’t bother to investigate that for a while Randidly turned his attention to the various skills he had gained with this bond

Aether Manipulation Allows one to control Aether This includes the ability to purify Aether and set Aether instilling it with your own meaning The degree and strength of control increase with skill level

Aether Detection Detect Aether This also includes the ability to generally sense any information and meaning from set Aether Degree of detection increases with skill level

Living Aether ® You have forged a bond that involves access to Aether As such your Aether is much more pure and resilient than others Increased effectiveness of Aether Increased recovery to damaged Aether Increased affinity to your own Aether The degree of all attributes increases with skill level

System Interference Ability to understand and subvert the System It is now easier to reproduce or change various aspects of the System on your own Abilities will increase with skill level

Past that was simply more notifications on skill level increases mostly Living Aether and Aether Manipulation which were both likely the reasons that Randidly was able to recover to this point The Living Aether kept the worst of the damage at bay and that being he bonded with likely did the heavy lifting while Randidly’s subconscious did what it could with Aether Manipulation

Speaking of which The notifications said that the being needed a physical form Which made sense because that was the second price that the being had insisted upon Not that it would be easy Randidly suspected finding a good body for it but it would work out

And just as Randidly thought that he could feel it the warm familiar presence now out of that deep well of Aether in his chest flitting around his body curiously Now it was in Randidly’s right hand which was gripping the vial Simon had given to him It was strangely delighted seeming to enjoy the physical feeling of touch

Well Randidly supposed it had never really existed so it really was a delight Randidly grimaced Imagine how excited it would be when the body it was in wasn’t rattled almost to death and aching

Randidly breathed out a sigh and stood feeling his joints crack and pop He massaged his neck and turned to the people standing in front of him feeling slightly uncomfortable

Chapter 310

Randidly turned to Thea first Of them all he expected the surly and conflicted woman to be the easiest to handle at the moment Congratulations

To his horror Thea started to shake her head slowly at first but then with increasing speed her brown hair bouncing back and forth No no I’m so sorry I didn’t deserve this at all I just cleaned up And I almost messed it up

She straightened her eyes bright and offered Randidly a stone that she produced from her pocket It glowed softly filled with strange crimsons violets and emeralds Here I can’t do anything about the skill but you deserve this You did all the work You are really the hero

Thank you but no keep it Randidly said waving his hand I wouldn’t have been able to kill it alone That belongs to you

Her eyes widened the shock clear on Thea’s face Then she became uncomfortable biting her lip But still she held out the stone and reluctantly said No you don’t understand This is the Stone of Fate With it you can

Oh I get it Randidly said shrugging But don’t you need it much more than I do Believe me when I’m fully healed I’m much more capable than this

Sure he was interested in it but his experience going to Shal’s world had taught him that he couldn’t be everywhere at once There were some paths that were not his to walk It was probably better for the health of the area if Thea grew in strength rather than more strength being concentrated within himself Although he did plan on asking her later if he could watch her use it If his new skills gave him insight into how that process worked

He turned away from a very pale Thea before she could continue Instead Randidly decided to focus on the Wild Rider Thank you for your help as well My companion needs a body I was wondering

Of course She answered smoothly her voice reverberating strangely out of the hood seeming to be composed of the calls of many animals rather than a voice of a young girl There should be another parade soon anyways There are many who have pledged to me who desire a bond that will last a lifetime The ceremony will take a week but if you are willing to agree

After thinking it over for a minute Randidly nodded He did have some things he wanted to do in the meantime but this week would be focused on healing himself now that he had a much more direct way to manipulate Aether And as time went on he should grow more skilled anyways A week wasn’t much time

The Wild Rider turned and regarded Simon who seemed abruptly very nervous by the Rider’s gaze You too Simon are welcome to participate Your skills are lovely

After a moment of hesitation Simon nodded Randidly chuckled but said nothing Honestly of all their skills Simon’s were probably the weirdest and most creepy The kid hadn’t tested it yet but his skill could manifest almost ANYTHING while he was in his Astral form He could create a monster It would be a good idea if he took a few tricks from this past Raid Boss’ group

In addition his healing skill was called Mending Fluid which Randidly had had a very hard time not laughing at at first when Simon presented him with it to drink

The Wild Rider snorted which sounded extremely strange through the voices of 1000 animals but then covered it up with a cough Randidly blinked and both Thea and Simon turned to her curious

Even through the hood Randidly could almost sense the little girl blushing My Regalia gives me a certain amount of telepathy reading minds at a very surface immature level

Randidly chuckled but said nothing while Thea and Simon seemed incredibly confused So she enjoyed crass jokes Randidly hoped she was older than she looked

Now the Wild Rider stamped her foot then turned on her heel and left the tent heading outside This time Randidly didn’t bother to hide it and chuckled aloud The sheep gave him a very unamused look but Randidly could only shrug It’s not like he was out to impress this random sheep

After it huffed it turned and left and Thea and Chrysanthemum followed Simon hesitated then gave Randidly a searching look Randidly nodded encouraging him and they left leaving him alone

Then he sat cross legged his eyes burning emerald in the dim tent Hopefully someone would come back tomorrow and tell him what he would be required to do for this ceremony because otherwise he would miss out But for now it was time to see how much he could heal

So his will flowed back into his body and instantly Randidly smiled his lips curling up at the edges It had been a good haul although he had to nearly die to do it With the assistance of that being that now traveled his body until he found it one of his own he now could quiet the Aether shrapnel and remove it at least 10 times as fast and without the assistance of Simon’s Mending Fluid

It was going to be a long night

It was the second day of their participation in the ceremony and Simon was already dead tired

He blamed this on two different sources The first was that the ceremony was just a glorified name for chores As the Wild Rider gathered more and more animals of different species in a giant fenced in area for the ceremony the Pledgees (and David) took care of them They carried water up in increasing quantities three times a day the first being long before dawn

They grew and harvested food They provided for every animal’s weird diet They made sure every animal was happy and situated and that everyone had received enough attention and exercise for the day IN ADDITION to all that they had their own individual tasks

Which was the second reason that Simon was dead tired The tasks were different things that people had to do but it made sense for only one or two to participate in Simon the fool had chosen laundry as his chore and the previous laundry person had only been too happy to give it up and allow Simon to take over

What should have been a manageable amount of laundry a day spiraled out of control because they had to deal with a lot of animal shit and a lot of animals who didn’t like to smell other animal’s shit so the Pledgees had to change their clothes often to keep animals calm and resting

There was one bright note Simon had no idea why but instead of any sort of manual labor David had chosen to handle the farming and cooking duties People were dubious that he could manage both at the same time but the Wild Rider’s weird attitude towards David meant that most of the Pledgees let it slide ready to pick up the slack if he failed

David did seem able to keep up but he was definitely running himself ragged doing it He was constantly either cooking or checking his plants and didn’t seem to ever stop moving It soothed Simon’s heart somewhat to see the other man pressed towards his limits even if it was just with chores

There were almost 30 Pledgees including Simon (and the non pledging David) who split the chores Of these there were three main groups One was the military leaning people who possessed classes and came from either Star Crossing or the Refuge They were here to increase their combat prowess by earning themselves a partner This group was typified by Heather from the Refuge and Kirk from Star Crossing who were the most serious and meat headed as glorified animal herders could be

The second group seemed more to be here due to their love of animals which was led by Lally a tired seeming woman who acted as de facto leader of the Pledgees divvying up their work every day Her job seemed impossible and thankless because part of the ceremony was for this group to care for all the animals and monsters with no guidance while every day the Wild Rider returned with an even larger group

The final cohort of people were just the dirty and desperate who flocked here for safety There was only a few of these people but they all kept to themselves and had scared eyes At first when Simon asked for their clothes to wash they almost seemed aghast before he explained it further

It was sad in a way that these people so quickly forgot the trappings of modern life Washers and dryers were a thing of the past Of course it was possible that these people were poor enough they never had these things but that just made Simon depressed for different reasons

Still they were all here now and working hard So although it was somewhat of a miracle to make it to the end of the second day Simon did it and collapsed into his pallet satisfied to his very core

Chapter 311

By the dawn of the 5th day Simon’s outlook was much more bitter True this would only last for 3 more days but the days it had taken to get here had been a slowly increasing hell The animals that the Wild Rider was bringing in became increasingly monstrous as time went on while the area of land they had to manage them had grown increasingly cramped as more and more creatures filled it

Which was the point that several people took on their roles as peacekeepers in the enclosure Originally Simon had been extremely dubious that this was necessary but as there were more monsters with surly tempers displays of strength became increasingly common

Having a Classer put them to rest was reassuring in a way

Hey um Lally paused looking around Simon Heather and a few others meekly sat around a fire eating as fast as possible trying to get a meal in between work David lay over to the side seeming to doze in the grass next to one of his vegetable farms Simon would give David this those were the largest tomatoes he had ever seen Well they at least seemed like tomatoes although they were colored differently

Simon and Trey can you come help me carry some firewood back If we can get it done within the next hour we can start repositioning animals for the next big wave of arrivals before they get here Imagine Lally’s voice was filled with faux optimism They all knew that this group would be even larger and all their preparations would be for naught

Simon nodded wearily and stood looking around For whatever reason the area around where the humans ate was filled to the brim with monsters coldly regarding Simon as he stood The three of them made their winding way through the monsters It was inconvenient but better to leave them laying where they were than move them and have to deal with them angry

A shout caught the trio’s attention as Simon was stepping over a 30 meter python

Down

Grimacing Simon turned and followed a frowning Lally as she walked towards the source of the shout Kirk was standing glowering up at a crimson eagle the size of a bear spreading its wings and knocking away nearby monsters Its wingspan was probably almost 8 meters and several nearby monsters were giving it disgruntled looks

As it attempted to spread its wings further Kirk who was in front of it prodded it with his spear keeping it from spreading its wings too wide The eagle screeched furious glaring at Kirk and then looked balefully around at the monsters nearby who blocked it from spreading its wings

Kirk just Lally began but Kirk snorted

If we don’t fucking teach it a lesson it will be unruly for the next three days Look how fucking big it is Better to strike now while it’s on the ground

Do we really need Simon tried to interject but a long hiss silenced him Simon froze To his horror that huge python that he had stepped over had followed them its huge body slithering between his legs In fact Simon had to widen his stance because the head was so large that it brushed up against his ankles

Once it was through it straightened and hissed at the eagle its pupils narrowed to slits Screeching the eagle hopped forward towards the python

You fucking Kirk bellowed stepping forward bringing the butt of his spear against the chest of the eagle The aim was probably not to actually damage the eagle but rather to shock it and put some fear into its attitude But when Kirk struck he simply rebounded off as it hopped forward again overwhelming him

Simon abruptly felt very afraid that the crimson eagle was going to attack a snake that was currently slithering between his legs But he couldn’t find the impetus to move He was frozen

Luckily that didn’t seem to be in the cards Instead of fighting they began conversing briefly in squawks and hisses Then in an extremely confusing and comical manner the eagle hopped on top of the python gripping the middle of its body with its talons Then as the python slithered deeper the crimson eagle just sat on top of it glaring at any monster that blocked it

Kirk got back up his face beet red We should fucking gang up on it while it’s asleep If we don’t

Lally didn’t even answer just sighed and walked away Simon and the other wood fetcher helping

After they had finished with the task of hauling wood and after they spent several hours accommodating the new batch of animals that the Wild Rider had brought the group of 30 Pledgees were eating when Heather suddenly looked up from her bowl and glared at David What are you doing

David didn’t bother to answer continuing to patiently harvest his plants which had swollen to a huge size filling a basket Heather didn’t seem to mind the lack of response but she did seem to have a problem with what he was doing Have you been sneaking away to feed these monsters Do you think that will help you get a better companion

David again didn’t answer but there was some more focus from the eating group their eyes sharp After all if someone got a better companion that was a companion that they couldn’t have And it made sense to feed the animals earn a little bit more of a positive association in their minds

Very quickly Simon could tell that the mood was souring towards David And Simon could sorta understand why Those that had spent their time trying to physically intimidate and control the monsters probably realized that while they were working hard to control the animals David had been here simply feeding them One of the militant focused Pledgees dumped her food on the ground her expression dark

Which was a message sure but one that made Simon wince he didn’t know how but David was a phenomenal cook It was slightly disappointing to see all of it wasted

But what no one expected even David was that one of the dirty and desperate people a 12 year old girl would speak Can I help

Jemma looked up at the quiet man who cooked the delicious food her hands trembling as she gripped her bowl

His eyes were slow to turn to her and the entire while Jemma trembled Emerald fire rippled and grew in his eyes a piercing light that caused Jemma’s heart to pound but at the same time she was unable to look away

Jemma was here because she wanted a peaceful life taking care of animals She didn’t want to have a companion and then fight against the monsters threat No her calling was closer to a breeder or a caretaker Before the System arrived she had even dreamed of being a veterinarian Initially when Jemma arrived she had latched onto Lally doing everything she requested doing her best to help hoping to learn how to deal with the animals

This became increasingly difficult because for whatever reason the powerful monsters began to gather around the location where everyone ate and slept It made it impossible for her to rest and Jemma had taken to prowling the camp at nights just to rid herself of her restless energy

She almost cursed herself inwardly for investing some of her bonus stats from Paths into Vitality which kept her away from the sweet oblivion of sleep But there were some benefits A few nights ago she had discovered that the calm cook also did not sleep or if he did it was even less than she did

It was oddly soothing for her to watch him care for the plants He was methodical and efficient With a touch the man seemed to be able to intuit the health of the plants Then he would either pick them cull them or use them for the human food

Because of course as Jemma quickly realized the choicest pieces went to the monsters

The first time she had witnessed it was two nights ago but she had only noticed by the end as the man was winding his way back through the lines of animals his basket empty So last night Jemma had kept herself up to watch what happened

What she saw left her stunned Not because of anything that happened but because of what didn’t happen

The cook had simply walked out among the monsters every single one of them perking up as he approached The monsters shifted slightly in an overly casual way Working his way in a clockwise manner the cook would set a fruit or vegetable or whatever in front of the monsters then continue in a circle slowly working himself in a wider area giving fruit to monsters farther back

Those monsters in the near circle seemed to be acting on an unspoken agreement and only after all 9 monsters in the closest ring received their fruits did they eat all of them gulping it down in a single bite There was a shaggy grey wolf a two headed lion a strange glowing eyed boar a sheep with fluffy white fur a python a huge komodo dragon a strange metallic dog a turquoise frog with four eyes and a gorilla with soft grey hair

These ate together ignoring their compatriots and then settling down What shocked Jemma was that they seemed to change after absorbing the fruit Most of these were in subtle ways the wolf’s fur grew increasingly bristly the boar’s eyes became even brighter the frog’s skin became increasingly blue But Jemma also saw that the sheep simply grew a small but visible amount and the komodo dragon’s level increased by 1 to 26

The monsters that were farther out were much less patient and ate theirs immediately snapping them up as soon as they touched the ground These pieces of fruit and vegetable were smaller and less eye catching seemingly much less potent and all the monsters eyed the man with the basket as he strolled around taking his sweet time

But none made a move to take more than they were given despite their obvious greed There were two reasons that animals didn’t act Jemma knew Confusion and fear And there was no confusion in those expressions as they gazed at the basket

Which made even less sense to Jemma The Path that had kept her alive this far in the System was the Fearful Path from which she learned the skill Fear’s Tremor Some might consider it a detriment but Jemma didn’t mind the small tremor in her hands when she was near a creature that she was afraid of In addition it was predictive there were times she was about to take a turn on a mountain trail and her hands trembled and she waited until it passed before proceeding The exact details were confusing but she was content to trust it

All 9 of the monsters in the first ring and many beyond them caused her hands to tremble The cook did not Which plunged her heart through thick ice into cold dark water

Chapter 312

So Jemma acted because although this mysterious man filled her with increasing dread she couldn’t deny that he lived the life that she desired He was peaceful and calm all day tending to the garden and cooking meals for the group Whereas the monsters would pester others for food and special treatments Jemma never saw any of the animals approach the man

They didn’t dare That was the only conclusion Jemma could come to

Slowly the man nodded and beckoned Jemma closer Abruptly Jemma realized that they were within the group and everyone was watching and she had just volunteered for an activity that was being criticized Even the monsters seemed interested the 10 monsters in the inner circle (now that the crimson eagle arrived) opening one eye to regard her coolly

But she couldn’t stop now So blushing furiously Jemma walked carefully over to the man’s side He offered her the basket and Jemma took it with a grunt Very quickly her eyes widened as her body with a Strength she had raised to 19 became unable to support the basket Huffing Jemma did her best to control her fall to the ground but almost instantly the man moved his hand flashing into the basket Abruptly it was much lighter and Jemma sighed with relief

Still it confirmed her opinion on the cook His emerald eyes hinted at it but he was definitely much more powerful than he let on

What remained in the basket were 10 fruits some long and skinny others squat and fat Some seemed almost like a large banana while another was just a spiky ball that Jemma was slightly intimidated to touch

Are you just going to let this happen Kirk asked his expression annoyed as he turned to Lally

The tired woman just shrugged causing both Kirk and Heather to frown and regard Jemma and the cook with barely veiled fury

In a very small voice Jemma asked Which is for

The 10 fruits seemed to glitter Even Jemma could tell that they all were unordinary even the spike ball But the cook just smiled and shrugged and pushed her forward After a brief stumble and a glance over her shoulder to confirm that the cook was coming with her Jemma trotted up to the giant sheep which was the least intimidating of the monsters

Jemma hadn’t been close enough to see which fruit went to which animal so she felt quite a lot of pressure to start For a sheep

Very quickly she ruled out the spiky one and the banana Hesitantly Jemma touched one that seemed unassuming and immediately pulled her hand back The fruit was warm like the head of a child with a fever which threw her for a loop Not that one either then

Finally Jemma settled on a large fruit that seemed like an overripe peach the size of a basketball She set down the basket and carefully removed the peach and set it in front of the sheep careful to suppress the trembling in her hands The sheep didn’t seem to react at all and instead closed its eyes seeming to sleep

For several seconds she didn’t know what to do but then she just picked up the basket and moved on Next was the giant grey gorilla and feeling more confident now she removed the banana and placed it in front of the gorilla

The giant creature said nothing but gave the cook a look that could only be described as aggrieved The cook simply shrugged

Um Jemma squeaked abruptly aware that the gorilla was 4 times the size of the man beside her who was at least double her size The trembling in her hands got worse Is there another one you’d prefer

This time the gorilla looked at the cook nervously Still the cook said nothing Very delicately as if afraid to set anyone off the gorilla lowered its huge head until it was only a few centimeters above Jemma who was holding the basket

He’s going to eat me ’ The thought dominated her being and drove out all other thoughts even the thought to run She was frozen there before this monster

But instead of biting the gorilla sniffed Then it blinked leaned a little closer and sniffed again

The second sniff was met with a cacophony of noise The komodo dragon hissed The two headed lion stood and growled dangerously The turquoise frog released a bubble of phlegm that popped audibly But most violently the crimson eagle screeched taking a step forward its wings spreading

Very quickly the gorilla drew back and carefully used one of its very large fingers to point towards a purple eggplant seeming fruit in the corner After retrieving the banana Jemma gave the gorilla its desired fruit and continued on around the circle

The rest of the divvying up of the fruits proceeded smoothly with each monster carefully peering into the basket and indicating their desired fruit Some Jemma was able to guess while others were more perplexing to her For example the turquoise frog wanted the prickly fruit which Jemma was very careful to set down in front of it without puncturing her hand on the spikes How would it even eat it

It was only on the second to last animal the crimson eagle that there was a problem The eagle peeked down into the basket at the two remaining fruits giving them both careful regard It seemed supremely torn its golden eyes flicking back and forth between the two options Jemma grew intensely nervous the shaking in her hands more pronounced After fully 5 minutes had passed and the shaking was starting to affect her ability to stand Jemma felt a spurt of energy and just picked one out of the basket and set it before the crimson eagle

Anything to end the prolonged torture

It seemed satisfied at first but as Jemma moved to walk away it shrieked and pecked forward aiming for the fruit that remained in the basket Jemma’s body instantly lurched to a stop unable to move with the crimson blur that was rushing towards her

Then she had a large hand on her shoulder The world seemed to slow

At the edges of her vision she could see the world falling away fading to a blackness There was a low mist on the ground around them With increasing volume a ticking rose to dominate the world around her

The crimson eagle seemed to slow its beak shuddering to a stop midway to the basket in Jemma’s hand as if it was caught in some sort of bog It shrieked again but it contained none of the arrogance and pride that it had previously Now it was confused and fearful But that confusion drove it forward a desperate rush towards the basket

Smoothly a finger slid past Jemma’s shoulder sliding to meet the peck As soon as she saw that finger Jemma began to tremble much more violently and uncontrollably than she had in the past Her whole body was racked with wild shakes

Because when she saw that finger she didn’t see a finger but rather a cold sharp tip of a spear the edge thick with the stench of death She became hyper aware of the hand on her shoulder and the cold vicious energy it released

All at once the strange images faded away and the crimson eagle twisted and hopped backwards squeaking plaintively The cook dropped his finger

Every other monster was carefully not looking at the cook standing behind her just like Jemma wouldn’t dare turn to regard the man It shouldn’t have come as a surprise but that thick stench of death around him in that moment filled her with dread

That’s what the world was now The world was an empty place where only through killing can you survive

Woodenly Jemma turned to the final monster the metallic dog It was probably the most eye catching and the smallest of the monsters in the inner circle The fur of the dog was a beautiful mixture of silver and copper its teeth pitch black as it panted

What was strange was that after Jemma placed the fruit in front of the dog the dog ignored it and trotted towards her She was so numb from the previous experience that she didn’t even react as the dog walked up to her

She felt something damp on her hand and looked down to see that the dog was licking her hand Then it looked up at her with its pitch black eyes its concern for her clear on its face

Jemma began to cry

Chapter 313

Randidly felt profoundly tired as he watch the young girl cry silently the large metallic dog licking her hand He supposed he should say something ease the harsh transition between what she had just seen and the more typical life but

Randidly couldn’t bring himself to soften the blow There would be times in this girl’s life where she would be forced to confront her own weakness no matter what Randidly did After that she would have decisions to make that would change her life or maintain the status quo From his perspective it was probably better to let her struggle with that decision on her own

Instead Randidly reached into his interspatial ring and produced a small fruit that glowed golden its power clearly visible He could feel the focus of the animals around him lock onto the fruit immediately It had been the true treasure that he had produced after these days of cross breeding fruits and injecting Aether directly into the plants the positive result of all of his experimentation

Setting it next to the other fruit Randidly said Good boy and then picked up the basket With a wave it was filled with the other fruits he had produced after experimenting with his abilities to inject Aether into plants and have them refine it Calmly he walked passing out one to each of the nearby monsters

The way the fruits were divvied up amongst the 10 strongest animals was not what he had expected and often the animals did not choose what he had created for them But it was still interesting to see the way the plants could refine Aether and how the animals viewed it

Profoundly fascinating When Randidly finally reached a point where he wasn’t surrounded by pressing issues he needed to experiment more consistently with it But for now

After passing all of the fruit out he returned to his stew pot ignoring the angry gazes from some of the Pledgees focusing instead on the taste of the stew

Not only had Randidly had quite a few gains in terms of his understanding of Aether as he experimented with the farming but he also had a sharp increase in his Cooking and Grace skills as well as the acquisition of the skill Chef’s Palette which sharply increased the fineness of Randidly’s sense of taste and smell Not that it would be a very useful skill overall but it certainly would help Randidly actually increase his ability to make delicious food which was a goal worth pursuing

As Randidly sniffed the stew and added some more ground spices also grown in his garden the Wild Rider arrived At her side was a young buck with white fur and short golden nubs that would become antlers growing from his head The animal regarded Randidly coolly while the Wild Rider beckoned the surrounding Pledgees closer

You have done well these past 5 days She announced her voice echoing queerly spreading to the surrounding areas Even the animals reacted to her voice shifting side to side Today is the last day of work Tomorrow meditate clearing your mind restoring yourself to your peak condition At dawn of the 7th day you will walk from one end of this area to the other At the end you may turn around and select a companion from those that have followed behind you

With that short speech she turned and left Randidly closed his eyes

Dozens of individuals who had previously pledged arrived taking over their duties escorting them to small sparsely populated tents where they were to meditate Randidly went along with them and sat in the darkness of the inside of the tent centering himself for several minutes

Then when he was prepared his eyes opened sparkling emerald

His ability to manipulate Aether was still clumsy but it was growing at such a speed that he was able to completely clear out his skills Now all the fragments of Aether spiraled slowly around in a circle glowing with potential Randidly had not yet figured out how to reform his skill but that didn’t matter for now

He was back and better than ever

In the darkness Randidly smiled All together Randidly had earned 499 PP over the course of his battle with Drak the escape and the intervening weeks of recovery Randidly felt good and was ready to reap the rewards of this But first

Randidly’s will billowed outward flowing into his inner zone and then towards his Soul Skill He almost didn’t want to look just in case of the worst but he couldn’t avoid it He would likely get more information when he poured all of that PP into Paths and leveled his Soul Skill but some early warning was probably for the best

But as Randidly looked through his world he was almost disappointed The Weavers were the most useful for information and Randidly poured through their redone weave which detailed the events that occurred

Apparently the person that Randidly had used to exchange out of his Soul Skill had been on top of his funeral pyre when he was taken so it was not noticed initially when he disappeared However it was very clear when a spear descended from the sky destroying the scepter and the hammer crashing into the funeral pyre

This was seen as a punishment done by Randidly the Progenitor There was of course the minor matter that when the dust cleared they found that instead of the Golem’s body there was a woman there bound by the spear to the altar

There seemed to be a great deal of disagreement on what to make of this information On the one hand some people suspected that the woman was the Progenitor sacrificing their own life to save the life of their champion This view was favored by the Earth Golems

However the general consensus was that this was not the case Others preferred to think that the woman was another person who was punished by the will of the Progenitor bound to the stone for all eternity by the holy spear Others seemed to revere the woman saying that the Progenitor wished to destroy the entire world with the spear and the woman used her body to protect the world or even to protect just the emperor whose body disappeared

This was further complicated by the fact that the woman was holding two daggers which both appeared to have a portion of the holy runes that were present on the spear In the face of all these confusing and conflicting series of evidence most people just threw up their hands and moved on with their lives The emperor was dead that was enough for them

The site of his passing was turned into a great temple where the Weavers continued to furiously research and experiment with the runes on the spear and knives although they dared not touch the spear which continued to hold the woman’s body in place

Randidly sighed and withdrew his awareness Lucretia truly looked peaceful there his spear in her chest Randidly’s lip curled Which just made him more suspicious There was definitely a danger here but it was an insidious one rather than a direct one If Lucretia had the strength she wouldn’t have just let herself sit in plain sight

or perhaps it was an elaborate mind game and she stayed there in order to confuse him and accomplish something that he wouldn’t expect

Again Randidly sighed Either way his examination did confirm that the spear’s seal on her power was still intact at least mostly And it was a good sign that the people haven’t touched it although their research into the runes on the daggers could be dangerous

After shaking his head Randidly refocused With no new information it would be for the best to let it go for now but remain aware as he used his PP With his newfound resolve Randidly put 34 PP into his Ash of Aemont the Spear Phantom Path which leveled up his Soul Skill

Congratulations You have received the Blessing of Devouring Ash Strength +5 Willpower +9 Focus +5 Your body temperature increases Your immune system grows more robust resistance to all status ailments and debuffs increases by 1% Free stats +5

The world of your Soul Skill turns The denizens of your inner world evolve Rumors of your judgement against the mysterious woman spreads while belief in you deepens in some hearts it is now tinged with fear In that small space some whisper of the mystery woman as a great martyr

The Matriarch has fallen and her daughters have splintered off into areas These have become increasingly attached to other societies patrolling their areas protecting them from the rising threat of monsters

The Swamplings have expanded taking over a larger and larger area as the power of the other races shift Their cities are populous and varied and they have grown to achieve great commercial success

It is an era of peace and the Spriggits and Golems have achieved some healing between their races Once more the Golems have become numerous and the Spriggits’ technology has advanced by leaps and bonds Their improvements have raised the bar of civilization

A great darkness rises in the East a monster king of great power Most of the world does not yet know of its presence but in the darkness it is growing more wicked

It has been four cycles since this world’s creation Would you like to add anything to the world (Warning the added qualities will be taken from a skill A single skill level will be consumed in the taking Other side effects are unknown)

Chapter 314

Randidly rubbed his chin briefly Seemed like his little spirit babies were entering into an era of opulence and sloth Well it seemed that the monster in the East would hopefully wake them up from that and get them to regard things more seriously

Randidly was instantly suspicious of the darkness as it seemed to coincide with Lucretia’s arrival but again it was impossible to tell what was what It was incredibly frustrating and his ability to discern what was happening inside his world was extremely limited

God give him an enemy he could fight any day

Well after thinking about Lucretia presence the times they had met Randidly changed his mind Perhaps this was for the best at least for now There didn’t seem to be any initial effects

Satisfied for now Randidly rather randomly decided to add Grace and Chef’s Palette to the world They were both useful skills but neither were dangerous enough that it could cause a stir like the Hammer of the Dawn and Superiority did

As the skill descended into the world Grace condensed into a cloak which floated down into an alley in one of the Spriggit cities Meanwhile Chef’s Palette spread out condensing into new varieties of spices and herbs in the forests of the world The swamps too received special attention and dozens of tasty mushrooms came into being

Then Randidly poured another 200 PP into his Path completing another rotation immediately It truly was nice to be rich

The world of your Soul Skill turns The denizens of your inner world evolve There has been a great schism amongst the religious sects of your world as they split into three main churches The first worship the mysterious woman as the Progenitor another reveres her as one of the great saints of the Progenitor who gave her life to seal the greed of the great emperor and the third believe she was a foreign power who attempted to steal the world for herself and was smited by the Progenitor

As the Monster King has become more active a slow war is building fought mainly by the Spriggits and the White Hunters The lands of the Swamplings are beyond the grasp of the Monster King and the Earth Golems are having a grand competition to determine their next emperor

Due to the powerful pressure on the Spriggits they have begun to produce powerful metallic exoskeletons in which they fight These have turned the tide of the war against the Monster King giving them some brief room and adding more credence to the Swampling’s non interference

Unbeknownst to most a young Spriggit is making a name for herself in certain circles boasting the title of greatest thief in the world able to avoid any and all forms of detection

At the center of the world more clockwork pieces snap into place Something is coming Ambient Aether in the air increases

It has been five cycles since this world’s creation Would you like to add anything to the world (Warning the added qualities will be taken from a skill A single skill level will be consumed in the taking Other side effects are unknown)

Although there was some talk of Lucretia splintering off his churches otherwise she truly seemed to be sealed having no influence on his world Unless of course she was somehow controlling the Monster King

But even then the current actions of the Monster King were not consistent with how Lucretia behaved The Monster King was attacking wildly gaining more territory for its people wildly attacking the other races That direct cause of action was exactly the opposite of what Randidly had seen from Lucretia But again perhaps that was just her trying to trick him

Useless to speculate Randidly finally concluded Waste of time

For this cycle Randidly decided to inject Soul Bond into the Soul Skill While doing so his focus was wide spreading its influence generally across the entire world giving the entire populations the ability to form bonds with the monsters Honestly Randidly suspected that in the short term the result would be a sharp increase in the Monster King’s power as it bonded with one of its powerful monster subordinates But it was hard to say for sure

It would certainly escalate the conflict which would give Randidly more information on what was occuring in terms of Lucretia Although he didn’t shape the monsters in the same way he had the other races Randidly had nothing against them They were the natural creatures of his world after all evolving on their own

Perhaps what was most concerning about that notification was the final indication that something was coming Although it had powered his Soul Skill Randidly did feel a great deal of regret that he used the strange Aether construct of the Creature Too late to have regret now however

As if sensing his thoughts he felt the being inside of him flit around emitting a calming warmth Randidly smiled Yes he was no longer alone Together they would be able to handle the Creature

Which shifted Randidly’s focus once more He really hoped that there was a suitable body for the being amongst the monsters that came There were a few that Randidly considered but ultimately didn’t think were great fits for a variety of reasons

But that was for tomorrow Today Randidly would consolidate his strength Again he used 200 PP all at once advancing his world further Of course the bonuses from all the Blessings were a great help as well increasing his stats and attributes but most of Randidly’s focus was on how the rotation changed his world

The world of your Soul Skill turns The denizens of your inner world evolve The three religious sects have set aside their differences and announced that the Monsters are a scourge that needs to be eradicated A holy war has begun

Spriggit Exoskeletons fight side by side with White Hunters and Earth Golem Chieftains on the front lines holding back the Wicked Riders of the monster race Although the crusade pushes deeper and deeper into monster territory the Monster King has not been seen in some time

The young Spriggit thief is torn for she had received a request from the monster people of the greatest theft in history She is to steal the holy spear of the Progenitor and deliver it into the hands of the monsters This is the ultimate job the act that would leave her mark on the world in the way she’s always dreamed She must simply betray her people in order to accomplish it

On a distant side of the battlefield the Swamplings continue to trade with the monster people establish a rapport and hoping for the possibility of peace

It has been six cycles since this world’s creation Would you like to add anything to the world (Warning the added qualities will be taken from a skill A single skill level will be consumed in the taking Other side effects are unknown)

Randidly groaned He had no proof of this and he couldn’t locate the thief in question through examining the world but based on the trajectory of the narrative it seemed that the thief really would choose to steal the spear and release the seal on Lucretia Which meant that if possible he would really like to shift the narrative of his world

There were two options for this The first was to add additional skills to the world now the second was to pursue the Godling Path and hope that the rewards would equip him to intervene more directly in his world Both were incredibly inefficient

But it’s not like he had any other choice With a grimace Randidly added three skills this time Talon Strike Phantom Onslaught and Burning Footsteps When they descended to the world he made sure they remained concentrated The Talon Strike became a pair of dark gauntlets covered in spikes Phantom Onslaught became a set of 13 knives Burning Footsteps became a pair of dirty looking boots the heel of which was made of gold

People looked up at the sky and saw the descent of the Progenitor’s will and Randidly hoped it was enough to distract the thief from this quest although he suspected it would not be Sighing Randidly added enough PP to finish off his Path preparing himself to deal with the consequences

Congratulations You have completed the Ash of Aemont the Spear PhantomPath It was a long path framed in ash that has led you to this place And here you find a figure waiting for you

The world around Randidly blurred and his expression hardened As he thought there would be a test at the end of this Path It was good that he had waited until he was back to his full strength Hell combined with all his increased stats and skill levels Randidly was almost remade in terms of the amount of stats that he had

Soon the world reformed and Randidly found himself standing on a vast battlefield Around him all was still all the bodies and piles of broken weapons completely still In front of him a man stood his arms clasped behind his back As Randidly watched the man too was completely still

The battlefield itself seemed to have been a fight between three sides humans insectoid monsters and a group of monstrous bears Now though all those bodies lay together their arms wrapped around each other even as their faces were locked in vicious expressions of unwillingness

Welcome boy This The man finally moved spreading his arms wide This is where I discovered the resolve to create the Spear Phantom Style You can consider it my womb

Chapter 315

Aemont turned around and Randidly was immediately surprised by how similar he looked to Shal aside from the skin color His eyes too were different were bland and empty which was very different from Shal’s lively often angry eyes But Randidly could not fault Aemont for this the man had sold his heart in exchange for power

A heart that Randidly now carried in his chest

After a small hesitation Randidly focused and drew those disparate feelings that had embedded themselves within him out and tried to collect them all together to return It was a difficult process one that did involve Randidly weakening himself as those emotions were extracted But before Randidly had accomplished much Aemont raised his hand

Keep it I no longer live boy What strength you can draw from those feelings consider it a gift

Frowning Randidly ceased gathering the emotions allowing them to return to their current locations in his soul space So now you test me

Aemont shrugged looking at his hands It is a curious thing this ash of yours I truly feel as though I have been revived and I sense that afterwards I will cease to be Here I can create anything I want It is curious that of all things I find myself here I chose to recreate this moment in my life

After a minute of moving his fingers Aemont seemed to return to himself and looked up sharply at Randidly Ah that is to say I am in no hurry but I also do not mean to tarry here long Just reminiscing as well as I can with my hollow soul

A strong wind arose rustling the ground Before Randidly’s very eyes time seemed to reverse and some of the fighters that littered the ground stood removing their weapons from the bodies of their enemies Then they walked back away from each other and more and more bodies rose from the ground To his horror Randidly realized that the ground was covered with a layer 3 bodies thick More and more rose their gore flowing creepily back into their bodies making themselves whole

Follow me Aemont said producing a spear and handing it to Randidly Gingerly he took it and followed the other man as he walked to the center point in the valley between the armies

The wind ceased and now noise and time returned to normal and the armies were shouting and bellowing rushing towards each other with Aemont and Randidly standing in the middle of them

Although they were both strong individuals it was one thing to to fight against a bunch of people it was quite another to simply be crushed by the force of the bodies rushing towards them foaming at the mouth The blood lust was a thick palpable thing in the air around them Everything seemed to shimmer charged with emotion

With the armies charging towards them Aemont led Randidly out and into the middle of the group A dull roar filled the air and suddenly the fighters had arrived thrashing and attacking striking every which way the bodies crashing together

Aemont for his part just seemed to move his spear and a path opened in the bodies as they fell away around him The wounds were small and precise barely noticeable but instantly the other’s lives fled their bodies under the guidance of Aemont’s spear

Meanwhile after Randidly realized that his mana was suppressed somehow he had to struggle to use his spear to protect against the attacks that came from every angle and began to wade through the enemies as best he could What surprised him was that while the bodies of the monsters here were powerful their spear skills were abysmal Not just the spear skills either but all of their moves were clumsy and full of holes

After finding his footing Randidly began to move with more confidence catching up with Aemont who spared him a glance

Simply recruits these only have held a spear for a week at best It is a dishonor to struggle like this boy

Randidly frowned but said nothing and he began to look more closely at those that fought around him Although some had strange monstrous forms he could see how wild their eyes were how thick the madness how powerful the fervor These were not true zealots elite warriors Randidly could instantly see but instead just conscripts with a basic amount of training The subsisted solely on ideals And yet they gladly rushed forward throwing their lives away in this brutal meat grinder

Although Randidly had been very quickly disabused of his innocence with the arrival of the System it was still somewhat disorienting to see all these people throwing their lives away They didn’t have the strength to win here and yet they threw themselves forward anyway Why

But Randidly knew He knew since seeing them Because they believed in something greater than them And it gave them courage and

Randidly watched as one bold individual bellowed a furious rejection smashing aside another’s spear throwing himself onto a stomach wound in order to kill 5 of his opponents As they all fell he raised his head and screamed squeezing his hand on the shaft that penetrated him then slowly removing it blood running down shaft and mixing with the churned up muck and grime beneath the fighters

As the spear was removed he could only pant and then he straightened wading deeper into the melee looking for more opponents

It made them strong too these beliefs

Do you see their strength You pick it up faster than I would have expected Good your heart is open to other paths than your own That will help you when you hit that final wall that is The Calamity ’ Aemont said simply glancing over his shoulder towards Randidly Then he began to move forward increasing in speed

Randidly hesitated for a second then shook his head These men were already dead anyway But he still muttered Rest well before cutting into them with abandon

After walking for about 3 minutes in the deepest parts of the fighting they came to an area where the men were thinner but more well armed and serious These fights were brutally quick displaying a level of skill that caused Randidly to pause But Aemont walked forward through the gauntlet his casually placed spear making the warriors around him look like children

Randidly swore under his breath before following He really needed to stop apprenticing himself to these overpowered monsters Sure they provided great benefits but the things they expect from their students were absolutely ridiculous This man had no real concept of difficulty

So Randidly could only force his way forward battling against these warriors Truthfully they preferred to fight each other more than him but they were still determined and vicious if he came over towards their area And their physical prowess was a level higher than the previous fighters bodies and they had the skills to back it up

Luckily it seemed that Randidly’s two years in Shal’s world had still given him a slight edge and he was able to beat them in skill even though he felt like he was just barely below them in stats even though he had just received a huge boost in stats It instilled a sense of awe in Randidly because that meant that the stat total of these fighters was absolutely monstrous and not due to grinded skill levels

After around 10 minutes Randidly finally made it through wincing It did still seem that his passives were working Bacterial Regeneration quickly restored the small wounds he had earned against the souls in those hard fought 10 minutes Aemont stood waiting for him and didn’t comment on the time it took him to get there Instead he turned and walked forward

The System will interfere if I say anything specific but The skill I want to leave to you is my own small answer to the Calamity And it wasn’t enough Aemont whispered without turning continuing to walk rapidly forward

Now the crowd was completely gone and there were only 4 figures A man in gold armor on a hill and three men below Aemont stepped and with a single step moved across the battlefield arriving next to the golden armored man Then he turned and beckoned towards Randidly

What followed were probably the hardest fought 30 minutes of Randidly’s life In terms of stats they were another order of magnitude higher than the previous enemies absolutely smashing apart his guard shrugging off his attacks and lashing out with their weapons with expert precision Randidly felt an abrupt pressure Although the people he had fought in the tournament were powerful they were not powerful like this This was

Just the pure difference in stats Although he was skilled it took about 4 skill levels to equal a single stat It was an unbelievable difference in efficiency Although it could be said that overall a Skill level would increase performance across the board both mental and physical a single stat would be useful in every skills

And these 3 had skills equal to Randidly’s own

For the first half of time Randidly attempted to force his way through This produced no benefits Then his strategy shifted to turning two of the juggernauts against each other which worked slightly better After 10 minutes of struggle one grew annoyed and landed a direct attack against the other’s back sending the other stumbling In that hole Randidly advanced

And so panting Randidly arrived before Aemont who stood before the golden armored man Aemont glanced at Randidly

Would you like to give it a try

Randidly didn’t even need to ask what it was for It was to strike the man in front of him A man who was likely another caliber of being higher than those three below Another huge difference in stats A monster in every sense of the word

The air around the golden armored man was heavy A thick stillness weighed down on the several feet to each side

Randidly shook his head slowly Aemont chuckled you might be surprised by I am not my son I respect that you recognize your opponent is beyond you It takes a certain awareness and a certain self control

But Aemont stepped forward and continued Now watch boy the move that changed my fate The Breath of the Spear Phantom

Chapter 316

Simon woke up early on the day he would receive a companion shocked that he had fallen asleep He had promised himself he would continue to grind away at his skills focusing on improving himself even if just a little before he would be tested by all of the companions and be forced to have a poor mount But before the physical demands of the last few days that was quickly wiped away

Not that Simon was initially very worried about what he would obtain Although he wasn’t the strongest he trusted David’s judgement that his Class would begin to show how useful it was And to be fair it had The initially peculiar Astral Form and Astral Projection were becoming increasingly second nature It was weird but one of the effects of the preparation tent was to suppress his form keeping him from phasing through the wall

Because he could only sit here thinking himself into a corner

To Simon’s surprise the Wild Rider themselves came opening up the door to his tent beckoning him outward After a gulp Simon followed

Everyone else was already there standing around in a loose group even David who appeared thoughtful gazing over towards the enclosure the group had built and maintained for 6 days

And that looked extremely different The monsters were running wild whooping and crying filling the air with their sound as if they too were excited for what was to come Which in a way Simon supposed that they were They would be receiving a companion as well But Simon couldn’t help but think that the monsters were in higher demand even if there were fewer people

After all aside from David the monsters were probably head and shoulders more powerful than all of the assembled humans

It is simple Simply walk to the end of the enclosure and then return When you reach the entrance turn and find who has found you to be worthy You may begin immediately The Wild Rider said waving her hand The gates opened After a small hesitation people began to walk forward

More and more people followed until there were only 5 people remaining Simon David the young girl that had helped David previously and Heather and Kirk who were just glaring at David

What are you chickening out now Even after all of your shitty bribery Kirk sneered

David didn’t even look at him but walked over to the girl and kneeled down next to her

Would you like to walk with me

His voice was softer than Simon had ever heard it and he abruptly realized that the little girl was trembling There were several seconds of silence as Kirk’s face went red but Heather just walked to Kirk’s shoulder and tapped it shaking her head in disgust The two left throwing glares behind them disappearing into the swarm of monsters as the beasts criss crossed around them taking the time to sniff those that passed through their area

Eventually Simon hesitated and said I I’ll go on ahead

To his surprise David nodded as well and stood going to join him leaving the girl behind In fact David walked right past Simon and into the swirl of beasts They slowed around him Simon saw everyone taking a longer moment to sniff him and the others being careful not to jostle each other too much lest they get in his way

Simon took a step towards the enclosure then hesitated then looked back over at the girl Are are you okay

He felt extremely lame to ask but he didn’t want to just leave her there Especially after David had taken the time to see how she was Her trembling was really bad too Initially Simon had thought that he had some fear towards this but compared to this girl

I don’t belong here She mumbled still standing still and looking at the ground her arms wrapped around herself Simon looked at her looked at the monsters then looked back at the girl Inwardly he was torn Well the Wild Rider never said there was anything like a time limit but if his animal companion selected someone else

Cursing to himself Simon turned and walked back towards the girl Then he just stood there because he never really had to be around children His mothers were pretty distant with their own family so he didn’t ever have any cousins And he had no siblings Sure he had comforted his peers but

Simon scratched his head It had been a while since he had seen anyone this upset Feeling helpless Simon raised his hand and used his skill to produce Mending Fluid producing several drops in a vial He offered it to her

The girl shook her head furiously No no it’s not you can’t fix it Because it’s me I’m not a broken person just an incomplete one Not like Not like him I don’t belong here I just like animals

She began to sob and Simon blinked He actually knew how she felt Feeling strangely out of his body asif he was in an Astral form he walked forward and knelt before the girl putting his hands on her shoulders She flinched but just from surprise more than anything else

I get it He’s he’s not like us Simon said slowly But for two months I nursed David back to health from being so injured he couldn’t even move You see him now and you can’t tell but he’s still human at his core And he’s looking for a companion that’s why we are all here to follow the lead of the Wild Rider and acquire freedom through a friend

Simon stood and turned away And that’s a very human emotion One that you have too right So so don’t be so hard on yourself

And with that mutter he walked forward entering the monster horde Instantly they surged around him and Simon stumbled worried about the girl about David about being trampled here about the arrival of the Skeleton Knight All of these things ran together forming a thick swamp of emotions

But although Simon thought it would swiftly overtake him these things quickly faded away Instead as the animals squawked and growled and squeaked and grunted around him That stuff was scraped away leaving only a desire to discover his other half in the throng of animals around him

Very soon Simon could pick out individual animals even though they rushed and flowed around him Time seemed to stretch Every step was an eternity and he met and held the gaze of every single animal from the smallest monkey to a huge horned elephant for at least a second

Then their gazes broke and Simon moved on

Blinking Simon was shocked to discover that he had reached the fence that marked the end of his enclosure So he turned around

Behind him the animals were sitting now silent watching their eyes seeming to glow with a strange magic After a brief hesitation Simon walked forward

Here although there weren’t any moments that stretched as they did in the walk over the walk backwards took much much longer to walk forward The silence was heavy a ponderous thing as both sides considered But Simon knew that the animals would be drawn to his strength so he refused to look behind him He walked straight forward head high

It was a little burst of positive emotion to find that the girl was gone when Simon arrived back to the gate to the waiting Wild Rider and most of the other pledgees There were also marked poles and Simon walked to the one with his name careful to keep his gaze forward until the last minute When he arrived he spun around cleanly

Smiling Simon looked at the several animals that had followed him A ponderous ox A young sheepdog The horned elephant A variant of the fluffy sheep this one with soft blue fur And also an adolescent python

Then he looked around His grouping was one of the largest of all the people but everyone had a couple But what shocked Simon the most was that there were only 3 sitting in front of David and two of them were newborn animals

It appeared to be a baby from the Fluffy White Sheep and from the crimson eagle Aside from them the metallic dog stood stiff and proud in line

The little girl on the other hand who was only a few steps behind Simon arrived and turned to find at least a dozen or so monsters of different varieties Her eyes went wide at the sight

You may now choose The Wild Rider said gesturing

Kirk was the first to move striding forward and putting his hand on the head of a komodo dragon the size of a surfboard behind him It flicked its tongue out pleased while the other animals turned away and dispersed

Everyone moved while Simon studied the monsters in front of him Of these he was most tempted by the horned elephant and the blue sheep although the draw to the blue sheep was mostly due to its association with the fluffy white sheep which seemed pretty powerful But still that was compelling enough evidence But the horned elephant was young but still the size of the van The damage that it could inflict

Simon took a hesitant step forward then looked around Most everyone else had chosen except David the girl and himself David seemed puzzled looking at the monsters and the girl was still shocked that she had the largest group so Simon supposed it was his turn But before he moved a voice stopped him

A bit of advice The Wild Rider said appearing behind him Don’t just look with your eyes You have other ways of sensing too

Simon just looked at her Did they mean

Closing his eyes Simon spread out his senses activating his Astral form Immediately one figure amongst those in front of him glowed with a powerful spiritual energy that Simon wasn’t able to perceive in his physical form The energy was so thick that his Astral form had difficulty approaching and he wasn’t able to form a projection in that chaotic area Shocked Simon opened his eyes

If he could bond with a powerful spiritual animal would his abilities increase as well

I choose you Simon said simply looking into the wide set eyes of the ox It blinked slowly at him then nodded

Chapter 317

Randidly smiled as Simon made his selection He had sensed that there was something unusual about the ox but he wouldn’t have intervened if Simon had chosen another animal He didn’t think it was his place

But it seemed that the Wild Rider cared more than she let on about her charges Amused Randidly turned back and regarded his own choices He took a step forward

Hello little one Randidly whispered looking at the newly born white sheep I understand why your ancestor gave you here so you could grow with me and eclipse him in power But

Sighing Randidly shook his head Your kindness and purity I am sad to say it is not my path And my companion will be merged into you affecting your personality You are too pure for me to use as a body I’m sorry but no

The animal looked up at him with its wide eyes uncomprehending But out of the watching mass of animals the regal fluffy white sheep walked forward nodded to Randidly then picked up its young counterpart with its mouth and carried it away

and you are the opposite Randidly said turning to the young crimson eagle You are here because your father fears me but wants my strength However just like the sheep had innocence you have pride You do not need me to become strong do you

With a righteous cry the young crimson eagle screeched its agreement and hopped off its tennis ball sized body making poor time as it haphazardly hopped towards its father The father gave Randidly an unfathomable look then the too turned away and left

Chuckling Randidly looked at his final choice the metallic dog examining it closely It appeared that the golden fruit that Randidly had gifted him had done wonders for it Its eyes were clear and bright the iris flashing that same gold color And based on its age it understood exactly what it was offering Randidly that Randidly’s companion would wipe most of him away taking away his will

But Randidly still shook his head For you you do this out of gratitude and of loyalty Beautiful sentiments But unnecessary I’m not truly the one you want to be bonded to am I And as long as you feel that way you aren’t suitable

The metallic dog nodded then trotted out of Randidly’s group heading towards the young girl’s Her eyes widened further her already strained senses pushed beyond her limits as the dog came over to her and she began to cry With tears running down her face she rushed up to the metallic dog who stood about as tall as she and threw her arms around it

Randidly smiled and put his hands on his hips So what more do you need A herald to announce you

A display of power The words were a soft rumble Randidly couldn’t sense the details of the other being but he had noticed it was there from the beginning The Aether that coiled around it was much much thicker than any of the others and there was only one logical explanation as to why although it left Randidly shocked

But that power was something Randidly needed And if it wanted to see a display

Randidly closed his eyes

Simon rubbed the nose of his ox pleased at his companion His companion was pleased too but Simon was very swiftly discovering that no matter what emotion the ox felt his face didn’t change Instead it seemed looked into that strange dopey expression that had made Simon originally write him off

Simon smiled and opened his mouth to speak but couldn’t Simon tried to again

Truthfully Simon wasn’t trying to speak but he was trying to breath in before he could speak And even though his higher than base human stats would let him survive for a long time without breathing his heart began to pound burning through his precious oxygen

Why can’t I breathe ’ Simon thought his eyes wide But very quickly the feedback from his new companion made him realize that the ox couldn’t breath either and the difference in lung power between them was not small

Spinning around Simon looked at the surrounding area Around them all of the monsters all of them all of the pledgees even the Wild Rider seemed frozen unable to breathe Standing at the center of them all was David glowing faintly smiling at the ground with all teeth

In that moment Simon understood a little of what the girl had felt thinking about David He was another level higher than them all in power

Something more than human

With a sigh Randidly released the Breath of the Spear Phantom Unfortunately that many people was hard to suppress at once and he couldn’t control the skill with any fineness It seemed to hit with an area of effect rather indiscriminately And he was forcefully keeping the lungs of those around him closed with his will Thinking back Randidly recalled the notifications after he had seen Aemont kill the Golden Armored man with this move

Congratulations You have completed the test of Aemont Path complete It was long but at the end you received something that few others have received a chance to know the Spear Phantom Stamina +100 You have learned the final sign of the Spear Phantom Breath of the Spear Phantom ® Lvl 1

Breath of the Spear Phantom ® Forcefully suppress the breathing of those in an area around you You must experience the same effects Intensity of suppression increases with skill level Stamina cost decreases with skill level Area of effect increases with skill level

Truly although it wasn’t a skill that had anything to do with the spear it was the ultimate weapon of Aemont After watching the battle against the golden armored man Randidly understood that even Aemont was far from having the stats to equal him But he could use this move and his ability to dodge and control fights to simply starve the other man out letting him suffocate

It obviously wasn’t true suffocation’ but rather Stamina suffocation At that level of stats air mattered very little if at all But if you could destroy the other’s Stamina

Randidly shivered remembering how weak he himself had felt towards the end Perhaps what was more memorable however was after that Aemont had slain the man he had turned to Randidly and looked at him and simply said Do you see it Good luck And then disintegrated into ash

From what Randidly understood that was a true and final death for Aemont And yet

And yet he walked into it without fear leaving Randidly a tool he had spent his life creating as if it was the most casual thing in the world It was a moving message even though Randidly couldn’t quite parse apart what it meant

But Randidly put those thoughts aside focusing on the present The ground rumbled and a tunnel opened up a creature the size of a tree trunk crawling up out of the darkness and into the sun staying far enough away from Randidly to dodge back into the hole if necessary

You Randidly said slowly looking at the notification above the creature’s head Are a Tier II Raid Boss

It was a Lvl 28 Bone Wurm regarding him with inky black eyes set into a thick carapace of bone

Tier I I have just hid in the earth slowly growing The wurm said crawling a bit farther forward

Why are you giving it all up then to become my companion Randidly asked with forced casualness There was certainly quite a bit of Aether billowing off this thing If there were also hooks of the System associated with it or even the influence of the Creature You understand I have this being inside of me that you will host yes

The wurm nodded But still I choose this path For my children If you swear to protect them my body will be yours We as a species can produce invaluable marrow silk I suspect that you humans will be very interested in using it

Randidly pondered for a second then shook his head slowly That isn’t enough To trust you I must truly know why

Because there is no other way to survive The weariness was clear in the Raid Bosses voice We were given the ability to grow here in a lower Cohort yes But it is a reduced thing carefully controlled I am a Tier I Raid Boss On my own I am nearing my limit It is already a miracle I have made it this far And you do not know how this world will change as the System progresses My people will be ground to dust Would you not take any desperate chance if you could take it Would you not risk it all

You would be giving up your will Randidly said but his eyes were bright as he looked at the Bone Wurm Although they were very different for a moment Randidly was reminded of the eyes of those shades in Aemont’s example battle That fervor that madness The power of having everything to lose should you fail The power to gamble your life for something greater than yourself

My will my life The wurm whispered Is that not a cheap price for my people’s peace

Randidly closed his eyes Then stepped forward reaching out the being in him curious pressing forward to the tip of his finger After a brief feeling of his finger touching bone and a weird give as the being inside of him broke free and swam into the other being there was only a small crack and then the Aether began to surge around them

Chapter 318

Instantly Randidly could detect that while the fusing was going well in the bone wurm’s body there was something troubling about the movement of the Aether above it in the air around it

With his eyes closed Randidly’s senses flew forward following the flow of Aether Although it probably wasn’t a very complicated construct but it was still difficult for him to sense Aether with any sort of precision outside of his body Still there was very clearly some sort of lattice of Aether surrounding the bone wurm’s soul and one of the sigils was starting to activate

It was a sigil that was part of the inner framework Frantically Randidly spread his senses out farther feeling the shape of the Aether as best he could

As far as he could tell in a few seconds this was very clearly the work of the System There was a cage of Aether that acted as a tether and as a feeder giving and taking Aether There was also a portion that seemed to moderate the amount and type of Aether it could receive

It was truly a delicate work of beauty filled with strange graceful runes that Randidly couldn’t understand It reminded him of the work by the Creature truly but this based on all the context clues it should just be the System Randidly supposed it made sense that the system was even more sophisticated than the Creature But it was an intimidating truth because Randidly’s path appeared to be directly against what the System wanted

The glyph that was activating continued to glow and Randidly saw that it was beginning to send some sort of energy back off one of the lines upwards heading towards whatever was on the other end of the tether that controlled it

With no other recourse and unwilling to let word of his escapades reach anyone who could actually DO anything about it Randidly smashed the most complicated bits of the lattice with pure Aether burning away the tether

After all Randidly had dealt with the Judgements from being a Heretic but those seemed more like automated reactions than anything else Randidly had as of yet not run into any real Administrators for lack of a better word The System seemed to function so far on its own killing any who didn’t capitulate to its desires

Randidly had a bit of pride but he wasn’t oblivious to the fact that what was going on with him might have happened before in the past It was hard to have a sense of it but it truly seemed that the System covered a staggering number of worlds Enough to make the population’s size absolutely massive or at least Randidly expected so To control that population there might even be larger safeguards in place than the Heretic system

Perhaps the System Transgressor was one of those Randidly shivered

Without the tether although different parts of the lattice began to go haywire no connection could be made to inform an outside source Randidly worried that the severing would also inform them but he figured that something similar would happen should someone kill the Raid Boss

Instead of worrying Randidly focused on the sigils even as his purer version of the Aether ate away at them and they slowly deactivated Although it was just a tiny portion of what they could accomplish watching the graceful way the Aether flowed from one to the other creating an interlocking framework was extraordinarily beneficial to Randidly in terms of understanding Aether

This was truly far beyond his level

Abruptly Randidly’s focus was broken as his body shuddered Grimacing Randidly felt a great heat building in his chest His own Aether was joining the wild surge a huge torrent of the Aether swirling upwards in a tight spiral Then that Aether speared forward piercing out of his chest and flowing into the body of the bone wurm

This finally completely destroyed all the remaining Aether constructs within the Raid Boss’ body washing it all away in the vicious and life giving flood That Aether swirled settling in the other establishing itself deep inside of his bonded companion as two of them became linked

Randidly’s companion could no longer be felt which gave him a sharp stab of worry but Randidly quickly realized that it had spread and was slowly settling into its new body The Aether exploded in a torrent between them huge amounts of Meaning and Life flowing back and forth circulating normalizing their two bodies to each other

It was enough to cause Randidly to fall to his knees stunned There was so much so many images and emotions and moments in its memories and not even just from the being that was held in his chest embedded in it all was the powerful will of the old Raid Boss its stubborn refusal to allow its people to die

All of this swirled and mixed Until it finally clicked together

For several seconds Randidly just sat still The sound of his pants filled the air He wasn’t even aware of what was going on around him with the Wild Rider and the pledgees and the other monsters Instead his focus was forward on the creature in front of him as it looked at him with inky black eyes now shaded slightly purple

I am It rasped its voice echoing out strangely clearly not used to the finer points of speaking Neveah

Randidly Ghosthound Randidly said simply reaching out and touching the bone armor that covered its head Strangely it was warm The touch was electric Aether freely jumping between them

I have a body It well it sorta seemed feminine and the name so she said quietly

With a great effort Randidly stood a small tremble in his body The sheer volume of Aether that they exchanged was still difficult for a human body to withstand no matter how high the stats were

That’s not all Randidly added Now you have the chance to explore the world would you like to take a look

Jemma sat on the back of Rhaidon her new companion patting his ears idly as she watched the cook move around with his new scary monster companion The beast was probably 10 meters long and 1 meter thick At first Jemma was very puzzled how it was able to move either like a snake or more like an inchworm but it appeared that instead the thing just used a very advanced and specialized earth manipulation to press its body forward

Jemma wondered whether the thing felt like it was laying still the entire time while the world moved around ti

It wasn’t the largest monster but there certainly was something about it Trembling slightly Jemma looked away allowing her system to settle down to something closer to baseline Even looking too long at the cook and his monster activated her passive skill How strong were they

Peeking over her shoulder Jemma’s eyes traced the huge bone carapace that covered most of the body of the worm Giant overlapping plates of bone sort of functioning like over large scales made it so that whatever vulnerable bits it had were not visible to its enemies

Only on its face could you see its flesh a metallic grey purple color and the inky black eyes that it housed As she watched the creature seemed to roll and flail around feeling out its body Jemma wasn’t too sure what was going on It honestly looked like the creature forgot how to move

Perhaps the joining with the cook had some sort of feedback because of how strong he was

Rhaidon felt her question and followed her gaze Then he informed her sorta clumsily with many images that part of the deal of becoming the soulbond companion of the cook was to gift up your free will to a companion he already had It would be simply offering your body to him which was why most did not choose to try and become his companion or offered their young

That gave Jemma a slight chill but she was also curious because when Rhaidon referred to the cook he sent not an image really but a swirl of colors Deep vibrant emerald Bright vivid orange crimson And finally a deep ashy grey As best as she could she asked why he was those things

Rhaidon just gave her a look that said because he is

A commotion caught her attention and Jemma looked up to find the Wild Rider only a few feet away her head tilted to the side At first she froze but then as Jemma realized that her tremor hadn’t started she cautiously relaxed Could this person really not be this powerful

Or would it be just like it was with the cook at first she was just unable to truly sense his strength until she witnessed it with her own eyes

But the Wild Rider just beckoned her closer and asked Can I ask you for a favor

Chapter 319

Randidly grinned at Neveah who was flailing and rolling around on the ground struggling to grow used to her new body He supposed that she had spent so long as a presence just floating in his chest that she was pretty unfamiliar with the limitations that it possessed which was rather understandable

Luckily she was a quick learner and already she had grasped some of the basics of keeping her body rightside up and moving around comfortably Now she just needed to figure out the finer points of using Earth Manipulation to help her travel above and below ground

It seemed like an incredibly useful skill and Randidly suspected that it was not straight Earth Manipulation but something more specialized based on how effortlessly the Raid Boss had managed it In addition Randidly wondered what really happened with the Raid Boss when Neveah went inside of it

Was it simply eliminated Did they merge Was Neveah really just a name the combined consciousness gave itself

Was there a chance that it remained inside of her lurking biding its time when it could strike back

This worried Randidly because there was little he could do about it and probably even less that he could do to check But if it was a matter of connection his connection was very clearly with Neveah Already he could feel increasing amounts of Aether flowing out towards her and Meaning beginning to flow back along towards him

Besides Randidly had a very powerful will and multiple skills that boosted that Hopefully Neveah would be able to take advantage of some of that and resist any dangers that a lurking consciousness of a Raid Boss might entail

Although it wasn’t a perfect solution Randidly didn’t know any way of taking a more active role It made him slightly uncomfortable now that he thought about it to have such a glaring weakness right now especially after he recovered Not that Neveah was not powerful but she was very unused to her new body And it was very clear from the nature of the connection that damage to her would also deal a large amount of damage to him

At least her body seemed sturdy

Randidly shook his head Best not to think about that sort of thing Instead

Randidly opened up his Path screen After finishing off Aemont’s Path he had 45 PP still remaining and also some new Path options to consider It felt like it had been quite a while since he had this sort of decision and it was slightly nice to be able to look at some of the shorter but perhaps long term beneficial Paths

Heretic XIV 0/ Nexus Traveler Cohort 5 0/50 Path of Control 0/200 Basic Mana Engraving 0/100 Adept (+1) 0/250 Experimenter I 0/50 Steps of the Godling I 0/50 The Second Seedling 0/50 The Phantom’s Embrace 0/150 Mentalist I 0/50 Fighting Proficiency III 0/ System Transgressor 0/1

Randidly grimaced The System Transgressor was Randidly really couldn’t unpack his emotions about it It was simple and took a single PP But what if it caused him to be instantly hit with the power of the System killing him

Until Randidly could use his newfound Aether powers to understand how Paths worked probably better to leave it alone

Heretic had grown again but Randidly supposed that was to be expected His Aether powers were pretty much toeing a line especially his System Interference Skill In terms of the things Randidly wanted to use eventually that was pretty much every Path

Journeyman Path had been replaced by Adept (+1) Path which was slightly interesting Based on what Randidly knew about the System Adept must be the next tier of the main progression of Paths which was computed based on stat totals His current stat total put him a little above 2100 so it made since that his path had evolved When he reached 2k total stats

What was strange was the +1 Was his Adept Path different Was it because he was at 2100 Or perhaps it was a matter of reaching it without taking the Journeyman Path

Randidly sighed Too much he didn’t know but the Adept Path was a 250 PP sink which Randidly wanted to wait on for now For the same reason Randidly put off the Path of Control as well even though his monstrous Control stat would probably give him great gains at the skill at the end of that path

Experimenter and Second Seedling made Randidly curious but not enough to blow his PP The Phantom’s Embrace Mentalist and Fighting Proficiency would all probably give him a tangible boost in power but honestly

While Randidly was back on Earth did he really need to raise his fighting capabilities Mentalist was the most tempting for this reason but it still could wait Randidly’s time Farming and Cooking had given him some ideas for other ways he could grind and experiment improving his power in ways not related to straight training

That wasn’t to say he wouldn’t continue to train but that his emphasis would be on his passives and his support skills trying to keep them up with the huge jump his spear skills had taken

For that reason Randidly was looking towards Basic Mana Engraving and Steps of the Godling Between the two of them Randidly’s sense of unease pushed him towards Steps of the Godling After all although Lucretia seemed to be contained for now it was hard to imagine that she would stay that way for long especially if Randidly did nothing especially if the thief in his inner world wasn’t dissuaded from stealing the spear

It gave Randidly quite the headache

That was of course based on the premise that the Path would help him towards the goal of intervening in his inner world which wasn’t guaranteed But based on the timing of when the Path appeared Randidly was willing to bet that they were at least related

Feeling confident enough to move forward Randidly put his PP into Steps of the Godling I Strangely he immediately received a notification indicating he had obtained a new Statistic Progenitor’s Influence which went up by 1 with each PP

Progenitor’s Influence A stat that reflects your ability to influence your inner world As the stat grows you will unlock new ways of interacting with your world Warning the Stat has no individual effect but simply affects your access to related abilities

Randidly’s face was dark and wrinkled when he added 45 PP to the Path and still had not received access to any related abilities He had even received the first of his 4 Blessings from his Soul Skill so time would be moving forward there Cursing his luck with Paths Randidly looked at his status screen

Health(/R per hour) 1900/1815 (+118) (764 (+27

Mana(/R per hour) 1769/1772 (+5) (297 (+9

Stam(/R per min) 1233/1878 (263 (+9

Vit 195 (+9)

End 105

Str 157 (+17)

Agi 215 (+17)

Perception 161 (+10)

Reaction 176

Resistance 147 (+15)

Willpower 242 (+10)

Intelligence 147

Wisdom 107 (+9)

Control 271

Focus 224 (+4)

Progenitor’s Influence 45

Skills (Soul Skill) Four Shaded Clockwork World Lvl 1272

Combat Spear Mastery Lvl 138 White Phantom’s Half Step (Un) Lvl 50 Heavy Blow Lvl 70 Dagger Mastery Lvl 10 Iron Skin Lvl 47 Dodge Lvl 78 Fighting Proficiency Lvl 116 Block Lvl 54 Haste Lvl 89 Phantom Onslaught Lvl 42 Sweep Lvl 54 Spear Deflect Lvl 10 Empower Lvl 111 Calculated Blow Lvl 70 Roundhouse Kick Lvl 36 Flesh Eating Virus (Un) Lvl 63 Idiosyncratic Cut (Un) Lvl 69 Pierce the Skies Shatter the Earth Lvl 39 Battle Intent Lvl 133 Struggle Lvl 92 Body Control Freeze Lvl 25 The Golden Roots of Yggdrasil Lvl 74 Stalemate Breaker Lvl 25 Talon Strike Lvl 33

The 7 Kata of the Ashen Spear The Spear Advances Ash Trails Lvl 51 As the Sun Stills ® Lvl 1 (Broken)

The 6 Signs of the Spear Phantom ® The First Sign The Inevitable Phantom Arrives Lvl 85 (Un) The Fifth Sign The Spear Phantom’s Embrace ® Lvl 160 The Breath of the Spear Phantom ® Lvl 8

Aether Skills Aether Detection Lvl 18 Aether Manipulation Lvl 34 Living Aether ® Lvl 26 System Interference Lvl 1

Spells Spearing Roots Lvl 48 Mana Bolt Lvl 28 Mana Shield Lvl 26 Root Control Lvl 99 Arcane Orb Lvl 22 Fireball Lvl 30 Magic Missile Lvl 4 Healing Palm Lvl 12 Pollen of the Rafflesia Lvl 20 Summon Pestilence Lvl 53 Mana Strengthening Lvl 65 Wall of Thorns Lvl 19 Soul Seed ® Anguish (Un) Lvl 59 Inspiration ® Incinerating Bolt Lvl 73 Circle of Flame Lvl 45 Plantomancy Lvl 35 The Weeping Cloud ® Lvl 64 Hammer of the Dawn Lvl 31 Burning Footsteps Lvl 16 Ashes to Ashes Lvl 22 Torment Lvl 4

Crafting Potion Making Lvl 37 Farming Lvl 32 Plant Breeding Lvl 19 Mapmaker Lvl 7 Analyze Lvl 24 Refine Lvl 37 Extract Lvl 29 Mana Engraving Lvl 74

Auxiliary Physical Fitness Lvl 89 Meditation Lvl 93 Running Lvl 39 Sprinting Lvl 19 Sneak Lvl 46 Acid Resistance Lvl 22 Poison Resistance Lvl 21 Pain Resistance Lvl 61 First Aid Lvl 16 Equip Lvl 25 Pathfinding Lvl 18 Mental Strength Lvl 51 Curse Resistance Lvl 22 Fire Resistance Lvl 23 Sewing Lvl 11 Cutting Vegetables Lvl 2 Manual Labor Lvl 6 Digging Lvl 5 Cooking Lvl 42 Grace Lvl 67 Bacterial Regeneration Lvl 116 Superiority Lvl 56 Mental Fortitude Lvl 76 Second Wind Lvl 71 Weather Affinity Lvl 43 Clockwork Mastery Lvl 16 Rejection Lvl 42 Aether Connection Lvl 3 Flexibility of the White Hunters ® Lvl 44 Living Blood (Un) Lvl 42 Soul Bond Lvl 48 Chef’s Palette Lvl 10

Bonuses +12% Concentration +7% hearing and vision range +3% size Immunity +6%

Well Randidly reflected at least his stat line was pretty impressive all things considered Now that he had recovered back to full health he was back

Chapter 320

Doing his best to put his Path woes out of his mind Randidly turned his attention towards his immediate goals Dealing with the Creature was at the top but Randidly still wasn’t confident in his ability to do that yet Although it felt a little bit like procrastinating Randidly was unwilling to move forward without first understanding Aether a little bit more completely

The strength that thing had displayed on their last encounter it made Randidly grit his teeth He was not at that level yet

Below that was investigating in the whereabouts of Sydney and Ace This was difficult because based on what Randidly knew from his dreams she was near the Skeleton Knight IF those dreams could even be trusted

Ace was apparently in contact with her although there was some conflict there so he was likely near there

Randidly turned and surveyed the area Previous classes of pledgees had come back to the area around the Wild Rider from whatever anthill they had been hiding in There were about 70 of them and based on their movements they were quite well trained and focused As Randidly watched the Wild Rider held a quiet discussion with Jemma while a contingent of these riders flanked her glaring at anyone who would come near their leader

There was a blind devotion in their eyes that made Randidly slightly uncomfortable Well perhaps uncomfortable was the wrong word He didn’t like them and planned on having as little interaction with them as possible

Of course just as Randidly thought that the Wild Rider began walking over towards Randidly dragging Jemma along with her Randidly groaned inwardly and did his best to keep his face neutral

Apparently his acting was extremely poor because as soon as she arrived the Wild Rider said Am I really that bad of a conversationalist You look like you are preparing to eat your bonded animal’s dung

As Randidly opened his mouth he paused because every one of the riders that followed and ostensibly guarded the Wild Rider was giving him a glare thick with jealousy and animosity Were they offended because the Wild Rider came over to joke with him or because he didn’t consider it an honor to eat his animal’s dung

This was exactly why he didn’t want to interact with extremist groups Randidly supposed that the Wild Rider’s extreme independence was similar but that also made it so she cared very little whether people followed her Probably she would prefer if they didn’t As such it fell to her little peons to become over involved in the affairs of the world

Randidly just shrugged helplessly half meaning it as an apology

The Wild Rider laughed which sounded like chirping insects Well anyway I would like to discuss your future plans David And of course you too

The Wild Rider gave Randidly a questioning look Neveah He supplied

David and Neveah The Wild Rider said nodding Randidly could tell that underneath her Regalia the girl was giving the Bone Wurm a wide smile as if it was the cutest thing in the world and not a huge construct of bone and rot

What Randidly didn’t expect was Neveah’s reaction as she flailed somewhat and rolled her body towards them with a upthrust of rock Why David Name’s not David

There was an awkward silence Randidly winced rubbing his neck It took a few seconds for the people around to understand Neveah’s raspy echoing voice combined with her broken english but very quickly they seemed to reach the correct conclusion all at the same time

Of them all the guards seemed to take this the most seriously as if a fake name was a discovery that could threaten the Wild Rider As if now that his fake name had been revealed Randidly could turn against them striking now that his cover had been blown

Jesus how touchy can you guys get

Jemma just seemed confused and the Wild Rider tilted her head to the side Your name isn’t David But you told Simon

Not David Ghosthound Neveah supplied happily righting herself and trying her best to rub in a way that Randidly had to assume was affectionately against his side She basically just tore a hole in his pants with a protrusion of bone Randidly sighed

Unlike the previous time THIS time the reaction was immediate

There was no one in Zone 33 that didn’t know the name Ghosthound

The guards drew their weapons and leveled them towards Randidly Jemma began to tremble looking at him with wide eyes Her metallic dog squeezed through the press of bodies and rubbed reassuringly against her side

One of the taller guards riding a moose and holding a glaive said to Randidly You are the Ghosthound Of Donnyton What’s your angle coming here

His voice was cold and from his eyes he had a confidence in his ability to fight Randidly just shook his head inwardly Jesus if he had known founding that village would make him famous someday he would have thought long and hard about whether to do it And likely refused to do it This was getting annoying

As if she couldn’t sense the palpable animosity around her the Wild Rider walked forward and patted Randidly’s arm Randidly looked at the horns next to his face curiously Although the girl was only tall enough to reach his shoulder her Regalia stretched higher level with his eyes It truly was a beautiful headpiece He wondered what effects it possessed

Ah of course I should have known You are Randidly Ghosthound the man who has made this Zone much more advanced The Skeleton Knight and I were very surprised that we were called down so early We were actually second but the first Zone on this World was of course Zone 1 The Zones are numbered based on size so statistically the area that Zone 1 possesses is about 100 times as large as yours Statistically you could not compete To beat Zones 2 32 is something to be proud of

Randidly filed this information away for now but didn’t say anything It would perhaps be worrisome going forward trying to compete against a larger Zone once all of the Zones opened up but for now it wasn’t an issue

Instead his mind latched onto the fact that based on what the Wild Rider said she and the Skeleton Knight had peaceable time together before they came down to this world Perhaps they understood their role as part of a larger System and accepted it to a degree

Realizing that the Wild Rider was waiting for a response Randidly opened his mouth and said thank you As for what I’m doing I think for now I want to

Randidly trailed off But then he seized onto an intermediate goal that he would enjoy and would be an understandable thing for the people around him I want to improve my equipment I have some ways on my own but I’d like someplace to buy raw materials or even finished products It doesn’t look like you have anything here but

Randidly trailed off as the glares from the guards grew more pronounced Randidly didn’t know whether to be angry or roll his eyes Although it probably would be annoying Randidly was 100% confident that he could defeat them all all at the same time He had improved by leaps and bounds since he had lost to the squads of Donnyton and although these guys probably trained well enough they were not at that level

Well Randidly reflected perhaps his frame of reference had just changed by too much They might be the equal of Donnyton’s Squads from 6 months ago Time was also hard to keep track of

You probably want to go to the Refuge A woman rider said who seemed slightly more friendly than her peers The armor they have there isn’t so good as what comes out of Donnyton

She stumbled her eyes flicking to Randidly He didn’t respond Obviously going there would get him the best options but the Creature was still there and Randidly wasn’t willing to draw her attention

Perhaps the most annoying part of this conversation was that Neveah had revealed his name If word got back and she started looking for him

After a hesitation as she scanned his face the woman continued But it’s good enough and the best place in the North to get it Just know that they will test you

Yes Jemma whispered her arms wrapping around her shoulders Dauntless is a monster

Chapter 321

The grim faced riders provided Randidly with a very basic map which would enable him to leave their location and find the Refuge They seemed profoundly displeased when he thanked them and said he would need to delay his actual departure by a few days though When asked why Randidly gestured towards Neveah who was trying to touch her nose to her tail forming a perfect circle

Hmph A black haired man snorted Well don’t blame us when we move on and you become monster feed

Don’t worry about that Your name is really Ghosthound though wow that’s such a fun name The Wild Rider chattered sounding extremely strange in the weird echo that came from her Regalia

Randidly shook his head You are the first person to ever say that

For his part the rider’s face twisted but he couldn’t say anything to directly contradict the Wild Rider Strangely Randidly felt some sympathy for the man It must not be easy acting as a glorified babysitter to this young girl without even knowing it

Body fun Neveah said rolling over towards the talking people eager to be a part of the strange interaction now that she had a body Randidly smiled but the surrounding people scuttled back annoyed at her antics At least the riders

The mounts seemed profoundly skittish around her and for good reason Not only was she double as big as most of them she probably weighed about 5 times as much as the heaviest of them She was just in another class of beast She was or used to be a Raid Boss

After some more stares and the riders pleading with the Wild Rider to take care of some other things the group wandered off leaving Randidly alone with Neveah Feeling relieved he walked over to her and patted her bone exoskeleton awkwardly Could she even feel this

Whether or not she could actually feel it with any sort of fineness didn’t really matter to a creature who had not had a body before an hour ago so it was enough that she rolled around brushing up against him and causing him to stagger slightly After chuckling Randidly hopped on top of her body and began to walk along it

When she spoke next it was through their connection Confusing

What’s confusing Randidly asked walking along her spine trying to balance as she began to roll onto her side to peer up at what he was doing

You Name They wrong But you make so

It’s called lying Randidly said wondering really how developed the intelligence of Neveah was It was something worth investigating Especially because they would be bound from now on working together as a team Even now it made him slightly uncomfortable but that was the way it was

So even though he didn’t like it Randidly continued speaking I told them my name was David to avoid a monster who was seeking me

But as he trailed off Randidly felt something strange through their bond A displeasure Neveah sensed through their connection that this wasn’t the whole truth Randidly laughed out loud feeling strangely relieved and also strangely insulted

He was never very good at communicating and the people around him knew it So when he was awkward and slow to say something they just assumed it was because it was difficult for him to speak Which was part of the truth but it wasn’t all of it Which Neveah could sense and her perhaps naive nose pressed deeper intent on finding the whole truth

Randidly was forced now by this bone wurm to reveal that whole truth the bit that he always kept back And strangely he didn’t mind it

I also didn’t use my name because Randidly hesitated for a second before continuing Because my name means something here in this area I have a reputation And it’s so weird People look at me for guidance They rely on me to protect them Both of which are fine I can handle it but they don’t understand me So they push and push

After trailing off for a second Randidly found his voice again hopping down off of Neveah and turning to her It’s the same with the Wild Rider Did you see the way they treated her Did you understand what was going on Well it might be hard but the people around her think they know what is best for her and want to control her Or protect her whatever it is that they tell themselves I don’t want that I don’t want

Want me

The question was surprisingly frank and Randidly started He looked at her with sad eyes a small smile on his face Sad because she had to ask but smiling because the question was surprisingly easy

Yes Us That’s how it’s been for a while yea Now you just have a body Nothing really changed right

Right

Neveah seemed finished with conversation and she began to wiggle back and forth moving towards the far side of the enclosure Randidly scratched his head and then followed her Well she could figure out this body for now In the meantime it was time for him to return to the study of Engraving Because recently he had a hunch about the reason some of the complexities of Engraving currently eluded him

What Thea said jumping to her feet Simon didn’t really react to the news his eyes slightly unfocused as he looked at the ground

Jemma nervous at the strength of Thea’s reaction began to lean side to side switching her weight back and forth at a rapid pace Wincing that she had made the young girl freak out so much Thea spared a glance for the metallic dog that was now always by Jemma’s side It lay on the ground its head on its paws its breathing even

As long as the dog was calm

Thea turned back towards Jemma sitting back and relaxing slightly putting on a face that didn’t match the turmoil inside of her body Hearing that David was really Randidly Ghosthound THE Ghosthound

It was unbelievable And at the same time it made so much sense So many things clicked She had built up the Ghosthound into a superhuman in her head able to accomplish so many things so much faster than everyone else He founded Donnyton which was like a mythic city in her mind filled with characters who stepped right out of fantasy

They already had blacksmiths leatherworkers and potion makers and the market wasn’t even present yet They had seen a few of the examples of the things they could produce and it left everyone at Star Crossing absolutely flabbergasted The equipment they made was higher than their most powerful person It was impossible

Then she had met David a man with no weakness A man who faced down a Tier III Raid Boss apparently while he had a crippling injury and knocked the Raid Boss on it’s ass And now after he was healed he gave off a completely implacable feeling It felt like she was looking at the calm surface of the ocean but her instincts screamed that more was going on beneath the surface

As these characters overlapped everything snapped back together

Now at the head of these bustling metropolis pushing forward past the boundaries of what was possible very quickly in the wake of the System’s arrival Thea saw David She could see him with his quiet intense eyes immediately adjusting to the System change and methodically working himself into a position to do something about it To help people around him

He still must have had some martial arts training before or at least he was in top physical condition He likely gracefully transitioned into the System and very rapidly dominated the area where he started overwhelming the location monster type with sheer implacable determination

Based on what they understand once you become connected with a Newbie Village while you could leave it wasn’t wise If that person were to die they would drop the Village Key which could be used in multiple ways against the Village It was much safer to stay at the Village if you were connected to it

David no Randidly no the Ghosthound clearly didn’t make that decision Somehow as if it was happening right in front of her Thea could picture the Ghosthound standing there his eyes clouded by worry surrounded by the scrappy group of survivors that he had gathered and led to a place of brief respite from the terrors of the System

Did he know the benefits of founding the Village of the Soul Skill he could gain His was the first village so probably not He easily passed off the coin to another to found the village while he continued to explore heading South to save the unstable and populous Franksburg right before they starved to death

Did he find out the truth and regret it

That too was clear Of course he found out but he didn’t regret it He just once more thoughtfully handed the coin over to the people of Franksburg leaving to go on another adventure always moving always seeking out the next threat to humanity always moving forward

Although someone from Franksburg named Lucifer had killed the first Tier III Raid Boss and the rumors were that the Ghosthound disappeared immediately prior to its arrival Thea had no doubt in her mind that the whole time the Ghosthound was moving in the shadows paving the way for others to shine

Thea smiled bitterly Just like he had done with her

Chapter 322

It actually makes a lot of sense Simon said raising his head Thea looked around as he spoke and their eyes met an understanding passing between them Simon felt his heart pounding slightly and then he realized that he had been staring at Thea and smiling for several seconds

He looked away embarrassed and said But I want to go see him To understand

Once again Simon and Thea shared that strange agreement nodding together Jemma just seemed nervous

Maybe wait a bit Rhaidon says that until the bone wurm can control her new body its a bit dangerous so After seeing they both assented to this Jemma continued Uh the other pledgees well everyone the old riders too there’s a big party thing to celebrate the Rider and freedom and stuff

Again she trailed off Simon felt his stomach do a weird flip flop Are you inviting us to a party

Unsaid was the fact that the girl in front of him couldn’t be older than 11 or 12 But she nodded Simon immediately turned to Thea who was thoughtfully looking at the ground She seemed to sense his gaze however and looked up nodding

Yea it happens every time A way to relax and mingle a bit Thea confirmed If we aren’t going to see Dav the Ghosthound we might as well After all you can’t work all the time humans just aren’t built that way

At dawn Randidly breathed in through his nose and out through his mouth his eyes glittering as he examined the greaves in front of him

Basic Iron Greaves Lvl 14 A rather simple design that was done by a hardworking man Health +10 End +2 Wrought in Shadow I

Engraving of Shadow IV 39% © The air you walk is thick with shadow Due to the shadows you are slightly less easy to predict and you take slightly less damage from physical attacks Stealth abilities are 50% more effective May activate and consume the Engraving to double the previous effects for 30 minutes as well as a slight amount of darkness damage to all physical attacks

Wrought in Shadow I This piece of armor was engraved completely in darkness Agi +2 Focus +2 Wis +1

It was really that simple Randidly thought gazing at the Engraved greaves with wonder There were of course several problems with the method but

The difficulty in Engraving Randidly speculated is that Engraving was an incomplete art because it was based on Aether manipulation by people who actually couldn’t manipulate Aether So although they could find some way to peer into the mysteries of what Aether could accomplish they weren’t able to do it directly as they didn’t have access to it

So they were forced to use what they had access to Mana and tried to shape it into the rigid shapes that Aether could be formed into Because Aether was a strange mystical form of something that was alternatively an energy source and then some sort of building block for meaning Additionally some parts of Aether could be infused with meaning causing the symbols to be rigid

While some portions were rigid and others could still be flowing and fluid Meanwhile mana was a pure liquid energy source So the trick was to mimic how Aether behaved by carving shapes into the armor with mana

Although the previous Engravers likely had to spend a long time experimenting and testing different theories in order to achieve the results they wanted Randidly didn’t really have that difficulty he already had access to an ability to sense and manipulate Aether Of course the Engraving Pen he possessed couldn’t channel Aether and all of his attempts to shape it thus far made strange twisted constructs that ticked in a way intimidatingly similar to a bomb but that didn’t mean he had any less of an advantage

After all he knew what it SHOULD look like He just needed to use Mana to do it

Randidly had spent the night refining his technique until he came upon a very cumbersome but manageable way to do it The only reason he could use this method was because of his huge Mana pool but instead of pouring Mana into the armor in a shape Randidly used flashes of Mana to burn away huge chunks in the armor

It was a little like setting off dynamite

Then when there was a general shape clear he poured a little Mana into the hole he had made and used his amazingly high Control to use that Mana and even out the spaces creating the specific shape

Then he added more Mana creating a thin film around the outside of the entirety of the shape putting the finishing touches on the Engraving Speck by speck Randidly shaped everything creating the perfect Engraving Then with his still quite full Mana pool he simply flooded the empty space with Mana once more using his Mana to create the proper flows and turns

This method didn’t have his same control over the flows as actually Engraving did but Randidly believed that would come with time It also had the chance to blow up too much of the armor when he ignited the Mana rendering the armor useless But it gave him an unparalleled ability to control the shape and incorporate multiple complex and overlapping constructs

With it he had finally created the Shadow IV Rune which seemed to have not improved much in terms of the subterfuge but there was now an effect of evasiveness and defense And while combusting the rune it would also grant increased damage although it was hard to know how much damage it would do

It had even earned him a few levels in Engraving which was nice

In the meantime Neveah had thoroughly destroyed Randidly’s previously tidy farm It hurt slightly but in the tumult of the testing yesterday some enterprising animals had already come and picked most everything clean desperate for his Aether infused fruits

It was slightly sad to Randidly but he knew that as much as he would love to spend his time experimenting further with Farming learning to create multiple things he really wouldn’t get the chance to do so There were so many other things that he was uniquely equipped to do that no one else could handle

Randidly glanced at the greaves Of course the real problem with this piece of armor was that it was altogether too much foot covering After spending so much time with bare feet it was hard to imagine forcing his feet back within the confines of a constricting shoe Besides his Golden Roots of Yggdrasil was invaluable and he didn’t really think it would be nearly as effective as it had been as when his feet could directly touch the Earth

Randidly left the small hut he had been studying in and out into the world looking at the dawn It was truly breathtaking He wasn’t sure if it had something to do with the presence of Aether or even if it was just the effect of his increased Perception but there was such vivid mixing and bleeding in the shades of red orange yellow and purple in the sunset than there ever had been previously before the System

From his memories from before the colors had been beautiful but it was like they had just been basic shapes in a sunset Now there was depth and intensity and frantic refraction of light As he watched the sun rise Randidly wondered idly whether staring at the sun was still dangerous to his eyesight He would feel profoundly silly if he blinded himself after becoming this powerful

Sensing Randidly’s presence Neveah flipped over and used Earth Surfing which was really what her skill was to move rapidly over towards him What do

I have some things I want to do but I guess before I make our plans I should ask what do you Randidly hesitated not using the word want’ It was hard to tell what Neveah thought There was still some small space between them although they were connected inwardly and could sense each other’s thoughts

Randidly’s epiphany due to her earlier didn’t solve all of their communication problems it just let him know that there was a path forward And it was one that he was excited for

Us Explore

The answer was so simple and blissful Randidly burst out laughing Reaching over he rubbed her spine Yes we will explore But I need a bit more time here refining my Engraving

At first he hesitated to say the real reason but then he just shrugged inwardly There was no reason to hide anything from her after all She knew him inside and out So he continued After that I need to grow strong There is something very dangerous at my home When we have strength we will return and kill it

Kill

Randidly shivered Neveah’s lack of experience with existence or rather life with a body made it so she seemed innocent sometimes But Randidly forgot that she had been inside him for some of his darkest moments dormant but cognizant She knew well the scent of blood They were in that boat together

Yes we will kill the Creature

Chapter 323

Coppernicus held up a hand and the squad fell silent around him The night was dark and ahead of them a huge fire was burning away about 100 meters away There were very few in the north who were so bold as to have such a large fire without any care in the dark especially after the System arrived

Even Iznock seemed troubled as he regarded the fire burning cheerily ahead of them He had drawn his magic back into himself which caused his usually inflamed head to fade slightly only giving off a soft glow

Their group was on a low hill that sloped down towards a stream that ran along the edge of a forest Right between the group and the stream the fire sat multiple figures clearly moving back and forth around it

Did you sense any sentries Iznock asked surprising Copper Sentries weren’t often used not yet although Sydney was bullish on the subject saying that just because they had been coddled their entire lives didn’t mean they would continue to be now that the System was here Better to protect yourself

But Star Crossing and the Refuge didn’t use sentries Which only left

None Vandal said sidling up between the two larger skeletons Although there’s something weird in the air Electric almost

Wards Iznock growled and then he cursed violently in his own language The System did its best to approximate what he said but Copper could tell that it was strained at the edges as if it were unable to translate Which was interesting because it had seamlessly translated everything that came before

Odd that Perhaps unable was incorrect Was it unwilling Was the System hiding something

Worth watching at the very least as Copper focused back on the men around him The squad was tense all 10 men looking at the three in the lead for direction Their eyes were haggard from two weeks of eating rations and what they could scrape off of the land Still the meals they did manage to hunt and cook were excellent Vandal was a master at preparing monster meat

If Copper still had a fleshly body he would have shivered The dark cruelty in Vandal’s eyes as he caught and cooked those monsters it was chilling It was good that he was on their side

Then the face of that impossibly powerful man appeared in Copper’s mind’s eye and he clacked his jaw unhappily Nothing was ever easy Which was why preparation was important During these past two weeks Copper had been using his Scribe skill to make spell scrolls and he believed that he could change the outcome of that previous fight

Copper shook his head feeling foolish The one problem with this new almost tireless body was that he could very easily lose himself in his skull following his thoughts around for far too long With an effort of will he focused back on the group around him

Like from video games Vandal was asking skeptical

Iznock just grunted not bothering with Vandal Everyone in the group had already learned not to bring up video games around the boy Although they were effectively stopped from playing video games ever again Vandal would still gladly spend hours dwelling on the past

Wards are magical sentries Copper said slowly looking around pushing his senses to the limit Although he wasn’t imbued with the power of monsters like Vandal his senses were still more finely tuned than a human’s

And after a few seconds of focusing he could feel it just lightly brushing up against his bones There was a definite electric charge in the air and they were wading through it There was no damage to their bodies but Copper suspected that could change and the person who set up such a field would definitely have the methods to sense their presence in it

Are they difficult to learn Copper asked Even in such a dangerous area far from reinforcements and surrounded by the pledgees of the Wild Rider he was still interested in learning new spells

But Iznock shook his head It should be far too advanced At minimum Level 35 if not 40

Vandal’s eyes narrowed and Copper sucked in a breath He was level 26 and feeling extremely proud that he had become one of Sydney’s most powerful warriors Most of it was due to the tireless nature of his body that enabled him to perfect his skills but

If this is an enemy can we handle it Copper asked quietly Vandal snorted but the entire group turned towards Iznock who was thinking

Without casualties No If we fight some of us will die But Iznock seemed not to care There was something else in his expression troubling him However they know we are here and have continued to do nothing So we have a choice

We go forward Vandal chimed in sniffing the air Someone over there is a good cook

Iznock nodded slowly and the group of 13 walked forward heading towards the fire As they came closer more and more figures around the fire spread away slipping into the blind spots that the fire left in the approaching group’s eyes

Welcome friends A low male voice with a southern twang said What brings the East End Village folk over here And with a skeleton lieutenant no less

Copper said nothing stepping forward I could ask you the same warriors of Donnyton What is Squad 13 doing so far North

Once they were close Copper’s worst fears were confirmed There was no mistaking the craftsmanship of the armor or its quality These were weapons forged in Donnyton And with so many of them gathered together moving as a unit that could only mean

One of the squads had come North without anyone being aware of it But the fact that they allowed Copper and his group to come close meant they didn’t care if they were being discovered Or were they just confident in eliminating their group No that didn’t sound right From every report they received Donnyton’s squads were methodical and no nonsense Arrogance didn’t factor into their decisions

Still the fact that it was the 13th squad wasn’t surprising Most of the top 10 were held up by the Skeleton Knight’s offensive although it didn’t seem like either side would lose soon Although it wasn’t steep there was a drop off in power after the X squad simply due to the powerful equipment that the higher squads received

There were also other reasons that a squad didn’t enter into the top 10 In this case Copper suspected this particular squad was more fearsome than their ranking indicated they were simply the type of squad to be weaker at direct confrontation

Two figures stepped forward their faces hidden in shadow with the fire behind them The man with the southern twang spoke again So we’re both a bit away from home but I think we have dibs on this here spot Why don’t y’all move on

The threat was clear in his voice The low sound of metal sliding across leather as squad 13 drew their weapons around their group gave weight to it And yet

Stepping forward Copper produced an item from his bag that he didn’t expect to be his best weapon in this situation Before we go would anyone care for a game of chess

There was silence And then a snort

You’ve done your homework skeleton boy Weird we don’t know anything about you I’ll go for a game If Copper had a body he would have been sweating and the voice eased some of his worries Clarissa the Weather Witch one of the top movers and shakers of Donnyton walked forward with interest as she looked at Copper

She gave the others a glance Interesting interesting What a unique crew you have here

Trailing off Clarissa took a moment to look at each individual in turn even the normal guards In her eyes it was clear she was activating some sort of skill and was able to see through their strength in an instant At least that is what it appeared to be to Copper and from Vandal’s expression the younger boy had a similar foreboding when he looked at this opponent

You are the one who created these thunder wards Iznock said abruptly the burning sockets of his skull locked on Clarissa

She shrugged Secret But I’d be interested in hearing how you detected it

Iznock said nothing folding his arms Clarissa seemed to have expected as much so she turned to Copper once more Well your intel is good I play games against my better interest Join us for dinner Your group can stay as long as we are playing If you win I’ll tell you what we are doing up in your neck of the woods You’re wondering right If you lose we need a bit of information from you skeletons What’s the Skeleton Knight’s Regalia

Clarissa smiled It was strange she just looked like a middle aged female librarian And yet the air around her was abruptly getting cold a thin mist spreading out from her Fair deal right What do you say

Copper turned to look at Iznock who remained still After a few seconds Vandal took a deep breath through his nose smelling once more the cooking Even Copper could sense although he had no desire for food how well made the stew they were cooking was

When it became clear Iznock would not act Copper said Alright you have yourself a deal

Chapter 324

Vandal hopped on one foot to the other while he watched Copper who continued to sit staring at the board his eyes blank

Well his eyes were always blank All he had was a skull But this was a particular brand of blank that Vandal was sure was not even healthy Feeling bored he skipped over to the dead fire sniffing There had to be

Ah there

Vandal found a bit of vegetable that had fallen out of the pot and was hidden in the coals Although it was charred Vandal happily gobbled it down You couldn’t imbue vegetables with the same power you could meat or at least he couldn’t but the vegetables that the Donnyton individuals carried were the most nutrient dense and delicious he had ever seen

They truly had the highest quality ingredients ’ Vandal thought with a wistful expression If he could get his hands on a bit of Lucifer’s body or even better yet the Ghosthound

Clenching his hands into fists Vandal repeatedly cursed that zombie man who had beaten him up Vandal spared a glance for Drake who was still watching Copper Everyone seemed to be waiting for Copper

The chess board remained untouched from the point where the two individuals had drawn and then rather abruptly the Donnyton squad departed And yet although Iznock was eager to leave he remained because Copper’s behavior was so profoundly strange Why was he locked into his focus so much

People had spoken to him but he had remained still ignoring them At Drake’s weary insistence they had waited Copper wouldn’t do this to them without a reason

Vandal kicked a stone It rolled forward a bit and then it stilled spinning to a stop He turned to Drake At least we made it out safe right And the Donnydums didn’t find out what the Skeleton Knight’s Regalia is What’s a Regalia anyway

Vandal hoped it was meat It was not

A Regalia is like proof of being a Champion It channels the System’s rules through a Champion’s body limiting them in some ways but giving them other powers in exchange It is well known that the Skeleton Knight’s Regalia is his sword Drake answered absently his eyes still on Copper The Regalia was just an easy bait Clarissa knew we would be too curious to resist coming and would take the risk of betting on a chess game once we knew who was here and they were perfectly fine with allowing us to dally They had another goal for keeping us here but

Part of it was drawing Vandal supplied He had seen some of the more sneaky moves the others made in the shadows due to his increased sight in the dark courtesy of a cat he had for dinner They made sketches of us all

I wish it were that simple Iznock rumbled But of course after his cryptic comments he remained silent regardless of the small stones Vandal kicked at him

Vandal sighed Tormenting someone without any meat was impossible

There was a cough and then Copper straightened reaching up and scratching the bone of his skull After a second of hesitation Copper turned to Iznock announcing I know why Donnyton is moving so far North

Iznock remained still seemingly unsurprised

Continuing Copper said They are after the same thing the Skeleton Knight is I believe Iznock what happens when an individual who is not a Champion holds both of the Regalias

Perhaps his feelings for you are not as strong as we once believed The Creature said almost mockingly as she looked across the scrying pool towards Lyra

For her part Lyra said nothing She had in her mind a mental list of sins that she would make Randidly pay for slowly Not too painfully perhaps but uncomfortably at the very least He had earned himself MANY such inconveniences in his time on the other world Even thinking about it made the blood begin to pound in Lyra’s ears and her vision go dark This would be just another comeuppance heading for him

It took an effort but Lyra filed that away for later One issue at a time She turned and regarded the Creature wearing her body as if it was her Which lately it practically had been

In the past 6 months since Randidly had left Lyra’s hair had grown down past her shoulders continuing to come in a tawny cascade that was full and thick without being toofrizzy Truly hair that some people would kill for In addition weight had been redistributed on her body moving from her calves arms face and neck and settling down near her thighs and core a strong center of muscle while Lyra barely ate enough to survive

Her features hadn’t really changed except her eyes in a way that wasn’t immediately noticeable Her irises were still that violet of Aether but now the small burst veins in her eyes also had a violet tint as even her blood was slowly warped by overexposure to the icy fiery element Honestly Lyra wasn’t sure how Randidly managed to stoically completely ignored his exposure to the stuff

She looked older sure But older like a single mom of three not older as in more appealing to older men Not that some older men wanted the mature look

Lyra tried to squelch her sour thoughts and spoke to the Creature as if they were equals Well then what’s next

The Creature just shrugged Irregardless he will return One way or another Better to focus on nominating our own Champion in the meantime

Lyra slumped to the side sighing So she continued to wait in the darkness slowly working towards her goal

Randidly continued to work on refining his process of Engraving which was proving more difficult than he imaged The real issue was that there was a very noticeable mental switch to go from dynamiting the subject with Mana to carefully shaping it It was abrupt almost too much so Still he would get used to it in time

Very gradually the switch became more natural

Aside from that Randidly continued to improve his Cooking Chef’s Palette and Soul Bond skills It was a time of refinement for him as he began to immerse himself more and more in the Engraving encyclopedias in between the rather amusing periods spent trying to learn to ride Neveah

Not only did Neveah have a very hard time remembering to keep the same side of her body facing upwards due to unfortunate rolling habit she also couldn’t really judge the amount of acceleration she moved with Very often she would abruptly jerk forward thrust upwards by her Earth Surfing skill which was still rather clunky in her hands

Randidly wondered whether poor usage could cause someone to LOSE Skill Levels If someone could manage it it was Neveah

However on other fronts her development was impressive Her language skills grew because she could speak with other animals and people most of whom were deathly afraid of her rather than just hearing an echo of language through Randidly’s body The speed at which she improved demonstrated how intelligent Neveah truly was she simply didn’t have an experience with the world

On his off moments Randidly would wonder idly where she came from Why was this spirit living inside the Aether Crossroads inside of him Were they connected somehow

Still even asking Neveah produced no answers She seemed unsure what exactly Randidly was asking and just responded by having a rolling fit Laughing Randidly backed off and moved on from the question

The rest of the pledgees appeared to be going through some sort of special training learning to ride in formation with the different groups This kept them busy and because of it Randidly hadn’t seen Simon or Jemma or even Thea in the past few days

Still one of the days Randidly’s senses started going crazy but when he looked around he found nothing Then he spread out his Aether Detection skills and he was able to feel a strange ripple in the air For several minute Randidly sat stock still furiously wondering whether the Creature had finally come for him

But then he realized that the presence would come and then disappear at pretty regular intervals throughout the day that matched up with the pledgee training Randidly slowly relaxed So that was just some feedback from Simon’s Astral Projection skill Still it really shook Randidly up and made him realize that although he had a brief break now he couldn’t take it too easy His enemies continued to move

The Creature would not wait for him

Chapter 325

So Randidly expanded his training routine once more upping the intensity Once more he was back to using root forms created through Spearing Roots to practice spear usage But now that Randidly’s Control was much higher he could do multiple while even practicing other things He also experienced a brief breakthrough when he realized that instead of just forming them from the ground he could make an umbilical cord almost that would go up from the ground and into the back of his root people

Then they could spread from the back and they could be mobile fighters Which was how Randidly found himself watching with amusement as he controlled both of them causing them to fight awkwardly Although it wasn’t so helpful in refining Randidly’s spear attacks it definitely gave him more information about how the body reacted when his defensive stances were struck

It was mostly small things but the more Randidly used the spear the more he realized that it was 1000 small things done right that would win out over the opponent So he focused on this

Training took on a very immersive quality to it and Randidly was peaceful It was only after 5 days of this that Randidly started abruptly realizing how long he had been training alone for Truly it was hard to think about time without sleeping even with day and night

Randidly looked at his Path screen His gains the past several days amounted to 78 in total this was a large amount sure but most of it came from less used skills like Refine Extract Examine Chef’s Palette Hammer of the Dawn etc that were relatively low leveled and could be improved very quickly Although the difference in battle was practically nonexistent it was a general raising of the level of activities he could perform

And it paid dividends for his PP

With some of the PP Randidly finished off his Steps of the Godling Path

Congratulations You have completed the Steps of the Godling I Path This is a path that not many tread Special circumstances have opened this opportunity for you and it is one that comes with great rewards Still it is treacherous for the edges of the path fall off into an abyss from which none have returned For now keep your eyes straight traveler for the path leads ever onwards You have gained access to the Attribute Progenitor’s Influence Progenitor’s Influence +10 +2 to all stats +20 Progenitor’s Influence per level

Progenitor’s Influence An attribute that calculates how effectively you can influence the world over which you rule As Progenitor’s Influence increases you will gain access to new abilities relating to your world As Progenitor’s Influence increases the effectiveness of your abilities increases You may gain Progenitor’s Influence due to belief from your world

Randidly was cautiously optimistic about this Progenitor’s Influence and that it would give him the ability to intervene as he had wanted The real worry then was getting more influence As of yet Randidly still hadn’t found a way to get a Class without tying himself to the System although now he wondered if he could avoid that with his new skills

Testing it with his own body was probably not for the best however Better to wait and see

Randidly reached into his inner world sliding his perception into his Soul Skill Immediately he felt it It was extremely small in the span of the entire world of the Soul Skill but he could feel his minor influence There was however a large drawback that Randidly also noticed his mood worsening

Although it was slow time was definitely moving in the world even though he wasn’t giving it PP Randidly supposed that made sense His influence would only be worth it if he could choose when to use it And for that time had to move But that did mean that Randidly could sense forces moving in his Soul Skill

Once more he could not find the thief Who even now might be on her way to steal the spear that held Lucretia captured Randidly groaned inwardly Another enemy to worry about but this one would be in his chest

The other thing Randidly really wanted to investigate but he had no idea how was that Lucretia had combined with him to bring that powerful warrior out of his chest In Randidly’s mind it had just been a way to lock her into a lose lose situation Based on her actions and that strange hunch that Randidly had she cared deeply for Shal That was how he could bind her by putting Shal’s safety and her own as the two weights

Now Randidly shook his head wordless Why the fuck had he decided to take such a desperate gamble His instincts told him it would work but

Sighing Randidly accepted the fact that sometimes he did dumb things There was just so much going on with the tournament that it slipped through the cracks Randidly winced Yes Shal’s life just slipped through the cracks

Anyways the process that had enabled the transfer used his inner world as a template but it came from Lucretia’s strange fate and karma powers There was something about those three freely given gifts that would destroy people and even Randidly worried about it With her inside of his soul Could they come to an agreement Or

What was Lucretia’s goal anyway She had acted on this occasion for Shal but she had been giving out these gifts and destroying lives for hundreds of years before based on the memories Randidly inherited from Aemont

Then Randidly froze Because in an effort to distract himself he had reached for his influence to sense what his current abilities were Two things became clear Progenitor’s Influence was generated by wishes and prayers of believers and Randidly could reach out and grab them in a pretty large area floating over his world They didn’t last long however and Randidly watched one dissipate in front of him

Still Randidly had managed to gather 4 Progenitor’s Influence in this short time Which would be good if not for the truth of the cheapest method of exerting influence

Send Cryptic Dream Unavailable Requires 75 Progenitor’s Influence

Minor Prestidigitation Unavailable Requires 125 Progenitor’s Influence

Whisper in Follower’s Ear Unavailable Requires 200 Progenitor’s Influence

Randidly groaned With this much he couldn’t do ANYTHING And even if he flew around this world for about a half hour a few more influence the most he could do was send a Cryptic Dream

Absolutely worthless Randidly cursed this dumb Path and everything it stood for He left his Soul Skill and when he went to his Path screen to see what he wanted to do now he deliberately ignored the Steps of the Godling II Path 0/200

Instead he focused on his other options Specifically those relating to his current activities So he was drawn to Path of Control Basic Mana Engraving and Mentalist I Ultimately cheap won out Randidly would be able to finish Mentalist I immediately and the fact that time was moving out of his control would seem to mean his clash with Lucretia would come sooner rather than later So more mental strength was necessary

So all at once Randidly dumped 50 points into the Mentalist I Path

Congratulations You have completed the Mentalist IPath Another unusual path traveler You walk along not with your body but with your psyche constantly refining your spirit and soul As you do so that sharpness you possess naturally spreads Your Willpower +10 Resistance +5 Your mind is refined and the detail of your memories increases +1 Mental Stat per lvl Efficacy of Battle Intent increases

Again Randidly was slightly disappointed although the Path also netted him 5 free stats one every 10 PP It did also grant bonuses for Battle Intent but Randidly hadn’t worked out so well how to use that with spells although it was definitely possible and he had some small success so far

Every stat helps though and it was another bonus he could use if he ever got around to getting a Class

After that Randidly put his PP into Basic Mana Engraving deciding that would be the support skill he wanted most desperately in the immediate future This Path was much more lucrative generating 1 Intelligence every 5 PP which was a pleasant surprise But still these things weren’t really addressing the problems in the world around him

It was a balancing act right now Randidly intuitively felt that soon something would give The brief peace would not last But he did not rush towards it

Instead Randidly stood and went outside seeing if Neveah would be willing to practice riding more

Chapter 326

Simon hated Anthony the overweight leader of his training group Toto Simon’s Soul Bond beast agreed although it was in a very dispassionate way

Straighten your back Raise your weapon Anthony bellowed his eyes directly on Simon Simon hunched his shoulders cursing inwardly

Sure he was physically capable and his time with David the Ghosthound had taught him to survive in wild situations but most of Anthony’s training involved direct confrontation with the opponents charges of riders in formation towards an opponent

Which of course was not where Simon’s talents lay It took absolute begging for Simon to be allowed at the back where his healing and water spells could be used to their utmost effect Unfortunately there seemed to be no way to convince Anthony that his Astral skills and his Dreamer Class were worth planning around If anything Anthony seemed insulted at the concept

As if any Class could equal the strength of the Wild Rider’s charge That was what his eyes seemed to say as they squinted at Simon

So Simon day after day drilled pointlessly learning to do something that he would never do

To be fair it did do wonders for raising Simon’s Riding Skill and also his Soul Bond There were bonuses And the frequent accidents associated with the riding practice meant that Simon had occasion to practice his healing skills But would it really kill Anthony to just admit there were more options than just charging at the enemy

And based upon the way the other training leaders treated him Anthony was relatively high up If this was truly all the army of the Wild Rider thought about it Simon began to become worried for what would happen in the battle against the Skeleton Knight He supposed it was a good thing that Donnyton was taking the brunt of the forces right now

Still information from the front lines were hard because it was on the other side of the Skeleton Knight’s forces Who knew what the state of things actually was

After the drill was over Simon barely managing to keep up with his other pledgees Simon collapsed in a heap For a moment he considered using his Astral form on break again but Simon hesitated For the past several days Simon had wanted to talk to the Ghosthound

He understood why the older man had hid his identity It was just

Simon rolled over and stood up annoyed It was just that he had felt

Toto walked over and nudged Simon softly distracting him from an extended teeth grinding session Simon sighed throwing his hands up in the air His emotions were a mess constantly sliding between tired and annoyed and a deep sense of betrayal

Every time he used his Astral form and watched the Ghosthound his urge to visit him had faded So now if he wanted to settle this

Simon’s stomach gurgled unhappily He would wait and this evening go and see the other man And get his answers Or something Rubbing his head furiously unable to make heads or tails of his emotions Simon angrily sat down determined to relax and rest

20 minutes later he got up huffing and stiff returning to the practice under Anthony

The whole evening passed in a blur of dissatisfaction until he stomped out of the final practice of the night his body sore and bruised and whisked his way over to Thea’s tent It seemed that the look in his eyes was enough because the usually brusque Thea just nodded and followed along behind him

The area that the Ghosthound was staying at was well known It was the spot that there had previously been the small field for growing the magical fruits Some animals used to hang around the area sniffing for bits that people had missed but the area had already been picked clean Now too everyone was scared away from the deep cavernous hole in the earth and the deep troughs carved into the ground by the flailing of the Raid Boss the Ghosthound used for a mount

So it was silent and dark as they walked towards the Ghosthound’s hut No one even knew what he had been up to in the last several days staying in the small shack of woven roots he had created for himself Rumor had it that some of Donnyton’s special forces showed up to report to him because strange figures were seen moving back and forth around the hut but no one was willing to move close enough to investigate

There was even a thickness in the air that Simon felt as they walked with Chrysanthemum and Toto towards the house For their part the animals seemed supremely unconcerned growling back and forth to each other It was cheery in a way but it also meant that the only noise on their trip was animal growls

When they arrived at the small fire next to the hut the Ghosthound was standing outside of it a tall rack filled with spears that appeared to be made of roots He held one in his hands staring intently at it drawing a pen across its surface At his feet there were several spears some of which were covered in glowing runes others which were broken and burnt seeming

As they approached the Ghosthound didn’t look up which Simon at first thought meant that he was so lost in his work that he couldn’t hear them but then as they approached and he still didn’t move Simon realized with a slight chill that it wasn’t that he didn’t know he was there but that he realized they were there far far before they noticed his location

His Perception just how high was it 100

Finally with a hiss the root spear in his hands cracked the middle disappearing before Simon’s very eyes There were strange blue flames that ignited from the remnants licking at the Ghosthound’s hand But he just huffed in annoyance and shook his hands the flames slowly dissipating

Then he turned to regard them his eyes strangely bright and green in the darkness His gaze was intense and curious but overall weary Simon tensed up mirroring the Ghosthound’s stance but without any of his confidence

This why was it like this

So you were Randidly Ghosthound the whole time Thea said breaking the awkward silence Simon just stood there clenching and unclenching his hands He had wanted to say that but more but more something Just a certainty that he held in his heart that he wanted to include in the question but his mouth

His tongue flopped back and forth like an awkward slug

The Ghosthound nodded slowly and as he did so his giant bone wurm appeared sliding across the ground like it was grease The wurm flailed trying to stop itself but then it just began to roll forward carried by its momentum towards the house With a sigh the Ghosthound stepped forward stopping the wurm with a dull bang

Even that casual action Simon squinted his eyes together

The wurm righted itself Thank fast is hard

Shaking his head the Ghosthound said It’s thank you But at least you are making progress

The wurm nodded happily as the Ghosthound turned to Thea and Simon Yes I am the Ghosthound I guess you’ve heard of me

If anything his hesitation only served to make the ball of emotions in Simon’s chest more tight Almost unable to control himself Simon took a step forward and said But why

The Ghosthound tilted his head to the side and Simon continued as if a balloon in his chest popped Why lie Why hide it Was it because you were injured in a strange place Was it because of my age My skills Did you just not connect with me I thought we spent all that time together just trying to get you better

Trailing off Simon couldn’t find the words to continue Every single trick that the fake person David had taught him every edible plant and way to start a fire Every way of tracking monsters every gesture and mannerism that Simon had only been happy to adopt finally learning from another man he admired it was fake

What was worse was that it wasn’t a betrayal really After all the true person under the mask was the Ghosthound probably the most powerful person in all of their Zone So he couldn’t be angry that he had imitated him But it felt dirty

Was this really the way the people at the top behaved Was this just the way the world was

In a corner of his mind Simon knew he was being melodramatic but after those weeks together after being finally convinced to leave his spring where he was safe after forsaking a powerful sounding Class at his direction

Wasn’t Simon owed some honesty

The Ghosthound scratched his neck His lips were pursed not in annoyance but rather as if he was weighing two options Finally after several long seconds he said It was because I was afraid I’m strong but my enemies are stronger

After a moment of stillness the Ghosthound moved and now that Simon was aware of it he could see in the strange unnatural smoothness of his movements that this man was not truly human not all the way He had improved himself becoming more than that Very quickly the Ghosthound returned holding a small object

His eyes were bright and sad as he looked at Simon then he offered Simon a glove An apology For all the trouble I’ve caused you and the fact I lied

Simon just felt everything drain away leaving a wariness Because he felt something more difficult to bear in a completely different way the Ghosthound was running from something some powerful enemy something worse far worse than a Tier III Raid Boss

M r Ghosthound Thea began but the Ghosthound interrupted her

Call me Randidly Or even David if you’d prefer

Alright Randidly Thea said her voice high and nervous I just want to know what kind of enemies do you have to run from

Chapter 327

As they rode towards the boundary of the Refuge Randidly twisted around and gave the woman sitting behind him a stern look

Stay on your best behavior Randidly said hating how much he sounded like his own father I’m not going to watch your every move But if something were to happen

The girl nodded her close cropped curly chestnut hair bouncing with the motion I know I know but some of the riders they are so stuffy I’d rather be like this out under the sky Besides until my companion is grown I’m stuck with walking most of the time And I’ve never ridden a giant wurm before

Me never ridden a wurm Neveah interjected apparently aghast at this oversight on her part Will soon

Randidly rolled his eyes trying not to pay attention to the fact that Ten’Malla the Wild Rider probably the most wanted person in the entire Zone was nonchalantly riding behind him on Neveah’s back

Three days after Simon and Thea came over and Randidly had done his best to apologize and assuage their woes Randidly felt prepared to leave and that Neveah was able to handle herself and asked for a guide to take him to the Refuge

To his surprise both Simon and Thea volunteered Although they didn’t speak much to him about the lie or what he had said generally about the Creature they appeared to not mind being around him

Which was good

Randidly sighed He hated the interpersonal drama Plus the Wild Rider didn’t really feel the need to tell Thea and Simon of her identity so at first they were just giving Randidly weird looks He was rather morose about the issue

First Jemma and now this random teenage girl Ten Did the great Randidly Ghosthound have a thing for teenage girls

Randidly buried his head in his hands for most of the first half of the trip to the Refuge

The goal of the trip was rather simple for Randidly Obtain equipment Of secondary important he wanted to ask around for Sydney and Ace Based on what he knew from his visions Sydney was likely nearby to the Skeleton Knight Based on that East End Village seemed the more likely location Still better to ask while he was in a rather peaceful situation

Of course asking about Ace and Sydney made Randidly come to the rather strange realization that there were probably people out there perhaps people he had class with before the System arrived that heard his name in the Zone and remembered the old him It was somehow the most terrifying and embarrassing thing that Randidly had realized since everything had happened

Other people probably thought that his name was made up that no one would ever destroy their child’s future prospects like that but the people that knew Randidly would shake their heads and tell their compatriots that no that really was his name It was the mark of having grown up with Randidly that they knew that He could picture it now happening in some washed up bar that survived the System

Randidly continued to hold his head for basically the entirety of the ride

Other than that Thea had also received a mission from the riders around the Wild Rider to trade for certain supplies If nothing else the pelts that the riders possessed were of high enough value to persuade the apparently standoffish Refuge to deal with them Simon accompanied them as a reconnaissance type rider joining the three person convoy

Everyone was surprised when the Wild Rider showed up without her Regalia

Randidly straightened looking around His senses were sharp enough that he could basically feel the forest around him perfectly for about 20 meters but it was still better sometimes to use your eyes

Not that there were any real threats Neveah happily ran over or devoured any monsters that were unlucky enough to encounter their group

Won’t they be upset when they notice you are gone Randidly said trying again

The Wild Rider waved her hand airily I took care of it

Sighing Randidly settled back into the ride But it was only 5 minutes later that Thea motioned for the group to slow down It’s right up ahead welcome to the Refuge

Ahead of them the forest cleared out and then the small hill that took its place was abruptly stopped by a sheer wall of rock stretching upwards about 80 feet Above them Randidly could clearly pick out buildings towers and people looking down at the approaching group It seemed that the Refuge was a natural fortress sitting up above the surrounding area giving a natural view in every direction

Undoubtedly it made surviving the monster horde for the first week very simple That in turn could very easily lead to the group becoming rather insular and the type that preferred to isolate themselves from the world hiding away rather than training

As it turned out the first part of that was true but the second

Was completely wrong This was a primal place of public brawls and rather barbaric and violent ritual And it was all held together by the force of will and power of its Village Founder Dauntless

Well let’s go say hi Ten’Malla said cheerily

Rose Callaway made a small notation in her notebook and looked up her eyes skeptical Brute stood at her elbow his arms folded the overt threat where Rose was the silent one At first Rose had been against bringing the towering bronze skinned wall of muscle that was Brute around with her to meet with other powers but Dauntless insisted

Having a mute bodyguard was one of the prototypical signs that you were a supervillain Dauntless insisted It made Rose want to tear her hair out

Still it made situations like this much more simple

There were 10 men arrayed in the room around her They were not natives to the Refuge most of them instead having obtained a Class at Star Crossing or the East End One was even Classless They had come to the Refuge to trade with their small wares to sell as well as they could Some were farmers others were tailors others were miners

Honestly Rose wished she could recruit them to her side and have them become a permanent part of the Refuge’s force In fact if it were up to her they would have been allowed into the city without issue They had however been unable to pass the test

These were not strong individuals

Our rules are there for a reason Win against a one star warrior and you can enter this city Rose said slowly The outer slums are here for you to stay in the meantime You may freely set up stalls and sell there with no issue

Then very deliberately Rose turned to Brute Even she didn’t know his name not really but the man had come hand picked by Dauntless Plus he was definitely smart Instinctively when Rose was playing a role Brute could sense it and played his part perfectly with just the right mixture of force and finesse It was honestly disturbing to Rose

Although she was confident in her own strength there was something unfathomable about the way that he followed her so closely Was there a skill there

But of course there wasn’t or her skill would have instantly noticed it

Are our rules not clear Brute did nothing and Rose turned back to the assembled men allowing the silence to sit there for a while Then she said So why did you have the gall to demand on audience

A tall burly man crossed his arms You are the one who found it necessary to meet with us Our points are valid

Rose made a note An Intimidation skill Interesting but not unique

Another slimy looking fellow interjected Look we don’t want to be unreasonable We just think that you need to be understanding of our position We are merchants The rules

Another note A Persuasion skill but a low tier one of the dozen or so Rose had seen Nothing to really worry about

Letting the men talk Rose’s eyes moved to the figure sitting in the leftmost position in front of her He was short average looking face brown hair The figure seemed profoundly disinterest in what was happening around him but Rose’s very sharp senses instantly keyed on him the minute he walked in the door This was the man that gave these small fish their confidence

Rose did have to admit that Dauntless was an asshole and was not able to run a city but he could deal with problems effectively sometimes a hammer was the best way to eliminate a problem

Brute perhaps you could remind these people why they are not allowed in the city Start with this man on the left

Brute stepped forward the man looked up his innocuous eyes narrowing at the implied threat There was a knock at the door Brute turned and looked at Rose Rose rolled her eyes and shooed him urging him on then stood walking over towards the door Her heels clacked on the ground barely covering up the sound of grunts and impacts

Due to habit Rose removed a small piece of paper and made several notes High level martial art skill and strength boosting skill that would be Brute A healing skill That would be the brown haired man So he was a mage

Rose’s eyes widened as she noted down a kinetic energy manipulation skill She even noted it down as a C grade skill Interesting was that where all his confidence came from

Unfortunately

By the time Rose reached the door there was only silence behind her She opened the door A two star warrior nodded to her glanced at the room behind her lost interest and then said A group wants to come into the city They are Rider people Two of them are unwilling to take the test without their mounts Another has volunteered to stand in their place But no one over 3 star is on duty

Rose nodded and turned to Brute speculatively It would be somewhat rude but well they could attempt again after they recovered from their injuries What was most annoying about the situation was that Rose’s own callous reaction meant that Dauntless was rubbing off on her Annoying that

Rose turned back to the individuals in the room who were still conscious Gentlemen I hope this emphasizes our attitude on the matter The test is everything to us Don’t waste my time again Brute Let’s go see the sights

Chapter 328

Rose was at least pleased that the group had at least waited until she Brute and the two star guard returned not making any trouble That either showed they were weak and were intimidated or that they knew something about the Refuge

After all it wasn’t difficult to fight the people who guarded the edges of the city But once you got into the city proper even Rose would be hard pressed to keep herself safe if she had to force her way into the Refuge Which of course was a direct result of her actions in building up the fortifications in the city not that anyone would thank her for it

The group was small but Rose’s eyebrows rose as she looked at their mounts There was a bear an ox and most intimidatingly a giant bone wurm which seemed to be looking around curiously That thing was truly a monster

Although Rose understood intellectually that the riders could basically tame any monster that acknowledged them in practice they were usually pretty normal animals This monster however

There were four people a skinny young black girl a chubby and nervous boy another young girl wrapped in thick furs and finally a 20 something young man with long black hair to his shoulders As Rose and Brute approached the man looked up slowly his eyes flashing emerald The look in those eyes was placid almost curious but firm

It would be the latter option then these people understood the Refuge and they were willing to wait and take the test They had confidence in their strength Rose almost felt bad that she had brought out Brute to crush them

Generally Rose wouldn’t be contacted with handling this sort of issue It was far far below her station and even a bit below the work that most of the warriors thought she did But this was a two star guard she knew well enough and he preferred to approach her rather than returning to the city proper and recruiting a four star warrior off the street trying to drag them away from whatever they were up to

Without the threat of violence most of the warriors above 3 stars refused to wipe their own ass

Rose produced a notebook and held it at the ready Hopefully she at least got some new skills out of this group Welcome travelers to the Refuge I assume you understand the rules

She glanced at some of the nearby two star guards They nodded The boy and the little girl will not be tested The furred one passed her test At the end of the short report the guard made a hand gesture one that indicated he suspected her to have the strength of a 3 star warrior

Interesting If a four star warrior had really been fetched their leader might have a pretty good shot at winning if he was stronger than that girl But unfortunately

Monologue Dauntless’ annoying voice reminded her

How brave As you are shouldering the responsibility of two others the requirements for entry grow The first is one extra star the second two As such you need to have the strength of a 4 star warrior to walk with them under your protection Rose smiled at the man who continued to regard her impassively Its for your own benefit you know Violence is not prevented in the Refuge If you don’t have at least that much strength you will not be able to protect them

Still no response and no notes No scanning skills perhaps

Rose continued to speak The challenge thus is to defeat a 4 star or greater warrior Unfortunately due to personnel concerns no 4 star warriors are available You may either wait perhaps for 6 hours when the next shift ends or if you agree fight against Brute here who is above a four star warrior

Brute stepped forward After giving Brute a glance the man nodded and flourished his hand producing a spear Rose’s eyes focused instantly her hands frozen She had felt at least 4 skills there flickering not even really activating with that motion So it wasn’t the production but just the physical movement that was the skills she sensed That meant he had an interspatial ring

But the quick flash of skills wasn’t enough for her to catch so they faded away Her hand relaxed Still it was annoying More knowledge would help

Not that it really mattered The one thing that Brute did not fear was physical fighters

Well then feel free to begin Rose announced excited to watch the fight The spear in the man’s hand was weird seeming to be made of some sort of woven wood but that wasn’t enough to give her pause

In an eerily similar fashion the two men walked calmly towards each other When they were only a meter apart both blurred

There was a strange noise of a ticking

Rose’s hand sprung into motion Then it spasmed as her skill wanted her to write almost 15 skills at once as both men activated them Very quickly she sorted out Brute’s skills doing her best to dig through the other man’s

There was a Physical Fitness skill and what looked like Empower and Haste In addition

Again Rose froze even as her hand continued to write What Her skill gave this man’s skill an A rating Aside from Dauntless this was the first time

As the two stopped using skills her skill stopped pestering her halfway through her note Very slowly Rose looked up Brute stood very still the point of the other man’s spear at his throat

The spear was lowered The two men shook hands The black haired man looked questioningly at Rose who could only nod weakly swallowing Welcome to the Refuge

After the other group had left and Rose had calmed her breathing she walked up to Brute who stood extremely still remaining in the same spot from which he had surrendered As she approached Rose opened her mouth to speak but saw a small crimson bead on his neck and instead just looked on slack jawed

Brute remained there with his eyes closed as Rose struggled to run through possibilities

With the sheer volume of skills that the other man had activated it had been too difficult to pick apart exactly what happened But even still Brute should have no trouble winning he had an almost unstoppable trifecta of skills

Brute’s most dominant skill was the ability to stop the momentum of any attacks on him in a certain area The Stamina cost was so prohibitive that it could be used only a few times in a fight from full Stamina and if burned constantly about two full seconds but the battle had been about that amount of time There was no way he should have lost

In addition Brute had a short range teleportation skill and an absolutely fearsome ability to absorb Stamina from any person he laid his hands on With these skills combined he could fuel his momentum control Skills almost indefinitely or until the opponent ran out of Stamina Combined with a life before the System filled with martial arts training trying to imagine the way for a close combat specialist to overcome Brute was a bit

More than anything Rose was filled with annoyance and a small speck of fear Because her abilities which she had trusted to feed her the weaknesses of an opponent had turned up nothing Was the other obscuring her somehow That amount of passive skills though what Class

Brute opened his eyes his expression placid

Rose frowned Your ranking should be about an 8 star warrior Aside from Dauntless and myself there aren’t more than 3 people stronger than you here Yet you lost

Turning Brute’s gaze followed the direction the group had left Still he said nothing

Rose lowered her voice How were you injured so quickly I felt you activating your skill

I can only steal the momentum away from my opponents Brute said slowly closing his eyes There is nothing I can do about my own momentum He gave me no choice but to impale myself on his spear to avoid his other attacks

Rose’s eyebrows rose Then she opened her mouth again but closed it annoyed Perhaps this had just rattled her because it was the first time in a long time that her skill had been useless Truly it was unexpected Even the Raid Bosses that they found didn’t trouble her like this They could be seen through

But Rose didn’t want to give up If she had another shot

If Dauntless returns Brute said slowly he will be crushed That man is the most monstrous thing I have seen since the System arrived If Dauntless returns they must be kept apart

He’s already back Rose whispered feeling unwilling but oddly fearful Even in the face of overwhelming odds Dauntless would not back off like Brute would He would throw himself closer to the fire unwilling to cede his stance as the strongest It was reported while we walked over He’s just wandering throughout the city

Instantly that little bit of shock that remained fell away and Rose Calloway once more felt her mind begin to whir Although there was a strong opponent that person was not necessarily an enemy And if possible it would be best to keep it that way But if it ended up going the other direction

Rose would dismantle the foe that stood in Dauntless’ way Like she did every time

Chapter 329

The group stopped as a huge hulking man who must be 7 feet tall lumbered past them giving them a sideways glare Randidly tried his best not to yawn A large body like that might be more of a liability than anything else now that the System arrived even if it was intimidating After all ability lay in skills and stats Perhaps there was some small amount of bonus from size in terms of reach but

Then again Randidly’s own Soul Skill increased his size so maybe it was for the best to not be too harsh on body size problems Not that it was really noticeable It was at about 3% 4% right now Randidly supposed he felt a little bit larger but

Where are we going Ten’Malla asked with a bright expression Randidly could only shrug and look at Thea and Simon Simon seemed similarly unsure and quite uncomfortable when Randidly gazed at him so Randidly moved his look to Thea who was glancing around

The people around them all walked with a purpose talking to each other casually exchanging a few greetings but generally walking in every direction moving quickly Basically there were no hints from their movements about which direction was an area where people would gather

Honestly Randidly was just more enjoying the novel feeling of standing on concrete again While most of the buildings around here were slightly worn or damaged by monsters it still was an area of a pre System neighborhood There were small shops with apartment buildings over them and even the remnants of stand alone fast food chains This town had largely survived although it looked like everything here had been repurposed into housing

It’s that way I think Thea said her voice light Ten’Malla instantly began striding that way with a grin looking around at the buildings curiously

Ah of course The Wild Rider wasn’t from Earth so this would be rather new for her Shaking his head Randidly followed very aware that Simon waited a few seconds before following Neveah rolled along happily leaving a trail of rock and stone in her wake

Inwardly Randidly cursed himself bringing his mount here might have been a slightly thoughtless action She was just so large even when she stayed on the ground In fact perhaps the real reason that no one was paying attention to them was that they were traveling around with a huge bone wurm which took up half of the street

Luckily it seemed like Thea’s instincts were still on point because the group walked up to what used to be a large baseball/softball sports complex with overgrown fields and half destroyed scoreboards dotting the large area But people here had repurposed it turning the area into a large open air market and arena

There were loud cheers from the East side where a crowd of people seemed to be watching something Stalls were everywhere and right up front was a huge bar Nothing compared to the sort of setup Claptrap had by the end as there were only 4 beers or so but it was still pretty impressive that they managed to have any after the arrival of the System Randidly wondered how good it was The beer in Shal’s world had been oddly bitter and not to his taste but perhaps this

Speaking of Randidly felt abruptly guilty for not trying to contact any of the people from Shal’s world Belatedly he brought up his friends screen and searched for them Helen would be furious so not her Shal would also be dismissive perhaps Divvet

Abruptly Randidly saw it again Divvet falling to the ground blood on his neck Marco Polo standing there his eyes focused unwaveringly on Randidly How had he been there Why did was Divvet dead

Instantly the tenor of Randidly’s search changed and he found Divvet’s name It was grey and nothing happened when he clicked on it His interest becoming more desperate and pointed Randidly decided to screw his earlier plan and moved to Shal’s name But it too was unable to be clicked although there was a small notification this time

Warning the recipient’s world is currently transitioning in the System As such communication will be unavailable until this event is resolved

Randidly’s frown was sharp Just a coincidence or was this somehow related to everything But there simply wasn’t enough information available to him Perhaps Lucretia would know but again sealing her seemed like the more intelligent course of action especially for now Always best to increase his own strength further

Something wrong It seems like you are on another planet right now Randidly Ten’Malla’s face was inches from his own her dark eyes curious Randidly jerked backwards shocked How had she

But he supposed it shouldn’t be too surprising that she had some skills hidden away He hadn’t seen the Champions in action but they were definitely not someone to underestimate with the full force of the System sitting behind them

I’m fine Randidly said pointing to a stall as he calmed down They probably have what I need there let’s go

There were two reasons that Randidly wanted to finish this quickly One was to return to training and the other was to get Neveah out of here It was adorable in a way but only for him to watch her curiously looking around with a smile on her face at the surrounding people

Of course they only saw a huge wurm of bone and twisted muscle fully one and a half meters thick looking at them with its mouth open revealing row upon row of teeth They were swiftly turning into something of an attraction and not in a good way

Still Randidly reflected better here than other places The Refuge definitely was a place where the most revered trait was strength because rather than withdraw people were drawing closer Still giving the wurm a few meters of birth but they clustered outside that zone their eyes on Randidly and their group glittering with calculations

When they arrived at the stand it seemed that everyone in the area was aware of them and the stand owner was sweating as they spoke with him The merchant a teenage boy really who seemed to have an even worse time with his fears than Simon quickly made excuses and closed down right in their faces

Randidly sighed eyeing the surrounding area There were other places but the raw materials here were definitely the best

Then a short woman stepped forward with a rather large belly for someone who lived in the System Y’all are pledged to the Rider right So that’s your mount

After a few seconds of silence Randidly nodded slowly The woman seemed very excited by this and said Wonderful wonderful

She ran up and began to knock on Neveah’s body poking and prodding Neveah giggled excited at the attention her tail lashing back and forth in excitement sending people stumbling backwards fearful of the huge gashes left in its wake The ground was torn up like tissue paper

Finally the woman turned to the group again We’ve been wanting to run an impossible creatures event in the arena where challengers try and complete tasks while a monster stops them but none of the Riders we see have this much star power

Randidly would have face palmed if he thought this would help the situation

Star power Ten’Malla and Neveah said almost at the same time

The woman was nodding rapidly Yes yes Just look at the creature It could

She Randidly said reflexively

She could rule the arena All would fear her strength Now the woman was on a roll her eyes were glowing I’d like to play around with different tasks see how she

Play Neveah said excitedly rocking slightly back and forth

Play Ten’Malla said her grin impish Randidly sighed So this was just a glorified vacation for the Wild Rider Maybe she was just a kid

Well Randidly would do anything to end this sort of very public interaction so he nodded If you want to go play with the woman feel free I’m just going to purchase some armor But no killing alright

Neveah nodded seriously looking at Randidly No kill Play

Excellent The woman said her smile wide genuinely looking excited at the prospect of playing with this giant bone wurm which could crush her body to paste The woman Neveah and Ten’Malla filed away drawing the attention with them which allowed Randidly to relax

After a second Thea followed them saying I can’t just let them go unsupervised

That left Randidly and Simon Randidly glanced over at the boy opening his mouth If he didn’t say something now

But Simon just walked forward past Randidly following the rest of the group He didn’t even look up at him Randidly’s mouth slowly closed

If there was one thing that Randidly had learned from his father it was that trying to force a problem out of people was counterproductive Best to just wait and let it come out on its own Although it was a little strange it really seemed like the fact he had lied about his name was a huge issue for Simon

Whatever they had before now to Simon it felt invalidated But that was a problem for another day Randidly turned and began to walk through the crowd heading for another stall

Chapter 330

But Randidly never made it to the stall he was aiming for ran by a balding man that honestly reminded Randidly of Sam Instead he froze halfway through the crowd his eyes widening

Ace

The word came out as a whisper because Randidly couldn’t believe his eyes When he first saw he almost thought he was wrong because because it had been so long because his friend looked so different leaning up against the wide bar flirting shamelessly with the pretty bartender who poured his drink

But no That was Ace the same easy confidence The same muscular body although he was even wider and more toned now after the System had exacted its toll His hair was short but turning blonde likely from exposure to the sun His eyes were dark and full of laughter as he smiled at the young woman her face going quickly red

He wasn’t in armor unlike most of the people around him which was strange but from his build he clearly was used to it In fact a lot of people were giving Ace strange looks But Randidly didn’t doubt that he was strong just that now was a casual time where he tried to sleep with a bartender Typical

Randidly was moving and he didn’t even remember starting to move He was moving too quickly Randidly knew so much so that some people had to stumble out of his way shocked by the force and speed of his advance

Then he was next to them behind Ace who was saying coyly no but really Look at me Is it that hard to believe I have the strength of a four star warrior I bet your boyfriend isn’t that strong

The woman’s smile widened just a fraction I actually don’t have a boyfriend right now

Again Randidly felt that familiar compulsion No one could make him leave his shell in which he lived avoiding awkward situations and overmuch interaction but somehow around Ace Randidly always found himself doing these sort of things in spite of himself

So Randidly found himself stepping forward and saying Oh you’re single Can I throw my hat in the ring

Both of them froze shocked to be interrupted now Ace spun around his face very even but a hard glint in his eye But then he too froze because he turned around to find Randidly standing there a goofy and awkward grin on his face

Holy shit Ace said Then he just stared at Randidly for a few seconds slack jawed before saying again and louder HOLY SHIT

Hey Randidly said unable to think of anything else to say and the two just stood there for a while staring at each other The bartender looked at both of them for a second before muttering

Sorta ruins my joke but I actually have a girlfriend who I am very loyal to so I’ll just leave you two to it She proceeded to walk away down the bar

They continued to stare at each other even as Ace’s face flitted from one emotion to another Shock happiness sadness confusion hurt glee

Randidly extended a hand I really missed you When the System hit I thought

Ace stepped forward wrapping him in a huge hug squeezing him with the strength that could probably throw a car Which to Randidly was oddly comfortable

Seriously man after all this time I thought you got hit by a two headed rhino and died Ace said mumbling into his shoulder Randidly felt strange He remembered being a size with Ace when they were together and even a bit smaller because he slouched most of his life To now find himself a bit larger

Randidly supposed the body growth from the Soul Skill was actually a thing

I’m sorry Randidly said slowly a great icy sadness in his heart

Ace pulled back looking him up and down No worries man you made it You’re here and now we

Not about this About before About Sydney About never telling you about acting like I was able to hide something that big from you I

Ace’s face fell and Randidly trailed off But instead of getting angry Ace just sighed and then smiled in a small way Don’t worry about it I was mad for a bit but I had a strange dream and Well anyway I’m over it none of us handled it well It was a hard thing Let’s forget it eh

Randidly felt so strange Relief flooded his chest but also confusion After all this time all this hurt all that fear and weakness he had felt was it really this easy Did communication really solve everything

But as Ace stepped back and smiled at him his face twisting into that old let’s get into trouble’ grin Randidly suddenly sensed it wasn’t just that It wasn’t just that they communicated it was something larger and older

It was because they were best friends

So Ace said turning once more back to the bar Want to celebrate by getting wasted

Ace looked in awe as Randidly drank down another beer seemingly heedless of the amount of alcohol that he was imbibing And this was the hard stuff The most cringey nail polish removing vicious swill they could find They had to to make drinks like this sense the System arrived Anything else would dissipate harmlessly when it hit somebody’s system

Randidly lowered the glass and burped a dumb smile on his face a slight flush to his features Not even drunk then just tipsy

Ace studied his friend They were sitting in a bar area of the nicest restaurant in town where there were a dozen or so men and women who had came back from monster hunting looking for some time to relax In fact everyone was watching Randidly now His ability to drink that fucking rot gut without any outward reaction was so impressive that everyone noticed it

Ace couldn’t believe that Randidly looked this capable His body which used to be gangly and innocent now was tightly wound filled with corded muscle He was nowhere near a bodybuilder but definitely a Swimmer or a gymnast or something stretchy and athletic

Almost instinctively Ace scanned the crowd noticing the way that some of the female’s eyes were studying Randidly It wasn’t jealousy he felt necessarily but possessiveness over those eyes But Ace shook that feeling off

His best friend was back And almost instantly they clicked again Well not the same but

The fear in Randidly’s eyes the lack of confidence that was gone Now he continued to follow Ace’s lead but that might just be out of habit

Ace shook his head doing his best to clear away his thoughts Now wasn’t the time for threat assessment Better to just enjoy the moment

So how did you survive Ace asked moving to a subject that he was curious about but unwilling to bring up easily After all if Randidly would explain his story Ace might need to explain his

Uh Randidly seemed to think about it very hard for a few seconds Then he shrugged it was weird by some twist I was in the underground walkway right And so I spawned directly in a dungeon Trained next to a safe zone for a month a person from another world came and taught me to use the spear and then together we beat the dungeon boss What was really difficult was that we were stuck in the dungeon until then so I didn’t have a class

What the fuck are you talking about Ace said with a laugh What level are you now

I still don’t have a class Randidly said his face that peculiar brand of serious that he always got

Hahahahahaha Stop fucking with me What’s your class man Mine’s super cool its But then Ace trailed off because Randidly continued to give him that solemn look

Oh shit He was being serious

You don’t have a Class Ace said slowly Then how did you get into the Refuge I mean non Classers can be strong but

Randidly just shrugged gesturing for another drink The bartender looked between the two of them and then at the dozens of empty shot glasses on the table between them Ace could see the waiter doing some calculations about the amount of liquor both of them had imbibed and how high that made their Physical stats

Apparently everyone else was doing the same thing because they gave the two of them a wide berth Ace leaned back enjoying it the edge of fear The confusion in their eyes as the people wondered how strong they were It was clear they were both super powerful but the fact they couldn’t see how much just made that gap between them and the crowd seem so much larger

Ace’s happy thoughts were abruptly cut short as he leaned forward Randidly had drank more than him Without a Class

Oh thank god I found you Ace turned happy for the distraction but a little less happy that Rose was pushing her way through the crowd Not only because she would undoubtedly say something extremely boring about running a city but also because she possessed NONE of the bearing of a super villain How was their powerful mystique supposed to survive if she insisted on looking like a librarian all of the time but

Ace supposed he couldn’t be too annoyed He after all hadn’t worn his armor of helmet out but

Earlier today someone came into the Refuge Powerful enough to defeat Brute in a physical contest Within seconds Rose eyes were serious locked onto Ace

Ace leaned back his fun old persona falling away the implacable will of Dauntless rising to the surface Interesting

Not that the strength was the interesting thing although it was curious that this stranger was so strong but was really most interesting to Ace was that Rose would tell him Because she must know that he would then immediately seek that person out Why would she tell him

Ah Ace saw it and a deep buried fear and pain reared its ugly head She doubted him Doubted him as their leader Doubted that he would be able to find and overcome this threat like he had all other before it Which made Ace wonder how exactly a single person could intimidate her like this With her skill shouldn’t seeing through that be easy Or at least seeing through enough to know whether victory was impossible

After all she never would have come if victory was out of reach This ambiguity was disturbing

Well after I finish here let’s pay this individual a visit shall we Ace said slowly leaning back to the bar

Ah no need Randidly said turning to them both from where he had been finishing his shot It’s me she’s talking about me

Rose opened her mouth Opened her eyes wider Then she shut her mouth

Chapter 331

Really Ace said leaning back in his chair looking between Randidly and Rose What’s the issue did he like make a mess on the way in

I did bring a giant bone wurm into the city Randidly allowed feeling the warm glow of alcohol in his body It was a strange thing allowing himself to get drunk His absolutely monstrous regeneration was practically begging him to allow it to remove the impurities from his system But there was a certain joy in the lack of control

Ace looked shock Putting his hands on his hips he glowered at Rose This is all about a pet You Well wait is it just shitting everywhere

Randidly shook his head setting the world spinning around him Instantly his system began to demand more directly that he allow it to intervene but he pressed that down At least things like this weren’t too much of an issue now with his higher control I don’t think she shits at all

I should get a pet Ace reflected looking at his reflection in his drink Something impressive How big is your pet

Randidly tried to think of a good way to describe Neveah To the side he noticed that the Rose woman was opening her mouth closing it and now frowning furiously and studying him It made Randidly somewhat uncomfortable

But luckily Randidly was around Ace right now Like always that strange energy that Ace produced was still in the air opening up things that were usually closed Randidly leaned forward regarding Rose closely Why do you keep looking at me like that It’s fine I’m really not causing trouble Oh she’s sorta like a a really long roller coaster car

Nodding sagely Ace rubbed his chin I think I’d want a dragon Or at least a dinosaur One of the benefits of the System is how cool things can be sometime maybe with flaming wings

And it breaths darkness Randidly added helpfully following his statement with the rest of his drink

Clearing her throat Rose gave Randidly a sharp look The problem is not your pet but rather your ability to defeat Brute within seconds With so many skills that I cannot parse them apart This is about power Mr Ghosthound

There Rose paused Her face became drawn and brittle Ghosthound As in the Ghosthound of Donnyton

Randidly scratched his neck Ace leapt to his feet

WHAT Ghosthound As in Randidly Ghosthound He began to rub his chin vigorously I can’t believe I never realized that dumb nickname was actually your name this whole time

Randidly rolled his eyes Rose liked she was going to be sick your best friend’s name was Ghosthound legitimately and you never even mentioned this

Guess I just never put it together Ace said with a smile Then he punched Randidly’s arm But also you only know him now that he’s got all suped up by the System This guy used to be twig skinny Like unhealthy shit

Randidly gave Ace an annoyed look but said nothing Better to not interfere at the moment because from Rose’s expression Ace’s dismissive comments of Randidly’s strength didn’t even register with her It was actually the first time that Randidly had been so openly disrespected in a while The Engraving Guild representative in Shal’s world had been similarly overbearing but on Earth

It both bothered him to be disrespected and also bothered him how quickly he was bothered by it In his heart Randidly sorta hoped that he had reached a level of maturity where he could let that flavor of comments slide off of him Although he was arguably the most powerful person on Earth right now he abhorred the idea of letting that power corrupt him But his reaction seemed to indicate that a small amount of arrogance had seeped into him

Well arrogance and self confidence might appear similar and Ace was being pretty disrespectful

But that was just how they always joked wasn’t it

Rose interrupted Randidly’s quickly darkening thoughts We have had meetings about the possibility of encountering the Ghosthound and his people for months And yet you literally never thought to mention that person might be your best friend At your directive we are training an assassin as we speak to kill him

Are we Ace seemed rather uninterested instead gesturing the bartender for another drink I really don’t listen at those meetings Oh Randidly careful we might try and kill you

Randidly shrugged Threats at the level of a newly Classed individual didn’t really scare him Although that might be a bad habit to get into It only took one unexpected skill to strike somewhere weak and then he would lose everything

Again Randidly found himself oddly morose looking at the table feeling the influence of the alcohol on his System He grimaced It was hard to reconcile the two lives that he had lead sitting here at the table with Ace listening to a woman berate Ace In one he was like a shadow floating through life Kind and popular in a way based on his listening and friendship with Ace but

In this other life he was the Ghosthound He trained for 2 years against some of the worst criminals Shal’s world had to offer And he was truly geared to be a mage rather than a close combat user with a Control stat that was approaching 300 He was one of the top young fighters in that world and he returned to Earth which was just developing

And no one here could stay in dungeons long enough to catch up to him due to Aether Sickness although they would have to discover that piecemeal There was no one here who could hold a candle to his raw stats Which was why Randidly thought that the battle against Brute ended so quickly Maybe if they were on the same level the man could bring his skills to bear whatever they were But right now they were in different worlds

Shaking her head Rose turned to Randidly Ah well we will obviously call off the program Anyways it is a pleasure to meet you Mr Ghosthound I am Rose Calloway and I handle most of the administrative matters here at the Refuge I also spend the most time talking with Kirki our Village Spirit because Dauntless

Ace gave her a pained look because having a flowery hippo is exactly opposite the sort of vibe we are going for here at the Refuge We are talking darkness breathing dragons Not flower hippos it’s disgusting And he refuses to change his form

Randidly coughed up part of his drink He

Spinning around Ace pointed his finger at Randidly mock aghast That’s not a very progressive thing to be shocked about Randidly You have magical fucking powers And yet the flower hippos gender is what gives you pause

Randidly opened his mouth then closed it Best to not argue with Ace while he was like this

And like that he was already beginning his next rant We have made great strides here in the Refuge making everyone have a mean and imposing demeanor Soon all of the north is going to fear those trained here due to the disturbing rumors And yet HOW CAN WE EXPECT TO BE TOUGH WITH A FLOWER HIPPO

Are disturbing rumors really that important Rose asked joining them now at the table but she had a small smile on her face As Ace continued to rant saying more and more ridiculous things Randidly smiled too

But the alcohol was gone from his System wiped out with a thought He could feel Rose’s attention on him constantly even while she teased and prodded Ace onward with small comments feeding into his momentum She was sharp

Randidly’s eyes narrowed But of course the people behind him were even more so Even with a strange skill that she seemed to have to identify skills she was far from being the opponent of someone like Mrs Hamilton when it came to planning and awareness

Well Randidly didn’t know that for sure But he did know that no matter what plans were laid in front of him he would wipe it out of the way with pure power

Randidly continued to listen to the talk but didn’t say much The headiness of seeing Ace was slowly ebbing as more pressing concerns came back to the fore of his mind The first was how to deal with the Champions making trouble in the North Although perhaps Randidly was just a little bitter at Ten’Malla hoisting herself on him during this trip and the answer was rather simple

To move against the Skeleton Knight Even Randidly felt some excitement at the thought of facing that foe It might be at the level to be a real battle After Drak Randidly had basically been an invalid for several weeks and then a rather crippled person for several weeks more only able to rely on his physical stats Which was a good way to blow off steam but it wasn’t satisfying

But the mood was too light right now with Ace ranting to bring that up Instead on the tip of Randidly’s tongue sat another question What happened to Sydney ’

Yet Randidly couldn’t bring himself to ask it at least not now His instincts told him that if he did something would change Some of the light heartedness would fall away Because Ace knew how close or rather how connected Randidly and Sydney were Yet he hadn’t spoken of it

And Ace wasn’t afraid of talking about anything Or he used to not be

So for now Randidly just watched a small smile on his face A time to relax like this was good every once in awhile

Chapter 332

Simon watched the nonsense occuring in front of him partially amused and partially extremely concerned What was perhaps more telling was that most of his reaction was mostly amused even though the people around him were very close to receiving life ending injuries There were healers on standby and Simon was decent enough himself but

Unfortunately the woman Lily who had asked for Neveah’s help was only becoming more and more excited The stunt doubles who were practicing with Neveah were hobbling off grimacing but Lily just became even more intoxicated with the possibilities

What they were doing right now was trying to figure out what game would be the best to play to keep the audience entertained The original idea was to have an individual who could make pillars of stone form an obstacle course that people would run through away from Neveah Neveah simply bowled everything over not slowed at all by these pillars of stone

This time the pillar maker reinforced them using 10 minutes for each pillar making sure they would have the sturdiness to withstand the force of a tractor trailer rushing towards them

Neveah didn’t even pause There was only a pile of rubble allowed to remain the air thick with debris The pillar man slumped his efforts for naught

The next idea of Lily’s was to have a footrace Neveah was basically a bus on a high at any point rushing forward with deadly momentum just based on being in contact with the ground A man’s hand was literally turned to mush by her lashing tail as she sailed past too fast for anyone to even register for several seconds

Thank god the System at least advanced the field of medicine to absolutelyridiculous degrees Simon reflected

For her part Neveah was having the time of her life bobbing her huge bone skull to Lily’s every word determined to play the games as best as she could without breaking the rules Which she failed at every time but it wasn’t that she really worried about losing she was just enjoying the movement and speed she could move at working together with Lily

Neveah also didn’t really seem to have many chances to interact with many people aside from the Ghosthound and was chatting wildly with everyone involved Which really seemed to disturb most of the stuntmen who were knocked brutally to the side everytime she moved But Lily ate it up soon entering into a brainstorming session with the former Raid Boss turned mount

Unfortunately Neveah didn’t appear to have many ideas aside from things she had heard from the Ghosthound

Lily then suggested having an object that Neveah would have to protect and the goal for the other side was to crack it Which everyone agreed would keep Neveah from being able to bring her superior physicality to bear on the situation

The entire arena was left a wreck in the wake of that experiment the body of the unlucky test man broken so much that they had to bring a specialist over to heal him Neveah seemed to understand that she had done something wrong because in her broken English she apologized to the man This only served to freak him out further and Lily had to pull the giant wurm away

Simon sighed It was hard not to feel for Neveah to understand how lonely it might be to be so large and powerful and to not have anyone give her the chance to listen and let her innocence and kind heart shine through

She’s so pure Simon said to Thea who had ignored most of the fiasco in front of them and had just been taking notes I almost feel bad that she’s so dissimilar from her rider

Neveah Thea said almost reflexively her eyes making it clear that she wasn’t really listening Which hurt Simon but he just clammed up unwilling to reveal how much it really hurt Unfortunately he would not get his desired peace

Really Do you think they are dissimilar The small tan girl named Ten’Malla asked appearing next to Simon as if by magic So sudden was her appearance that both Simon and Thea jumped which Simon disliked from the shock but also because it brought to the forefront of Thea’s mind that she just ignored him

Uh It took a few seconds further for Simon’s brain to move and process what the girl was saying Yea Neveah is so pure like a child While the Ghosthound is more

Simon trailed off unsure of how to frame what he wanted to say That Ghosthound seemed more callous and cold That this creature didn’t have an ounce of subterfuge in her body But it was hard to construct the sentences while Ten’Malla looked at him her brown eyes gleaming strangely

The girl was something of an enigma She simply appeared out of nowhere and insisted on coming with them But from the way the Ghosthound acted he knew her although he seemed annoyed by her presence She didn’t appear to have a mount but the only reasonable explanation was that she was related to the Wild Rider perhaps as a support staff or without the strength to actually become one of the Riders

Still her eyes seemed strong and unfathomably deep as she stared at Simon Interesting I would say if anything those two are a perfect pairing

Shrugging Simon hunched his shoulders ready to let the conversation pass The feelings in his chest continued to swirl but in a way that just dragged his energy levels down And there was no way he was willing to let them escape him while Thea was here

You know Thea said cutting off Simon’s thoughts You’ve really held a grudge Simon about his name Why is it such a big deal He didn’t do it to hurt you he just had his own baggage Give him the benefit of the doubt I mean I don’t know if he’s much like Neveah but

Simon’s hands curled into fists his nails digging into the soft skin of his palms They are nothing alike Neveah is full of kindness and joy The Ghosthound the Ghosthound is someone who has learned to kill and he is callous He would rather remain silent and let people suffer around him then

Ten’Malla’s laugh was small but it echoed strangely filling the air around them carrying so that both Lily and Neveah looked up from their most recent plan individually both turning and seeking the source of the noise Even Toto emerged from his usual calm stoicism tensing somewhat and moving to stand next to Simon It was a strange gesture one that made Simon feel out of his depth

But his emotions were carrying him now and he glared balefully at Ten’Malla who continued to chuckle

You you don’t understand them at all Ten’Malla informed him her smile condescending Simon’s expression twisted

Neveah Ten’Malla said turning to the wurm some 40 meters away But even though she spoke in a low voice the sound carried clear as day If Lily were to become Randidly’s enemy what would you do

There was stillness for a second and then Neveah moved slowly uncoiling her body rising to a height of about 8 meters With the sun behind her Neveah’s face was in shadow but still Simon could see the spot on her face where her eyes were visible by the deep blackness

There was however a deeper blackness stretching wider and wider as Neveah looked down at Lily A mouth no a maw A boulevard lined with teeth that would lead straight to hell In front of that opening Lily became nothing but a shadow a memory a shade and then that too was gone sucked into that blackness leaving nothing remaining

There was only a wild hunger and those two sharp eyes

Eat Neveah said her voice still gleeful but now cruel and dark her sincerity apparent Thea slowly stiffened next to Simon but Simon was just gaping

How could she change so fast Was there two personalities How could this icy mercilessness

Oh my god Lily said looking up wide eyed her breathing quickening That’s amazing We should incorporate that into the trial Perhaps if they pass the first test

Fun fun Neveah agreed lowering herself to the ground so she could be eye level with Lily’s body grinning in her strange monstrous way But even that smile was irrevocably changed in Simon’s eyes twisted and broken Simon shivered

You see Ten’Malla’s voice returned to its normal cadence You were thinking about this all wrong To you all is purposeful But these two they have a great weakness in the way they interact with people That makes it difficult for them to understand your sensitivity All they know is what needs to be done

Morality to them it has become meaningless The System makes it unnecessary What remains is utility Now though her eyes once more deepened fading to a glowing black abyss If you treat them like plotters and planners you will be deeply mistaken They are beasts that hunt on instinct and communicate with as much sophistication

You are perhaps correct what he did was insensitive But don’t you see that was his own weakness He does not speak well at the best of times and his soul was sundered For him to lie when so many speak of him seek him can you not see how the enemies that chase him are far more deadly than you could understand This was never about him was it Simon This was about yourself

Simon opened his mouth to respond to yell to tell her she’s wrong but he couldn’t speak There was no air in his lungs to speak words But it wasn’t about him not really it was about it was about how everyone near him turned away from him How Simon always found himself ostracized alone

And in the wake of the System he had thought he had found a friend but even that

Even though he knew that the Ghosthound could have died had he not hidden himself until he had recovered still Was this really selfish of him to think this way

But the spell of reflection was broken as a group of people appeared suddenly the air around them heavy with anger The Ghosthound led the way flexing his fingers as he looked at Ten’Malla of all people

The Wild Rider’s host was attacked They were routed He said shortly his eyes burning emerald The Wild Rider herself appears to have been captured along with her Regalia

Chapter 333

Clarissa checked her timepiece If you could make the decision quickly that would be for the best

The three members of the Executive Board of Star Crossing exchanged glances In the corner their Village Spirit petted a small dog which appeared scared out of its mind but also was unwilling to vocalize its fear It was just a small toy in the Village Spirit’s hands

It was distasteful but applying pressure would be the best way for them to stay on schedule And based on the predictions they had received from Lyra they were unfortunately a bit behind schedule in terms of timeline Restraining her urge to click her tongue in annoyance Clarissa watched them

We understand the need for speed but this request The man said looking between the two people around the table with him Is it really necessary for us to decide immediately There were even reports that the third Tier III Raid Boss

No agree to it The Village Spirit interrupted looking up from the pet in its hands The creature was good at hiding its nature Clarissa supposed but it was still a monster The greed in its gaze was clear when it looked at what they had offered The group around it seemed to want to haggle which was fine although their bargaining power had dropped precipitously now that the agreement was almost completely made

Still Clarissa allowed them this small bit of pride The connection would go both ways after all no reason to antagonize them now

Clicking her tongue Clarissa checked her timepiece again Closer to schedule now but still behind They would need to move fast

How soon can we expect the building to be completed Clarissa asked the Village Spirit

It thought for a minute before answering At top speed maybe three days Will that suffice

That was quite impressive all things considered It will be within acceptable parameters Glad to finally be working with someone with a sense of urgency

No no The Village Spirit said smiling widely The pleasures all mine

Randidly looked down at the butchered komodo dragon monster with most of its body filled with bone arrows There was very little flesh remaining on its frame the rest having been flayed from the bone Neveah growled next to him and then slowly moved to start devouring the creature

It seemed she ate mostly bones and as she hadn’t yet eaten since she had become well herself she was hungry Very quickly the entire thing was gone leaving only the shattered body of Kirk alone on the ground Randidly considered the body dispassionately Not only was this guy somewhat arrogant but also Randidly didn’t really have any particular relationship with him As such his death barely made Randidly blink

His lack of reaction disturbed himself somewhat but the death itself did very little

Meanwhile the rest of their party seemed more ill at ease Ace and Rose had come accompanied by Brute and two women with long braids They were twins and referred to themselves simply as Left and Right Everyone but Ace paled when looking at the devastation

Randidly surveyed the area around them Perhaps the worst was not the dead bodies of the Riders but rather the sea of bones that caked the ground around them Sure the Riders had been routed and slain the Regalia and the Wild Rider lost but the enemy had paid a heavy price to achieve that Even though their skeleton recruits were cheap they weren’t free

Perhaps complicating the image in the people’s eyes was the fact that once she developed a taste for it Neveah swiftly began to suck the ground clean of bones devouring them It didn’t add much reverence or meaning to the view

How could this happen Thea asked her face blank Chrysanthemum stood solemnly beside her a sentinel to protect her from the world

That’s the way of the world Ace said hollowly his eyes moving quickly around from the situation here to the nearby geography likely scanning for possible ambushes Death unless you are strong

Randidly’s focus narrowed centering on Ace He had wondered why there was a spot of darkness in his friend his one time friend It remained to be seen whether they could find a new way of fitting together now that Randidly wasn’t willing to be constantly belittled

But that could wait until later For now it was enough that Ace took this seriously The man was not the goof ball that he had been before the System arrived

It is how this story was always to go Ten’Malla said quietly looking around at the ground The Wild Rider must run and flee with the cold hands of the Skeleton Knight searching for her

Well that’s royally fucked isn’t it Simon said bitterly The Wild Rider is probably dead by now

No Randidly’s voice was soft Everybody looked his way He looked at Ten’Malla his eyes dark Although few things made Randidly angry the callous way she had handled this was starting to really get under his skin

No it wasn’t the callous manner she reacted it was the fact that her reactions indicated that she knew exactly how this was going to play out She left Jemma here knowing that the girl would be captured by the Skeleton Knight She was just a child Yet this monster just tossed her into the maw of the beast without a single ounce of guilt

That was Randidly’s mistake this time He had treated her like the child she resembled as she asked to accompany them on the trip to the Refuge To him it had just seemed like a whimsical decision But of course it was not This creature did not become the Champion Wild Rider because it was foolish

Underestimating her was not something that Randidly would do again

Mr Randidly is technically correct Ten’Malla said smiling as if she was amused by a child’s antics I am the Wild Rider I left the girl Jemma with my Regalia while I was away and it appears that fate was not kind to me Rather than being here to help repel the skeletons my animals were butchered while I was gone

Not that I would have been able to help much The Wild Rider said turning to look at the wide eyed Simon and Thea My strength is still weak as Traefalgr is in his growing period There would be very little that I would be able

She paused trembling mostly because Randidly had focused Anguish into a tight ball and hit her with it as hard as possible Every single bit of his frustration and fury was tied up in that small area his refusal to accept her version of events

This was her fault All of it if one hair of Rhaidon’s head was damaged if Jemma was broken by this

His fury was hot and sharp but after hitting the Wild Rider with the Anguish for several seconds he withdrew it One because the focus of keeping it from spreading and hitting the rest of them was more difficult than Randidly wanted to wrestle with right now but also because he owed her a debt When he was injured she had provided him with a path forward

With a huge effort of will one that consumed almost all his Willpower in that moment Randidly dropped the issue and forgave the Wild Rider But all of the good will that had been built up between them disappeared along with it Once more Randidly was alone

Not alone Us Neveah reminded him looking up from her buffet Randidly smiled in spite of himself

Yea Us

There was another reaction as Randidly acted Rose gasped her eyes going wide as she looked at him Randidly scratched his ear awkwardly He had forgotten about her ability to detect skills Based on her reaction it wasn’t just that she could read a skill’s name but perhaps she could sense its strengths or some of its effects Which was an incredibly powerful effect and it would probably cause more problems than Randidly was willing to deal with if she would see some of his other skills

Anyway The Wild RIder said after she had recovered She nodded toward Randidly acknowledging what happened That sickened Randidly even more that she would accept his attack gladly as payment Her brutal calculus of life was too much for him to handle This level of forces this could only happen if the battle in the South concluded It appears that Donnyton is no longer tying down 3/4ths of his forces We need to be on our guard and run

We will be returning to the Refuge Rose interrupted She shrugged in a manner that was supposed to seem apologetic but was clearly not If this many skeletons are coming up we need to make some preparations

The Wild Rider simply shrugged She hadn’t been counting on them to begin with but she would have accepted them Randidly couldn’t figure that out As more meat shields Or

But then the Wild Rider spared him a glance and he got it The Refuge simply was another lever she could use to bind him to her A convenient coincidence for the Wild Rider had it gone right Randidly’s blood went even colder his heart slowing

Sure sure Ace said affably waving his hand He turned to Randidly and opened his arms wide and embraced him You are welcome to come back with us We could use your strength Together

I’ll come back after this is over Randidly said quietly But someone I know was taken in this attack The look alike for the Wild Rider I need I want to try and help her

Hahah When did you become such a hero type Ace asked frankly his eyes scanning Randidly You aren’t particularly religious or moral Or is that just an excuse Are you looking for battle Do you have that lust in your heart

Randidly had opened his mouth to answer Ace but then he continued speaking and Randidly began to frown Perhaps I certainly don’t act like a hero But this is transactional She did me a favor in the past I’m paying her back

Laughing Ace moved back and the strange twisted heaviness of the moment passed Perhaps Ace had more demons than Randidly had expected That would be something he looked out for next time they met For now Randidly turned to Simon and Thea Randidly noticed how although Simon still kept his distance his gaze wasn’t quite so icy as it was previously Which was good because their options were limited

I’m heading for the Skeleton Knight Randidly said bluntly It might be safer for you to stay with Ten but god knows that might not be much safer But if you come with me we need to figure this out

Randidly stood still trembling inwardly He winced just remembering it God he couldn’t believe he just said that And despite every part of him that wanted to curl up and look away he found himself staring straight at Simon

For several seconds Simon was just looking at the ground Then he seemed to notice the gaze and looked up Their eyes met There was something there something dense and emotional and confusing

Randidly would rather fight Drak again His stomach roiled unpleasantly The seconds seemed to crawl past as they just held their gazes But being with Ace reminded him of the old days of the way he could be if he had the right energy Where he needed to steal that from Ace before Randidly knew in his heart that he could create that too especially now

He had grown strong Strong enough by far to communicate

Or at least try his best Simon opened his mouth slowly seemingly ready to speak but they were interrupted

Randidly turned annoyed Ace had walked over to Rose and now turned and regarded Randidly with a grin I’m done with you but

Very slowly deliberately Ace removed a grey mask featureless except for two eye holes from his bag and put it on That does not mean Dauntless will remain silent

His voice didn’t change precisely but it gained weight Randidly narrowed his eyes There was definitely an edge of madness here and honestly he wasn’t willing to put up with this shit right now If he could find a way to settle this

But now Ace was settling into his role and his voice boomed as he spoke Randidly Ghosthound You came to my town As we were friends and I am a respectful host I did nothing But now If you insist on leaving my influence I must first test you Let us own a wager If I win I demand your soul Fight for me for all of eternity If you win you may take your life and slink away For I am Dauntless and there is nothing I dare not do

Generous terms the Wild Rider said not even bothering to hide her smile

Randidly felt strange After all this really

True the Ace that Randidly knew was competitive to a fault wild reckless and stubborn But this was to a whole different level This was a self destructive recklessness combined with a satirical amount of hubris But another very real part of Ace was his deadly seriousness when he set his mind to something

Things had slowed down a lot since he came back to Earth as he recovered explored the strange new wrench in the System and tested his new knowledge But now that he had a concrete purpose and wanted to move forward

The world resisted

What did it matter though He would break the world that wouldn’t bend for him And every idiot who thought his hovel was a castle Randidly cracked his knuckles and smiled

Chapter 334

Rose knew this was mistake Both for tactical strategic and personal reasons But that recklessness was also the reason that she followed Dauntless As she gazed at his back she slowly sorted out her feelings And found to her surprise that even if this man lost here she would still follow him

That realization and the one that she thought he was going to lose made her heart sink

The Ghosthound didn’t even accept the challenge but simply walked forward the air around him crackling with violence It was a strange thing how one man could somehow embody so many different forms of strength

Unfortunately she hadn’t had her notebook out but Rose still felt a certain amount of dread when she remembered the oppressive presence of the skill that he had used on the Wild Rider to stop her dead Pain and regret and an extremely high combat rating and the control to lash out without anyone else being the wiser If Ace were to deal with that

There were so many things that Rose wanted to say to warn him to suggest as ways to test the Ghosthound but in front of those burning emerald eyes she could find no strength to say the words They disappeared sliding through her mental fingers escaping like ghosts

Which Rose knew was probably for the best Understanding was never Dauntless’ game He was all instinct while fighting And the things that Rose could tell Dauntless about the Ghosthound if anything it would only distract him from the real valuable information that his instincts fed to him

In a smooth motion Dauntless took off his jacket then ripped his t shirt off leaving only his bare chest He beckoned the Ghosthound who continued to walk with heavy footsteps They were two men who had been friends who became titans

To Rose’s surprise Dauntless moved first rushing forward with his hands raised Which was another reason that Rose knew this was not going to go well Dauntless generally had the attitude of a boxer who held the title belt waiting for the challenger to make the first move But based on this turn of events even Dauntless considered himself the challenger in this bout

Left Right and Brute stood eyes locked on the figures

We are probably going to remember this for a long time aren’t we Rose asked weakly Brute nodded Carefully Rose produced her notebook and sat down cross legged so she could write more easily

Although that skill that the Ghosthound displayed was fearsome one of Dauntless’ two great skills was Anti Magic Body which severely decreased the effectiveness of any skills against him Combined with a Resistance of over 50 basically all magic of this level was unable to put any serious pressure on Dauntless

But the Ghosthound did not lead with magic but a simple hand strike followed up by a kick in a combo These were even skills that Rose recognized Talon Strike and Roundhouse Kick These were common basic skills that even trained to a high level couldn’t really display all that impressive a power

Coughing up blood Dauntless stumbled backwards swiftly overwhelmed by the stats that backed up these two skills Rose’s mouth tightened Higher stats that was not an easy boundary to overcome But what was more confusing was how the Ghosthound had stats so much higher than Dauntless What level could he be

Instantly Dauntless’ powerful regeneration kicked in mending the more minor wounds and lowering the debilitating effect of the major ones Righting himself Dauntless tilted his head to the side and regarded the Ghosthound Truly this was fate For us to be friends and for the System to come Do you see it Our violence

You are still an idiot The Ghosthound interrupted stepping forward Instantly Dauntless’ body language changed his glee turning to fury There were a lot of effects of the mask all of which were simply in Dauntless’ head But one of them was the capricious nature of Dauntless’ emotions and his insistence on committing to these larger than life characters Now that the Ghosthound had refused that

Once again the Ghosthound stepped evenly forward his Talon Strikes lashing forward smashing into Dauntless’ guard But this time although Dauntless trembled his guard did not break Instead when the kick came Dauntless twisted out of the way of the kick and brought his elbow around in a vicious blow towards the Ghosthound’s temple

The move was so fast that Dauntless probably couldn’t even process information but his body instantly gathered and categorized information giving him knowledge of the space he had to work with The skill that made Dauntless almost invulnerable Adapt flared to life giving him the insight he needed to react much more effectively this second time around

Adapt might be a relatively simple skill but it was a skill of growth With that skill as long as the fight continued for long enough

Interesting The casual word weighed a ton dropping on Rose’s heart She watched the Ghosthound drop his kick which had been a feint and slap the elbow strike to the side as one would turn aside a fly I figured you’d be this sort of type Unfortunately I trained with someone who does the same thing and she does it much much better

For the next 30 seconds Rose watched dispassionately as the Ghosthound calmly and methodically broke Dauntless’ wrists elbows and shoulders and then knocked him out With great care he laid the body on the ground The eyes of the Ghosthound were conflicted as he looked down at the man who had been his friend

He will try again you know The Wild Rider said frowning at Dauntless And he might be weaker than you but for a man he has good potential If you let him go

I’m not killing my best friend The Ghosthound said and then stood turning his back on the group from the Refuge without a word Rose lowered her head and gestured Left and Right forward to pick up Dauntless’ body She had assumed that the Ghosthound would address them give them a message to give to Dauntless when he awoke

Which would be absolute hell because it would drive Dauntless insane and he would chase the Ghosthound down But he said nothing Perhaps they were more deeply related than Rose had suspected and their connection was a lot more genuine than she had expected Which might be troubling

As I was saying The Ghosthound began but he was interrupted

No I’m sorry I want to come The young boy said his eyes bright his hand on the strange dull eyed ox that followed him around I yea I want to come

The Ghosthound nodded slowly and looked at the other female rider who snorted and mounted her bear

After they had left Rose looked in the direction they had went still slightly in awe The whole time only Talon Strike and Roundhouse Kick And yet Dauntless was made to look like a hapless baby That level of strength clearly demonstrated how unnecessary using his spells against them were

Strangely though Rose felt only a tremor of excitement Because everytime Dauntless was defeated he came back stronger than ever She couldn’t wait to see how his new reincarnation would grow It was a good thing she supposed to have rivals

Good luck Rose whispered then turned and returned to the Refuge And as she spoke she spoke partially to the Ghosthound but also

Part of the message was for the fool that had earned the ire of the Monster of Donnyton

Randidly rode on Neveah’s back lost in thought

He had had what he thought was a communication breakthrough actually confronting Simon asking them to work out there issues Only to be interrupted by Ace have him forced to beat Ace up and then to find Simon no longer wanted to talk about it considering everything resolved So not only did he have a strange amount of anxiety regarding whether Simon actually forgave him or not and confusion over what was the real issue BUT also Randidly now had to come to terms with the fact that next time he saw Ace the idiot might force them to engage in another battle

Or worse want to talk about it

Or worse worse not even acknowledge that it happened

Randidly rubbed the back of his head and then shook himself a bit Better to focus on other things

Randidly opened up his status screen The past few days he had gained 2 Skill Levels in Dodge and Fighting Proficiency 4 in Mana Engraving 5 in Talon Strike 2 in Empower and Roundhouse Kick 5 in Aether Detection 2 in Aether Manipulation and Living Aether 1 in Mental Strength 2 in Mana Strengthening and Haste 3 in Anguish and Calculated Blow 4 in Physical Fitness and 7 in Soul Bond

With a bitter smile Randidly showed his teeth to the air Which gave him just enough PP to finish off his fourth blessing and let the world inside of him turn time jumping forward For a bit he hesitated but even with Neveah’s brutal pace with Toto and Chrysanthemum lashed awkwardly to her back with Randidly’s roots they wouldn’t be able to make it to the likely location of the Skeleton Knight for a few hours He had time in case something went wrong

And Randidly truly wanted to deal with the time bomb ticking in his chest

First though

He focused his attention narrowing his focus raising his awareness to a pinpoint With his attention inward Randidly gathered some of the floating prayers increasing his Influence by 11 Then he checked how everything was proceeding

Peacefully but it was the fragile peace of a nation sleeping before a great war Randidly chuckled in spite of himself Hopefully this wouldn’t destroy them all pointlessly

This time Randidly was prepared thinking about different scenarios that Lucretia could cause and how he would respond And he also knew his ultimate goal removing her from his Soul Skill But that would have to wait until she could go somewhere that wasn’t Earth Both because he wasn’t sure she could be at this place which was a later Cohort and because imagining Lucretia amongst these people was a bit

Randidly opened his eyes Then he fed his PP into his Path bracing himself for the consequences

Chapter 335

Congratulations You have received the Blessing of Devouring Ash Strength +8 Willpower +9 Focus +5 Your body temperature increases Your immune system grows more robust resistance to all status ailments and debuffs increases by 1% Free stats +6

The world of your Soul Skill turns The denizens of your inner world evolve As the more pressing concerns of state rise to the forefront the religious infighting withdraws to the shadows growing more vicious and cruel At its heart lies the existence of the mysterious woman and the personality of the Progenitor who sent her to this world In the darkness more extreme views begin to brew

The Monster King has returned riding a great tortoise and bearing great power He has launched a crusade against the other races pushing far into the Spriggit Territory The solitary Earth Golems have joined the struggle and even the Weavers begin to move against him binding his power They worry that he will be the next coming of the previous emperor who conquered the world

The Spriggit Thief ultimately cannot resist the urge to take up the request to steal the spear and has performed the greatest heist in history stealing the holy relic Tragically she was unable to make it away unscathed as the Weaver defenses are not to be trifled with Her lifeblood bleeding out she trembles and looks at the stars wondering what the point has been

The religious infighting and the death of the thief was something that Randidly knew might be trouble going forward especially if the spear was simply left there on the ground where the Thief had crawled off to but it was nowhere near the surface of his thoughts right now Instead his senses instantly spread out as well as he could over his inner world and very quickly he found what he was looking for

To his surprise Lucretia was rather still standing over the dying Thief Randidly concentrated bringing the entirety of his being into a concentrated spot near them It was still a flimsy thing without much substance but instantly Lucretia smiled not looking up from the Thief

Good morning Mr Ghosthound You seem ill at ease Is something wrong

Randidly frowned looking at her But as she seemed content to sit in the silence he followed her gaze and looked at the Thief The girl was young far younger than Randidly would have expected perhaps only 15 or 16 wrapped in the powerful cloak that he had made with his Grace Skill Her breathing was uneven and her eyelids fluttered as her blood poured out staining the cloak and spear

The stars really were brilliant here Randidly thought

Let’s not beat around the bush I’m not comfortable with you being here Randidly said bluntly Leave of your own volition or I will eject you

Lucretia smiled a little bit wider but shrugged I cannot at present You bringing me here has effectively weakened me a great deal Unless I recover for a time I will be unable to survive in my own Cohort let alone here

Randidly snorted With the level of strength here I hardly

You forget Lucretia whispered The cardinal rule of the System One may climb towards the source but you may never allow the current to carry you downstream The System will devour you If I wasn’t isolated like this inside of you the very Aether around would poison me slowly

After opening his mouth to respond Randidly slowly closed it Although he wasn’t exactly sure of the methods of such things Shal seemed to imply something similar So in this case he would have to believe her He really wasn’t sure of Lucretia’s motives but he could be sure that if he tried to kill her she would respond with similar deadly force As he mulled this over Lucretia spoke again

You shouldn’t worry too much you know Just like the Village Spirits and Champions that have come down to your Cohort from higher places need to be within a Cage’ of rules in order to have the toxic Aether filtered it’s the same for me You are just an incredibly interesting filter with your own private world Harming you would be harming myself Rest at ease

Of course Randidly would not rest at ease especially after he was told by Lucretia to relax but there was little he could do about it For now he simply said Then what do you want

A transaction of course She said with fake cheer Because we both know that gifts are dangerous

Randidly’s face stayed impassive but he acknowledged this In addition gifts were unpredictable His trap of three gifts had been effective at removing Lucretia from the picture giving him time during his fight with Drak to focus on other things but there were still consequences from his perspective After all she was now living inside of him In addition

The Aether connection between them existed still Aether traveling cleanly back and forth He had restricted it as best he could making sure it wouldn’t swell to the size of the other connections that he had but there seemed to be little he could do to sever the connection

So I propose that I pay rent’ while I’m here In addition as a gesture of goodwill I’ll tell you a secret about Ten’Malla My view of the outside world is limited to your perspective but you are wondering what her endgame is yes I believe I have the general idea

What sort of rent Randidly asked ignoring the obvious bait Following the direction that Lucretia wanted you to focus on was extremely dangerous And his every instinct was sharpening as the conversation continued and she remained amicable with him who effectively trapped her here in this strange inner world

Assistance Lucretia’s voice was oddly seductive and her eyes glowed She raised her hands pointing to the ground beneath them To their side the Thief coughed blood staining her lips With understanding this world You have the skills but you don’t know what is at this world’s core yes No offense but you don’t seem to have the artisanship to create such an exquisite work I believe I can help you understand and harness it

Now that was a disturbing offer Randidly knew he couldn’t just let it sit there especially when there would be intermittent mentions of the composition of the clockwork world changing perfecting itself and moving forward If it were to transform into something unrecognizable while he watched without him understanding it it would be a disastrous blow to his Soul Skill

And yet the prospect of Lucretia getting her hands on it

On the other hand it’s not like he could really even stop her if she tried to work on it He simply didn’t have enough Progenitor’s Influence to intervene in the world Even just talking like this was only possible due to Lucretia’s abilities rather than his own presence in his Soul Skill

If he didn’t give Lucretia the go ahead she would likely do it anyway and would be out of the loop But there would be no benefit to agreeing if she simply lied to him

It made Randidly want to scratch his head in frustration But he was distracted by a small voice from the figure in front of him

Are you proud of me The Thief on the ground seemed to struggle for a second then realize that it was impossible and slumped back on the ground her breathing heavy Randidly frowned and Lucretia folded her hands

I’m the best Thief this world has ever seen I’ll die like this And the legends about me will spread But I’m so sad They won’t ever ever know my name you know I’m sure I’m sure you understand Is it hard being only the Progenitor to them You you you have a name too

The Thief with a supreme effort of will rolled the spear off of herself and reached up to the sky straining for something

My name’s Tatilia You will remember it at least Won’t you

Randidly pressed his eyes shut unwilling to watch as the Thief strained further reaching for the sky

I can Lucretia began but Randidly cut her off with a harsh gesture his eyes hardening as he opened them and looked closely at the small body on the ground Of all the outcomes here Lucretia’s influence was the most dangerous Better to keep her uninvolved Then the only decision remaining was

But it was an easy decision She was a fool and had effectively been the lever that freed Lucretia but she was still a person of his world bearing one of his gifts She surely had a great will inside of her and a great destiny ahead of her if she were to accomplish so much at such a young age If she was to burn brightly and then die out she would become a legend but if her life was saved and that light was allowed to continue the world might change

Randidly gave a level of his Bacterial Regeneration to bring it to the world giving another dose everywhere but concentrating half of it in the body of Tatilia Immediately she gasped as her wounds began to slowly come together her bone marrow going into overdrive to produce more blood to replace what had been lost

It was a long and painful process but after about 15 minutes Randidly comforted himself with the fact that she would live Her light had not left his world Almost bemused he wondered what she would do next

Chapter 336

As the breathing of the Thief became a little less ragged Randidly turned to Lucretia So what’s your game

Although her eyebrows rose Lucretia said calmly As I stated previously I simply want to recover here and to be transported

No with her Randidly gestured to the Thief You chose meeting here I sincerely doubt that you care much for her life if there wasn’t some effect on your own What’s your game Answer honestly or there can be no deal and I will dedicate every ounce of my effort to crushing you

Lucretia stilled her smile frozen Then she relaxed chuckling Do you really think you would have the spare time for that if you fight with a Champion

Randidly said nothing staring at her

Waving her hand Lucretia continued Relax I honestly thought you wouldn’t notice but I don’t mind sharing I wouldn’t have beaten around the bush if I knew you were something other than a spear head It is perhaps just a result of spending so much time alone on my own world but I digress I brought you here as an indirect gift to her because I knew you would save her After her third gift I give her I very much expect she will surrender the heavy weight of her destiny to me in order to find peace

Randidly gazed at Lucretia while she gazed wolfishly at the slowly breathing form on the ground Eventually Randidly looked away first feeling oddly cold Sometimes it was easy to forget that such an attractive and charming woman was just a mask that a monster showed to the world around her

I could kill her now and foil that Randidly pointed out Lucretia just laughed They both knew it was a bluff because Randidly could intervene in other ways ways that would hopefully shift the narrative of the gifts and the girl could have the opportunity to meet that final choice in an unexpected way And also after saving her killing her immediately seemed a little spiteful even for him

Instead Randidly pressed forward Why do you want her fate

Because the System is all about patterns patterns that you cannot escape Lucretia said finally turning her attention away from the Thief and looking up at the sky Randidly said nothing

Laughing Lucretia said I know what you are thinking that you are one who is not bound by the patterns of the System which in a way is true But in another way I think you will discover you are bound even more tightly than the rest of us

What do you mean Randidly said slowly forcing his posture to remain relaxed It was extremely difficult to not take everything that she said as an overt threat

Gesturing around Lucretia said Because the patterns are what is important You might not need to follow them but you make them Every rule you break sends a ripple through the System and it adjusts in your wake For example Ten’Malla and the Champions generally

I have never heard of a rule that allows a third party to take the two Regalia’s and have a third party wear them to ascend and become the remaining Champion Lucretia said slowly Yet in this world it is clear both from narratives and the construction of the cages around the Champions that this is eminently possible In the past did you steal something that didn’t belong to you

Randidly frowned but said nothing Lucretia continued to speak

And from that opportunity I bet that someone was able to usurp another position that shouldn’t normally be possible Just through lack of other options I’m guessing someone from your world stole the role of Village Spirit That is profoundly fascinating

Randidly had never thought about it in that way but he had stolen the Aether Spring from Turtletown’s Tribulation And because of that their Village Spirit was just a little weaker when fighting against Donnyton’s Tribulation which had the opportunity to invade Turtletown after Randidly had acted In that small disparity in power and through the element of surprise Lyra had managed to seize control with her own unpredictable strength

There is a precedent and almost intuitively Ten’Malla can sense it Lucretia continued What she wants is to assume someone else’s role a cage that wasn’t designed to hold her powers Like you have been creating your entire time in the System Even just by looking at the structures here I can sense it the world is waiting with bated breath Randidly what will you change next

There was a long moment of silence The Thief’s breathing became even now her eyelids pressed thankfully closed Inwardly Randidly began to examine all of the past events fitting them together figuring out where his influence had shifted things and what that could mean for the future But very quickly he became helpless He didn’t have the sort of methodical and categorical mind to carry out such an analysis

So he simply filed it away for another time There were others that would be able to do more with this information For his part he considered one last fact Should he inform Lucretia of the existence of the Creature

Because ultimately while Randidly was the tool by which these shifts were made they were really engineered by the Creature Without her influence none of this would have occured Although he had no proof the more Randidly experienced the System and heard other people’s stories it was very strange that he had spawned in a Dungeon to start No one else claimed such a genesis

Of course that might be because everyone who did had died But more than that it was a Dungeon where Shal was present At first Randidly had attributed this to Shal himself and wondered how he had gotten into a Dungeon on Earth But when released from the Dungeon Randidly had spawned in a strange spot with no Dungeons around it

If it wasn’t Shal that had moved perhaps Randidly himself was in a Dungeon in another world Of course there were perhaps flaws in the System but it was a stretch to believe that such a huge convenient flaw that had given him such an advantage was present and hadn’t been addressed But if it was the actions of someone else

The downside of telling Lucretia about the Creature was obviously the chance that she would betray Randidly and receive assistance from the Creature But the more Randidly thought about it the more this worry faded Of all of her flaws Lucretia was not dishonest That was what was so shudder inducing about her She would tell you very directly how she would fuck you and you would let it happen and not realize how your life was collapsing until the last moment

There is something I need to tell you Randidly said slowly True I am the agent of such change but there is something monstrous pushing the pieces on the board around I call it the Creature It can assume anyone’s shape and can create using Aether The reason I grew strong was due to its prodding

Lucretia just watched him her eyes glittering a small smile growing on her mouth And Randidly felt it too a strange reversal of their previous interaction He was being dragged forward by her dark karma pulled into speaking

And really he didn’t care because the depth of his resentment and fury towards the Creature overpowered all else The core of this world you want to help me understand it was a weapon designed by the Creature I am willing to allow you to stay here but I don’t just want understanding I want your assistance to kill her Or at least remove her influence In exchange I’ll remove the limiters on our Aether connection in addition to letting you stay here Deal

Hopefully the additional bait of the connection would be enough to get Lucretia more actively interested in giving assistance In addition although it made Randidly vulnerable to her in some ways that he didn’t really understand fully that was swiftly changing as his Aether related skills grew And Lucretia received those same vulnerabilities and she didn’t have the benefit of skills

If it came down to a direct confrontation Randidly was confident that he could overcome her given enough time Although it did scare him a bit that she always seemed to choose the right moment to strike He could only suspect that there was a part of her skill that gave her near perfect timing to accomplish her goals which was a disturbing thought

Her light purple hair fluttered around her as she smiled It is a deal Randidly Ghosthound May we be bound until both our goals have come true

Something shifted Randidly felt between them Like suddenly two puzzle pieces clicked into place their individually powerful wills coming together The fact that the shift was felt though was a little unexpected and it made Randidly profoundly wary even as he could feel his instincts no longer recognizing her as a threat

Something to watch out for

I’ll begin investigating the mechanisms of this world Lucretia said turning away Try not to jostle me around too much You can feel it here you know when you start drawing too much Aether

Oh and one more thing She said You shouldn’t fear betrayal so much especially from me it will make you miss the detail we bargained for that will benefit me so much more than you And that wouldn’t be very much fun now would it

Chapter 337

Scouting is so boring Leviathan complained lazily doing cartwheels Drake said nothing categorically ignoring the boy while on assigned missions It made sense to pair them because Drake would accomplish all the normal objectives while Leviathan would be able to detect any abnormal changes in the situation with his enhanced senses but it was still a rather droll experience

They were walking quietly through a copse of trees or at least Drake was while the boy acted like an olympic gymnast in what would likely be another typical patrol They only had to do this every two days but still Leviathan wouldn’t let it go

It’s just unnecessary He continued to mutter even as Drake coolly dispatched a small monster wreathed in darkness Drake would say this of the opposing Champion at least the creatures that she had caused to increase spawning weren’t the stuff of nightmares It really would be rather hack to spend the rest of his time in the System killing ghouls and liches

The patrols were important now especially since their team had joined up with the 2nd Legion of Bone and hit the Wild Rider’s forces taking heavy losses but managing to subdue and take the Wild Rider as well as her Regalia It was a shame but there was no sign of Traefalgr who was really the dangerous one of the two of them

If that thing had time to grow even the Skeleton Knight himself was wary of the beast But as their host slowly moved Southeast there was nothing A strange quiet which had the hairs on the back of Drake’s neck standing up

Donnyton’s forces were what concerned him most In terms of strategic influence there wasn’t any single individual that could rival a disciplined group If those forces ambushed them and recovered the Wild Rider Drake grimaced Sydney would be very annoyed

When Leviathan looked up his eyes wide Drake almost felt a relief

We have to get back The boy sputtered The base

And so they began to race back covering the distance at a full sprint Leviathan slowly creating distance between the two of them It was only after around 10 minutes of this as Drake was nearing the limit of his Stamina that he became aware of the noises A low rumbling a crash then silence

Then more rumbles

After another 3 minutes they reached the edge of their picket lines where the 2nd Legion of Bone was stationed The land was eerily still but what they found there stopped Drake dead

As Leviathan tore farther forward moving out of sight Drake looked slowly around Absolutely covering the ground was a thick layer of bones crushed and shattered It looked like the enemy whatever it was simply walked up to the front lines and bulldozed their way through while they were swarmed with skeletons

Whatever it was it was massively powerful

When Drake finally proceeded deeper he very quickly reached areas with scorch marks and football field sized areas where there were thousands of roots sticking up from the ground thorny and powerful surrounded by the powdered remains of skeletons It was an absolute slaughter

Leviathan’s roar sounded out snapping Drake back to the present Had to focus on goals He moved forward quickly crossing the strange battle grounds to find Leviathan transforming into a strange scaled monstrosity rushing up the hill to the back of an individual with black hair to his shoulders who was facing off with Iznock

The man turned and looked over his shoulder his eyes flashing emerald Drake stilled This fucker again

Instead of moving the man just turned back to Iznock and flicked his hand a spear made of roots rising from the earth to his grasp while a strange shadowy monstrosity rose above him glowering down at Leviathan

Strangely the monster reminded Drake of a monster from a game his son had loved before the System A giant wurm golem made of stone its wide open mouth lined with teeth But upon closer inspection it appeared to be made of bone

Snarling Leviathan refused to shift his path building up momentum while he charged towards the monster The monster just grinned then moved so fast that it blurred smashing like a comet down towards the approaching figure

Swearing quietly Drake began to sprint once more Copper appeared next to Leviathan gesturing wildly curses shooting towards the monster But although they landed the approach of the monster didn’t slow at all After all at this point it simply needed to rely on its momentum to turn them into powder and mush

At the last moment Leviathan screamed not a scream of rage or hatred as he usually did but one of pain and his body morphed further growing even more monstrous A tail appeared from his butt and small wings emerged on his back even as he grew to the size of a small house his eyes incoherent more animal instinct than human

Coppernicus began to backup continuing to throw curses and hexes and the two giant monsters met

The world was briefly a rumbling numbness as most of Drake’s senses failed and he tumbled to the ground It took him several seconds to reorient himself finding all of his limbs in order and staggering to his feet

Leviathan was on the ground flailing hissing in rage and pain his right shoulder ripped to shreds being chewed on by the monster which seemed completely able to hold him down Coppernicus must have righted himself almost instantly because he was once more throwing hexes but the monster’s tail came from nowhere as a blurr lashing out at the skeleton mage who barely managed to throw up a Mana Shield in time

Even still the shield shattered and Copper was thrown across the battleground rolling down the hill

Feeling profoundly overmatched Drake drew his sword and began to walk closer Even if there was no hope he was a soldier and he had his orders

Where is she Randidly was almost surprised how delicate his voice sounded as he faced off with a familiar skeleton with a flaming skull

You think I would just tell you that The skeleton asked its jaw clenched together It appeared it had witnessed Randidly and Neveah’s approach through its forces and knew how it would end Good Hopefully that would make this whole process easier

If you don’t I will end you Randidly stated eyeing the creature as he produced a root spear Casually Randidly glanced behind him at some people who were trying to interfere but as an extension of his will Neveah baleful and hungry rose to meet them stopping them dead

He turned back to the skeleton

An eternally bound existence is intolerable without honor The skeleton stated seriously some of its fear and intimidation falling away It took a moment for Randidly to understand this but then he realized that the skeleton never viewed him as the threat but Neveah

Perhaps an obvious one but still a mistake

Randidly stepped forward instantly activating Spear Phantom’s Embrace It had been quite some time since he had really let loose with his spear skills and it felt good to lose himself in the feeling of the physical fighting It was a rarely experienced treat and Randidly intended to savor it today

Instantly the skeleton produced a large bone mace from the ground somehow and moved to meet Randidly with large swings Comically large swings and way too slow to have enough force to slow Randidly down

After deflecting a swing Randidly moved closer but was forced to stop as the skeleton used the deflection to increase his speed whipping his mace around with even more force Randidly only chuckled and deflected again and again and again and again Now the skeleton was practically a cyclone whipping around leaving large troughs in the earth where his mace smashed

But it was a retreating cyclone as Randidly continued to casually advance deflecting the increasingly powerful blows and moving forward True these were probably past the point where Randidly could afford to block but if they were going to be this rough there was no need to block them He only had to move through them

It seemed the skeleton sensed this because his blows got more frantic but also more unpredictable and sharper Annoying but it wouldn’t be enough

This time when the mace whistled towards Randidly’s face he did not dodge He felt that force and he followed it allowing it to spin him around throwing him forward

Instantly he had to activate Haste Empower and Mana Strengthening to withstand the physical strain on his body but he appeared behind the skeleton’s back with the other still twisting around in the other direction unsure of what had just happened

Almost casually Randidly reached out and grabbed his spine Then he crushed it to dust

Chapter 338

Sydney and Ace crouched in the shadow of a fallen building doing their best to keep their breathing even The shuffling and sniffing of the wolves was one of the loudest things that either of them had ever heard To his surprise Sydney had a death grip on Ace’s hand slowly squeezing the life and blood out of it

But he didn’t really mind After all it was one of the rare moments that he had ever seen her care about something Aside from Randidly of course

They both knew that this would only buy them a few minutes With his free hand Ace gripped the fire poker they had been able to scrounge up in the few hours after the System arrived It was a poor weapon against the monsters that hounded them but it was more than nothing Sydney sat her eyes pressed closed focusing as well as she could on Meditating so she could recover enough Mana to use one more Ice Shard spell

The silence around them was deafening broken only by the sniffing Which was why they both jumped to alertness when the sniffing stopped

A wolf padded out of the darkness in front of them not the lean wolves that you saw on National Geographic but a hulking motorcycle sized creature that breathed out in long foggy breaths Sydney hissed between her teeth and Ace stepped forward interposing himself between them

But at the same moment two more wolves appeared at the other end of the opening to their small impromptu cave The eyes hung in the eye glowing golden A small promise of death

With a sinking heart Ace realized that all of the excitement he had for the game like System and his special skill called Adapt was completely unfounded Sure it could someday become extremely powerful But for now it was barely any advantage at all

And in the face of Lvl 6 monsters they needed an advantage Any advantage

As if by unspoken agreement Ace and Sydney began to dash forward towards the lone wolf If they were going to survive this they would need to break through this wall of muscle and teeth It sat on its haunches waiting for them When they arrived Ace took the lead fainting high and then swinging the poker like a baseball bat aiming for its knee joint

If they could reduce its mobility even a little

But of course the wolf moved rushing forward the blow hitting its shoulder but barely throwing off its stride It leapt tackling Ace and sending him sprawling He had poured most of his spare stat points into Strength but it was barely a candle to what this Level creature could bring to bare

Luckily at the last moment it yelped and scrambled to get off him its claws leaving long but shallow gashes in its chest Sydney was pantining her eyelids fluttering barely able to stand but there was an ice shard through the wolves right eye

With a grunt Ace pulled a spare kitchen knife from the hastily made sheath at his side and rammed it through the right eye

Now the wolf was truly howling but it stumbled back blind and hurting As fast as he could which wasn’t fast at all Ace got to his feet He picked the poker back up staggering to face the two other wolves who undoubtedly would have caught up with them by now But the attack never came

Instead framed in the opening to the outside world from this collapsed building was a figure standing over the two corpses of wolves

Are you two alright A voice asked a warm voice and the figure stepped closer becoming less a silhouette and more a person It was a tall burly male with an affable smile and a rather untrimmed brown beard His arms were wrapped in what looked like black iron gauntlets which just rounded at the front making his arms appear longer but without fingers

Ace looked at Sydney who swayed barely standing He wanted to reach out and give her assistance but from that almost dead look in her eyes he knew from experience that in the face of this stranger she would refuse even the smallest sign of weakness So he let her sway and instead stepped forward

Who are you Ace meant it to sound intimidating but it just came out as weary and helpless which was very much how he felt

The man’s smile grew wider I’m Roy And I’m going to be a Hero

Sydney’s eyes flashed as she looked at him Why are you being stubborn You know I detest the man but this is about humanity as a whole We helped each other with our Tribulations why are we allowing his idiotic whims to endanger hundreds of lives

Ace folded his arms Because you know he will refuse help

And you know he needs it Sydney said mirroring Ace’s stance He can’t do this alone

The Class he has is Hero It’s the most powerful we have ever seen Ace reminded her almost helpless Sure he would love to help Roy but He had taken a man’s stance and he had his pride He refused to force Roy to give up his dream that had carried them so far up until now The dream of justice The dream of fairness The dream of a happy ending

The dream of a hero

A tribulation comes for your weaknesses They will not fight him If it comes with a pretty face Sydney left the rest unsaid

Ace’s face twisted into a frown Those women are probably exaggerating

Sydney said nothing but gave him a look that just reminded him how far apart they had drifted in the last 6 months Hell how far they had been drifting apart for years since she was diagnosed with cancer But that was her fault and now Ace knew very well that he was pushing them farther apart

And although he was dismissive outwardly Roy’s excesses were not unknown to him But for the sake of the dream but for the sake of the hope he had felt that first day hidden in the wreckage of a destroyed building ready to die Ace didn’t mind ignoring a few small flaws

Life was too cheap these days

If you insist on this Sydney said breathing deeply I will kill you one day

What Ace blinked unable to comprehend what she had said Instead he just stared at her for several minutes And then several more as she simply turned and walked away saying nothing more

Refugees are already arriving Rose reported viewing the clipboard dispassionately Fighting is happening in the Village heavy fighting And based on the numbers fleeing

Ace’s hand’s tightened into fists So Sydney had been right Roy had lost Their hero had fallen

A couple dozen even arrived here and we

They need to be eliminated immediately The village spirit interrupted a very tall and skeletally thin man Their bodies will begin to transform shortly if their town really has fallen Into monsters Monsters of a strength that will damage us

Rose blinked looking at the Village Spirit But they are people

They are a liability then Ace said slowly surprised at how empty his voice sounded He lifted up the biker helmet and placed it over his head He was so tired of this So tired of everything There really was no justice no perfection People were shit and they struggled and then they died

The world was only shaped by strength and without it everything fell to anarchy What you needed was not a hero then no

But a power A power strong enough to wipe away all others The ability to burn the rest of the world to the ground if it dared threaten you And to Ace

That sounded an awful lot like a villain

Ace we should Rose began to speak but again she was interrupted

When I have the helmet on I am only Dauntless Ace said dispassionately all the human elements of his voice muffled by the plastic I will remove the liabilities

Ace blinked coming awake Then he winced Then he chuckled looking at the ceiling Rose was at his side looking down at him with concern Brute Left and Right were at the far while their spines ramrod straight looking at anywhere but him The small doctor clucked her tongue and began explaining how and when to take her potions over the next two days to fully recover

Apparently Randidly had did a number on him

So I lost Ace said shortly The doctor fell silent

Grinding his teeth Ace said as quietly as his voice would go I gained 10 Levels in Adapt in 1 minute of me being destroyed it’s laughable Why

There was a tear in his eye but Ace crushed it pressing his eyes closed so tightly it was grinded to extinction Why is that power not mine

No one spoke For the weak the world had no answer

Chapter 339

Your mother is a cunt The flame skull spat out at them rolling on the ground

Cunt Cunt Neveah said happily rolling around Randidly who stood over the skull which very quickly caused the skull to stop its rolling One accidental roll and it would be crushed beneath the huge bone wurm

Sure he was a skull right now but he was animated by an unholy fire that could reform his body should he have access to enough unclaimed bones If that fire was extinguished however

Sighing Randidly gestured for Neveah to back off Although Neveah’s accidental jostling wouldn’t hurt him he didn’t want the skull to be accidentally smashed Well perhaps it would be better to just purposefully smash the thing because it refused to give him any useful information regarding the Skeleton Knight Jemma’s location or whose forces the other group belonged to

Because aside from the flaming head Randidly had also subdued a squad of 10 humans and a captain as well as the strange transforming kid and a weird skeleton that based on his use of Aether manipulation was not a monster but a human with a Class Of those the squad seemed scared witless watching Neveah roll around with wide eyes the captain appeared surly and the monster kid was still knocked out

That had been Neveah’s doing and it had not been gentle Honestly she had just been excited to play Since finding herself in a new body she hadn’t really been able to rough house with a creature her size She simply bulldozed everything out of the way So she had been very enthusiastic about the prospect of this strange monster that grew to her level of size even if it had been dwarfed by her in terms of power

And the callous dominance she had displayed had etched itself in the squad’s hearts for sure They couldn’t stop trembling Even Simon and Thea kept their distance standing with their mounts and Ten’Malla

So driven by a need for information and curiosity Randidly went to the Skeleton Man Immediately the man pushed up his glasses which Randidly wasn’t even sure if they did anything Plus the gesture was extra awkward as his wrists were tied Of them all Randidly was most wary of this skeleton because he remembered being affected even through his high Resistance and Vitality by the other’s curses

My apologies for not recognizing you in our earlier meeting Mr Ghosthound It’s a pleasure

Randidly was also quite surprised by how normal the skeleton’s voice sounded although he supposed it was possible that the System translating software covered infernal bone speak as well A pleasure

Of course The skeleton said sounding very much like a socially unaware nerd It was almost like listening to himself speak from a few years ago Although in this current theatre of war we stand opposed however you have done more for humans in our Zone than any other individual bar none For that alone it would be strange not to thank you

Randidly blinked then laughed It had been a long time since he had been taken by surprise by someone And this was certainly a surprising reaction to him one that made him loosen up his guard almost in spite of himself

But if this skeleton man was speaking the truth Randidly supposed it made sense He extended a hand towards the man and with a deft movement of his fingers cut the cords binding the skeleton’s hands True he was the most dangerous of the captives but that didn’t mean that danger was all that real or present

Call me Randidly He said extending his hand The skeleton shook the hand

Coppernicus He said with very precise inflection I appreciate you untying me but really this body feels no pain It was not a bother And if it makes your men feel more comfortable

Randidly waved a hand but his smile slowly faded and he examined Coppernicus more closely his senses scanning along the Aether constructions through him Something was definitely off about this guy but Randidly didn’t have a delicate enough touch to tell exactly what was occuring People and their Classes were still a little bit outside of his pay grade

To make conversation and also to tease the other somewhat Randidly asked are we not opposed at this point I plan on killing the Skeleton Knight at this point You pledged to him Won’t that mean

Randidly didn’t know how to finish the question but Coppernicus shook his head

As I’ve been led to understand there aren’t necessarily any downsides to pledging While that Champion is alive you can gain increased Skill proficiency and experience Should they win those gains increase and become more permanent If you lose you lose access to the possibility of that bonus Of course you also might be hunted down and slaughtered as an insurrectionist but that is left to the discretion of the Champion

Randidly snorted Then honestly the Skeleton Knight sounds like the more attractive option to pledge to the Wild Rider doesn’t have the dedicated attention to hunt down and punish everyone who pledged to the other side Your SkeletonKnight on the other hand he certainly seems like the type to hold a grudge

Bobbing his head Coppernicus said Yes he really would I believe that went into Sydney’s decision for our East End Village to side with him in this fight It has certainly made human relations difficult but is something wrong

Randidly just looked at the skeleton man trying his best to keep his breathing even Sydney Your village is led by Sydney Does she have any connection to Ace from

The skeleton seemed to wince Well yes you could say there was a relationship there at some point I believe they were involved before the arrival of the System But now their relationships has soured somewhat

Randidly’s mouth firmed into a line So it was Sydney then Although he wasn’t sure what had transpired between Ace and Sydney whatever it was probably explained Ace’s extreme behaviors So then that was another thing that Randidly would need to do visit Sydney But one fire at a time first he needed to pursue Jemma

Turning to the Skeleton Man Randidly opened his mouth then paused somewhat puzzled What did it say about Randidly that he had spent a few months with Simon and Thea barely talking and now he had encountered this strange reanimated man and he basically had no compunctions with speaking In fact this might be one of the more relaxed and easy conversations he had had Aside from Ace it was probably the easiest and Ace had the benefit of a rapport

Was it the lack of humanity in the others eyes Was it the sorta detached pragmatism Either way something to think about Well another problem for the pile Although he had somewhat settled into his reserved and anti social persona it was slowly shifting That was enough for now

Do you know where the Skeleton Knight is Randidly asked slowly knowing that this might destroy any trust that the two of them had Still he owed a debt to that girl and he would protect her

However Coppernicus didn’t seem bothered by the question at all He thought for a moment and then said All I know is that the Skeleton Knight will only ride towards the capture of the Wild Rider once she is located Normally he remains in his castle but now

He’s heading directly in this direction to intercept Randidly muttered his eyes flashing Thank you After we depart you and your men are free to go Ah we will be taking the skull with us

After a moment’s hesitation Randidly continued You have no worries that your condition is related to the Skeleton Knight and if he falls

Oh no I was like this since the System came Coppernicus said dismissively I’m not exactly sure but I believe that I was on the threshold of life and death at the exact moment the System arrived Just like it cured most illnesses it appears to have cured me of death It is perhaps a lonely existence and a strange one But as more people grow used to the System I don’t get quite as much of the strange looks as before

They shook hands one last time and then Randidly left getting Simon to scout ahead with Astral form while Thea and Chrysanthemum clung awkwardly to Neveah’s back

That settled it she definitely had gotten a little bigger because the bear on her back was still quite oversized but it no longer looked as ridiculous The flaming skeleton head that continued to berate them went to the Wild Rider who volunteered for that pleasure with her usual cheer That was slightly suspicious but upon entering her hands the skeleton creature immediately went quiet so Randidly was willing to overlook it

Still he kept an eye on her After all she appeared to be taking the loss of her Regalia in stride It seemed the Lucretia had been honest about that at least She had another game here only Randidly was having a hard time seeing what it was right now

And honestly it was hard to care If she stood against him he would crush her like he would everything else

Simon arrived back in his body sitting up abruptly David err Randidly Trouble There is an army ahead

Randidly showed his teeth Neveah looks like we will give you another good meal I hope you are hungry

No no no Simon said shaking his head his eyes wide It’s a human army I think I think it’s the Squads of Donnyton

Chapter 340

Dinesh Captain of the 23rd Squad of Donnyton folded his arms a headache already forming between his eyes Of all the people to be assigned with why did have to end up with these two

Kayle who was the current leader of Squad II holding his dual long knives raised his voice to carry over the battlefield We will hit em fast and escape clean men We need surgical precision and a willingness to cut our losses if we get drawn in too deep They do not tire and we do

Hmph foolish and short sighted Paolo Captain of Squad III snorted putting his hands on his hips his Brawler gauntlets clacking The flashy golden steel alloy synthesized by Sam was impressive even when it was used in such a petty way We possess so much more frontal power than these schmucks Better crush them from the front drive them into the dirt and never relent That way

That way you end as Captain of Squad III Kayle interrupted dismissively rubbing fondly at the dinosaur leather vest he wore It was a strange material that was scaly yet had leathery qualities that the leather workers of Donnyton had managed to make into an absolutely glittering fusion of style and substance Better follow my superior tactical

Lucky shot we will see next time

Kick your ass

Your mouth hole will

Dinesh sighed again He wasn’t worried about the two men’s Squads they were professionals They wouldn’t take the talk too seriously and when they got to their business they would slaughter the skeleton forces What Dinesh was really worried about were the 40 or so irregulars that had been assigned to the flank with their three Squads who seemed profoundly shocked to see the two very exalted individuals like the Captains of the II and III Squads bickering like children

Donnyton had decided to cap the number of Squads at 50 so everyone beyond that who wanted to fight was considered an irregular They had Squads but they were numberless Squads nothing more than practice groups really For a lot of these people this would be some of their first real battlefield conditions combat The Raid Boss groupings and the higher tiered Squads had done most of the fighting while they were marching from Donnyton

However Lyra had suggested an alternative plan They couldn’t get the Skeleton Knight to commit his forces in a way they could directly smash them so it was better to stop playing the grinding game which the Skeleton Knight would win Instead they would send a force North and bribe a Village up here with enough points in terms of resources and treasures to establish a teleportation array

Then they could shift their main force and march from the North It was a happy coincidence also predicted by Lyra that the Wild Rider would lose and be captured Now as the Skeleton Knight’s forces fought to protect the group that had captured her they had to stand their ground and take the beating from Donnyton’s Squads

The Wild Rider was being taken through a narrow valley and Dozer and Decklan’s Squads were hot on their tails ripping through the defenders Soon if they didn’t want the Squads to catch the Wild Rider they would be forced to commit some lieutenants to slow their advance and Donnyton could finally draw some real blood instead of just harvesting cannon fodder

Helping Donnyton was the natural geography in this case The valley simply wasn’t wide enough to fit all of the Skeleton’s Knight’s forces They were packed into a thin area

However if the skeletons flanked around the side and started pressing from behind even Donnyton’s Squads would be hard pressed to win in an extended conflict with the skeletons They would just tire them out

Not even the Ghosthound could avoid wariness

So their group was in charge of watching the left flank while there was another on the right In his mind Dinesh knew that Paolo and Kayle were actually great at working together and they were just firing up the spirits of their Squads as everyone was rather disappointed they hadn’t been chosen to join the main force chasing the Wild Rider But still did it have to be this

Your mother

Just fuck your

With my knife

Toad nosed

silly

But then at the same time both of them fell silent turning Their Squads on unspoken command began to check their weapons and armor The irregulars began muttering to each other and Dinesh opened his mouth to restore order but Paolo’s sharp bark cut him off

Dinesh Magelight high and left As big as you can

Might as well make it two at 9 45 and 11 00 Kayle added grimly This isn’t something we’ve heard about yet

Startled at the seriousness in their tone Dinesh shot two bundles of Mana high in the air as directed When they exploded they fell apart in streaming flares It was just past sunset and vision was starting to decline This was when the skeletons preferred to attack so they had been prepared But as the light illuminated the low slope below them Dinesh could only let his jaw drop

Moving like a bullet train zigzagging back and forth over the terrain bulldozing over any smaller obstacles was a huge wurm made of bone which seemed to just slide forward without any need for it to move It even left a sleek shiny surface behind it as if it was reconstituting the very earth underneath it

Irregulars Any long range mages Dinesh asked his mouth finally remembering what it was supposed to be doing A few hands were raised and Dinesh gestured bringing them to the front

Aim for the figures sitting on its back Although we’ve tried to avoid hurting humans Kayle’s voice trailed off somewhat soft

Paolo just grunted And as Dinesh watched he could clearly see several forms on the monster’s back looking up at them In his heart there was a part of Dinesh that was very hesitant to start acting violently against their fellow man Although the System had done so much damage to humanity it had also united them against the common enemy of monsters

Dinesh felt his heart sink as he realized that the System starting with the Champions introduction was starting to move to divide them He supposed it was present even before with the very fine divide between different Villages but that was more of a rivalry than anything else which perhaps could go South should the threat of monster hordes from nearby dungeons ever leave But this

Fire He said quietly

Mana Bolts and Fireballs and Nether Bolts shot forward heading towards the figures on the back of the bone wurm Most of them shot towards the figure at the front a man with dark hair who only cocked his head at the sight of the incoming bolts Then he waved his hand and the air distorted

The projectiles crashed against the Mana Shield the man had erected but they ripped through only after a few of the attacks hit Dinesh grimaced Although it was admirable the man had that level of Mana Shield it wouldn’t be enough

In his heart Dinesh said a small prayer for the man

But then his eyes widened because there was another Mana Shield underneath the first Dinesh’s eyebrows rose Simultaneous casting But even if he could produce multiple Mana Shields

The second shield broke the third shield broke the fourth shield broke all the way to the 7th The 8th shield did not The figure didn’t even seem angry he just peered up at them tapping his chin He said something to the creature and it instantly increased in speed rushing towards them knocking trees and rocks out of the way on its journey

A heavy hitter of our own on the way Paolo said with remarkable cheer We just need to keep em here long enough to arrive

Alright boys Raid Boss contingencies Kayle said his eyes narrowing Survival first damage second Contain and control

But the wurm was already there rearing up high above them its mouth open row upon row of teeth glistening in light from Dinesh’s Magelights It seemed to be taunting them hanging high in the sky over them its mouth wide and infinite a portal to the deepest pits of hell

Just as Dinesh was opening his mouth to order the mages gathered around him to fire another salvo and as he prepped his own Arcane Orb a figure dropped from the wurm Light and gentle the figure landed resolving itself to be the lead rider on the wurms back His hair was long and dark as night his figure lean and muscled to the point of looking like a professional athlete Although the System changed a lot it didn’t change people’s willingness to work You didn’t get to that level of fitness without an unreal level of determination Stats or no

But what was most noticeable was his eyes large and emerald piercing even in the twilight The words lodged in Dinesh’s throat

Because because he recognized this man

Men of Donnyton who dares bar my way The figure said slowly standing with his arms held casually at his sides Dinesh trembled and wanted to collapse relief sweeping through him

Fuck Paolo said wiping a tear from his eye

There there Kayle said patting his fellow Captain on the back Someday we will learn how to make an entrance like that Welcome back Ghosthound

Chapter 341

Orders are to pull back a little Decklan said casually stepping effortlessly around the first strike of the Skeleton Captain and shattering its spine with the hilt of his dagger Keep them in sight but stop engaging them so seriously

Dozer just grunted leveling 8 skeletons with a single swing then stepped forward and did it again But based on the time they had spent together Decklan could sense that there was more of a questioning lean to this grunt

Apparently we have something big planned for this group All we need to do is keep them slowed Decklan said his skepticism clear in his tone Apparently a big hitter is showing up

Again Dozer grunted but this time after annihilating another portion of the skeleton army he put the large club he used now forged out of the thigh of an ogre against his shoulder They considered the fleeing skeletons before them

The group had been annoyingly well trained and had managed to keep the combination of Dozer and Decklan’s squads from just ripping them to shrewds Usually the mix of decisive power and shrewd strikes would chip away at their opponents’ resolve and ability to resist but the Skeleton Knight’s forces were all so replaceable that there weren’t enough pieces that they could strike at to break them

Plus the enemies with group were a high enough level that they gave Decklan’s squad paused and it was simply too hectic to press through here Morosely Decklan once more wished that Thorn had agreed to come North with him If that guy was here these skeletons

So we wait Dozer’s voice was flat

We babysit Decklan said echoing the sentiment They both gave the orders and their men continued to harass but stopped pursuing so directly Bored Decklan spun his dagger across his fingers watching the skeletons recognizing the difference in treatment and slowing almost to see what was going to happen next There was clearly someone intelligent at the center of the formation moving them around

Decklan showed his teeth If he had a few more minutes well it’s too late orders were orders Now Decklan couldn’t wait to see how Mrs Hamilton was going to pull a victory out of this one Especially since

They were now reaching the edge of the narrow valley and more and more skeletons were pouring down filling the mouth to blockade the pursuit Although Dozer would undoubtedly be able to make a hole there was basically nothing that could stop the man in a direct charge at this point there would be a huge amount of numbers that would drown them out past that mouth

So how

Decklan stilled The ground was rumbling In a way that for a moment made him believe that Thorn was here But this vibration wasn’t the same more shallow but swiftly increasing in volume His eyes flicked to the side as he noticed a new message

Clear a path Decklan said in a low voice his eyes narrowing as he looked behind them from the way they came where the rumbling was coming from Dozer heard the words and repeated it and the squads moved to the side

Decklan did his best to sharpen his gaze pushing his skills and Perception to the limit but the twilight was fading to true darkness and it was impossible for even his System augmented eyes to find what was coming

Then all at once it was here

A huge monster a thick traincar almost that resolved itself into a bone wurm was sliding down the valley almost as if the ground was iced and greased Instantly his instincts screamed to dodge but it was simply too fast and it was upon them within seconds roaring forward the ground shaking with the momentum of their passage

But out of the corner of Decklan’s eye he saw a hand reaching out stretching for him Decklan blinked

Almost against his will he reached out his hand in return The jolt of force as he was grabbed and pulled twisted his shoulder almost to the limit of his body but abruptly he found himself sitting on the back of the wurm The wind was howling past keeping Decklan from being able to get a grip on what was happening but then abruptly the noise cut off and there was a relative amount of silence

Mana Shields work well enough but they break after a few seconds Just need to keep them on rotation so we can talk A voice said low and deep and almost awkward sounding

Dozer’s grunt brought Decklan back to himself And also focus his attention to a point fixated on that voice Even as he removed a potion from his pack his eyes were gazing at the man sitting at the head of this bone wurm

He was sitting casually as if they weren’t moving at over 70 mph Long unruly black hair to his shoulders Bare feet A spear made of woven roots Piercing emerald eyes The Ghosthound

You Decklan said almost at a loss for words Luckily it seemed Dozer retained more of his sense and was able to speak

Welcome back Then as if this covered all of the emotions that one would feel after a 6 month reunion with the man who had saved all of their lives Dozer continued What’s the plan boss

Forward The Ghosthound said turning around Better brace for this because they have some of those big fucks Neveah Rip em to shreds

The bone wurm underneath them vibrated with glee in a way that again reminded Decklan of Thorn Suddenly they were at the mouth of the valley and the ranks and ranks of skeletons were there waving their weapons and buzzing with fury

When the bone wurm hit them they simply exploded reduced to dust The Ghosthound gestured left and right and hundreds of spears made of roots shot up out of the ground ripping through the bulk of the forces at the mouth of the valley that hadn’t simply been annihilated by their passing

Just like that the formation of skeletons collapsed folding in on itself as its heart had been ripped out With that wave of his hand the controllers seemed to have fallen too because the remainder just seemed to be wandering around

But then their speed continued to carry them forward and they left the skeleton army behind His and Dozer’s squad would be more than enough to mop up the rest of the stragglers More than anything else though Decklan had so many questions as he stared at the Ghosthound’s back

Where had he been What had he been doing Where did this huge monster they were riding come from And

Decklan gestured behind them On the back of the creature farther behind them there was also a teenage boy holding onto an ox a girl petting a grizzly bear and a preteen holding a flaming skull Decklan sighed inwardly Truly the Ghosthound’s greatest skill was his ability to collect weirdos But Decklan didn’t for a moment doubt that in their individual fields each of these people was powerful in their own right

Slow Neveah This part is delicate The Ghosthound said his gaze forward Decklan leaned forward to peer in that direction The group of skeletons that had the captive and the Regalia seemed to realize that they weren’t going to be able to escape in time so they were forming into a defensive formation to repel them a squad of skeletons who held long pikes pointing towards them

But even with their speed slowed they would arrive far before the other had anything more than a handful of skeletons set up And more than that

The bone wurm underneath them didn’t slow at all when faced with the previous enemies Decklan had a hard time believing that this would be any different

The Ghosthound turned to them as they rushed towards the enemy and said something that caught Decklan and even Dozer by his expression by surprise

On whose orders did you come up here

There was a hard edge to his voice too and his eyes glittered dangerously Decklan instantly reevaluated his past encounters looking for some sort of political maneuvering between the Ghosthound and another one of Donnyton’s leaders Perhaps Mrs Hamilton Donny

No it couldn’t be either of them they were his most steadfast supporters That basically just left Sam

Ah perhaps it was that Decklan thought his eyes softening Mrs Hamilton had commented recently that Lyra was acting strangely perhaps related to the Ghosthound’s departure Had there been some bad blood there There was always a bit of sexual tension there and if that soured

Still

Mrs Hamilton who was acting on a tip from Lyra Dozer supplied interrupting Decklan’s train of thought Apparently there is a fat prize waiting after this Champion nonsense is done if we

The Ghosthound waved a hand but there was definitely tension in his shoulders now He gave them both a searching look Decklan felt something very cold in his heart under the scrutiny If it hadn’t been clear before now before the full force of the Ghosthound’s attention it was clear that something had changed His eyes were harder the air of violence absolutely palpable the natural strength oozing off of him

The Ghosthound had grown far far more dangerous

Thank you Well for now The Ghosthound said turning his attention to the front Let’s cut down the Skeleton Knight shall we It seems like everyone has arrived

A trumpet sounded And over the far hill a great host of undead began to crawl forward These were bigger and tougher looking and they began to scramble down the slope heading for their caravan with the prisoners

And upon the hill sitting upon a grey horse was a skeleton that wore a suit of cast iron armor starkly dark against his bones His eyes burned copper The gazes of the Skeleton Knight and the Ghosthound met They both smiled

Chapter 342

Randidly was sure that there was some plot afoot here that he wasn’t seeing arranged by the Creature But he still couldn’t figure out what it was Which only made him more worried

Because the only reason that it hadn’t intervened was that things were going exactly how it wanted them to There were some hasty steps that Randidly could take to forcibly shift the game and perhaps force the Creature to show itself but Randidly had no end game after that He still had no way of counteracting her although Lucretia was feeding him some very interesting information about the Aether construct in his Soul Skill

Nothing useful as of yet but their agreement was currently still young

Not that he trusted her either

Randidly had a headache

Better to focus his attention elsewhere Right now Jemma was in trouble and in trouble because of him For that he would save her regardless of whether or not it would be exactly what the Creature wanted Debts need to be paid and responsibility needed to be taken

Neveah

Yes gentle Soft crush

Randidly chuckled Yes that’s fine soft crush

Either way they would be arriving before the host of the Skeleton Knight It appeared this mad dash of Randidly’s was for the best Now they could seize both Regalias for themselves which would hopefully mean that the Creature would approach on a venue he could handle

Randidly grimaced Yet that was still so dangerous it drove him crazy but what else could he do It had Lyra That was another debt and more than that Randidly shook his head letting the thoughts fall away All of that for later For now soft crush

Turning around Randidly began to speak Thea cover Ten and Simon Simon keep me informed of the Skeleton Knight’s movements Decklan Dozer you’re with me Let’s see if you can keep up

Both Decklan and Dozer seemed slightly insulted but had the good sense not to say anything about it Even if both of them had used the time dilution effects of dungeons their lack of an Aether Spring would mean that they needed to pull back at some point or suffer from Aether Sickness At most optimistic they might have stretched out their 6 months to a year of training since he had seen them which would be a little more than 1 third of the time Randidly had spent training in Shal’s world

And the people in Shal’s world were very very good at what they did Better by far than monsters you could find in even a Lvl 35 dungeon

Fun

Yes let’s Randidly said simply

Instead of charging into them like she had done previously Neveah sharply decelerated letting Randidly Decklan and Dozer hop off and then raised herself up to her full height As Thea and Simon got themselves in position Neveah methodically began using her mouth and tail to rip the skeletons to shreds treating them like they were paper dolls

Randidly moved unwilling to let her steal the show Immediately upon setting foot on the ground he used Phantom Half Step to cross the distance and began to use the Phantom’s Embrace powered up through Empower Haste and Mana Strengthening to move among them like a ghost stealing their lives and leaving only piles of bones

He was really burning through his stores of Mana and Stamina but he had a few rings filled with enough to restore him to full if there was a pinch Plus the better this situation was in hand by the time the Skeleton Knight arrived the faster this would end

These were perhaps the elites of the skeleton forces but they were nothing special in Randidly’s eyes Behind him he could feel how Dozer and Decklan began to follow his lead and break through both in their individual ways He spared a glance for each of them sizing them up The Creature had them under its thumb for a while It was hard to know what he should be suspicious of or not

Made him want to tear his hair out facing this opponent he couldn’t predict and balked at facing directly It was making him question too many things So much so that a skeleton almost managed to land its weapon on him

Huffing with annoyance Randidly stepped past them meeting a giant minotaur looking skeleton which bellowed its defiance protecting a small group of people

Dozer

A grunt came in response and the man exploded into motion forward swinging a club that was about the same size that he was The creature yelled again and they crashed together Randidly used Phantom Half Step covering the distance to the group of people which turned out to be 4 glowing skeletons a lich looking creature and a bound and gagged girl in the Wild Rider Regalia

Jemma

As the lich opened his mouth to start casting a spell root after root rushed upwards sliding between the bones and then curling around them and pulling them apart piece by piece making sure to snap and crack every bit that he could get his hands on

Decklan whistled softly as the 5 skeletons were swiftly reduced to dust but Randidly just moved again arriving at Jemma’s side He ripped off the bonds and then removed the Regalia He tried to place it into his interspatial ring but couldn’t which was strange But it seemed some part of its magic kept it from being stored Interesting in a way but annoying in another

Jemma gasped looking up at Randidly with tear filled eyes Mr David Where

It’s okay you are safe now Randidly said his hands curling into fists a beast composed of fury forming in his chest as he thought of how the Wild Rider had allowed this to happen Encouraged even But why Was it really just to escape her fate as Lucretia suspected Or

So many secrets and motives Randidly couldn’t keep track of them all But for now protecting her was something that he could do We need to

But she interrupted him Where where is Rhaidon He’s wounded I can feel him near He’s in so much pain surrounded by darkness He

But then she trailed off pressing her eyes shut Randidly berated himself for not thinking about this and glanced around Mostly he could just see intimidated skeletons eyeing them up and other skeletons being slaughtered by Neveah As for where that metallic dog could be

Decklan Scout the area Look for a large metallic dog It should have been captured by this group perhaps they stashed it somewhere on the way

Got it And the man slipped away moving with such stealth that even Randidly couldn’t help but be impressed The speed and suddenness of that departure were almost Batman levels

But then Randidly felt something ripple and his hackles rose Of course it would be like this His attention flowed inward and he communicated briefly with Lucretia before straightening and looking at the person in front of him

It’s been a while Lyra said her smile wide and kind It almost broke his heart how hard it hit him the memory of his strange emotions in regards to her whether real or caused by the System These 6 months had done a lot for her and her face had matured growing into her sharp cheekbones her sharp nose fitting her face Where she had previously been lovely now she was stunning and her smile made every other source of light flutter and dim

All of this without any skills Just pure blessed genetics But of course that was not her wearing that face

After the amount of time Randidly had been gone Lyra would not have kindness in her eyes

Further proving that this was not the human this purported to be was the fact it was holding the huge metallic dog by the scruff of the neck the creature struggling feebly but largely slumped to the side

Creature Randidly said simply glaring at it It smiled widely giving up Lyra’s bright grin for something more like the Cheshire Cat turned serial killer

Ah there’s that fire But honestly why do you hate me so I’ve always wanted what was best for you humans and you keep just refusing to listen to me Down this path only lies Calamity and it will break you like it has broken all other planets before yours

I will not sell our freedom to you for a false peace Now return Lyra before I

Before you What The Creature asked clearly amused Lyra’s eyes crinkled as it waited for his answer But something else distracted him

Randidly you know ’ Lucretia’s voice was soft almost in awe but she hesitated for a moment before saying That thing is completely made up of Aether She has no physical substance ’

Randidly kept his face blank And that means ’

Well ’ Lucretia seemed stumped by that question It honestly felt good to have the sadistic woman who had caused him so much trouble to be completely lost for words Well what can you use to destroy Aether Basically nothing I suppose But ’

The Creature laughed aloud Is this it then Silence and stubbornness What a weapon you have found How do you expect to beat the Calamity if I am too much for you to handle Hand over the Regalia I give you my word that my actions will provide humanity with the salvation that you are incapable of

Randidly ground his teeth in frustration and remained silent But more than that

Wasn’t the Creature acting extremely strangely today She had always been on about protecting humanity and using his Soul Skill for it previously but she had been meticulous and brutal trapping him and isolating his power leaving him practically helpless If not for the Aether Crossroads in his chest he really would have fallen that day

And yet here she was monologuing like a bad supervillain It almost reminded him of Ace’s antics What was going on that he was missing She was

Stalling ’ Lucretia whispered But it helps us too Because I figured it out although we can’t destroy Aether the one thing you can do with it is dirty it If you use the spear ’

The Creature flashed out of existence and in her wake stepped a tall skeleton swinging a sword that would have bisected Lyra in half The metallic dog dropped to the ground whimpering

The Skeleton Knight looked around lines of his frown clear on his face Randidly locked eyes with the thing for the second time this day Was the Creature’s goal really so simple as to allow the Skeleton Knight to win But no then why

Well it appears that all that remains The Skeleton Knight said slowly looking around again finding nothing and regarding Randidly directly is to settle this like men Let us duel Mr Ghosthound

Chapter 343

Randidly blinked thinking furiously He couldn’t think up a good reason why NOT to which was exactly why he was hesitating But maybe that was what the Creature wanted

Arrghh Randidly bellowed throwing his hands up to the sky A spear advanced that was it All of this double thinking it was useless He had a weapon against the Creature now maybe thanks to Lucretia They had found Rhaidon who appeared to be in no immediate danger

That was positive The Wild Rider’s Regalia was behind him and the Skeleton Knight brought his Regalia to him There was nothing to think about Use absolute power and crush them all

Yes let’s Randidly said listening as the sounds of battle grew more intense as Neveah Thea and Dozer ripped into the Skeleton Knight’s personal retinue But none approached the two individuals standing in the center

At first Randidly expected that there would be some sort of ceremony to it but as soon as Randidly agreed he felt something in the air something change A dampening of the noise a great barrier around them Not isolating them but pushing everything farther away Randidly’s eyebrows rose This was

The Skeleton Knight nodded You have good senses It cannot prevent interference but it discourages it Now then Let us continue until both of us are dead

The Skeleton Knight looked expectantly at Randidly who could only shake his head Was that supposed to be a bad joke

mm perhaps The Skeleton Knight conceded as he walked towards Randidly I have spent precious little time conversing with you humans and your customs are mm not sophisticated but rather devious in terms of humor Hard to get a grip I think I’m doing admirably considering the circumstances If I am to rule you people I must understand them

In order to rule us Randidly said slowly as he moved to meet the Skeleton Knight in single combat You need to beat me

Simon focused his will channeling it through his Soul Bound companion feeling his Astral powers growing stronger A giant claw formed and began to rake through the charging skeletons around them that threatened to overwhelmed them

Or at least Simon initially assumed they would quickly overwhelm them They were tough enemies high above the level of the skeletons they had faced in the past Already Simon had gained two levels in the course of the fight just crushing the weakened ones left by the other people around him

But as the fight dragged on it seemed that Simon had vastly underestimated the scope of this battle simply put his teammates were unreal

Perhaps it shouldn’t be much of a surprise that as the fighting intensified Neveah became increasingly wild lashing out in every direction and leaving only wreckage In her brief moments of respite she ate the bones around her her body trembling and slowly but surely increasing in size It filled Simon with awe

This was a Raid Boss This was a creature that had reached Level 30 by relying on its Stats and meagre Skills alone And now it had the benefit of inheriting a portion of the Ghosthound’s strength It would be more surprising if it wasn’t monstrous

No what really shocked Simon was the performance of Thea and the one the Ghosthound referred to as Dozer

Dozer of course was someone they had heard about in the North He was the siege breaker of Donnyton a man whose huge strength could crack any armor break any formation And although his size wasn’t immediately as impressive as his myth’s the huge club that he wielded like it was made of plywood was exactly what the rumors had spoke of

Before him the skeletons were nothing Even Neveah’s tail couldn’t move with the brutal speed of that club Bodies were reduced to powder with a methodical efficiency of a surgeon The whole time Dozer’s face was rather placid his eyes scanning the battlefield flicking over to the spot where the Ghosthound was which was currently obscured by a weird mist

Simon frowned at that but before he investigated he spared Thea his attention

He had never seen Thea fight before but since learning that their ages were relatively close to each other as compared to the Ghosthound he had assumed that she wasn’t as powerful as he had initially expected her to be based on her gruff exterior If anything Simon learned he should have adjusted her in the opposite direction moving her towards the upper tier of anyone he had seen before

There was a ferocity to her a wildness to her that Simon could never remember seeing a brutal strength as she dual wielded hammers knocking back skeletons while Chrysanthemum knocked the bulk of the forces off their balance

Chrysanthemum too was more beast than rather stoic bear that she had always seemed but Simon was beginning to suspect it was due to the very strange plants that he had seen the Ghosthound feeding to Chrysanthemum those few times they had played with each other Simon had seen the desire that had filled the animals in the Wild Rider’s test as they looked at those fruits

Her fur too seemed to be changing with flecks of red and grey turning her fur more dusky and desolate But it was hard to see in the dim light and even harder during the day when her typical gold showed through But Simon trusted his instincts at this point and had learned that of everything the Ghosthound was he paid his debts

Just like he had helped Simon as much as he could giving him advice pointers for his Skills and introducing him to several powerful people It left a slightly bitter taste in Simon’s mouth

Perhaps the Wild Rider had been right The Ghosthound was just like Neveah pure and violent But that didn’t make the betrayal any easier to swallow even if the fires of his emotions had dimmed somewhat at this point The man wasn’t a monster he was just awkward if anything

Which made his actual level of strength all that more intimidating to think that a real human with human weaknesses was wielding it His mom spent her entire life campaigning against just that sort of political and personal power being focused in single positions like President and Governor due to its possibility of corruption

It was strange now to see the reason for her work personified and to feel slightly helpless in the face of it Because in Simon’s mind what other choice did they have but to allow it Avoiding it was impossible

The strange fog cleared and Simon’s senses flooded forward the force stopping them gone Simon frowned or at least mentally frowned because when he scanned the area only two people stood there the Ghosthound and the creature that appeared to be the Skeleton Knight Which was weird because right before the fog sprang up he would have sworn that someone else had been there

Strangely a new energy emerged around the two and although Simon could sense and see them very well he somehow knew that interfering in that fight would be difficult Not just working up the nerves to do it but because there was a strange fabric of energy wrapped around them isolating them somehow

His investigations were interrupted as he felt a swift touch of that strange numbing mist from earlier blacking out a brief area But then it was gone Worried Simon came back to his physical body sitting up

The Ghosthound is fighting the Skeleton Knight Everyone alright Simon asked feeling somewhat lame

Dozer spared him a glance not even batting an eye as he destroyed a dozen more skeletons Fine here

Fine Fine Fine Here Neveah repeated grinding the skeletons around them to dust

Also fine How’s the fight going Thea said taking a brief break while Chrysanthemum rushed forward She looked at him and wiped beads of sweat from her forehead Feeling abruptly flushed Simon turned away towards Ten’Malla the Wild Rider

But then he paused because she wasn’t there Feeling slightly confused he spread out his Astral senses leaving his body behind Still nothing She had departed and taken that flaming skull with her

Still if anything that was helpful One less liability like him Simon looked towards the fight his attention fixed upon the two fighters After exchanging a few words the two approached each other weapons raised

It was a strange pairing the Ghosthound barefoot and holding a spear of roots the Skeleton Knight in his cast iron armor holding a greatsword that flashed silver But when they moved it was clear that these two were of one kind

The force with which they collided was so great that Simon was almost jolted awake in his actual body jostled by the shockwave Both stumbled back their eyes scanning the other

Excellent A true duel The Skeleton Knight said his voice oddly distant This is much different than I expected being paired against the Wild Rider Nothing more than chasing rats in a wine cellar But you you will not run will you You will die with honor

You remind me of someone you know The Ghosthound countered considering a deep divot in his root spear which had been cut by the weapon of the Skeleton Knight With a simple flourish the Ghosthound created another and squared off against his opponent Arrogant perfect martial form told from birth he was the best but I beat him

You are unlucky then that this man and I are very different The Skeleton Knight replied slowly raising his sword Because as I will show you I was never told I was the best Everything I am now I took from those who underestimated me Be wary for I am coming

Chapter 344

Randidly’s eyes were narrowed as he considered the Skeleton Knight who was rushing towards him Truly this bastard was strong More so than anyone he had fought but Drak True Randidly had grown a lot since his fight against Drak but

Drak had let him seize the momentum Something told Randidly that the Skeleton Knight wouldn’t do the same

That huge sword of his flashed out traveling faster than a weapon of that size had any right to Luckily or unluckily Randidly moved on instinct raising his spear to block the weapon But again the edge of the blade dug deep sinking into the spear making the weapon shudder

This time however Randidly was ready for it He let go of the first spear and grabbed the other already formed to his right and struck out The Skeleton Knight’s counter was smooth and Randidly was forced to sidestep hissing

Immediately Randidly activated Haste Empower and Mana Strengthening moving at his top speed to lash out at the Skeleton Knight’s knees It remained to be seen whether Randidly could do any actual damage with these spears considering how powerful the armor appeared to be As he expected the tip skittered off of the metal leaving barely a mark

Randidly tsk’d spinning away avoiding the extremely rapid stab that aimed for Randidly’s follow up strike Not only was the Skeleton Knight powerful stat wise but he also had excellent fundamental skills An annoying but effective combo

The huge sword lashed out again as smooth as a lake on a cold day

This time Randidly met the strike allowing the sword to sink into the wood of the spear But instead of pulling back he pushed activating Stalemate Breaker grunting and smashing the Skeleton Knight backwards

This finally seemed to grab the Skeleton Knight’s attention and he immediately hopped backwards several steps creating some distance Although he knew what was waiting for him Randidly stepped forward to follow The counter was so sharp that Randidly almost swore aloud cursing that sword that must weigh as much as toothpick

But with a double activation of Phantom Half Step Randidly was within the range of the strike and smashed it aside with his shoulder Or tried to The strike was powerful enough to still push him back a little Not enough to stop the root spear which Randidly shoved towards the eye of the Skeleton Knight

Twisting the Skeleton Knight ducked under the thrust displaying a surprising amount grace for a skeleton in a giant suit of armor Randidly grunted as the Skeleton Knight’s elbow hit him in the gut His temper flared hot in his chest This fucking

Fine no more feints Channeling all of his passive skills Randidly began to summon more and more root spears to smash against the armor of the Skeleton Knight At first the Skeleton Knight managed to hold his own against the onslaught Randidly burning his Stamina for an advantage

The swordwork of the Skeleton Knight was flawless or it least it would have been had Randidly not destroyed the ground underneath him making him stumble Then Randidly began to really lay on the pain Slashing and Sweeping against the armor slowly leaving increasing amounts of scratches and dents

Very quickly the Skeleton Knight righted himself and adjusted to the tactic avoiding the unstable ground or at least trying to But there was only so much you could do when the attacks came from beneath the earth destroying your stance underneath you silent and invisible

After about 3 minutes of this Randidly withdrew his chest heaving taking the opportunity to catch his breath somewhat Immediately Golden Roots of Yggdrasil activated thick veins of golden energy flowing up through the ground into the bare soles of his feet At the same time in his chest Second Wind kicked up filling him with warm vigor

Although the Skeleton Knight’s face was fleshless his emotions still conveyed rather clearly through the bone medium Who no what are you You cannot be this strong not this quickly

Randidly grinned These were spread out across the armor but there were now dozens of long gashes in the cast iron armor that covered its body Its expression was grim as it considered Randidly Although he had stopped Randidly would be able to start dissecting the armor further now now that it was riddled with flaws Although the quality of the spears wasn’t initially high Randidly was learning how to focus his Mana increasing the strength of the root materials to a more damaging level

With that combined with his high Strength and repeated strikes to the same spot he was able to tear the armor to pieces It was fun this sort of fight Matching wits pushing the opponent relying on the unpredictability to push the other back and seize the momentum But just like Randidly had predicted the Skeleton Knight was good at quashing it as soon as it arose

Still his practice sessions with Azriel weren’t in vein in terms of learning to vary his tactics Randidly was probably a genius if only at applying the same skill over and over in different ways Through slight variations in timing and application Randidly could use the Skeleton Knight’s own responses against him clouding his reactions and injecting self doubt

But there was a limit to this effectiveness which was why he took a brief break Too much too fast and the Skeleton Knight would stop trying to internalize the timing and just shift to pure instinct And based on what Randidly had seen from him thus far those instincts would be difficult to deal with

still even with your strength The Skeleton Knight said straightening and holding his blade aloft You are still flesh As long as the moment comes where you tire your body grinding to a halt you will fall to me

Randidly just chuckled This time when the Skeleton Knight approached there was no hesitation no grace It was all brutal power and haste designed to press Randidly towards the edge of his exhaustion And honestly it would probably work too against a normal opponent

But Randidly was anything but normal

Raising his hand and pointing Randidly activated Incinerating Bolt The first three ripped out in quick succession clipping the Skeleton Knight’s armor and ripping large holes But the third through fifth bolts were devoured by the Skeleton Knight’s sword The blade seemed to leap to life curving and blocking them all Instantly the flames were devoured and consumed

The Skeleton Knight paused moving backwards Randidly narrowed his eyes gazing at the offending sword in his hand Glowing with a dim light it was clear that something had changed

Oh You use magic I would recommend you not do that again but it’s already too late My dear Mage’s Bane has your scent The light around the sword flared and Randidly could feel the Mana in his body tremble

This was dangerous Although Randidly couldn’t be sure the way it made his Mana feel reminded him of the way the Engraving Needle made his Mana tremble Which meant if the sword were to come in contact with him his Mana might flow out into that sword Which based on the light would grow stronger

Best to nip that in the bud as quickly as possible Still Randidly resolved not to use Inspiration because it was a weapon that was proven to work against the Creature in the past As long as it might be skulking around nearby it had to be held in reserve So for this it was time to show this world that not everything Randidly learned from Shal’s world was about spears

Huu I feel slightly embarrassed to have to attack while you are tired but eh The Skeleton Knight trailed off continuing to advance towards Randidly but slowing down In the air around them there was a thick layer of mist A soft ticking emerged in the background making the air vibrate

Randidly’s eyes burned emerald and his smile was sharp The aura of the Spear Phantom spread sliding over the ground His Battle Intent was thick floating out around them pressing down on them both giving Randidly a perfect view of them both

an image Extremely sharp too You certainly are a worthy opponent However Around the Skeleton Knight a powerful sharp edge of metal filled the air ripping through Randidly’s image But that only caused Randidly to bare his teeth more and his Battle Intent swirled and thickened further keeping them both shrouded in the mist

The Skeleton Knight could do nothing but slow to a stop as Randidly completely disappeared from his field of view Spinning slowly his copper fire eyes scanned the area around him You never struck me as the hiding type

I’m not Randidly whispered and the Skeleton Knight spun around leveling his sword which howled with glee finally having located its target As the blade slashed towards Randidly’s chest he met it with the Inevitable Phantom Arrives which seemed to hang in the air As the Skeleton Knight took in the exchange initially he sneered but then his face drastically changed

The thrust smashed aside his slash ripping through his armor and shattering several of his ribs Instinctively he brought his hand across in a punch aiming for Randidly’s chin but Randidly was abruptly nothing more than a Phantom blown away by the blow borrowing the force to twist around and bring his spear in for another attack slashing downward

This time the Skeleton Knight moved much more quickly bringing up his guard But Randidly’s cut jumped forward as the Idiosyncratic Cut activated and the blow caught the Skeleton Knight in the collarbone shattering it and sending him stumbling

You The Skeleton Knight whispered even as his sword howled

Randidly only grinned and stepped forward

Chapter 345

To his credit the Skeleton Knight moved instantly hopping back to his feet reaching behind and shedding his already shredded armor This he used as a projectile but Randidly easily moved around it and continued to approach

Hissing the Skeleton Knight gripped his desperate and wildly squirming sword and stood blatantly challenging Randidly Honestly his size was somewhat intimidating even without his armor a bit wider and several inches taller than Randidly But it wasn’t enough to phase Randidly at this point

This was fun The Skeleton Knight offered giving Randidly pause

Yes It was Randidly said almost said They held each other’s glances for several long seconds But it has to end

The Skeleton Knight said nothing but grimaced as the roots Randidly was controlling wound up around his legs binding him Cutting awkwardly the Skeleton Knight was able to give himself some measure of freedom but more and more flowed upwards gathering his arms and keeping them from cutting

Luckily for the Skeleton Knight it appeared that the Mage Bane was able to suck Mana from the roots too so the blade was vibrating and hot in the Skeleton Knight’s hand practically twisting on its own to cut through roots Annoying but that just made this part easier

As Randidly arrived before the Skeleton Knight the sword screamed swerving to slash at him But Randidly simply pointed off to the side and used an incinerating bolt aiming for the Skeleton Knight’s side

Furious and gleeful the Mage Bane twisted in the Skeleton Knight’s hand blocking the blow and absorbing it Activating all of his passives at once and using the Inevitable Phantom Arrives Randidly destroyed the upper half of the Skeleton Knight’s torso including its head The sword trembled screaming then flared bright then went dark and dropped to the ground

The bones collapsed and there was a brief moment of silence but then the strange dueling field around them collapsed and Randidly found himself at the edge of a battlefield or what had been one But after the Skeleton Knight fell the skeletons turned listless and then began attacking wildly even each other while others just collapsed

Randidly scanned around and was glad to see that Rhaidon was slumped over to the side where the Creature had stood and his chest rose and fell One less thing to worry about Randidly picked up the sword gingerly worried that it would still try to absorb his Mana but nothing happened so he turned his attention to

Randidly froze Lyra or the Creature parading as Lyra stood over Jemma’s body carefully removing the headdress from her As she did so she straightened and smiled at Randidly At her side two bodies were floating One which looked like a slimy gecko and another Ten’Malla The Wild Rider

Randidly’s hand tightened on the hilt of the sword

I’ve been thinking you know The Creature said continuing to smile at him while it stepped closer to him the two bodies floating behind her covered in chains made of pure Aether Your resistance is annoying but impressive And I fear seeing your strength now things have come too far for us to leave the System You are addicted to it aren’t you

Randidly’s eyes focused on her sharp and murderous In his chest he could feel Lucretia’s hushed explanation and the Devourer spear humming almost as if it knew what was coming Just a bit closer But Randidly couldn’t help but also notice that Jemma’s limp body was lifted off the ground by chains of Aether and bound behind the Creature

Grimacing Randidly weighed his willingness to act knowing Jemma would probably die She was so young But if it saved the world from this monster Both options left him with a deep shadow on his heart Hopefully another opportunity would emerge

He attempted to send a message to Dozer but his menus were all gibberish Interference Well two could play at that game Immediately he began to focus on the fluctuations of Aether around him slowly discovering the cage of Aether the Creature had made to isolate him feeling it out His skill levels ticked up But it was far far too slow

Do you refuse to admit it The Creature chided almost amused Randidly flushed but continued to say nothing

Well it matters not But you have made me imagine a new path where I am able to hide in the System in plain sight Inside the System but seamlessly blended It’s actually genius I’m surprised I haven’t thought of it until now

Randidly casually moved the Sword Regalia watching as the Creature’s eyes followed it So I suppose you will need this What will you give

Ahaha You have me all wrong Randidly The Creature chuckled taking another step closer Just two more steps and she would be within range Yes I want my chosen to be the Champion of this Zone and using their influence rise further but who better than you Randidly Be my Champion and all can be forgiven between us

With a casual flick that left Randidly flummoxed the Creature threw the headdress of the Wild Rider towards him Ten’Malla’s head lolled her body slumped and unconscious Randidly caught the headdress He resisted the urge to just say Eh ’ and instead stayed still unable to comprehend what was happening

Was this a trap A trick

Very clearly up until this point the Creature had been very anti System seeking to circumvent and avoid it Of all of the terrible traits the Creature possessed the one thing that Randidly and it had in common was their love of freedom and their resistance to the yoke of the System And yet now it was asking him to assume a role within it

Randidly bit his lip With Lyra’s face the Creature looked at him expectantly But at the moment he was stuck His mind was blank He truly had no idea what was going on anymore

His mind whirled as he tried to grapple with his understanding of what the Champion was of what it would mean for him And how would his being the Champion help the Creature

You will gain power Something close to immortality A long awaited Class it would give shape to your Aether The Creature whispered taking another step forward Only one more step Your might will be unrivaled on this world With your strength this world will receive a high evaluation from the Calamity With that I can dwell here as you serve the System for all eternity Not free perhaps but finally at peace knowing that they will not find me here It is fair yes With my assistance your skills might even

No Randidly said shortly He didn’t have enough facts but there was no other answer his gut would allow him No

You fool Can you not see how much I sacrifice for The Creature said furiously stepping forward again Randidly dropped the Regalia and flexed his hand the Devourer Spear appearing there flooded with Aether

The idea was simple flood the Creature a being of Aether with low quality meaning It was like throwing dirt into your tank along with the gas Hopefully the dirty and impure Aether would clog up her magic so much so that the whole engine would cease to run at least for a short while as she attempted to deal with the problem

That was Lucretia’s theory anyway which was the best one that Randidly had heard in a long time Of course it was still hard to trust Lucretia but that was an issue for another time

But as his spear ripped forward containing all of his will and hatred and frustration and wild fear for the chains and control she represented one of the bodies flashed forward blocking the way Randidly narrowed his eyes Sorry Ten’Malla

Or at least that’s what his instincts told him initially but then Randidly realized it wasn’t Ten’Malla that moved forward but the slimy gecko bound and gagged Well that was certainly the better option

The spear ripped through the gecko passing easily through its body Its natural defenses were high but they weren’t something that were designed to handle the Spear of the Devourer flooded with Randidly’s pure Aether It was naught but paper

But then several things began to happen at once

Randidly was frozen solid as strange Aether reverberations emerged from the gecko’s corpse even his Aether filled body jerking to a stop

Congratulations The Final Tier III Raid Boss has been slain Upon its corpse the site of the Raid Dungeon is now forming The Raid Dungeon

Randidly’s eyes were torn away from the notification as a wave of force knocked him backwards leaving the Creature smiling at him next to the flickering and glowing ball of energy that had once been a corpse Further at the feet of that corpse

The Headdress and Sword lay the two Regalia right next to one another

The Raid Dungeon has caused a great trial to descend upon the Zone If the Zone has open travel the Zone is now sealed While the Raid Dungeon remains unbeaten a blight will descend upon the land and the life energy that fuels this Zone will slowly depart After 30 days all ambient energy in the air will be gone

Roaring Randidly lashed out with Aether Manipulation trying to interfere with the process somehow Was it all a game then The Creature’s pitch A plot to confuse him and lure him into a false sense of security and then Somehow cause the Aether to slowly drain from the Zone Was she trying to blackmail him

Trying to get him to fuel the entire Zone himself with Aether

His Aether Manipulation found purchase and Randidly began to rip and tear away at what he found but still the force pressed him backwards In front of him from the ball of energy a tall tower emerged a curving thing of twisted silver

After 30 days all ambient energy in the air will be gone leaving this Zone a dead place Before that time a group of 10 must enter the Raid Dungeon as a party and clear the boss Should the dungeon be cleared the Raid Dungeon will settle down and a surge of ambient energy will fill the Zone fueling growth If not this Zone will remain sealed

Good luck

Chapter 346

Randidly finally settled to a stop no longer being pushed back He glared up at the tower as if that could contain the flood of emotions that roiled within him Strangely at this moment Randidly pictured Helen’s frowning face and he opened his mouth and said Fuck cunt

Then he chuckled and it was a forced thing but some of the tension left his shoulders

The force pushed him back about 200 meters far more than should have really been necessary but Randidly had been able to sense the strange series of machinations of Aether that twisted and folded in and out of themselves in order to form the Raid Dungeon before them As he was being pushed back he had lashed out again and again but Randidly knew he had only inflicted surface level damage to the Aether

The real engine that fueled it was shielded by the sheer size of the Aether construct It was actually intimidating how huge and smooth the thing was The more Randidly learned the more he felt a feeling of dread towards entities like the Creature or the one who made the System and their ability to manipulate Aether It was simply so far in scope and competency to force him to recognize how far he still had to go

Interesting structure ’ Lucretia remarked peering through his eyes to the settling Dungeon I’ve never seen such a thing Your Skills are incredibly useful mm if I had your body when I was younger ehehhee ’

Randidly knew that Lucretia was just teasing him in her twisted way but he wasn’t in the mood and he was not so foolish to get himself comfortable with jokes like that So he ignored her instead looking down at the stone in his hand

Stone of Genesis Lvl 49 A stone filled with possibilities An incredibly pure energy lies within allowing the user to shape it to their will creating a powerful Skill or a rare Soul Skill Only one use lies within But be warned if the energy within is insufficient to form the desired result energy will be taken from your body Death may result

A reward for killing the third and final Tier III Raid Boss which would have been a blessing in most individual’s hands was absolutely useless to Randidly The ability to form a Skill which he had or a Soul Skill which he didn’t need But it could be given to someone which was a less permanent version than establishing an Aether tether

So it was an interesting object of study but not immediately useful Not a reward that he desired

As Randidly approached the tower his face fell There was a low wall around the tower itself which had a gate that

The only description that Randidly could give it was that the gate was covered in spatial rips Large gaps of pure black that were slowly expanding His face fell further as Randidly’s gaze focused further his senses extending

It was hard to describe with words but the huge mass of Aether didn’t necessarily connect directly to this location but was twisted off of the world the Aether folding down to a single point that connected the huge mass that formed to the surface of their world The tower effectively was that twist that connected the two worlds Randidly suspected that this was also the way that the time dilution could occur by separating the worlds like this

Which was fine but Randidly realized that his struggles earlier had opened several small superficial cuts on the Aether construct Which on the larger Raid Dungeon did nothing but those rips suddenly became a lot more dangerous as the Aether construct was twisted down to a point

And the expansion was extremely disturbing Luckily Randidly was able to focus and manipulate some of his own Aether to clumsily sew the holes back together revealing the gate in the front of the small wall Which would solve the problem here but if there were more rips deeper in the Dungeon

Randidly went to the gate but was greeted by a familiar message

Warning You do not currently possess a Class Please proceed to the nearest Newbie Village and obtain a Class to obtain access to the Dungeon

Breathing slowly Randidly stepped back his forehead furrowed Jemma Rhaidon Ten’Malla and of course the Creature were all gone as well as the two Regalias Randidly assumed that they were currently absorbed within the Dungeon but it would be almost impossible to tell if the Creature really had wanted to hide its movements

Worse than that the Dungeon was a slowly tightening noose around the neck of Zone 33 After a month all ambient Aether will have been sucked out by it Of course the System did not threaten without rewards but it was the time limit that really had Randidly stuck in a bind

Plus these spatial holes

Randidly studied a small remnant of one Feeling extremely unsettled he created a root spear and prodded the hole Randidly wasn’t able to widen the rip with the object but that was mostly because that anything that went within the hole was ripped apart by a strange force and didn’t return None of that suction extended outside of the rip however

Curiously Randidly flooded the spear with Aether forming a membrane around it and prodded it again Behind him he sensed Dozer and Decklan approach followed by a humming Neveah but ignored them for now

This time when he put the spear into the hole it resisted for a while before his membrane ripped and once more the spear was obliterated Blinking Randidly sat back on his heels It was a close thing but

Meaning business Randidly weaved a shield of Aether taking great care to make the structural integrity his number one priority It took several minutes before he was confident and then wrapped it around a near root spear This went into the spatial rip and held Randidly kept it there studying its effects

It appeared his Aether was slowly unraveling under the influence of whatever was in that void If he focused his will channeling Aether Manipulation to its limit he could resist it somewhat slow it to the point that it didn’t really appear to be happening but it took a great amount of focus to do so And to Randidly that was disturbing

Because if his stats weren’t enough to do this there would be effectively no one in this world who would be able to survive it

Dozer walked up to Randidly and gave him a questioning look considering the spatial rips

These will kill anyone who touches them Randidly said bluntly Avoid them But go in and tell me what you can find

Dozer nodded as if this was the most normal thing in the world and ducked under one of the rips that Randidly had been studying Simon and Thea both on Chrysanthemum’s back showed up at the base of the tower staring up with wide eyes Behind them were the hard and scarred men than made up Dozer’s squad looking up at the tower with a very unimpressed look on their faces

Doing his best to even his breathing Randidly considered his options There was one month remaining Probably even a bit of time after that would still be acceptable without a loss of life It would take a while for the ambient Aether in people’s bodies that they had already absorbed to run out In that time someone had to clear the Raid Dungeon

Randidly’s hands tightened into fists But if there were more of those spatial holes inside of the Dungeon He had lashed out with abandon just wanting to express his frustration and powerlessness And it appeared that that instinct had come back to bite him

It made him furious It stunk of the Creature’s twisted smile And he hated every minute of it

Dozer returned his face impassive Aside from being a Lvl 49 Dungeon pretty simple with one catch only one team in at a time and the team clears the Dungeon or dies You go in you better go all the way

Randidly hissed So no scouting the Dungeon before they went into the thick of things It would mean that if he sent a group into the Dungeon that he wasn’t a part of they would all be doomed to die if his struggles had left scratches on the inner parts of the Raid Dungeon

that were expanding even now

Growling Randidly cracked his knuckles And if he wanted to go into the Dungeon he would need to address something else first

Which frankly was extremely repugnant to Randidly This was not the circumstances forced by threat of death of the entire Zone that he wished to obtain a Class This was not on his own terms this was dictated by fate

But what Randidly wondered most of all was this exactly what the Creature wanted

Chapter 347

As the group set up camp nearby the Raid Dungeon Randidly sat apart from them in the darkness far away from the campfire His legs crossed beneath him he Meditated and focused his attention inward while the rain from the Weeping Cloud fell down on him

What are my options Randidly asked Lucretia

They were sitting on top of a mountain in his Soul Skill Underneath them the secret research base of the Spriggits toiled developing giant suits of metal to fight against the Monster King Or rather to hold in reserve against another Monster King offensive as things had settled down to a simmer both sides holding their own against the other

She rolled her eyes Aside from going to a Village and gettinga Class I don’t know of any easy answers There is undoubtedly a mechanism that checks an individual for their Class It’s hard to say what its actual purpose is but I suspect it is actually a mechanic designed to protect users from wandering into a place and dying there or training there and being unable to leave due to Aether Sickness It is hard to abuse a genuinely well intentioned rule

Randidly grunted noncomittally looking down at the Spriggits Really he had to just shake his head at their ingenuity In a few more years they would have some legitimate Gundam types running around fighting against monsters It would be certainly something to watch

Almost morosely he grabbed a bit of Progenitor’s Influence that rose out of an engineer He now had 91 which enabled him to send dreams so he could push them in that direction but

It would be nothing but a diversion Right now the most important thing was to address this problem Which was not proving easy both because of the circumstances arrayed against him but also because of the fact he was almost forced to rely on Lucretia as a resource

Randidly didn’t doubt that she was very well informed on the subject of Aether but if anything that only made him feel worse The only positive of the whole situation was that the more he listened to her talk the more he realized that there were wide gaps in her knowledge about the usage of Aether due to the fact that it was almost impossible for her to handle She only could recognize the shapes and arranged ways of channeling that wild Aether into the desired shapes

The quality of the Aether that she was used to was worlds below Randidly’s own Which reassured him and simultaneously made him raise his guard if only because his instincts weren’t viewing her as much of a threat any longer And Randidly knew that Lucretia got to the point of being the Eternal Witch by being underestimated time and time again

With her effectively living in his heart the danger was magnified But they did say keep your friends close your enemies closer so

Randidly snapped back to the present and turned to Lucretia That is a last resort A very very last resort Neveah has a Level and is a part of me if we figure out the mechanism

I’ve thought about it won’t work Lucretia said shaking her head Neveah who was a part of him anyways condensed a smaller version of her form to join them in the Soul Skill only about the size of a garden snake coiling around Randidly’s arms She hummed good naturedly as Randidly petted her head

Although she levels she doesn’t have a Class Lucretia continued Or if anything you are her Class She strengthens along with you the most obvious way being your Level As you don’t have one her growth should be slower but

They both looked at Neveah

I grow She added helpfully Randidly rolled his eyes Yes she did But that was a positive thing so it was a waste of time to try and dig deeper into the why At least any deeper than his pet theory that all the experience Randidly should be earning through his actions didn’t just disappear but flowed into the path of least resistance Neveah

Yes you do Lucretia said wryly Still the idea is a good one just Neveah isn’t the answer It might be possible to use my Class to mask yours but that would require some entanglements between us which I suspect you would be uncomfortable with

You wouldn’t mind Randidly asked genuinely surprised Lucretia just smiled Shaking his head Randidly huffed his annoyance And you won’t let me know unless I’m willing to actually call your bluff What’s your Class anyway

Spear Witch Lucretia said her smile now containing real amusement rather than the sharp twisted thing that usually animated her

It surprised him how easily she would admit to it but Randidly supposed she might be lying However it didn’t seem like it That will be the second to last resort then Anything else

Lucretia just shrugged Any brief happiness Randidly felt turned sour For several minutes the two of them just sat and watched as the Spriggits beneath them worked assembling their metal monsters It was a heavy silence

If this truly meant that Randidly would be forced to get a Class It felt like he was playing around with a chunk of vomit that was just sitting in his mouth The obvious location was to obtain a Class at Donnyton but that would forge a connection not only with the System but also with the Creature who still had Lyra imprisoned

At that thought Randidly snapped out of his funk and his heartbeat quickened Although the Creature being with the Regalias was a danger that he hadn’t really addressed yet if the Creature really was holed up in the Raid Dungeon

Then Lyra would be alone Lyra would be free

Although it was strange Randidly missed her Just because she had treated him like a normal human and not held all these weird expectations for him while everyone else was doing exactly that Maybe she had understood from her own life as an actress how important being treated like a real person really was so you didn’t lose yourself in what everyone else said about you

There was the strange matter of the connection that had been forced between them the strange draw the System had provided for them that had left Randidly deeply distrustful of the System even at the beginning but it was not enough to necessarily sour the feelings he felt towards the young girl with the sharp tongue

Randidly pressed his eyes closed One problem at a time

What about the Stone of Genesis Do you think we can make more of those Randidly said happy to shift his attention towards a side problem

Lucretia shrugged again but this was a much more disinterested shrug Snorting Randidly could only shake his head She had been connected to him by the Aether tether for only a few weeks and already too spoiled to even put small amounts of Aether like this in her eyes Although he was sure that prior to their meeting she would have killed for this sort of opportunity

No more bigger

Randidly blinked looking down at his arm where Neveah was grinning her happy little open mouthed grin at him It was honestly pretty adorable when she was this size

What are you talking about Lucretia said reaching for the sky and stretching

Problem Big stone solution Neveah said her voice becoming insistent

Randidly frowned He felt her thoughts and most of her meaning but was having difficulty following it She wanted What Neveah the problem you are talking about getting into the Dungeon

Raid Dungeon Neveah said her voice becoming increasingly solemn and accusatory You dumb Fear Class Hate System Dumb

Randidly opened his mouth then closed it Then his brow furrowed in annoyance I sure I hate it but it’s for good reason The Class you know what I know It’s a connection to the System It’s a binding a way of controlling it Hell I think all of the roles here are just ways the System

Wrong silly Neveah interrupted dropping off his arm and onto the ground and then slithering to an open space Above her a drawing formed of Aether began to take shape Class just Class It is System from bad source but System shape Without shape weak Cannot shape alone Home different

Her words were disjointed but it was still enough to get her meaning Especially while above her head she drew a small house a person and a line connecting two But independent of them there was a wriggly lined circle around the man which Randidly sensed was supposed to be the Class

Actually she has a point Lucretia said the interest in her eyes renewed as she examined Neveah’s small form and then her drawing I’ve always wondered about the connection to the Village System although admittedly it means almost nothing at the stage our world is it is important at the start I’ve studied Classes but I could never really feel what was going on but with your skills

Which is all fine but how Randidly began but then his understanding due to their connection finally showed through The picture clicked together

A Class A Skill The Skill Neveah announced to the world Alone hard But now stone If make THE Stone We Class No problem

Chapter 348

Randidly learned 3 things in the ensuing conversations with Neveah and Lucretia

Number one the idea actually seemed real Upon further discussion and examination of Lucretia’s Class because hers was the most easily accessible example it really seemed like a Class was actually just a larger version of Skills It was THE Skill for a person’s body and internal world While other Skills related to the ability to accomplish certain actions the Class related to people’s ability to interact with the System

Which made a bit of sense but also didn’t make sense What did that really mean for Skills How did they work Aether was the substance of them but how did they improve

These questions were set aside however to deal with the actual relevant information more directly The inner soul world of most people didn’t grow like Randidly’s did due to the lack of fresh Aether to fuel the growth In terms of its relation to the System the Aether of the Class itself settled around the soul world almost like an inner armor that would grow and spur growth

It gave shape to the soul world but also was an extremely dense and intricate construct of Aether that incorporated images into the very fabric of it It reminded Randidly of the way that the Creature had spoken words made of Aether against him when it was trying to convince him to found his Soul Skill for it and included thick images of huge ancient battlefields rife with death

Of course there were drawbacks to the Classes Although they came from the Villages there was still only a certain amount of rather impure Aether that they were made of and only so much Aether flowed along the connection The Class provided shape but it was a strain on the Soul World which they began to suspect was the reason for the additional Class restrictions Which didn’t necessarily make sense due to the fact that weaker Classes had fewer slots for additional Skills

Or at least it didn’t make sense before Neveah matter of factly suggested that it was because the images were too general and therefore required more Aether to build It was much easier to build a specific image of a Class than a general one that would cover a wide variety of possibilities that would allow an individual to grow

Spear Witch had a more elegant shape than the Warrior Class And if the Class had been even more specific than that

Is it possible to practice creating a Class by adjusting mine Lucretia asked a winning smile on her face Randidly could feel a tickle of discomfort at the prospect at the same time as feeling that the opportunity would be pretty valuable experience Especially because the prospect was one that they wouldn’t likely get anyone else to agree to

But Neveah spoke up No Idea bad You warp

Along with the brief phrase was a string of very specific mental images that arrived at Randidly involving the way that the specific connections between the huge Aether construct that was a Class and the Soul Space would change and be strained by the change although her further thoughts clarified that it should be possible

Which brought Randidly to his 2nd realization Neveah was a fucking genius

Her ability to quickly view and intuit Aether was ridiculous to the point that Randidly wasn’t able to even touch her more unexpected insights Perhaps it could be explained by her growing up inside of the Aether Crossroads but it was more than that The longer he examined her ideas the more his own comprehensions increased at a rapid clip and the more he recognized the gulf of differences between them

Even Lucretia who at first was extremely dismissive of Neveah based on the way she spoke was becoming increasingly silent and accepting of Neveah’s pronouncements Although it was somewhat intimidating Randidly felt a surge of pride After all the two of them were intimately connected to each other

At first it was a shock that she was growing so fast and that her intellect was monstrous underneath her rather ineffective communication style He had treated her well basically like a mount But she was so much more than that

And she was beginning to design him a Class although they would still need to see how the Stone of Genesis and also Thea’s reward worked to see the way the constructs of Aether were assembled and changed

The 3rd thing Randidly realized was perhaps the most perplexing but also it was the most useless And that was simply that what was experience It was perhaps more explainable at the Skill version where it would mean you had improved But in terms of Class what were you gathering to advance it What was the fuel that drove it forward

But there was no answer and they had more important things to focus on at the moment

Still Randidly had a direction now even if it was one where he felt dangerously out of his depth But his Skills were rising to the occasion Although the previous few weeks were an extremely slow period of growth for Randidly in terms of Skills the combination of rushing over fighting against the skeletons his final duel with the Skeleton Knight and now all the research into Aether had jump started his Skill growth

Randidly had gained 7 Lvls of SoulBond 12 Lvls in Aether Detection and Meditation 9 Lvls in Aether Manipulation 5 Lvls in Battle Intent the Weeping Cloud and Calculated Blow 6 Lvls in Struggle and Physical Fitness 3 Lvls of Phantom’s Embrace and Spear Mastery 4 Lvls in Empower Haste and Mana Strengthening 2 Lvls in Grace and Flexibility of the White Hunters 4 Lvls in Stalemate Breaker 6 in Golden Roots of Yggdrasil and Spearing Roots and 10 Lvls in Living Aether All in all it was a haul of 115 PP which was enough to finish off his Basic Mana Engraving Path

Congratulations You have completed the test of Basic Mana Engraving Path It is a path that not many tread seeking to infuse the world around you with the strength of Mana in the shape of Aether But as time has gone on you begin to see how even this path lays out before you leading you onward Mana +100 The efficiency and delicacy of your control while using Mana Engraving has greatly increased A new host of runes are available to you should you learn them

Randidly grinned wryly So he finally would be able to handle the Shadow IV rune huh Well now that he finally had somewhat of a break he would try and improve his equipment Because he had to admit although he was strong even he could only be cautious when faced with the prospect of heading into a Lvl 49 Raid Dungeon After all the highest Levels he had faced in Shal’s world was only 25

And Lvl 50 Randidly wasn’t sure but it kept coming up in different contexts It seemed to him that there was something special about it Another question but not a pressing one so he let it go for now

Instead he focused on his next options for a Path

Heretic XIV 0/ Nexus Traveler Cohort 5 0/50 Path of Control 0/200 Adept (+1) 0/250 Experimenter I 0/50 The Second Seedling 0/50 The Phantom’s Embrace 0/150 Fighting Proficiency III 0/ System Transgressor 0/1 Steps of the Godling II Path 0/200 Meditation II 0/150 Greater Empower Path 0/100 Basic Soul Bond 0/75

The final 3 options were new ones and Randidly was especially tempted by the final two Greater Empower and Basic Soul Bond But

Everytime he had finished one of the main Paths ie Newbie Trainee Apprentice etc he received a per level gain Which in his view made the impending arrival of a Class for himself which would let him gain levels push for that option 250 was high but he already had a big chunk of it and he would definitely be increasing the levels of at least his Aether Skills in preparation for what would come after Hopefully it would end up being enough

Although in a way it did drive Randidly slightly insane After all everything would be so useful

But he did his best to ignore those tempting Paths and poured his PP into the Adept(+1) Path instantly putting 90 into it It even had a nice benefit too because every 10 PP he would receive 10 Health Mana and Stamina which all told was a pretty sizable boost

Satisfied Randidly came back to himself and considered his next movements in the real world While he Neveah and Lucretia were hammering out the details of creating a Class he could still physically move around and practice other Skills During that time there were several things he wanted to do First was revisit Star Crossing and drop off Simon and perhaps Thea but Randidly believed she would head to Donnyton to investigate the Stone of Fate

In fact he was counting on it Although it wasn’t exactly a Stone of Genesis it seemed to be cut from a similar cloth Seeing any of the weirder mechanics of the System in action would be useful at this point now that he was trying to decode the hyperdense Aether that seemed to permeate everything

Which worked out in another way because Star Crossing had apparently forged a portal between there and Donnyton which would take them back home instantly Aside from Randidly preparing himself to go into the Dungeon the other factor to consider who would be the other 9 spots in the Raid Party

Honestly due to the high difficulty associated with a Lvl 49 Dungeon he wanted the best But to be honest no longer did he know who that was aside from himself It was time to go home and take muster of their strength because the System was rising

It was time to crush it back

There was another goal but one that Randidly was slightly uneasy about Although he had met Ace he hadn’t seen Sydney Perhaps it could wait until after the Dungeon was dealt with but

It weighed heavy on his mind How would she react to seeing him

Chapter 349

What how did he seem Sydney asked softly her fingers tapping the wood of her desk Although her voice did not quaiver she had lost a sense of her question halfway through which was not something that Drake was used to seeing When it came to this Ghosthound character it seemed everyone and everything went sideways even the System

Not that the man didn’t deserve it From there two brief run ins the man had enough strength to warrant the attention And yet he didn’t seem like the type to go mad with power like Dauntless or lose himself in pointless rigamarole and pomp like Star Crossing He raised a village of discipline focused elites and spoke only sparingly

Drake’s mouth twitched Even he was starting to admire the man It was just when it came to Sydney

He Coppernicus finally answered seeming to think very deeply about the question He seemed driven focused He also was visibly shaken when I mentioned your name Do you two

Even Vandal perked up at that although the kid did his best to hide it Everyone immediately underneath Sydney had a small crush on her no matter how deeply they suppressed it or denied it It wasn’t her looks either although she was clearly beautiful made more so by the System

No if Drake had to put it into a word to it Sydney was

Fate Sydney said in a whisper while her voice seemed so broken so tired Insists on pushing us together Before the System before everything we knew each other He’s my first memory

Drake blinked The word would have been insatiable Sydney always seemed to have a furious disregard for what everyone else thought almost purposefully rejecting the status quo in order to pursue her own goals But now as she talked about this man with only a sentence he seemed to unravel that

In Drake’s heart something hardened

Anyways what do we know about the Raid Dungeon Sydney said snapping her focus back instantly that intensity returned to her gaze

Very little that wasn’t included in the notification Star Crossing is scrambling and the Ghosthound’s party is traveling rather slowly back to the village Drake reported Our sources will likely know more when they meet with the Executive Board there Assuming they begin to gather a party to clear the Raid Dungeon should we

Do nothing for now Sydney said flexing her hand and creating a goblet of ice She grabbed a bottle snapped off the top and poured herself a glass The red liquid looked eerily like blood even though Drake knew intellectually that the crimson liquid was just wine After swirling it and sipping it Sydney continued He will come here on his own

Looking for a fight Vandal muttered clenching his fist but Coppernicus spoke louder

How do you know he will come The Skeleton man asked folding his arms

because Sydney said the wariness back That’s how fate works

The group continued its steady trek back to Star Crossing Most everyone rode Neveah or at least those from Donnyton while Simon was on the back of his Soul Bound companion watching the Ghosthound who was sitting with his eyes closed His attention seemed a million miles from here which made Simon nervous

Because his attention had just been well a lot of miles from here and what he had found had made Simon extremely nervous And he had been looking for an opportunity to talk to the Ghosthound

His emotions over the past two weeks had been hot and high but after seeing that final fight against the Skeleton Knight Simon felt some of his stubbornness crumble away just leaving him feeling foolish Sure being lied to sucked but why did he really take it so harshly

Simon knew the answer to that Because he had been so desperate for the very thing he thought was invalidated by the lie that he had force all of his own insecurities about never having a friend on someone else He had blamed it all on David on the Ghosthound Which wasn’t fair

David was just a name They they were still friends right Nothing had really changed right

Well except the two weeks of Simon avoiding any contact Which some might see as a reason to stop being friends but the Ghosthound had seemed regretful and somewhat guilty about the lie right So he would definitely understand

Back and forth his thoughts went chasing himself around in a circle of doubt Such a thick cloud of doubt that he didn’t notice when his mount simply trotted up next to Neveah and threw Simon onto her back

He landed awkwardly next to the Ghosthound who cracked an eye to see who had approached Then the Ghosthound blinked the other eye focusing on him

Uh hi Simon said unable to think of anything else The Ghosthound nodded his expression carefully neutral although SImon could tell from the intensity of his gaze that his thoughts were shooting rapid fire behind his eyes

Um I don’t want to take up much of your time Simon said weakly dragging his foot across Neveah’s bone carapace But I had some things I wanted um we should talk

Sure The Ghosthound’s voice was the same as David’s deep and reassuring Abruptly Simon felt a tingle on his neck disappear one he hadn’t even noticed Then he realized that the tension had left the spine of a man slouched several meters behind Simon who had been focused entirely on his presence although he never spared him a glance The man returned to spinning his iconic dagger across his fingers the gemstone pommel flashing

The Killer of Donnyton Decklan

Simon began to sweat losing his nerve at talking But now the Ghosthound was staring so intently at him so

There’s nothing Simon blurted out unsure of what else to say The Ghosthound raised an eyebrow After that small encouragement Simon continued further Beyond the boundary of the Zone There’s nothing but darkness Like there is the barrier right That but my Astral form can go through it Beyond that like 30 meters of land and then a sharp cut off Like someone came down with a cake knife and just took a slice of land you know

A lot of expressions flitted across the Ghosthound’s face Curiosity wariness a flash of concern and then amusement took over He chuckled wryly just a giant alien cake knife That’s what the System is

Simon blushed But he knew somehow that there was a good natured kindness behind the joke Almost unconsciously some of that strange stiffness Simon had carried in his due to his anger melted away

You got over your inhibitions The Ghosthound asked casually

Simon nodded You you can say it My fear Yea I didn’t want to stray too far from my body but It just seemed so strange you know That I would be limited like that ANd I realized I’m not I can go anywhere After I saw the notification for the Raid Dungeon about being cut off though I wanted I wanted to see And we are big time

The only problem is we don’t know whether it was always that way or not The Ghosthound said frowning and looking down at Neveah while he rubbed his chin Simon felt a flash of guilt in his heart that he had taken so long to adventure out to the edges but even as he felt that he came to another realization

For all of the virtue and strength in the Ghosthound’s body more often than not there were careless moments like this where he said things without even thinking about them without worrying or stressing or considering what would happen when he said him The Ghosthound would probably never know how much that off hand comment struck at Simon’s insecurities But in the same way the Ghosthound would decisively act in a situation where Simon would fear the consequences

Not really because he couldn’t puzzle these moments out if he turned his rather formidable mind to them fueled by his high stats But because he was missing something that made him pause and consider before acting Because his first impulse was to do rather than to wait

Which in this world could be a great skill the headstart that someone needed in order to be the most powerful man in the Zone probably the whole world Or whatever was left of it anyways But it also numbed him to smaller things some more delicate and finer things

Decklan’s eyes lazily scanned over Simon and then he yawned and that was why they were so protective of him why the Ghosthound himself ran nothing He was support and guidance a man who could create miracles But his actual people skills were a bit

Simon didn’t know whether to laugh or cry The Ghosthound as David wasn’t just hiding himself and trying to be quiet but he was actually just a guy relishing in the fact that no one knew who or what he was And the only times he had spoken

To treat his horrible pain or to help Simon Those were the only moments where he was compelled to speak Simon released a long sigh which made the Ghosthound lookup

Oh don’t worry about it For now it’s actually a pretty small priority The Ghosthound said putting the pieces together to realize Simon might feel guilty attributing his sigh in an annoyingly incorrect way at this point The System probably does this on purpose and the way the world is rebuilt is dependent on who makes it passed this stage Or at least I think

The Ghosthound fell silent his attention once more inward

Which was not what Simon wanted Before this moment could pass he blurted out I’m sorry

What The Ghosthound blinked

I’m I’m just sorry For how hard how dumb I was for the last few weeks Simon said weakly I shouldn’t have been like that

The Ghosthound’s bright emerald eyes pierced through every fiber of Simon in that moment a furrowed intense gaze that was like nothing he had ever seen before This was the Ghosthound that appeared on the battlefield the man that could duel a Champion and win The man who had almost died and perhaps would have if not for Simon’s intervention and healing

It was a good feeling

The Ghosthound laughed his face splitting in a grin No worries I’m just glad we are back

In that moment Simon realized the other reason this man was so strong In that moment in that pronouncement there was no hesitation It was all pure and genuine appreciation And to be near that and to feel that again

Well Simon was willing to do a lot

Chapter 350

Randidly looked around rather bemused

Although the Executive Board of Star Crossing insisted they meet here he couldn’t for the life of him figure out why They were meeting in what appeared to be i e had the sign out front an old Bob Evans building Sure they had done away with the dumb employee dress but it was still the same squat building the same interior the same smells

What was new was the guards at the door and the very professional and attractive waitstaff who smiled flirtatiously at Randidly’s group as they arrived Simon seemed profoundly nervous by the attention but since his talk with Randidly he seemed to have calmed down a lot Thea glowered at the men who dared flash her eyes unsure of what to do with the attention It almost made Randidly chuckle

Decklan who stuck to Randidly’s back like a shadow since they were reunited although they never really spoke about why appeared bored Dozer opted to stay back and check in with his squad who had grown a lot as a unit due to the exposure to the skeletons and Clarissa thought the whole thing sounded dumb So the four of them would be the representatives on this rather political call

Randidly would have preferred to skip this step but everyone had received the notification about the Raid Dungeon and people were panicking The prospect of having one month left to live for the very energy to be sucked out of the air that was a new mysterious threat And considering how suddenly the System descended The people had learned to fear the unknown

So the political niceties were necessary If the heads of the Villages were willing to assure their populations that everything was okay there would be that much less chance that someone would desperately run to the Raid Dungeon aiming to clear it and end up annihilated by the rips in the world

Sitting Randidly felt profoundly foolish being in the Bob Evans at a large mahogany table sitting across from three individuals with their hands folded in front of them An large African American man who reminded Randidly annoyingly of the cop from Turtletown gazed meaningful at him Next to him and overweight and balding man was slowly buttering a piece of bread his eyes remaining on his work at hand

The final member of the Executive Board a thin Asian woman was frozen gazing not at Randidly but at the man next to him Simon

mom Simon whispered and suddenly the woman was moving climbing up over the table with an animal grace and leaping across the distance between them arriving before Simon and wrapping him up with her arms squeezing the boy so tightly that her hands were white

Oh god Simon Simon It was You were Oh god if something had happened to you I didn’t know oh baby you’re safe now There was sobs in her voice deep chasms of realizations and emotions and relief as the small woman pressed herself against Simon Although Simon was still growing he was now a bit taller than the woman and while this was happening he just stood there eyes wide trembling his hands unable to figure out what they should be doing

Randidly stayed still letting these two have their moment To be sure it was time spent that would not move him towards any actual goals but Randidly knew that moments like this is the reason that he sought out strength He did not necessarily want to be strong after all He simply needed the strength to protect these moments from the control and suffocation of the System

A sharp flash of anger ignited in his chest and Randidly’s hands clenched into fists

Other mom Does that mean mom Simon said finally finding his hands gripping the woman’s shoulders

But she just looked up tears in her eyes and slowly shook her head

Maybe maybe like me she’s Simon began his trembling growing worse but the woman continued to shake her head

no Simon I’m sorry Darcy Darcy is dead I saw it myself In that moment her voice silenced all talk in the Bob Evans even though the space was rather big Because in that moment her voice carried the weight of the darkness of the System of a pain that they all shared Everyone had watched another die everyone was filled with a huge weight of regret over that which they cannot control

The weight they felt in that moment that they had been reminded how weak they were

Perhaps that was just as true before the System as after but the System had ripped away the veneer of civility and showed the monster that was hiding under the guise of fate and destiny The endless hunger the vicious instincts the deadly finality that constructed our world And this was the wagon that Randidly was resolving himself to hitch himself to with a Class

There was darkness and there was light That was the way it was

Absorb Class dark Know darkness know hope Neveah whispered and Randidly smiled But that was for later to internalize For now

Simon and the woman whose name was Denise went off to the side and began to talk softly to each other constantly touching the other The overweight man looked up from his bread and coughed

Ahem well let’s give them some privacy and get this started I’m Cale Tass Mr Ghosthound It’s a pleasure to finally meet you

This was a man that Randidly instantly knew that he would not like There was a sleaziness to him a pragmatic dishonesty to the way he smiled Randidly shifted his attention to the other man

Andre The man grunted Really though I’m sure you know what we want to talk about The Raid Dungeon

Randidly nodded slowly eyeing Andre This man was much more direct and also much less dangerous because of it Or perhaps more so but in ways Randidly didn’t fear But of course this was also the man that would make Randidly’s job that much easier if he would allow them to handle the Raid Dungeon But as Randidly opened his mouth to answer Cale interrupted

Andre let’s at least eat first Plus Denise has taken a little flight of fancy we should at least wait for her to return

Andre gave Cale a long look Then he nodded As if on cue several waiters and waitresses streamed forward It gave Randidly a slightly sticky feeling an awkward feeling He enjoyed cooking for himself and letting these people wait on them was a bit

What made things even more uncomfortable for Randidly was that the waitress was a beautiful woman who bore a startling resemblance to Helen But when that woman introduced herself with a bright fake smile as Candy

Well Randidly wanted to burst out laughing imagining the pure revulsion and anger that Helen would feel to find herself with such a doppelganger that was so fake and superficial Sure this was a beautiful woman one that was no doubt carefully selected for him which was slightly disturbing And from the gaze of Cale he did not have to look far for the culprit But no comparing this woman to the substance and fire of Helen

She was just flat But she was very pleased that Randidly was so amused by her and quickly chatted up a storm about her life how much she enjoyed being here how much an honor it was to meet him

Which only made Randidly laugh harder feeling how ridiculous this situation was imagining how strange a coincidence it was that these two similar looking women grew up so different Maybe it was there world but maybe it was also something more an inherent treasure animating a truly ideal woman

You miss Neveah thought with amusement Randidly’s mouth twisted in a wry smile Today was just a day for frivolous thoughts he supposed

Frivolous fun

But Candy and Cale seemed very pleased at his good cheer and she began to hesitantly reach to touch his shoulders as she took his order But the woman’s wrist was snatched out of the air before she could make contact

He thinks you are amusing in the same way one would view a clown Decklan drawled his eyes sharp his smile jagged Candy opened her mouth then faltered glancing at Randidly who only chuckled saying nothing Although he felt somewhat bad encouraging her would not be a smart idea at this point

Although Randidly wanted to be kind to people it would be even more of a hassle if he had to deal with their continued attempts So he felt a certain thankfulness towards Decklan but also a wariness What just happened displayed a surprisingly insightful action on Decklan’s part Randidly had been read like a book and he did not enjoy the feeling

More than that though it made him experience a strange tickle of warning on the back of his neck Which in a queer way relaxed Randidly An enemy aiming to kill him at least was something that Randidly could understand he had dealt with many of those But something in his heart warned him that this was more complicated than that Decklan was not just trying to hurt him in order to absorb a portion of his stats

Although that might certainly be a temptation

The meal was honestly quite good More so than Randidly had expected He had considered himself something of a fine cook but up tasting the food here he realized that he was only a middling cook if one that had access to a level of base ingredients and spices a level higher than most people had access to

It was just Bob Evans cuisine so

Candy and the other waiters pulled back as if on cue and Andre leaned folded his hands clasped together

So about the Raid Dungeon Please assuage my worries Mr Ghosthound

Chapter 351

Thea didn’t know what sort of face she should be making for Simon as they said their goodbyes

I mean I would go but Other Denise just thinks since we found each other there’s no reason to tempt fate by going out in the world Yea the journey is just to Donnyton but she was explaining about Raid Bosses and how they are known to congregate around Donnyton and Franksburg Simon said to her his tone clearly indicating his lukewarm belief in the subject matter

But still he looked at the ground his eyes red Thea sighed inwardly She knew of Simon’s fear Out of them all he was probably the one with the weakest nerve The violence of the System left the deepest scars on Simon Their fights so far had allowed him to stay at the back but the violence in that final clash appeared to have come just a little too close to his physical body

Or at least that was what Thea assumed Simon seemed to be going along with his mother’s arguments too easily But she supposed that it was his mother

Thea blanked for a second remembering the death of her parents before a nudge of Chrysanthemum’s snout woke her up Absently she reached over and rubbed her companion’s head to show her appreciation and turned back to face Simon’s words

do you think he’s mad at me He just grunted and nodded when I told him I wouldn’t be coming We had a little talk so I think it’s fine but Simon glanced over towards Randidly

Randidly’ It was weird calling him that Thea reflected turning to gaze at the man called the Ghosthound Mostly because the name was so fucking ridiculous especially when paired with something like Ghosthound She had thought that it was a moniker they had come up with for him but everyone she talked to even the burly and brusque men from Dozer’s squad insisted that was his real name

Those were men that Thea had a barely concealed admiration for the toughest hardiest most stoic in the face of danger sort of people she had ever met Dozer was not an easy leader to follow and they did so without complaint Her eyes slid from the Ghosthound to the Squad as they expertly packed up camp and prepared to leave while Dozer and Decklan talked to Randidly

They seemed so far away It almost didn’t seem real to Thea that she would be accompanying them to Donnyton Which in her mind was also a place of legends The birth of the human resistance The city which had Squads throughout the entire Zone apparently hunting and patrolling for Raid Bosses A city where she could use her Stone of Fate and take a step forward

But the direction she wanted to step in

Thea snapped back again realizing that Simon was waiting for an answer Slightly annoyed by his pouty look Thea said Honestly Simon he probably doesn’t feel much Maybe he’s a bit sad you won’t be coming but they are all focused in on the Raid Dungeon He’s probably working on preparing for that constantly Instead of trying to distract him maybe help

Simon opened his mouth looked hurt then rethought that and closed it Then he walked away muttering to himself

Well didn’t matter to Thea Shrugging she walked over to the group A few guards from Star Crossing were there as well to make the trip and several merchants who would be joining them After Randidly Dozer and Decklan noticed her arrival with Chrysanthemum they gestured sharply and the whole group walked towards the South side of the Village

Rather than a portal this was more truly a teleportation rune that could transport everyone and thing in an area between the two runes However there was a high contribution point cost associated with it so it wasn’t feasible quite yet for most people to use it However for those people interested in joining them in the instant travel down to Donnyton there was plenty of room for them to join on the rune without crowding

Five other Squads lead by the infamous duo of Kayle and Paolo strolled over to join the increasingly large caravan that was shifting supplies and carts onto the rune It was a lowered circular area crisscrossed with dim black metal bands As she stepped onto it Thea tapped one with her foot but no noise was produced

Scratching her head she bent closer

Better not touch Strong magic System magic A grunt sounded from behind her and Thea did her best not to fall forward and then turned to face the speaker It was Egger the man who was Dozer’s second in the Squad He was a mid 30s man who was balding enough to not be able to grow hair but grew enough hair for his unshaven beard to merge cleanly with the scattering of hairs on his head giving his head a strange appearance

Oh yea sure Thea said quickly her heart beating rapidly looking away from the man Although he wasn’t attractive at all and didn’t seem to give her more than the same matter of fact glance that he gave everything else there was something oddly compelling about him

Thea guessed that it was the strange certainty he had in his voice Just the way he became after commanding the Squad behind Dozer for several months She wondered whether she would ever sound like that if she would get her own Squad Did Donnyton let foreign Classers get Squads She should ask

Um Thea began but she was interrupted by Egger who was scanning Chrysanthemum

The beast strong

There was a sharp pang of annoyance in Thea’s heart at that but she stuffed it down He didn’t mean anything by it this was just a man who had fought at the front lines against monsters for most of his time It made sense that it would make him rather insensitive as to a Soul Bonded creature she she’s female And yes she is

Grunting Egger turned and walked away Thea opened her mouth to call out to him and ask him something but nothing came out What would she even say anyways Although they had monsters in common beyond that

Thea looked around for Randidly Of them all at least he would talk with her explain some things But he was guiding Neveah who seemed to have grown further and was having difficulty moving without using her Earth Magic which would of course damage the portal

Turning Thea figured she could go talk with a merchant she knew or something but found a figure there behind her watching her closely The man had his reddish brown hair up in a ponytail His face was sharp like a hatchet with a large thin nose A dagger danced across his fingers the pommel seeming to flash with color The Killer of Donnyton Decklan

Decklan yes Thea asked slowly looking around as covertly as she could No one was especially near her Why had this man come here

Not that she feared that he would attack her randomly They were on the same side But it was just strange She felt like a bunch of people were coming out of the woodwork to talk with her and she had no idea why Well sometimes talk Decklan appeared content to nod and continue to study her

You know Decklan began his eyes glittering catching the light of the metal bars underneath them as they activated If you continue to follow the Ghosthound you will at some point be forced to forsake everything else That’s his path Is your resolve enough I wonder

The world flashed white and Thea felt her stomach lurch as the very world shifted around her even as her body tried to remain still Strange forces grabbed at her pulling while others wound themselves around her pressing her more firmly down to the ground keeping her from being ripped to pieces by the conflict between them Her vision was completely nonexistent due to the light but it strangely swam distorted by waves of force

Then she was still and blinked slightly bewildered Birds chirped around her and there was the persistent sound of hammers and beaten metal There was a thump

As her eyes adjusted Thea looked around Decklan was gone In front of them there was a series of wall less warehouses where dozens of men moved weapons and bars of metal sparing the new arrivals a glance before they returned to their hurried labor

A weathered looking man with sharp eyes and close cropped grey hair walked over to the group from the warehouse His wiry chest was bare and his skin somehow caught the sun glowing a soft golden color Thea blinked

No his skin wasn’t catching the light the man was literally emitting a dim glow Just standing in the sun

Ghosthound The man asked his tone clipped

Dozer glanced around then shrugged Here but apparently already gone elsewhere

The man snorted and turned to regard the carts that were brought here His loss His gift will have to wait Those of you who don’t really know this is Donnyton’s Industrial District Welcome

Chapter 352

After the world shifted the first thing that Randidly became aware of was a thin constant buzz in the air The shock of light made it difficult for his eyes to adjust but a high Perception and Vitality quickly overcame that A scan around informed him that the portal location was made next to Sam’s old workshop which had been further upgraded in his absence

Indeed Randidly’s quick glance showed that the whole area had gone through huge changes moving towards a strange psuedo industrialization Still the air was thick with ambient Aether which acted like a smoke screen of sorts keeping the vision of those around him and outside of the teleportal formation too obscured and just a little bit foggy

So Randidly had time to slip away which he was all in favor of Sure meeting the people here in Donnyton was important for dozens of reasons but they could all wait a bit and there was some Aether experimentation items that Randidly believed he could accomplish on his own Honestly the only thing that he needed to be present for was Thea using the Stone of Fate but

Randidly froze finally laying his eyes on the source of the buzzing noise

Hunched over Donnyton floating in the air like the pallor of a sick man was a huge swirling construct of Aether Instantly when seeing it it was clear that this was not a common thing for the System but a strange dangerous apparatus erected by Randidly’s most hated enemy the Creature

What it was there for and how it was created were on the back burner but Randidly knew that this was a rare chance to both investigate the habits and thoughts of the Creature while it was to the North in the Raid Dungeon and also increase the proficiency in his Aether Skills

The Aether formations were most dense at the center where they spread slowly out in a strange circle of overlapping spinning spheres There was a spine of sorts to the apparatus but it extended upwards into the sky seeming to cause the thing to hang from the clouds From the outer edges of the spheres a thick Aether composed mist spun lazily and long thin cords of Aether stretched downward draping over the town

They looked eerily like tentacles falling down and touching the people of Donnyton It made Randidly shiver with fear What what the fuck is this What was the Creature doing to his town

Fury flooded his body eating away at any hesitation and Randidly leapt directly into the air heading for this grotesque frankenstein of Aether He headed towards the thin tentacles which resolved themselves into very tightly woven dense Aether runes These tentacles were definitely more complicated than simple drapery There was a purpose here But scan them as he might Randidly couldn’t make even the slightest dent into the dense artistry of them

He could only slowly pull himself up towards the thing above him intently staring at his goal even while Lucretia was taking furious notes trying to study every facet of what he held

It was huge almost as big as Donnyton was and when he pulled himself into it Randidly felt the world shift from pure Aether and he found himself in what appeared to be a stone castle The switch was a harsh one swimming in that Aether mist grabbing onto thin lines of Aether stepping into an opening to this

As Randidly looked wide eyed his Skills activating he could still see the underlying Aether but the way it was arranged tricked his normal senses into believing in the castle There were walls torches hallways doorways He could see every grain of the wooden trim around the window where he had just entered the area

Even his bare feet pressed against the cold stone couldn’t find a flaw in the illusion

That was slightly disturbing Which meant that without this Skill he couldn’t have been able to tell in the past had he been in something constructed out of Aether

Which made Randidly freeze because he realized it was entirely possible that he was currently in something completely composed of Aether at a more fundamental level but he wasn’t able to tell due to his low Skill Level All in all it just made him more wary of the Creature This was an old thing something that had enough experience to know all the true uses of Aether It was not just fuel for Skills

It could be used as the fabric of a world

Still this might be his only chance to move against the Creature without repercussion while it was distracted to the North Even though there was only a small chance that it was truly distracted Randidly had to take it He couldn’t keep letting it dictate his decisions And the best way to fight that was to eliminate the information disparity between them

Slowly Randidly explored this castle finding potions weapons floating sigils large chambers with huge constructs of clockwork portals

Every elaborate doorway and nuanced detail on the upholstery spoke of a being far above Randidly’s level Even Lucretia was nonplussed at what they found and Neveah whose physical body was far away couldn’t really make heads or tails of it from afar It was layered Aether where each layer was a order of magnitude higher than Randidly could understand

And the layers interacted with each other playing off of one another giving life to the illusion that Randidly found himself so disturbed by

Eventually though Randidly found the door he wanted Reaching for the iron ring his hand trembled his eyes scanning the worn metal which had clearly been used often probably by the Creature Which added a whole dimension of confusion because Randidly couldn’t figure out why it would use this strange manifestation of Aether rather than interacting with the Aether directly But then the trembling stopped and Randidly moved his hand forward and opened the door

In the room there was a wide pool of water a dirty floor around it and stone steps leading up in every direction from the water to the walls She was lying there on the ground almost draped across the stone steps light from the bumbling pool of water swimming across her her eyes half closed But the lashes fluttered when he opened the door and she sat up her blonde hair almost to her mid back now shifted to cover her face

Her mouth the only part of her visible twisted in irritation and she brushed the hair out of her face She managed this with surprising grace despite the fact her hands were bound together with iron loops Her hair seemed to settle perfectly after that half revealing her sharp but decidedly feminine features Her smile was soft and tragic

Took you long enough Lyra said her violet blue eyes glittering in the darkness

I’m not very good at being a hero Randidly said his mouth twitching in a grin all of the happy banter flooding back to him all of the heated moments and pointless fights Their conflicts were brief and bright and they brought him a certain something that he relied on even now A certain perspective perhaps that kept him balanced

But really Randidly said his face twisting further into a self deprecating grin as his eyes used his Aether Detection to scan the strange cell I’m a much better hero than you are a damsel

Lyra grinned waggling her fingers at him and the runes on the iron loops darkened and then the metal fell to pieces her hands instantly free I’m an actor Doggy I play my roles Just because I can manage to do a little more with my screen time doesn’t mean I can ignore the director

You never struck me as the type that took instruction Randidly said shaking his head and stepping slowly down the steps towards her She was small almost smaller than he remembered and she simply sat and watched as he approached

What I don’t accept is baseless criticism Lyra said dryly holding up her hand Her skin was just above bone white settling on a soft ivory color Twisting his mouth Randidly stretched out his hand and grabbed hers It was likely just the time she had spent kept here but the skin coloring did not leave him with a good taste in his mouth But Randidly supposed that was just another sin to lay at the Creature’s feet

His hand for sure was larger than hers and calloused from two years holding a spear for every second Although he had originally been almost as pale as she had been those same two years had been spent outdoors Now it seemed that his Vitality prevented any sunburns but he had definitely tanned to settle on a warm bronze

She was as light and as beautiful as a white lily as he helped her stand Randidly knew that she was taking most of the weight on her own but still he appreciated that she had let him help her up After all he had spent quite a lot of time not helping her even after he had learned from the Patron of Ash’s test that she was in danger

Sure she was in another world at the time and when he finally arrived here he was injured but still there was a heavy guilt in his chest and that small action eased it somewhat

I’ve learned a lot of things stuck here staring into the water Lyra said abruptly turning to face him raising her gaze to lock with his own He could almost feel his own Emerald energy mixing with her Violet sizzling as they met Do you know what yours is Doggy

His mouth quirking at the annoying nickname Randidly said to rescue you

Lyra gave him a scathing look Truthfully I am aiming for the female lead in this great farce but no think bigger What is your archetype What role do you play

Uh Randidly floundered for a moment In his mind he was clearly an important character practically the main character but that was just from his perspective wasn’t it Saying he was the hero would probably come across as a bit arrogant But when she said archetype that made him think he couldn’t just be a side character

Or was that just his vanity talking

An anti hero Randidly finally said scratching his chin

Snorting Lyra turned away from him and walked to the pool Still too small Because we aren’t characters you and I No we are forces of nature You Doggy are the Inciting Action You always have been You have started something much much bigger than you The question is what happens to an Inciting Action in a play after it has served its purpose

She didn’t wait for Randidly to answer but instead turned back to him her eyes blazing You have shifted the System subverted its patterns and now it’s spinning out of control going further and further from its original purpose And at some point it will go so far that it will break Why this is important is almost irrelevant for our purposes although there is the very real worry that our world will become the setting for this greater plot No

Her hands glowing in the dimly lit room flowed forward and touched his face gently testing the feel of his skin running over his bone structure

What I want to know is what happens if the Inciting Action never stops inciting

There was silence between them But it was not a normal silence It was a silence that reminded Randidly of the strange force he had felt when he gave Lucretia the three gifts There was a thread of Karma within this question a hint at something more They were moving between other forces much larger than them but now Randidly had room to breathe

Room to answer

Then I guess Randidly said slowly that action would eventually change the ending

Lyra smiled

Chapter 353

Randidly just looked at Lyra’s smile for several long seconds The expression was just as beautiful as he remembered it and for a moment his heart trembled But then it was gone replaced on her face by something else something older deeper and more tired Now I have a question Randidly and this one is ad libbed Do you trust me

For a second Randidly started due to the strange resemblance to the Creature’s aura but there was just a solemn teenage girl looking at him That was it Or what used to be a teenage girl before

Still this was a girl who had been held captive by a hyper powerful and intelligent alien monster She was not without scars from her time here Even her personality was likely warped by the presence of the System

Lyra must be 17 probably partially on her way to 18 by now and her face had shifted towards becoming the woman she would eventually be Although he had seen the growing changes with the Creature’s imitation it wasn’t animated in the same perfect was as Lyra was

More than that though the Creature looked to have been in the peak of health whereas Lyra now

As his eyes focused more on the details a new picture of Lyra emerged Her cheeks were bony and dry Her lips were thin and white The bags under her eyes looked like a bruised plum More than that though her eyes were piercing and focused while the body around them was slowly sagging away She was still lovely of course but Randidly was reminded of Coppernicus the Skeleton Man in the way the body seemed to fail but the spirit only burn brighter

His smile fell away too because the fact that she had actually used his name meant something He wasn’t sure what but the moments of banter had passed they were back to their roles of hero and damsel An ad libbed line Randidly couldn’t see through what he wanted so he just answered honestly

She smiled at him your lack of hesitation almost makes up for the time I watched you fuck another woman Alright here take this Read me the three Err the three mmrr

Lyra could only bite her lip and frown and dissolved into silence and small groans It was only after almost two minutes that something clicked in Randidly’s head This reminded him of when she had struggled on the bindings of the System that prevented her from sharing some of her knowledge too early Very quickly Randidly stepped forward and took the indicated piece of metal which had made up part of her bindings On it scratched carefully into the metal of the thing there were three numbers and after each

Randidly furrowed his brow After each was a question He glanced at Lyra who was still breathing heavily but she managed to nod her eyes so bright

what will happen if I attempt to absorb this construct Randidly said slowly reading the words directly from the page Lyra’s face instantly contorted

A low rumble ran through the Aether construct Gritting her teeth Lyra spoke Currently it’s impossible It’s been tied to the air here Unless you deal enough damage to shatter it it will resist your attempts But if you did manage to absorb it there should be No side effects It’s brand of Aether is different than yours but so so so is the ss the System’s and you have incorporated that without any detrimental abnormalities so

Detrimental abnormalities was certainly a phrase that Randidly would have liked to revisit a bit but the expression on Lyra’s face made him grit his teeth and ignore it She wouldn’t lie to him but those abnormalities sounded like future problems

Then his lips twisted Compared to Lucretia’s presence how detrimental could abnormalities of Aether really be anyway

I heard that ’ Lucretia whispered but she seemed amused That was what annoyed Randidly most how well she took the fact he very uncomfortable with her presence But for now that was another issue that he was forced to ignore as his full attention was on Lyra and the surrounding space

By the end of the question the whole construct was buzzing and as Randidly looked around he opened his senses once more and saw that huge currents of Aether were pressing down towards their location As he followed its flow he saw that it surged inwards flooding the halls heading directly for for Lyra and surrounding her spinning and pressing

It was the System attempting to stop her from speaking

But Randidly’s eyes were grabbed by something else Lyra’s body While he had his Aether Detection vision open her whole body glowed and pulsed Where as most flows of Aether were direct and sharp with varying depth to add meaning to it the flows that ran through Lyra’s body were wide and shallow like a swamp

The swirls were strange and unpredictable and beautiful like an oncoming hurricane in slow deadly motion More than anything else it looked like in her body Aether was forced to combine with the substance of a physical form slowly warping it Perhaps so much so that even Randidly was shocked

He had dealt with Aether but that concentration that force that chaos in her body how could she endure it

No matter how high her stats were if she were in a human body the damage that would inflict perhaps it was only due to the shape shifting body she inherited that she was able to withstand the strange fusion that had occured That was occuring before his very eyes

Because as he watched Randidly could suddenly see how there was a light shallower shape of Aether drawn in Lyra’s body unfilled in some strange twisting drunken pattern But Aether didn’t flow towards those areas Unless there was pressure

Now as the System squeezed downward there were cracks in the current pattern and it began to expand towards the desired one

This girl is a genius ’ Lucretia whispered quickly making notes of the patterns in Lyra’s body But the foreign voice brought him back to himself Lyra was making use of the pain yes but it was still painful So painful that she was sobbing silently looking at him with her burning eyes insistent and furious

The questions

Randidly glanced down at him Lyra knew him and he trusted her What was she doing That was probably the goal the first question then To inform him of his role She was attempting to dislodge the giant apparatus here so he could absorb it

And the second question after reading it Randidly frowned Not any help in what she meant for him to do but perhaps

The final question even more general seemingly even more useless But strangely focused enough that Randidly was sure the System would act moving to stop Lyra from speaking and would accomplish their goals So then it was the first two questions that were important because in all likelihood the System wouldn’t let her answer the third one

Slowly Randidly said Why is the Creature trying so hard to use me

She Fears The System seeks her Wants her power Lyra could barely speak and the words were a breath of a dying child But Randidly grabbed them out of the air focusing on the information The Creature was afraid The System was looking for her actively it seemed That’s why she was so desperate why she continued to push him Although how she intended to truly use him was a bit

The stones of the fake castle around him were withering and transforming being warped by the effect of the pressing forces of Aether It really seemed like the System was angered by that question Which was slightly peculiar because if it was aware of the subject matter to censor it and the System was really seeking the Creature wouldn’t it be able to find her

And perhaps she would be content in sitting in a Raid Dungeon forgotten by the System if the Zone around it died

All of these questions spiraled together in Randidly’s mind Lyra’s earlier talk of inciting action then the abrupt switch to these questions What was the point of the earlier talk then If the first question was aimed to give him a concrete goal then perhaps that earlier talk was general safe information she could give him for a broader goal

To change the ending she had hinted But the ending of what Was it simply enough to continue to incite

The present demanded Randidly’s attention and he returned to it At least the answer to the second question did make the third question make more sense although not enough What would the System do with that power

The System Lyra began her breath more Aether than air at this point but the Aether streams began to howl and seethe A huge force pressed down The Aether construct cracked and shattered around them muffling most of the force btu even Randidly was smashed backwards

Lyra’s body was flung away as the forces rushed towards her pressing inwards and as Randidly recovered he found himself floating mid air slowly beginning to fall huge chunks of Aether around him He wasn’t sure what they would do when they dropped on Donnyton below but

Gritting his teeth Randidly hoped Lyra knew what she was doing and reached outward with his Aether Manipulation clumsily seizing the huge chunks of Aether that were falling around him They began to slowly drift towards him but it wasn’t enough

Randidly growled Inspiration

For the first time Randidly was paying attention to what was going on with his Aether senses so he could feel how the part of his soul that seemed to control and generate mana modulated by the System almost exploded and a flood of a strange ethereal substance streamed out moving towards the Aether Manipulation Skill

It itself wasn’t Aether but it flooded into the Skill and the Skill swelled growing larger and larger Randidly’s eyes burned and this time he didn’t reach he pulled the entire sky towards him creating a howling maelstrom of ambient Aether and the remnants of the Creature’s construct absorbing them all

Everything was happening so fast so only Randidly’s battle reactions were kicking in driving him forward ignoring the why for his actions though he would probably want to dwell on him later No for now he just defaulted to that first question

He trusted Lyra Although they had probably only had one or two minutes of interaction before she shifted forcing them towards this that he knew for sure He trusted her

So he was the Inciting Action eh He would need to look into that

When he crashed to the ground his vision was flickering in and out because in his chest those strange huge chunks of Aether were inside of him fizzing and spitting as the Aether from his Aether Crossroads rejected it It certainly was different a different feel something alien and calculating and twisting and endless

Neveah acted creating a bubble and area of no man’s land around the new Aether where they could slowly mix rather then pressing against each other so violently The fizzing stopped the pain departed A problem not solved but addressed And now Randidly could turn his attention to other things What the fuck had just happened Where did Lyra go

But before that Randidly looked around He had landed in a farm cratoring the entire thing He scratched his head awkwardly Good thing he had a lot of clout around town

Chapter 354

Randidly wandered North from where he had landed struck by the strange feeling that he knew this area this farm There was no one around which was slightly strange but he supposed there had been some very physical repercussions to him dislodging the giant Aether construct that had hovered above the Village and people had noticed

Perhaps they had evacuated somewhere Fleeing from the fallout zone

There were the sounds of birds in the air but no people No talking no work no toil no monsters just birds Chipmunks squirrels Randidly’s sharpened senses picked out the sound of a deer moving through the treeline around him

Then he arrived at it and it all came flooding back The small cabin that Randidly had claimed for himself all those years ago at the thin edge of the valley where Donnyton sat It was immaculately preserved the small field where he had began farming still sitting there a line of corn springing up

Of course the big field that Randidly had expanded to He looked behind him and sighed surveying the crater Well hopefully it is no longer really in use and no one will mind his landing But someone had to be here maintaining it

A problem for another time Randidly turned his attention to the small path that lead away from his old area deeper into the trees Silently almost against his will he found his feet moving carrying him deeper Perhaps it was ironic that this would be the first location that he would go after returning cementing his status as someone who cared little about people but Randidly didn’t mind so much

Besides Randidly could feel the subtle pull of them on his heart his plants and since they had joined together with his Soul Skill he had precious little information on what was going on with them

As Randidly approached the first bend in the path be paused Because instead of just a normal bend in the old trail there was something else A stark shift in the landscape that was very different than Randidly remembered

There was a sharp line at that bend where the trees turned barren and instead of leaves the tops of trees were covered with thin grey silk And the silk stretched from one tree to the other covering it enveloping the canopy making the forest a thick grey cotton candy

At the shift Randidly stopped gazing slowly left and right his senses extending outwards Strangely the silk was only opened at this point in the path making a doorway simply due to its lack of draping fibers Around in either direction the silk extended along the trees which acted as pillars making this outdoor area resemble a crypt more than a forest

Randidly took a step forward something slow and angry rising in his heart

Surely Donnyton hadn’t fallen so much in its clash with the Skeleton Knight that it would allow a monster infestation so close to the Village And also upon the grove of Arbor

But no other explanation seemed easy Could Arbor itself have caused this That seemed incredibly unlikely Arbor was a tree with flaming leaves It just didn’t make sense for what seemed to be a vastamount of spiders to hang around a flaming tree Unless it was being used for some nefarious purpose syphoning energy

Wouldn’t he feel that however

Moving through the strange silk ceiling’d forest was profoundly disturbing even for Randidly Although he could probably use Circle of Flame and wipe away most of it he didn’t for now Just on the off chance that this strange place was actually supposed to be here Perhaps partially also he left it alone because the surrounding area was so free and filled with normal life

This sudden aberration couldn’t be too dangerous if a deer was meandering around nearby

It wasn’t totally silent in this area Randidly was surprised to find He could pick up tiny movements in the silk running to and fro and numerous ones of those Probably the spiders which appeared to be following his progress through the strange tunnel It amused and disturbed Randidly to imagine them all trying to attack him by mobbing him Amused because of their size disturbed because of their number

Breathing out a sigh of relief Randidly left the cool darkness of the silk forest and walked back into the light And basically was forced to eat his words

Because what he found struck him as a large open air cathedral And at its center now reaching almost 15 meters in height was Arbor practically squirming the excitement radiating off of it clear It even seemed to lean forward over the people who appeared to be performing some ritual at its base but then thought better of it perhaps realizing it was a tree and therefore stuck

Instead it settled on gesturing frantically for Randidly to approach

Honestly the sight was rather intimidating Not only had Arbor grown in height but also in width and his branches spread wide his bark still ashy in most places but in others there were flashes of gold showing through the cracked exterior Although the sun was above it was still the light from Arbor that seemed to dominate as hundreds of leaves burned twisting on his branches as it moved reaching for Randidly

This was the point that those partaking in the rituals perhaps 30 individuals arrayed in three rows realized that the tree above them was acting strange They seemed to confer and one individual towards the front seemed to step forward

Great Arbor are these initiates to our order Unacceptable

An air of tension immediately started emanating from the middle row of people Now that he was watching this small drama unfold Randidly took care to sneak forward and noticed that the middle row was in simple brown robes The back row had maroon robes with a golden leaf stamped on the chest and the front row had hoods up that were lined with embroidered golden leaves

Randidly almost groaned audibly Of course while he was away they would found a cult Which he supposed he deserved He had tasked that girl with caring for Arbor and he supposed that a cult was one way to do it he had just assumed that children would be easier and they would accept the sentient tree more easily

Has has that ever happened before An individual from the back row spoke up uncertainty and the man who had spoken first glared at him

No but the loyalty and belief of those that came before is unquestioned The man’s eyes scanned across the middle row scrutinizing them Then he noticed Randidly who was walking up albeit silently His eyes burned even more brightly

What An interloper Who let you through

The man in the third row who spoke earlier looked behind him at Randidly and then scratched his head well you called everyone up to watch the initiation So there were no guards

Well I The man seemed flummoxed then refocused on Randidly as a target who continued to advance further Sir I appreciate your reverence for the great Arbor but we are currently involved in a very sacred ritual Please depart Or you will be forcibly

Don’t be daft

A small figure who had been sitting at the base of the tree to this point stood and smacked the speaking man with a long gnarled pole The man seemed almost embarrassed as he rubbed the back of his head and stepped to the side Taking their cue from their outspoken pseudo leader everyone else stepped to the side too as Randidly approached creating a path forward

Standing in front of him wearing a cloak that appeared to be made entirely of red and gold leave stitched together Kiersty looked at him a cocky smile on her face She had aged quite a bit as far as Randidly could tell but he supposed that she was at the age where girls age very quickly She had shot up at least a 6 inches in the intervening time and her hair was longer hanging around her in beautiful curls

Randidly frowned Her hair had taken on a definite reddish tint that hadn’t been there in the past and the edges it seemed to glow somewhat Like her hair was made up the very burning leaves that hung above them now

As if punctuating this thought Arbor shook itself demanding Randidly’s attention practically preening as it twisted this way and that Randidly rolled his eyes and passed through the strange cult people barely sparing them a glance They on the other hand were goggling at him recognition dawning in some of their eyes while others just seemed intimidated that Kiersty had acted

You started a following Randidly asked Kiersty as he passed her

Her grin at him was wide but her voice was quiet so only he could hear it No you did I’ve just been tending it in your absence Welcome back Mr Ghosthound

Randidly stepped passed her mulling this information over carefully Well it wasn’t really new information He had done these things and he knew that Arbor would be a big help to Donnyton But at the time he just wanted his little baby plant to be happy The ways it could be useful were readily apparent So useful that perhaps something like this was necessary to prevent the forces that would like to abuse his power from driving him to depression But still

The branches came down for him surrounding Randidly and picking him up rubbing ash on him but Randidly didn’t mind The whole tree was vibrating and he could feel in that small vibration the purest form of joy Arbor might be a very intelligent plant but he was still a child

And his parent was finally home

Randidly smiled rubbing the bark I missed you too buddy

Chapter 355

After being rocked back and forth like a baby for about 10 minutes Arbor had calmed down enough to let him back on his feet Randidly brushed most of the ash off of him and turned to Kiersty who seemed content to just standby and watch the process The men and women in robes behind her were just watching wide eyed most of them aware of who he was now

There was something in their eyes Worship Randidly’s mentality had make great strides since the arrival of the System but this this was something new This was a strange form of pressure apart from responsibility that was cloying and sticky He shifted uncomfortably turning to Kiersty

So where did the spiders come from Randidly asked his eyes scanning the nearby treetops seeing the hundreds of thousands of tiny spiders that skittered around

Kiersty shrugged we don’t really know One day they just came out of Arbor and started making this area But he said they came from you and they could be controlled so we communicated with them to stay in a certain area

For the first time since Randidly arrived Kiersty frowned seemingly confused you don’t know what they are

Randidly opened his mouth then closed it Because he could suddenly feel Lucretia’s amusement and made the connection Arbor’s connection to his Soul Skill had let a life form similar to the Weavers from inside of him come out into the world

Now that Randidly knew what he was looking for he focused his vision feeling threads of Aether There was a thick rope going from himself to Arbor which flowed into the surrounding Aether But from Arbor there was also two smaller flows of Aether one of which to Randidly’s surprise went to Kiersty That had a lot of repercussions The strangest of which was that the number of people who were feeding off his Aether was growing

Not really at an alarming rate but still without his consent He passed it and then down the line it flowed from Arbor to Kiersty Also he wondered if any of the people he gave Aether to would pass that onto their children Perhaps not the men but the women If they were carried in the womb flooded with that Aether Would there be side effects on the birth

Randidly felt a headache coming on More questions for another time he supposed Instead he focused on the second stream of Aether which flowed into the canopy of of webs Randidly turned to Kiersty And there is

A matriarch Kiersty said smiling and nodding Then she shooed him away I’ve got to handle these things here after you have messed them all up I’ll come find you later

There was something extremely strange by being shooed away by an 8 year old but Arbor was already waving at him goodbye Feeling strangely rejected like a parent meeting their teenage child and quickly dismissed Randidly walked back through the group trying his best to ignore the stares that he got

They muttered behind him but Randidly heard Kiersty take charge and he could then slip away into the treeline Apparently the matriarch felt his approach because the thousands of tiny spiders sprung to action rushing to the area in front of him and parting the curtain allowing to make a beeline directly for the location he sensed

Although they stayed somewhat back he could sense a curiosity from them like a child’s as they examined him It was a whole nother sort of examination than the one that Kiersty’s cultists gave him

But he supposed it made sense in a way As Lyra said he was the Inciting Action Based on what he had heard from her she meant more grandly but it applied more specifically

Randidly made a mental note to ask what Kiersty called her cult and proceeded deeper The ground was soft and wet beneath him probably due to the lack of sun but there were no more leaves falling so there wasn’t any real decaying matter on the ground It was all just soft loam between his toes

The matriarch was sitting on a stump her nondescript grey white armor glowing softly in the darkness Whereas most of the spiders here were the size of a quarter this one was about as big as a human hand It regarded him thoughtfully its eyes trained on him

For several seconds they stood there and then he felt something brush the edges of his mind A notification popped indicating that a monster attempted to form a non malicious mental communication line between them But there was a warning that this could change and the monster could use this to have a small advantage in mental attacks

That certainly made Randidly grit his teeth but he knew he wouldn’t get anywhere if he didn’t trust the other So Randidly accepted the mental communication It was hard for him to believe that the monster in front of him that only had a Lvl 19 hovering about its head would be able to deal any significant damage to him anyway

Welcome Progenitor The Matriarch said formally bending its front legs in an approximation of a bow We have long waited for you here near your prophet I am glad we were not misled

Randidly scratched his chin unsure of how to respond Finally he sent a thought message back to her couched in caution I am surprised you have managed to reach this place I didn’t imagine that traveling would be possible for your people Can any others

I suspect not The Matriarch said seemingly satisfied with the fact they had managed it We the Weavers are uniquely poised to understand certain things Our Mother’s gifts have flowed down towards us Of course we could not use your connection to move to your world because our world is you There is no bridge to cross we are already there with you all the time

On the other hand the Matriarch continued Your world tree is connected much more intimately as a brother adjacent That space let us slip through to seek you Unfortunately we those that came through lost much It is not possible for us to communicate with the Great Matriarch or to return

She trailed off and in that silence Randidly heard a question His mouth twisted I’ll look into it But I can make no promises This is something I didn’t expect to happen

The Matriarch nodded and through their connection Randidly could feel her hope settle into a calm certainly There was faith there he realized wide and deep and suddenly he could feel it all around him a little spark from each of the tiny spiders that were around him in the trees watching burning small on its own but together they were blinding hammering him with their force

Through an effort of will Randidly didn’t flinch but he knew that he would need a small reprieve from these expectations soon It was exhausting

Inciting Action they expect it to continue Lucretia whispered her humor becoming strangely morose as she floated away turning in on herself And Randidly reflected briefly on that too how his presence affected everyone around him But really everyone’s did His impact was perhaps just a little splashier Especially recently

Coughing slightly Randidly soldiered forward feeling awkward to bring it up even with monsters I suppose Kiersty has talked to you about behavior in this place

Yes and she possessed much less tact in her questions The Matriarch thought back But she also put us in contact with our mother who has us working with your people to create cloth We believe it will be a mutually beneficial arrangement Besides I believe the Holy Arbor benefits from being in a quiet location

Mother The Randidly slapped his forehead Mrs Hamilton Originally the Weavers were the race that spawned inside of him from Mrs Hamilton’s meaning that he absorbed Which meant that they were under her discretion which Randidly had absolute faith in It was even something of a relief and further made him feel slightly guilty for forgetting their connection to Mrs Hamilton and harboring doubts about them

Although he didn’t quite understand their methods and was slightly alarmed at their sheer numbers if they were truly the children of Mrs Hamilton they would be considered and good natured if absolutely pragmatic and without scruples But more importantly they were on his side

Randidly exchanged a few more pleasantries with the Matriarch then departed heading back towards town feeling strange The worship in the cultists eyes The faith from the spiders

Sighing Randidly wondered whether his life would ever be normal again He missed Lyra’s little quips already which reminded that he was a person to be made fun of too Unfortunately him straining his senses to the limit had been unable to locate her even when he used his Aether senses

And she had said to trust her

So for now he let it go Instead he focused on those four thick connections in his chest and adjusted his direction to head towards the nearest one Of all the people he wanted to meet the 4 he had given the Blessings were perhaps not the most important but they were some of the most important

This one

The corners of Randidly’s mouth quirked up Alana And as he approached he could feel the sounds of battle His senses immediately widened covering the area but then he relaxed Just a spar but a serious one

Randidly cracked his knuckles This was probably exactly what he needed to calm down

Chapter 356

Alana sidestepped letting Tykes’ huge iron ball fly past her and slam into the tree behind her

If you telegraph like that even Dozer will seem like a ballerina fighting you Alana said as she snorted decisively and advanced towards Tykes The boy was strong sure but he wasn’t strong enough for him to just rely on raw power yet he repeatedly tried

As the boy’s shit eating grin didn’t change Alana realized there was something else to this but she didn’t change her movements Only her right hand tightened on her spear while her left kept an even grip on the spear and she began to glow a warm red color as her energy gathered into her body Better to rely on her Skills to suppress him It wasn’t really fair for her to use her Lvl 47 Stats to oppress a Level 35

There was a whistling behind her as the iron ball ricocheted off a tree and changed direction Out of the corner of her eye she could see that the ball was rotating rapidly and it began to curve towards her back Clever but this she was already prepared for since the moment he chose to fight with a weapon that left his hands If he didn’t manage at least this much he wouldn’t be much use against monsters with actual powers

Her Child of the Sun Skill just burned that much brighter to compensate and she could see Tykes cover his eyes there

Her body blurred as she rushed forward ignoring the iron ball as it rushed towards her back Immediately his senses picked up on her change of pace and he began to backpedal rapidly With a gesture he somehow managed to increase the speed by which the ball was moving and the air seemed to hum behind her

Tsk’ing to herself Alana spun to the side and let the ball come past her But contrary to what she expected Tykes did not panic he just stood there and raised his hand Alana’s eyes narrowed running through a list of possibilities

One of the more low key projects that Donnyton’s leaders had engaged in recently in response to the coup that was Lucifer killing the first Tier III Raid Boss and to the battles against the Skeleton Knight and the people underneath him was to engage in Skill Spotting training Basically Mrs Hamilton located people with rarely seen Skills and it became a game for the group of Alana Annie Dozer Decklan Donny and Glendel

They would alternate seeking out their own rare Classes and Skills trying to flummox the rest of the group Alana wasn’t as incisize as Annie and Glendel had become but she was pretty confident of her relative skill compared to the rest of them And this a shockwave Skill

Her eyes burned as she stomped her foot at the same time the metal ball smashed into Tykes’ hand Low Thunder over the Mountains

Tykes yelped and was sent stumbling backwards his shockwave overwhelmed by hers Alana didn’t dwell on the fact that this was probably due to Stats rather than Skill Level because this was one of the Skills she trained the least and just folded her arms across her chest But as she opened her mouth to speak she was interrupted by a soft clapping

A figure walked out of the treeline to their arena moving so silently it gave Alana chills But as she looked at who it was

She felt it in her chest that constant flow of warmth that connection of energy that let her grow at an incredible rate filling her with drive and potential

The Ghosthound looked different from when they last saw him There used to be a sort of angsty anger and pride to him a rejection of the world And a brutal daring that allowed him to challenge 50 people to a fight and expect to emerge victorious

Alana wasn’t sure what detail it was he looked similar if a little more muscular Just a small transformation from a mountain lion to a tiger gaining bulk but maintaining the same grace and sleek utility of form Other than that his feet were still bare and slightly dirty covered with a layer of callous His clothing wasn’t anything special a series of haphazard leathers that indicated he had not had access to Donnyton’s armory in the past several months

There wasn’t even any weapon on his person but he appeared to be more threatening than anyone else Alana had ever seen the air around him thick with violent potential There were lines to his face that were new and light scars and more than anything there was a certainty to his gaze an implacable depth that seemed to allow his soul to be completely still without fear and survey the world around him

Holy shit its you Tykes said his mouth wide He dropped his iron ball on the ground and took a step towards the Ghosthound his hands tightening into fists

The Ghosthound glanced at Tykes and there was a flash of recognition Yes you were the one who wouldn’t stay on the ground in that last challenge You’ve grown stronger I see But I wanted

Quiet Tykes growled picking his iron ball back up and spinning it around on his chain I need to know I need to know how much of the distance between us has narrowed draw your weapon

Alana tensed somewhat at Tykes’ rude response Mostly because because it became immediately clear that his senses weren’t refined enough to see what she could see That hovering behind the Ghosthound adding weight to the air was a huge monster lurking in his shadow It was a burnt and desolate world it was an endless and hungry vitality it was a woman whose body is half a skeleton come to tell you that your life is over It was vast and thick that monster and it seemed of all things amused by Tykes’ outburst

It laughed and Alana heard that in that laughter the sound of a burnt out house collapsing all soot and ash

Have it your way Alana You are in his team Don’t let him wander to far afield

Almost on instinct Alana raised her own spear and shield pointing them towards the Ghosthound As desolate and horrifying that these perceptions she was having were that did not make her fear the Ghosthound exactly Randidly No more than that

It set her determination on fire to see that the man who she had trusted had not betrayed her trust and had spent the intervening time becoming increasingly unfathomable This was a leader worth following and the reason that despite everything against them Donnyton would never fall

Create an opening for me Alana said gravely to Tykes as she advanced towards the Ghosthound who simply stood there his eyes sharp and emerald as he watched them Tykes was clearly annoyed that she had been lumped into his team when he intended to fight in some sort of hyped up duel in his mind but he liked the role Alana gave to him

Alana could only grimace as the boy grinned and rushed forward towards the Ghosthound Cocky and desperate to prove himself Hopefully enough of his training kicked in for him to avoid the inevitably brutal counter attack

Honestly the real ideal scenario would be for Alana to cause the opening and for Tykes to capitalize As the most solid fighter she should be at the front giving Tykes cover to show his extremely destructive power But the fool probably didn’t have the patience for this or the vision He would be just as likely to strike her from behind destroying their formation

Rushing forward Tykes raised his steel ball the chains clicking as the muscles of his back contracted The Ghosthound hummed reaching out and grabbing a spear made of roots that emerged from the ground and pointed it at them as they approached He remained still allowing them to choose the moment of conflict

Tykes roared and threw the ball forward Alana rushed behind past Tykes aiming for the moment that the Ghosthound defended from the attack to strike

Still humming the Ghosthound used the point of his spear and touched the steel ball applying enough pressure to guide it to the side past him Although his spear bent dangerously forced to bare the weight of that attack it did not break and the ball rolled past the Ghosthound most of its momentum gone

Tykes hissed and yanked on the chain pulling the ball back towards him but Alana ignored that and approached the Ghosthound spear raised Her Spear of the Broken Ridge Mastery was a brutal offensively focused spear style but she compensated for that with Shield Mastery making her ability to fight an opponent in a duel one of the top 5

She stopped dead as the Ghosthound turned his spear towards her holding the tip pointed towards her throat Her instincts screamed that she could accomplish nothing like this

Behind her she felt Tykes leap into the air obtaining a line of sight and whip his ball forward sending it screaming down towards the Ghosthound Gritting her teeth Alana stepped forward preparing to rush the man forcing an opening if there wasn’t one She couldn’t just let him walk around unharried

But the Ghosthound was already moving and she could see his spear morphing becoming something else He side stepped then casually threw his spear side arm up towards Tykes The weapon moved so fast that it was almost impossible to follow with the eye and although her instincts kicked in to knock it out of the air it was already past her striking Tykes mid air

He collapsed with an mmph crashing to the ground and groaning After several seconds Alana became sharply concerned

As if sensing this the Ghosthound waved a hand Just knocked out I can hear him breathing It just didn’t seem like we would get any good training in if he was throwing that ball around

After cracking his neck and his knuckles the Ghosthound produced another spear from the ground and grinned at her Now let’s see how well you’ve trained without me

Chapter 357

Alana felt on fire moving and reacting predicting and being predicted The Ghosthound’s Style of fighting was not her own where she relied on strength and breaking the opponent’s momentum the Ghosthound seemed to steal the very momentum from her as she was moving

Her spear flashed forward aiming to inflict a strike on his shoulder but he simply stepped forward and sideways and his foot flashed upwards catching her in the gut and sending her sprawling the light about her dimming Alana winced That hit was like a truck even after Child of the Sun took off a flat percentage of its force God how high were his stats

Attention up you lost me

Alana blinked and realized that she really had the Ghosthound was gone The air around was quiet Instinctively she raised her shield above her head and brought her spear across her body her eyes scanning for an enemy Then the world seemed to darken and she spotted something out of the corner of her eye

She gasped or at least tried to as she spun around but she found that the air was stuck in her throat Her chest heaved but her lungs seemed suddenly cast from stone unable to inflate and pump oxygen into her blood Which just made her panic and stumble her head abruptly pounding at the pressure in her chest

In front of her standing about 10 meters away was the Ghosthound his eyes a brilliant emerald seeming to pierce right through her freezing her chest Her eyes narrowed and she forced the panic in her chest down She would not break from just this

She could feel streams of energy flowing to her as the rays of sunlight were bent by her Skill twisting towards her making her warm and glowing with power Then she struggled again determined and she felt the grip on her lungs flutter Gritting her teeth as her vision began to swim and little bits of black unconsciousness ate away at the edges of her awareness she pressed again harder throwing everything at that binding

It wavered then broke

Her gasp was loud and full of relief but then her mouth tightened because the Ghosthound had arrived Inwardly she cursed herself for showing such weakness allowing her spear and shield to both fall away as she was so focused on her breath Inwardly she was aware that really being deprived from oxygen for a short amount of time wouldn’t be that big of a deal her body had the Stats to handle it

But there was a raw ingrained panic in her human body in response to it that she couldn’t overcome when paired with the shock and that had left her vulnerable

The Ghosthound’s attack wasn’t overly fast and it simply made her hyper aware that he was going easy on her which was infuriating But in the face of the evidence

Still going this easy on her was a mistake

Solar Flare She whispered feeling the rush of hot extra concentrated energy fill her It would only last for two or three seconds depending on how quickly she burned through it but it would be enough to give the Ghosthound a nasty surprise

It was the Skill her Class had given her at Lvl 40 and it packed a punch

Moving at double the speed she had previously she brought her shield up and knocked away his attack and then stabbed at his exposed midsection with her spear His body seemed to flap in the wind moving cleanly around the blow his speed instantly adjusting to just a hair below hers

Her hope plummeted Even after this he was only just a hair slower than her This time he clearly jumped up in speed so he was likely forced to rely on his Skills but still

However with her amount of Mana

With the last of the energy from Solar Flare she brought her spear across in a brutal Sweep that forced him back a step and elicited a grunt He wasn’t unstoppable just too strong and too fast So she activated Solar Flare again and then again in quick succession and the two activations made her body scream and sing and gave her a half second of invulnerable power

Her spear ripped forward with the speed of a shaft of sunlight and with the strength of an apocalypse

There was a small fraction of time where she felt a tinge of fright If she overshot and actually hurt him seriously But then his body was smoke dissolving as her spear pierced his body and Alana realized that this whole time he had never been in front of her but he was hovering behind her holding his spear in a wicked crescent whirling down to take her life

Her blood slowed and her pounding heart was the only noise in the still world

If I died now ’ Alana thought dazedly Who would train Tykes The defense of Donnyton the growth of our Squads How how would they ’

would they mourn me ’

Burn Alana whispered activating her Lvl 30 Skill causing flames to emerge from every part of her body She spun around and slashed upwards with her spear a trail of liquid flame arcing up in the wake of the spear’s passage It headed towards the Ghosthound but his burning emerald eyes just crinkled in satisfaction Within a split second he leaned easily out of the way and landed on his two feet spinning his root spear

Her double use of Solar Flare faded out and her body began to tremble unable to withstand the strain of her speed and strength The Ghosthound seemed to notice this and moved out of a fighting posture to a thinking one regarding her with a frown

those are interesting Skills But they aren’t sharp enough That burst one where you grow stronger briefly what Level is it

Alana blinked She had actually gained two Levels in it during her fight with him using it like that it’s Level 48 I have had it for two months but it is ultimately a finisher and I thought it would be better to focus on my base Skills

The theory is correct but in practice the execution is a bit The Ghosthound said and Alana’s stomach dropped a sour taste in her mouth He seemed to notice and coughed scratching his head That only made her feel worse It wasn’t that she didn’t want to train it it was just simply repeating the exercises didn’t work well and it wasn’t feasible to use it repeatedly against monsters It drained too much of her Mana and left her weak for a short period of time

well anyway what about your Spear Mastery what Level is that He asked

Straightening Alana said Level 67

His wince was all the answer she needed for what he thought of that They stood in silence for a while Alana feeling oddly scolded and indignant but also a sense of relief Her Skill Levels weren’t the highest in Donnyton not by a long shot but that was due to the fact she trained up multiple different types of Skills ones that usually required different sorts of training

Alana had received some assistance from Mrs Hamilton in terms of training strategies but that woman managed so many different things that Alana wasn’t willing to foist her problems on her as well Everyone went to Mrs Hamilton for advice Except for the few things that Mrs Hamilton said to her in passing when viewing her training Alana didn’t bring it up at all

We will have to get those up over 80 at least within a month Well less than that Say 3 weeks The Ghosthound said rubbing his chin Most of what you need is a training partner yea I’ll help with that when I have time But first

The Ghosthound flexed his hand and produced two potions one of which was made of clear liquid that Alana had never seen before Throwing those potion bottles to her he said Take these Hopefully it will restore all of your Mana and heal whatever status effects from the aftershock of using that Skill so much And then we are going to go again

Eh Alana said catching the bottles The Ghosthound flicked his fingers and three more root spears popped up out of the ground He walked over and carefully inspected each and then he selected two tossing one over to Alana who had barely swallowed the liquid before it arrived

The Ghosthound’s smile was sharp Don’t rely on your weapon too much Now take a stance Alana Let me see you do that again but if you try it the same way twice I’ll make you pay for it

Then he disappeared and Alana was left scrambling to raise her weapon in time

Chapter 358

Annie was holding her baby to her chest when Dozer came into their small home The walls on either side of her were decorated very differently On her left the walls were covered with hanging claws and fangs the natural weapons of beasts that Dozer had crushed There was even a long thin scorpion stinger hanging up there a testament to the variety of creatures that he had killed

On the right wall were skulls And each skull had a small crack a hole that had been pierced by an arrowhead While they had been living The number of skulls was almost double the number of sets of claws and fangs

Dozer took one look at the stove where a pot was already bubbling and said You knew I was back

Simply nodding Annie continued to poke her baby’s nose Delilah seemed to be largely unable to feel it and just sat there It was amazing the way the cartilage of the baby’s nose bent and reformed so easily under the pressure from Annie’s finger It was still incredible to her that this thing came out of her And she could easily tell that this little thing was a smashed up and ugly mix of the both of them

Well ’ Annie thought to herself maybe the ugly part is just Dozer’s half ’

Stop making that face the baby isn’t that ugly Dozer said simply going to the pot and picking up the bowl she had set out for him Annie shot an annoyed glance at his back This was an increasingly problematic pattern emerging in his behavior Dozer was becoming almost impossibly good at sensing her emotions just from looking at her

It scared her a little Because it made her feel exposed and out of control But at the same time

That’s why they were still together wasn’t it Because she loved it more than it scared her And THAT was what truly made her afraid

How did you know Dozer asked again his dark eyes turning to her Annie grimaced considering her options Back in the day she would have distracted them with sex to keep him off this scent Shake her ass or bend over in front of him But now

It did seem like her body only two weeks after the birth was quickly shedding the weight in everything but her boobs so she would soon be back to fighting and just as importantly seducing shape However there was a something about her now a hesitation to view herself like that

It was just hard to think of her body as simply a tool when she had watched Delilah come from her fully formed and perfect if a bit ugly She was something absolutely amazing in a way that the magic and wonder of the System couldn’t equal This was true creation and the System might manage it but the human body was designed for this

And it wasn’t as if telling him was that much of an issue it was just

Annie knew herself and she knew that she had a tendency to end up with more jealous men In her mind it made them much easier to control Not that Dozer had ever shown any of those habits much to her surprise but she felt a strange reluctance still Because this really was intimate in a way that she could never describe to him to feel the Ghosthound constantly to feel his subtle influence on her and know he could feel the same from her

I can sense him Still honesty was best Annie stopped rocking the baby and stood walking carefully over towards Dozer watching him The real tragedy she supposed was that while his ability to read her grew her own to predict him had practically disappeared

Dozer simply nodded and continued to eat so Annie just found herself standing by his shoulder unsure of what to do and feeling slightly foolish

I But before she could finish what she was saying Annie looked sharply right Was it relief that flooded her Disappointment A strange excitement Ever since having the baby emotions stopped having well defined edges Instead they mixed and were mashed together a blob that resembled each other strongly Regina said this would pass but for now it was incredibly annoying We have a guest

Dozer nodded and got up and filled another bowl with the stew of all things Annie twisted her mouth and went to the door When it opened it revealed the Ghosthound standing there with serious eyes

Mr Randidly Annie said with a small curtsey forcing herself to use his name It wouldn’t due for him to know that just like the rest of them in Donnyton the reverence she had for him had changed her term of address to the Ghosthound in her mind That was what he was to her less a person and more a force that sent that warm energy that allowed her to improve so rapidly even before she got a Class

After blinking the Ghosthound smiled hey I just felt he trailed off and just walked past her into the room She moved cleanly to the side curious

Dozer stood when the Ghosthound entered the room giving him a short salute but sat back down when the Ghosthound nodded to him But the Ghosthound’s attention lay fixed elsewhere

on Delilah

You can feel it too can’t you Annie asked softly She felt Dozer still looking over at them wheels turning behind his dark eyes

The Ghosthound nodded reaching down with surprising delicacy his hands hovering about the small baby fast asleep on the cushion

You can pick her up she sleeps through anything Dozer interjected around a mouthful of stew The Ghosthound looked up making eye contact with Dozer Something seemed to pass between them then some hidden meaning that Annie couldn’t decipher in their glance Then they looked away at the same time reinforcing the impression that something was going on there

It made Annie slightly furious especially because the Ghosthound ignored her question because of it At the same moment she was thinking that Dozer gave her a look that instantly cooled her off and pissed her off more because he knew EXACTLY where she was at emotionally

How the fuck did he do that

Yea I can feel it The Ghosthound said picking up the child cradling her carefully in his hands moving her from one arm to the other Then with his right hand he pressed a finger to her nose in a strange reflection of what Annie had been doing earlier But whereas that had been a purely physical thing Annie now felt a strange ripple travel through her from the connection of energy Delilah had to her and back through her

back to the Ghosthound The Ghosthound hummed frowning as he examined the baby With the same exaggerated care he laid Delilah down on the cushion and took a step back After looking around he walked over towards the table and sat with Dozer eating quietly Both men said nothing simply focusing on the food

This is pretty good The Ghosthound muttered

Dozer grunted Time at home has forced her to grind Cooking

Small blessings Annie said sarcastically joining the two men at the table It was a physically intimidating place to be at the moment Not only was her man about twice the size of a normal person these days all rock solid muscle and callous but the Ghosthound had a strange athletic grace in the way he moved that took up more space than he really should And he was pretty tall and long limbed as well

So Annie found herself squished at the side of the table doing her best NOT to think of how the pregnancy had changed her body and made it more awkward and how while these idiots were out training she was forced to stay safe away from danger Which she understood and she would never expose Delilah to danger but

She wanted to be out there It was a thrill that before the System she didn’t know she loved but

Almost unconsciously her eyes rose and scanned the right wall covered in skulls hit by her arrow It was exhilarating to say the least And now

While Annie’s thoughts turned morose the two men finished their meals Afterwards the Ghosthound tapped his finger against the wooden table clearly thinking Then with great care he said She’s very beautiful What’s her name

To Annie’s delight even Dozer snorted when he called Delilah beautiful Well it didn’t matter There were much better things for a woman to be in this world then beautiful Annie’s eyes drifted up to the skulls on the walls Her name is Delilah

Chapter 359

As the Ghosthound nodded slowly to the name Dozer folded his hands together Why examine her

The Ghosthound glanced at the other man then back over towards Delilah My Blessings formed a connection with the four people I gave them to That gives them certain benefits And it seems the connection split off so there is a further connection from me to Delilah moving through Annie

Randidly tapped his jaw I was just thinking I wonder how the Aether is filtered whether it holds more of Annie’s meaning when it flows through her Also it’s not as large as the connection to Annie although I’m not sure whether that is due to age or

Trailing off the Ghosthound just stared at Delilah his brow furrowed Dozer stood taking both of the dishes over to the sink Then he asked over his shoulder Will she be strong

Yes without a doubt Randidly said chuckling Then he stood and went to the door As he passed the threshold he said But I think that’s more a reflection of her parents than anything else I’ll have to make a gift for her

Oh Don’t tell anyone the name Annie called after him into the darkness It’s only been a few weeks the naming ceremony is going to be Saturday once she looks presentable Bring your gift then

Randidly couldn’t help but feel disappointed when he knocked on the door to Mrs Hamilton’s house in the dead of night and she opened it almost instantly There were two cups of tea on the table so she had known he was coming Taking a sip he winced it was still warm

How the fuck did she know that

But then Glendel walked out of the sideroom holding a case of notebooks spirits swirling around him and several things clicked into place At least Randidly didn’t need to worry that he was losing his edge but still Mrs Hamilton was just too competent at her job

Randidly had been away from the town for a while but he was sure that in the interim she had only become more vital to the successful running of the town Honestly more so than him taking out Mrs Hamilton would cripple Donnyton in a way that just left Randidly awed His strength had grown by leaps and bounds but there really were problems that individual strength couldn’t solve

Still with enough strength drawing others to handle those things became much easier

Glendel looked much the same as he had in the past although the aura of spiritual energy was much more dense And his eyes were strangely flickering shifting colors and directions as though each second a new soul was using the body to look out onto the world It was a strangely fascinating thing to watch

Let me guess Mrs Hamilton said sipping her tea I am the third stop you’ve made today After Lyra and somewhere to relieve stress a fight Alana or Donny

She was wrong of course but Randidly had a strange sensation that she had done that on purpose knowing how impossible it would be to predict something like that so he would be more at ease around her It reminded him of the Creature in some ways but he did his best to remind himself that this individual was on his side

fourth actually Alana and Tykes but then I went over to see Annie and Dozer Randidly trailed off unsure of what to say and careful of Annie’s warning not to reveal the name It was a small thing but the casual way that she had said it to him although no one else knew it but it weighed heavily on his heart

Ah due to the child Did the effect of the Blessing persist Mrs Hamilton asked taking a small book from Glendel’s stack and flipping to a certain page She immediately began making small notations After a few seconds of this she gave him a glance prodding him forward

Randidly nodded slowly it’s changed too But I can’t yet tell how Aether behaves strangely

I’ve some thoughts on that after watching the four of us you Blessed for these 6 months Mrs Hamilton said closing her notebook and grabbing another She offered it to Randidly It’s not much but hopefully it can combine with the information that you already have to make the picture that much clearer After all Aether really appears to be the source the core of all of this this System It’s fascinating in a way Its an energy source and its a building material But on the other hand

Mrs Hamilton took another sip of her tea It’s beyond the reach of most of us

Silence descended on the table Randidly knew his ability to sense and manipulate Aether was unusual and Lyra certainly had cheated her way to getting there but it was hard to hear the well disguised but still obvious yearning in Mrs Hamilton’s voice It was a sobering thing and brought her back down firmly on the ground as human

Randidly twisted his mouth wryly After everyone treated him like this he should know better than to be in awe of another With enough hard work anything was possible Even running a town like Donnyton

Randidly glanced to the side looking at Glendel The man simply sat his eyes open his gaze changing rapidly shifting Randidly turned back to Mrs Hamilton who cleared her throat

I must admit I have a question and I suspect the answer but I’d like to hear it from you Her gaze was heavy and her voice was now low and sad Lyra is not herself I fear We found her today but she won’t speak

She didn’t continue She didn’t have to

For now I believe that Lyra should be back to herself I suspect Randidly hesitated How much truth But then he looked at the hard edge to Mrs Hamilton’s gaze Perhaps as much as possible so she is prepared She was the one who knew best the state of the town and could take certain measures if the worst were to happen A renegade element a Creature from outside the System has for a long time endeavoured to manipulate me using my variance from the norm as a tool to its own ends Apparently to hide from the purview of the System That Creature has captured Lyra and has been posing as her for these last several months

Mrs Hamilton closed her eyes and released a long breath After a moment of hesitation Randidly continued However the Creature has currently taken the two Champion’s Regalia and run into the Raid Dungeon To what end I’m not sure In the meantime I came back and freed Lyra and she used that to tell me some information about things I haven’t quite figured out I would appreciate your insight on these things

Humming Mrs Hamilton nodded her head She stood and walked to a cupboard opening it and removing of all things a gun She twisted and pointed it at him Randidly blinked

Hold out your hand She commanded I’m going to shoot you

Randidly almost laughed but held it in at the last moment noticing the seriousness in her gaze Was she really going to just shoot him Was there a point Randidly held out his hand to the side

The bang of the gunshot was surprisingly loud in the small house causing him to wince Then the world exploded

Coughing Randidly staggered back feeling abruptly wan and drained but otherwise unharmed As the bullet had hit him he had saw how a strange pale white flame started at the impact point and rushed over his whole body leaving him feeling extremely strange

Randidly staggered falling to his knees Then he grimaced realizing the issue most of the Aether in his extremities had gone burned away An annoyed roar came from his chest as Neveah noticed the predicament and Aether gushed out of the Crossroads and surrounded him once more Then he drew it closer to his skin keeping it so there wasn’t as much leaking out

Being hit like that by an enemy would be catastrophic He would need to practice controlling his Aether to deal with it

We call it Talumurite Well the geologists who discovered it do Most people just call it cocaine glass or if they are talking about using it they say they are going to get randid Cute right Mrs Hamilton said returning to the cupboard and producing a small white grey crystal

I don’t know if you’ve seen the notifications but a rare mine spawned in our Zone as a reward for reaching the Champion portion of the System We found it near the Skeleton Knight’s headquarters on our side which is why we fought so hard for it Alana has spent the last month securing it and the surrounding location One of the things we found inside of it was Talumurite

With most people She continued Talumurite acts as a catalyst to vastly increase their Stats and the strength of their Skills The cost is a bit of time bedridden afterwards Based on what we have seen it makes them burn their Aether hotter as it were But that is due to whatever impurities the System’s Aether provides it controls the chain reaction somehow However I first noticed it when Alana would injure herself when she tried it Her Aether it simply burned too fast Left her weak And I wondered if it worked on her Aether could it work on your Aether Or something higher up in the System

Mrs Hamilton returned to the table sitting down and gesturing at Glendel Without a word he fetched another cup of tea for her which she delicately sipped

That was my working theory Mrs Hamilton said frankly That some sort of inspector from the System had come down and taken control of Lyra using her body to view us spy on us It being a totally foreign entity that is doing it is troublesome but it clears up some other problems

She offered Randidly who was shaking slightly staring at the crystal in awe a small smile If it worked on you might it do the same on her

Chapter 360

Donny swirled the wine in his cup staring out the window into the darkness looking extremely thoughtful He was in his full armor a carefully shaped bone creation with golden accents giving him the look of a powerful and honorable knight His helmet and shield were on the table but still with the armor he felt that he looked profoundly capable

Daniel snorted slamming his papers down on the desk in front of him You look like a constipated idiot you know that right

I look refined and thoughtful like the leader of the free world Donny said never even flinching at Daniel’s tirade or the noise Instead his gaze focused studiously on the darkness outside of his window His Stats were just high enough to pierce the veil of darkness that would have prevented most people from seeing and he could watch the small movements of people who worked through the night

One big plus of the System was the increased productivity This varied based upon Endurance and Vitality but for the strongest of them sleep was only a rarely indulged treat Still Mrs Hamilton had wondered on the long term psychological effect of this so a lot of people continued to sleep if only for the reset factor It still did wonders with shifting your mood if you were stuck somewhere you didn’t want to be

He might not come tonight Daniel said sighing and returning to his paperwork

Donny nodded slowly Yea he probably won’t

Then why are you doing this We should just do some real work not this theatrical farce Daniel said sourly

Shrugging Donny turned back to the desk and looked at the papers there Although they hadn’t quite worked up the nerve to get a computer back online and working with access to printers they had gathered the parts and were discussing the scope they wanted to adopt For now most reports were handwritten by some of Mrs Hamilton’s NCCs Thank god for the Handwriting Proficiency Skill that had through repetition turned scrawls into elaborate calligraphy Looking at one particularly flourish filled example Donny grimaced

If anything they were getting too good at their job And the best of them had even earned the Class Elegant Calligrapher She retired from menial work and now was hired for party invitations signs and the like The way the System moved was certainly interesting and they had yet to see the end of it

That was most of what was laying on Donny’s desk Questions which had long ago been posed as theoreticals by Mrs Hamilton and Regina Northwind were now arriving as practicals demanding his attention The most pressing of course was whether the Village of Donnyton should adopt a currency whether it be the coins gotten from the System shops or a merit system for access to their resources

Originally Donnyton was small enough and food and labor were so freely given that this hadn’t been a problem But as people specialized they wanted to be able to extract more for their services and needed a way to be rewarded At the same time those with better clout in the town wanted more of the finer things Certain areas of town were swiftly becoming split by power or Level and it would only accelerate now that they had achieved some measure of peace

Annie was the first and her daughter had already been born but the wake of the System had apparently been an aphrodisiac for people for there were 20 more women already who reported being 3 months or more along in their pregnancy Regina said this was the lizard brain kicking in pushing people faced with adversity towards procreation so the species could continue

Donny’s hand gripped tightly Even his own girlfriend was late on her period He he might end up being a father before the year was out Which was exhilarating and also scary

Which is all to say that society was snapping back and Mrs Hamilton was adamant they have systems in place before that happens Which brought Donny’s focus back to the currency issue

Using System money was an easy solution but they didn’t control access to the supply so there could be inflation spikes It could also be used as a weapon however against Villages less advanced than them but no one wanted to think of that as a benefit

The merit point system came from Clarissa and was also a possibility but there was a much larger issue of setting up an administration for that to run Mrs Hamilton seemed to think she was capable of handling it but Donny wasn’t so sure Besides now that they had found the mine they might have access to materials that would allow them to mint their own currency which was the ideal solution

Mrs Hamilton had been carefully cultivating Buds as they were called and hoped these would help with making Donnyton’s currency These Buds were individuals who stayed as NCCs but received evenly general training ready for a specific need to arise in Donnyton Then they would be sent somewhere and specialize eventually returning to Donnyton and obtaining a Class that was in their new area of expertise

Already three Buds had been committed to learning Cartography Geology and Mining in preparation for the excavation that would happen of their new treasure trove

But all these things took time and the clock was running out on that

Donny looked at the rest of his desk Along with currency came the issue of private/public ownership Right now you owned basically whatever you worked or lived on without anymore legal ability You traded goods or services for other goods and services and relied on friends if you couldn’t find the right thing to trade for what you wanted

But if there was a currency suddenly ownership became important You could provide an object of concrete durable value Whereas a bushel of corn could be traded for a lot of things it had to be consumed eventually it didn’t save well Being able to transform that into currency would put that issue to rest That way the farmer could save to purchase a larger tract of land a bigger home a better weapon more help for the farm

Which led to another stack of papers Grimacing Donny took a drink and sat down What to do with the land The obvious answer was to either sell it very cheaply to the people who were living on it now give it to them for free or to auction everything off but all of these had problems Problems that set precedents for the future

Now they were firmly in the realm of governance and Donny was way over his head What was shocking to him is that even though everyone knew that they insisted that he make the decisions Mrs Hamilton provided several tutors for him so most of his mornings were spent reading history books but it still didn’t feel like enough

When he had insisted she just make the decision she gave him a pointed look

I can do a lot of things one of them is to try and protect people from you if you were to go mad with power She said primly But the one thing that I can’t do that no one can do is protect people from myself

Donny thought about that for a long time Although he found himself disagreeing with putting the decision in his inexperienced hands he could understand her fear It was a fear he faced everyday in the mirror And perhaps his own lack of knowledge was helpful in that regard in that it injected humility and reflection into every decision

Not that this benefit meant he skipped his lessons far from it But Donny did begrudgingly accept that someone had to take the fall for bad decisions and everyone had nominated him

After a long hesitation he pulled the packet of papers regarding what they would need to make their own currency towards him He began to carefully read through analyzing every word

Do you ever wonder why he picked you

Donny looked up sharply giving Daniel a level glare But his friend’s face was guileless and his gaze was back on his own work Daniel focused mostly on Skills Classes and Paths and the exhausting journey to chronicle the inputs and outputs of each Even just thinking about it Donny was exhausted It just involved so much interviewing and conjecture He would grow frustrated with it in a second

But Daniel loved it

He considered Daniel’s question Because I was there probably

Ha Daniel guffawed his round face twisting Is the world ever so simple especially in regards to the Ghosthound

Donny shook his head smiling but saying nothing In his mind yes sometimes things really just were that easy Being there next to Randidly when he needed help that was the impetus for all of this And now a small thought such as the image of Donny’s own face stamped upon a gold coin carried and traded across all of their Zone of course he had other more positive and practical reasons for choosing the currency option but

That image wasn’t one that Donny could get off his mind It gave him a wide grin that he had to bury his head in paperwork to hide from Daniel Sometimes things really were just that simple

Chapter 361

Hmph Paolo crossed his arms his squad gathering up behind him As if a simple test of courage could cause I the great leader of Squad III to feel fear

Hohoho then why are so slow to agree Any member of Squad II would gladly throw themselves in the line of danger Your hesitation is unbecoming Perhaps in your age Kayle said his tone teasing his Squad too gathering up but he was interrupted

Choose quick Boring

Dinesh tried not to tremble as the huge giant Bone Wurm rumbled down at them weaving its head back and forth Her Her head Dinesh had been told He resisted the urge to say a small prayer

Initially Dinesh had been secretly overjoyed that after their joint exercise in the North against the Skeleton Knight Paolo and Kayle invited him and the rest of the 23rd Squad to join them for a celebration Very eagerly they had agreed It wasn’t rare to see the Numeral Squads around but it was an usual thing for them to fraternize so openly with a Squad in the 20s This could be a big move for them

And Dinesh had high hopes of making friends learning secrets and working to improve himself in his Squad To his chagrin the final thing had come true

Their version of celebration was an elongated practice session designed by the Dusk Spider Mrs Hamilton to draw out the entire physical potential of the exerciser Primarily it increased the Physical Fitness Empower and Herculean Strength Skills which most of all of the Classed individuals had Even Dinesh who was a mage focus as well as his Squad had them

However his mage focused squad was a long long way of being able to keep up with workouts with this group of individuals

Tired to the bone the 23rd Squad of Donnyton had stumbled back while Squads III and II and walked back in high spirits laughing and cheering the 23rd Squad on Although it had been one of the most intimidating experiences in his life Dinesh had gained 5 Skill Levels doing it which spoke to its effectiveness So finally his spirits were starting to life Truly the way of life of those at the top was completely different

That was until they stumbled on the Bone Wurm Neveah who was bored sitting at the edge of the Village while Donnyton figured out how to let her wander around a little

Kayle had admired her size Paolo had pointed out her larger than her body head Kayle had commented on her sharp teeth his grin growing Dinesh had a bad feeling

Kayle bet that Paolo wouldn’t dare get inside the creature’s mouth and let her close it

To Dinesh’s horror the monster had seemed profoundly excited by the prospect and was practically preening at first under the attention She generously opened her mouth as wide as possible displaying at least 60 rows of jagged bone teeth that could rip anything not made of metal to shreds in a heartbeat

Dinesh privately believed that mouth was a portal to hell But Paolo and Kayle had unhesitatingly walked over inspecting the mouth space poking her tongue discussing the relative comfort that it offered And both of their Squads went right along with it

The men and women of the Squads resembled their Captains Paolo’s 10 were stocky stoic and had noses broken from fist fights meanwhile the teammates of Kayle were lithe and graceful with longer hair They all wielded different weapons but it was clear that each Squad had an identity a specific method for defeating the enemy It was extremely enlightening and it made Dinesh consider his own Squad How should they cast themselves going forward

Currently Paolo was scowling at Kayle You are all talk The minute I exit Neveah’s mouth you will have long gone retreated to your small hovel to shiver in fear

More talking so little doing Kayle countered The two glared at each other

Both at same time Neveah announced her oddly hollow voice flowing over the entire crowd Everybody paused and thought about this for a second

Acceptable Paolo said crossing his arms grinning at Kayle Dinesh could tell that the man was just glad that the weight had shifted to his rival

Kayle for his part had the humanity to remain silent for 3 seconds Then he said yes

So it was that the three Squads sat and watched two of their leaders climb into Neveah’s mouth Before she closed it they both looked out at Dinesh

Dinesh shall we make this a Captain’s outing Paolo asked extending a hand Then he exchanged a sparkling glance with Kayle

Kukuku truly this will be a wonderful bonding experience Kayle said his own wicked smile growing Neveah can you fit him too

Yep Her cheer was that of a psychopathic murderer staring down her next victim

Dinesh took a step back I

Best make it quick don’t let him get away Kayle audibly muttered patting the side of Neveah’s mouth She needed no further encouragement and sprung forward not really uncoiling her body but seeming to be propelled by the very ground The two already inside her mouth hurriedly layed down

I But then Dinesh was gulped down smashed into the mouth which clicked shut He could feel his armor pressing against another person’s but there was only dampness darkness and the feeling of several teeth piercing through his armor and stabbing his leg Panic rose in his chest and he immediately wanted to vomit All of the sore muscles and small injuries rose to the fore of his mind demanding his attention before they were swiftly drowned out by the panic swamping all of him

Of course Paolo was roaring with laughter and Kayle was chuckling

Move around a little Paolo yelled

Neveah obliged No the hell monster obliged In that moment Dinesh felt g forces that reminded him of riding a rollercoaster His eyes rolled around sightless in the darkness as he began to flail his panic needing an outlet The wounds in his leg grew worse as the teeth tore larger and larger holes

Kayle who had an arm pressed against Dinesh punched him the face Stop lashing out You aren’t alone in here you know

Wow this is amazing What a rush Paolo roared I haven’t felt like this in ages say Neveah can you go faster

You idiot Dinesh screamed but it was too late It was like a sudden explosion of momentum that they could even feel in here They pressed against each other struggling to stay in the center of Neveah’s mouth and began to slowly slide towards the back of her throat Or at least that’s what Dinesh assumed They would fucking die here fucking die all fucking devoured and and

And his senses spread out in a way he never felt before and suddenly Dinesh could feel the strange sensation of the bone rasping on the ground rubbing smooth the impossible hardness that could resist this friction over and over again The Mana that she used constantly creating a path beneath her throwing her body forward

But the sheer volume of Mana The speed If she were to lose control

Even their System empowered bodies would

The flow of Mana the damp mouth Paolo’s laughter the panic his lightheadedness everything began to swirl and mix drawing Dinesh and what was left

As could be expected from an enthusiastic but childlike Bone Wurm Neveah lost control Or at least that’s what Dinesh assumed because he just lost consciousness for several seconds then found himself awoken by a slap to the face

Blinking he sat up looking up at Paolo who was grinning down at him

Ha What a rush We should do this everyday What do you think of that eh Dinesh Chills you out a little doesn’t it

Dinesh looked behind Paolo to Kayle who was walking slowly along the spine of Neveah chatting with her She didn’t really speak in complete sentences but she spoke enough words to get her point across and seemed to delight in communicating with these individuals

They appeared to have crashed when Neveah ran into a small hill that was a bit too steep Luckily for the three of them inside her mouth she had twisted her body so her back and middle regions had taken most of the impact while her head was relatively well protected But based on the fact that even Dinesh’s System strengthened body was knocked out by the impact they were moving at quite the clip when they crashed

The panic that had almost drowned Dinesh during the ride rose up again catching fire and turning to a vicious fury and it took several long breaths to restrain the urge to stand up and punch Paolo in the face And based on his expression that was exactly what he wanted The Brawling piece of shi

Then Dinesh paused because he had a notification

Congratulations For being exposed to an extremely dangerous situation you have obtained the Skill Curse of Fear Lvl 1

Congratulations For examining the flows of a great monster’s Mana you have obtained the Blue Mage Mastery I Path

Dinesh paused Truthfully considering these gains there truly would be changes in store for his 23rd Squad Well it wasn’t the worst thing ever

With a loud laugh Paolo helped him to his feet and slapped his back

Chapter 362

Randidly tried his best to keep is face even Surely this amount of data is unnecessary for our purposes

Oh I disagree Mrs Hamilton said smoothly her smile wide Surely as the founder of Donnyton taking the time to write out some concrete advice for this many people is just par for the course And if you are to make intelligent decisions you need to be informed

Trying not to let the headache force him to lose his temper Randidly said slowly I’m a warrior that’s my job Sure knowing this political and economic and scientific information might be useful in the long run but

Incorrect Mrs Hamilton’s voice was low and the small smile she usually wore slowly fell away revealing a deep implacable determination Carefully she folded her hands and gave Randidly a long and searching look

Perhaps you aren’t really playing dumb you just haven’t conceptualized it You haven’t named it The people here Randidly they venerate you Most of them haven’t met you they’ve only heard stories Watched the people they admire watch people those people admire admiring you That means something The weight of those feelings changes things whether you like it or not

Leaning forward Mrs Hamilton said Look I understand what you said earlier you need to focus on figuring out how to well perhaps some things are best to be left unsaid You want to create something uniquely yours But I think that you will find 4 hours working on this now will save you innumerable troubles down the line and affect your research very little You need a legacy These letters they will start that legacy even if the recipients decide to ignore them

Randidly felt his face flushing He knew the way people looked at him how they treated him but to hear it stated so clearly it was almost embarrassing The blood continued to rush to his face while he looked at the pages on the table in front of him With the list of names that Mrs Hamilton thought he should write pages to

The point was to inspire them but the thoughts wouldn’t come What would he say All he could do was picture Shal’s face or his father’s

But then in his mind’s eye he saw Aemont’s back standing there facing outward in that strange land where that test occurred That expression on his face Not a smile not a frown not even fear but more

Unrelenting

And beyond that the look in those minions’ eyes the monsters that Randidly slowly fought his way through the gauntlet of the test Their determination their absolute belief that sustained them passed the point where they should have given up from wariness or wounds A level of faith and willpower that allowed them to stretch their lives beyond their fated ending An endurance that defied imagination

Not for themselves but for something greater

And holy fuck MrsHamilton wanted to bring that here

He could see it now the determination in all the eyes of the people he had known Donny Decklan Dozer the Squads the villagers Kiersty and her cultists even in Simon’s eyes after he had found out his true identity A difference of treatment Randidly had to bear the weight of that of course but if his back was broad and strong enough to carry these expectations

Their faith would become a weapon

Sighing Randidly reached for a packet of information prepared by Mrs Hamilton and began to read She was probably right about the hours not mattering for the Aether research And the Creature was an issue but Randidly did not let himself lose sight of the other monstrous opponents that arrayed themselves against him

The final opponent the way it was made to seem by Aemont the unbeatable one the Calamity Aemont was not able to figure out how to beat it even with his great skill It loomed ahead of them gleeful and malignant The tumorous System’s final judgement Or something it was hard to tell

But against these opponents Randidly had the sense that personal strength wouldn’t be able to carry him all the way There had to be something else Something greater Perhaps this faith was the weapon that they needed

Randidly set pen to paper and began to write

For Thea dawn came all too quickly She was introduced to dozens of different men and women who were a part of the Squads of Donnyton all of them with an incredible no nonsense approach who appraised her silently even as they smiled and offered their greetings It turned out that the building that Thea needed to use her Stone of Fate was still under construction and would be for another week so Thea was basically free to just wander around the town or participate in any free training sessions

Which was great from Thea’s perspective for several reasons The first was that the people here had no prejudice against Chrysanthemum and even seemed amused by giving her their spare animals parts The reason for this only became clear while wandering the market she encountered a bunny person hopping amongst the people as if nothing strange was happening

Thea had paused and followed Then she had found there were Turtle people as well chatting amicably Thea had just blinked then shook her head After everything else she supposed these strange people weren’t that much of a shock to discover Donnyton was just a very strange place

The second reason that Thea was glad to have some time was because the markets in Donnyton were selling all sorts of rare and powerful armors some dropped others forged Whereas there was only the most basic of leather and some large and clunky metal armors in the North in Donnyton

They had fucking chainmail

Not only that but weapons were not just made with Steel and Claw there was gems bone teeth wood and strange artificial materials They had alloys that glistened strange colors and weapon designs that left Thea gasping

More than the materials it was the artistry that left the most profound impression on Thea It was still budding she could tell but there were no simple Steel Swords here They all had a curve and a ruby embedded at the hilt and had strange attributes like Heat Forged I or 999 Hammer Method II that added extra Stats and other bonuses to the weapons Literally every weapon maker she found had their own unique method that varied in effect but made these weapons take one single step forward

And these were just the weapons that were available to the public Thea had a feeling that the Sam character who welcomed them with extremely sharp eyes had the ability to create something much more powerful She had learned later that Sam was in charge of the entire production operation and most of the stuff sold in the markets were done by smiths and leather workers that weren’t good enough to make it as one of his 20 apprentice positions

That was not to say that the other items were inferior quality but just that his were the best Still some of his previous apprentices had left his tutelage and set up shop creating their own brands But those locations were all inside actual brick and mortar buildings in the central district of Donnyton up on the hill

The third reason that Thea was excited to have some free time was the chance to train with Donnyton’s Squads Although each Squad had its own training she had heard that there would be a free training period at dawn generally led by one of the more powerful people of Donnyton There was a rotation but everyone seemed to enjoy giving pointers to the Classers who signed up to be in Squads Even the recalcitrant Dozer had done it on multiple occasions

To her delight an invitation to join had been extended to Thea probably due to her connections to the Ghosthound but she didn’t mind It was a chance to see how her strength compared to that of the Zone’s strongest

And the final reason that Thea was glad of the break

was because she still couldn’t decide on what to use her Stone of Fate In her mind using it on her Class was the most compelling but when they talked about the possibility of upgrading a Statistic If her Strength or Agility was a higher tiered Stat

Wouldn’t she be unstoppable

With all these things in mind Thea found herself waiting nervously with a rapidly growing group of people chatting before this day’s instructor arrived Today she decided to focus mostly on training but starting tomorrow in the evenings she’d see if she could talk someone into allowing her into their Squad as a short term member so she could earn money to buy some of these weapons

Once she had those she would probably return to Star Crossing as one of the most powerful Classers they had The thought made her shiver

It was a sobering thought

Thea wasn’t sure exactly how many people were in Donnyton but it always seemed full of people And almost 300 or so people had gathered now beginning to stretch and grow silent A figure walked up the steps to a wooden stage and clapped her hands There was something powerful about the movement and instantly all noise ceased the attention of the 299 Donnyton residents and Thea

I’m Alana today’s my day The woman announced and Thea had to blink slightly because there was a strange golden aura around the woman I hope you came ready to work too because I am in a bad mood

Chapter 363

Alright switch Alana’s voice sounded out and Thea fell to her knees almost grateful

The person opposite her a short woman with extremely powerful legs lowered the huge shield that she used as a weapon Her gaze scrutinized Thea carefully absorbing every detail But as she was turning away all the woman said was You can improve very quickly Good luck

Thea was too exhausted after their brief duel to respond but her eyes locked onto the IX on the back of that woman’s leather armor So she was part of the 9th Squad That made Thea feel at least some swelling of pride even though she had been absolutely embarrassed on every front

But that was common in this exercise of the 19 duels Thea had participated in there was only one that could be even considered a draw The level in Donnyton was so fucking high it hurt

The training had started with an hour of exhausting fitness exercises with weights the 300 people moving with remarkable efficiency to make sure everyone did everything Thea sorta ended up swept up in the momentum and lost herself in the weight lifting The exercises were many and varied and pushed her body beyond what she thought was possible earning Thea two Levels in Physical Fitness

Then the duels began in Alana’s words to determine the final groups

Thea really didn’t want to know what group she had ended up in She had gained a dozen or so Skill Levels however and tried to focus on this rather than her actual performance which left her flushed with shame If Chrysanthemum were participating

But Thea knew that this was just an excuse these people were relying on their own strength just like she was right now The fact that she lost to them all simply meant that she wasn’t as strong as she thought That that was just life

But another voice in her head whispered that Chrysanthemum was part of her strength too

Shaking her head Thea stood took one of the free potions to restore her strength and went to find her next duel partner This one was a black teen who was scowling and swinging a huge iron ball around like it was nothing

It made Thea’s stomach plummet out of her chest That sorta strength could destroy her System or no That ball must weigh over 300 lbs and he was treating it like it was nothing

But in more positive news the guy was covered in bruises clearly beaten up and injured It seemed that some of the damage from the previous duels had been so extreme that he hadn’t been able to heal in the time between duels something that Thea identified very strongly with She too was still quite sore

Alright girls and boys this will be the last fight Alana called Make it count

Thea steeled herself It had to be this it had to be here Of all of her opponents only this one seemed to have a fraction of a chance of her winning Then although it might be considered cheating Thea reached for her connection to Chrysanthemum Not to call her but to draw some of her strength and ferocity through their bond and get one more edge

One thing that her opponents here had made very clear was that Thea was way too hesitant when attacking another person Which was perhaps true and was likely just due to the fact that Thea really hadn’t ever raised her weapon to fight against another human She had constantly been fighting monsters which relied on Skills or their raw Statistics in order to battle rather than any sort of momentum or disruption

It was a sharp gap in her knowledge that put her in an awkward situation

But here and now facing this giant metal ball Thea felt part of Chrysanthemum flow through her settling into her bones setting her emotions on fire raising her hackles It was certainly easier to treat the user of such an oppressive weapon as a monster able to withstand her full strength And Thea promised herself that was exactly what she would use

The man moved exploding into motion but very quickly Thea’s vision of him was completely eclipsed by the huge iron ball moving towards her Growling Thea dashed forward spun around the ball and leapt towards the man

Without even blinking he twisted the chain and pulled using his monstrous strength to stop the ball’s advance and pull it back Her face twisting into a grimace the thrill of Chrysanthemum’s bloodlust singing in her veins Thea reached out and grabbed the chain allowing the man to pull her back towards him

His eyebrows rose but he twisted the chain again stopping the momentum of the pull Thea let go and charged towards him She could sense the ball still coming towards her from behind but it had lost most of its oppressive momentum by her grip Although he seemed annoyed the man was not flustered He raised the end of the chain he held spinning it lightly It was an open and raw challenge

Bellowing Thea attacked him with her hammer

With an adroit movement that a more reflective Thea would have found to be extraordinarily impressive the man looped his chain around the hammer stepped to the side and yanked pulling the hammer out of Thea’s grasp

Thea’s smile was wide and the man’s eyebrows rose further The hammer had been quick to leave her hand’s hands because Thea had let go of it Taking advantage of the small moment of shock she punched the man in the nose feeling like she punched a brick wall

Thea grimaced Damnit how high were this guy’s Stats How was he so badly beaten up if his body could take this much of a beating

Although it had probably hurt her as much as it hurt him the man still stumbled backwards It was probably just the strength she was syphoning from Chrysanthemum but it was frankly quite satisfying to inflict pain on another human without regrets

Plus with the damage she had received just from punching the last of Thea’s compunctions towards attacking another person faded away Again and again she rained blows on his face and chest as he struggled to regain his footing until finally she was forced to roll to the side as the ball came crashing back

Again he displayed his enourmous Strength by simply catching it with one hand and swinging it like a huge hammer driving her farther back Then he glared at her his eyes narrowed into slits due to his fury Thea responded in kind There was no way that she was going to end this duel marathon without a single win

But a part of her cooled down and started furiously thinking about how to beat this opponent He was the same type of fighter as she was relying on his power to suppress even monsters Whereas Chrysanthemum was the way she did that in person it could be considered doing that here as well as it was only due to the shared strength she managed it

So it was something like fighting someone of the style of the Ghosthound They had sparred together occasionally and there were times that the Ghosthound chose to move slowly to force Thea to come to terms with the fact that she won’t always be the strongest individual in a fight Sometimes she would need to be the smartest to win

Joints then or weak points Aim for where he couldn’t defend from the brittle areas of his stances Thea’s eyes narrowed still locked with the man’s gaze as he seemed to struggle with something inwardly Slowly she sidestepped around him until she arrived at her hammer which she slowly bent and picked up Was he waiting for an opening

The man snorted and threw his weapon to the ground and began walking towards Thea Thea’s grip on her hammer tightened She hadn’t heard much from the Ghosthound in regards to tactics because even after his identity was revealed he was a stoic guy But she did remember one thing he had said once not to her but to Simon

Don’t think of a fight as a contest of strength it’s a bidding war Where two people bid on the game they want and then afterwards they use their remaining resources to play it out

After that he had just scratched his head when Simon asked him to explain but Thea had a strange sense of clarity when she heard that Fighting came in two phases the arrangement and the action And there was no need to buy into an arrangement chosen by the opponent unless they forced you into it

Thea stepped forward raising her hammer

The continued presence of the weapon seemed to infuriate the man and he roared and charged forward his arms spread wide His physique was honestly intimidating to Thea but she had faced down much worse a human body was nothing to a bear

In a display of rationality the man stopped his mad charge short right in front of her and threw a remarkably fast jab All Thea had time for was to raise her hammer in the way blocking the strike He grimaced and pulled back twisting and aiming a roundhouse kick at her stomach

Thea spun and dropped to the ground swinging under the kick and aiming a hammer blow towards the side of the man’s knee Grunting he was forced to land awkwardly stumbling a little In that moment Thea cleanly stood and simply thrust using the broad top of her hammer to simply bash the front of his face

This time he stumbled back swearing and something feral came alive in Thea’s chest she raised her hammer and stepped forward ready to capitalize on this opening But she was interrupted

Alright that’s enough Alana said clapping I think at this stage I know what you all are capable of doing Tykes go sleep this off you’re a mess Doug Cassie and Alice stay behind let’s do a little bit more training in one on ones Oh and you too bear girl The rest of you

Chapter 364

Thea’s hearing slowly faded out after Alana made her announcement and began to split up the remaining people into groups for war games giant team battles to simulate some of the actual challenges that the Squads of Donnyton would face

Bear girl that couldn’t be anyone but her right

Tykes who was apparently the man she had been facing grunted and gave Thea a dirty look before walking away the huge metal ball slung above his shoulder like it was nothing He didn’t seem phased at all by the fact he had been smashed in the face with Thea’s hammer It made her wonder who the hell was strong enough to leave him so bruised and battered

Now that the heat of Chrysanthemum was out of her System Thea felt a certain amount of confusion over the man’s actions Based on the high level of his Stats he must have some Skills or special moves that he could use aside from simply throwing the iron ball around Yet he hadn’t used them

Perhaps he was afraid of injuring her

Either way it was a win for her and it filled Thea with a small seed of happiness Things like this weren’t easy so it was best to savor them while she could

It turned out Alice was the woman from Squad IX that had beaten her so brutally previously and she came over and gave Thea several quiet tips about her form Watch how far forward the step she made when she attacked was Develop a natural way to flow into another attack if the first misses Don’t let the opponent always control the distance between them

Finally after the war game was in full swing Alana returned looking at Thea with undisguised interest The woman was of average height and was beautiful in a way that a desert was beautiful Harsh and unrelenting and truly itself There was also that constant light that made it quite difficult to look directly at her

I was afraid you would break quite honestly Alana finally said giving Thea a sharp smile You faced 20 of our best fighters today aside from Tykes that petulant child I wanted to know your level of strength without your mount But I also wanted to see how strong your spirit is Color me impressed With you there I doubt Star Crossing will have any need to worry about monsters

Blushing Thea nodded and looked at the ground Alana laughed

Well anyways time for me to work off some steam from last night you four against me Take some time to talk about strategy if you must but be ready for me to grind you into the ground Also I want you to be thinking about something while you are fighting what is the most powerful Skill

Randidly didn’t even blink when one of Simon’s strange bird constructs settled on his shoulder as he walked towards the edge of the Village He had figured that Simon would use his power to visit them and it was slightly reassuring to know he was here

Not that Simon could really assist in any battles that would happen or that he would be extremely effective in such battles but the reassurance that everything was fine between them felt good Although they had spent only a few months together a lot of that time was when Randidly was at his weakest point and needed someone to rely on He wouldn’t forget that kindness

Randidly walked up the hill towards the overlook of the town feeling the sun on his back It was a good feeling to be here and be back Especially after spending several hours pouring over those reports from Mrs Hamilton

A mental inquiry to Neveah indicated that she was off playing with some of the Squads of Donnyton happily chasing down and devouring a Raid Boss Shaking his head Randidly sent the information he had gained from Mrs Hamilton in their talk regarding the Bone Wurm population Once they were settled they could begin to produce the Marrow Silk for Donnyton which would put textiles back on the map as an industry Plus the materials should be invaluable for armor it was just that Randidly really hadn’t paid much attention to what it could do

After he reached the outlook he took in a deep breath and then paused There was someone else on the outlook Randidly turned and looked at the other figure who was masked And yet just from the warm feeling he had at looking towards her figure he instantly knew who it was

Raina Randidly said simply remembering the strange and fearful power that this woman had with her singing and with her gaze Even now cloaked and masked he still couldn’t shake the strange positive disposition he had towards her

Still that wasn’t her fault and based on her state of dress the woman did her best in order to restrain the effect that she had on the people around her What was fascinating about it was that as he said her name he could literally see the change in her aura The air around her warped and shifted with her emotions Not in a way that would affect him but that would make all of her reactions clear There was a flash of joy then hesitation and uncertainty and finally settling on a strangled resignation

Randidly did his best not to grimace That was just another burden that she had to carry an unfortunate side effect of her Skills But it was something that Randidly understood from his use of Anguish He knew implicitly that as the Level of the Skill increased some of it began to shine through If he let it become one of his primary Skills it would create a constant aura around him

In the same way something like the Breath of the Spear Phantom if it became his ultimate move would create a sense of suffocation in everyone around him Randidly also believed that this effect would be magnified by a high level in Battle Intent which made it easier for him to warp the world around him

For now as most of his levels were in things like Spear Mastery and Spear Phantom’s Embrace Randidly knew that there was a strangely distant and sharp feel to himself

Now facing this girl and after writing those letters the reasoning for why most people were treating him this way came into focus There was an air about him now something that he had never experienced but it would only continue to grow Well perhaps not It seemed to be affected by the difference in average Level so as long as the gap between their Skill Levels didn’t grow

Randidly I’d heard the rumors but welcome back Raina said softly her voice sweet

It was just another expression of that flood of powerful emotions It made Randidly think that perhaps Raina wasn’t the siren that she was always assumed to be She was just excellent at projecting her emotions and humans were inherently weak to emotions Thoughts for another time however

Simon’s small bird floated forward towards Raina For her part she narrowed her eyes at the small clearly fake bird but said nothing as it floated over and settled next to her regarding her curiously

Randidly slowly followed Thank you I have something of a weird question but I wanted an opinion of someone who didn’t really run things here How is Donnyton Is everything alright

Honestly Randidly wasn’t sure what he should talk about so he settled back to the business he had spent all this morning researching Besides Mrs Hamilton was efficient and thorough but Randidly trusted less sophisticated opinions as the true barometer of the health of a location Or at least he had before the System came

Settling next to Raina on the rock as she seemed to consider Randidly looked at the paper in her hands seeing an extremely detailed drawing of the valley below showing Donnyton’s sprawling expansion below them

The valley that Donnyton was situated in ran from the Northwest to the Southeast with the hill range where they were sitting to the South giving them a pretty decent view of the way the Village had developed Although the Southern side of the valley was relatively impassible the Northern side was just small rolling hills

Starting from the Southeastern corner along the valley there was first the guardhouse and tower at the mouth of the valley and then the ale houses and wineries After that the valley transitioned into mostly farmland which extended to the Northl in a haphazard way as different farmers struck out from the main track of farmland in the valley taking over some of the Northern hills Kiersty and her Arbor cult were a part of those little expansions

Luckily it seemed they had upgraded Donnyton’s area of safety that prevented monster spawns or else those expansions would need to be more diligently guarded After that the valley transferred to the original location of their base that small cabin and farm that Randidly lived in Beyond that there were now huge training and muster areas along with the beginnings of a relatively upper class housing expansion with glittering walls and well painted fences in ridiculous styles

The next big feature was the plateau where they had built up the encampment of Donnyton and actually founded the Village These walls had been torn down and expanded and upgraded so now there was stone reinforced with wood and metal around the main part of the Village with huge towers at every corner with ballistas

Which was something of an overkill because it had been a long long time based upon what Randidly had heard since anything really had attacked the base But it was a forward thinking strategy and Randidly appreciated it This was not the end of the wrenches that the System wanted to throw in the works

Chapter 365

The Village inside the fortification was now neatly organized which showed that when the reorganization happened Mrs Hamilton had a powerful influence in the way it turned out The whole thing stunk of redundancies and planning Randidly looked from Raina’s picture to the actual valley below

She had done a great job of splitting the fortified area into the housing the storage the kept Dungeon and the market quarters It was absolutely swarming with people in real life but in the picture it was a pristine and empty world Strangely beautiful in a way if surreal

Beyond the main part of Donnyton was more training grounds and then the armor and weapon industrial complex that had become perhaps the most sizable portion of the town From the plateau to the quarry everything had been transformed into a materials processing and forging area

While they didn’t really have any industry as the discussion about how big to make their electricity generator and how to do it was still ongoing there was a precision and efficiency in construction that spoke for Samuel Hoss’ very methodical planning This area would serve as the basis for Donnyton’s strength even if other locations passed them in other areas Plus with the support with the rare mine location the products would be a level above anywhere else

Donnyton was the foremost leader in equipment for the Zone So much so that there wasn’t really anywhere that was in 2nd place

It was a good thing too The draw of access to this level of production and materials would pull talents from other locations Merchants would cluster around Donnyton like flies bringing their small wares from other locations desperate to obtain the treasures that were routinely produced here to take back to their home Villages and sell for a huge profit

It’s perfect Randidly said surprising himself with the awe in his tone still studying the drawing The different locales of the picture were drawn in different styles really emphasizing the different flavor of each zone It was honestly less a map and more a piece of art

Do you like it You can have it if you want I don’t do it everyday but I like drawing Donnyton so it’s not like these sort of drawings are rather rare so Raina said shrugging and ripping off the page to offer it to him Randidly took it carefully rolling it up and then placing it into his ring

At some point he would find a home even if it was a small hut just like his old one And there he would proudly hang it on the wall showing the world what he had started Not every stone or even a significant portion had been laid by him but he had set everything in motion Inciting Action as he was named by Lyra

He felt a small pang of worry for her because she really hadn’t turned up even after a day but a few things set his mind at ease First if she died something bad would have happened to the Village and everything appeared to be running as normal Second she was strong stronger than most people gave her credit for Most people got stuck on her beauty or the sharp acidic edge of her tongue and very few people could see past that to the person she really was After the time they spent together even influenced strongly by the System Randidly believed that he had peaked a little behind the curtain and what he found was stubbornness and steel

Finally because she said to trust her It didn’t help his stomach sit well but it was enough for him to do his best to relax All he could do for now is wait

you asked me what I thought about Donnyton Raina said slowly I think I think that up until now we have almost been in the honeymoon phase with it like a relationship Everyone started from nothing and we all worked together to build it to this It’s a beautiful thing Here we have hot water we have alcohol we have the best Squads to push back the monsters

There she paused and Randidly could feel the air becoming filled with the smell of fear But beyond every honeymoon is the real world and that’s work There has already been some friction between us and Franksburg Some tension regarding the fact that Lucifer was the one who slew the first Tier III Raid Boss Craftsman from other locations come to Donnyton and are laughed at because they don’t know about using a method to forge There is no real location for the travelers to stay so they camp out beyond the Safe Zone paying Donnyton for use of a Squad for protection It hasn’t become anything yet but

Randidly frowned Portions of those issues were in Mrs Hamilton’s reports but mostly she dealt with hard facts and logistical problems This was this was more spiritual What was needed was not really a solution but a change in attitude And honestly

Randidly spared Raina a glance but remained quiet as she continued speaking

The big projects have sustained us for too long as well The economy is well confusing I take deals I know are bad all the time because there is no real money and I’m not sure someone else isn’t going to come along and do something similar to me and I’d lose all my business just like that And beyond the basic necessities there is too much demand for some of the high end products And holy shit we need fucking restaurants

Now she gave Randidly a pointed look and he chuckled almost in spite of himself He drummed his fingers on his legs thinking all of this information over combining it with the things he had learned from Mrs Hamilton He still had the letters he had made intending to hand deliver them but it was a good thing she had insisted on this because Raina’s words changed what he thought about the situation He would be shifting the focus somewhat

Raina Randidly said slowly calculating times He closed his eyes and sighed This would definitely cut into some of what he wanted to do But again prioritizing the long term was smart as long as it didn’t jeopardize the short term And in the meantime Lucretia continued to help his inner world digest those huge shards of Aether that had constituted the Creature’s construct Slowly that was pushing his Aether Manipulation up passively but it was mostly benefiting his Living Aether Skill

All in all he could afford for his attention to be divided

would you like to help me throw a party

Raina blinked Eh

Thea spat out a mouthful of blood collapsing All four of them lay on the ground groaning while Alana stood above them her expression bright

Haha Truly there is nothing better than some light exercise Alana said looking truly refreshed She grinned around at the others who were in various stages between exhaustion and death So I suppose this is as far as you can manage Still an excellent effort I was serious by the end

Alice groaned and shifted using her shield to attempt to stand She failed and just collapsed Learning from her mistake the other three people remained on the ground just panting and trying to gather their wits

So what did we learn about Skills Alana asked looking around at them all

Thea pressed her eyes shut What she mostly learned was that she needed more Skills It seemed that Alana and to a lesser degree the three others around her possessed at least 4 active Skills each which raised their attack power Thea had Heavy Blow but using it was almost second nature at this point Beyond that she had Bear’s Fury that gave her bonus Stats and Retribution Strike that did extra damage based on damage that she had taken but neither held a candle to the strikes and charges that other people had

It made her profoundly sad and left her feeling slightly unlucky After all she had almost 100 PP saved up Thea just wasn’t sure what sort of Path she should choose Now however she was going to put some more points into her Brawler II Path in the hopes she would obtain something powerful at the end

You have them Doug said sarcastically managing to get up to his knees Alana rolled her eyes at him

Other than that of course

Alice hesitated then said Well it seems like you have multiple Skills for each action And a Skill to use in the face of different eventualities Basically everything we threw at you you had a Skill to counter it

Ah good That’s a start Alana said accepting a bowl of soup from a man who walked around offering them The four’s soup just sat on the ground next to them Thea’s stomach contracted too bruised to suffer the presence of the food But of my Skills what do you think made the most difference

That light that improved your strength and speed Absolutely broken Doug muttered

Alana just laughed

Well Thea said surprising herself Taking care of those bursts was doable because it’s pretty easy to notice but the Child of the Sun Skill its constant right Just blinds the opponent a little constantly That’s what annoyed me the most

Ohoho smart too bear girl Alana said but her voice was pleased Yes that’s more on the right track That also boosts my combat ability by the smallest margins and my senses and predictive ability Small across the board but it adds up It’s why keeping Physical Fitness and Fighting Proficiency and your individual weapon proficiency high are important those are the things you don’t notice but slowly edge out the opposition

So those are the strongest Skills Thea asked somewhat surprised Her focus had been so much on the active Skills she hadn’t really considered the passive ones But it made sense that it would have a huge effect over time on their strength

Well there is disagreement on that front for sure Alice pointed out looking at Alana for confirmation After she nodded Alice continued for example that Skill of yours is indeed powerful And Glendel’s Lvl 30 Skill We’ve all seen him execute a Tier II Raid Boss with it and extract it’s essence

Glendel is a special case His Class is incredibly rare But take for instance Lucifer Do you know what his highest Leveled Skill is

When everyone said nothing Alana smiled a small bitter smile It’s called Tenacity for Life It’s one of the only Rare ranked Skills on record And it gives him a boost at living For whatever activity he deems fit for living he’s just a little bit faster stronger better at it And everytime his life gets close to ending that Tenacity he has grows Some say he’s almost Lvl 100 in it and that’s why he is so strong That’s why he treats his life so carelessly so it grows more quickly

Then Alana shrugged But that’s just two very stark examples You may choose whichever path you think is correct but both of those individuals were blessed in a way and are far beyond what most people can hope to achieve Just be aware of these issues and use them as a guide going forward

Thea nodded seriously the wheels in her head slowly turning

Chapter 366

You made a gym

Donny looked up the voice that grabbed his attention clearly amused Randidly Ghosthound stood there in the underground wooden training area that Donny had made for himself pouring most of his points with the Village into making his perfect paradise This was where he came to work where he came to train where he came to get away from everyone

Everyday 6 10 AM Donny would come down here and just let everything fall away It was his sanctuary and it was somewhat annoying to him that the Ghosthound had chosen this time to come visit him finally

Quick as lighting Donny shook his head banishing that feeling away It was a necessary skill learning to control his emotions especially when dealing with this man Based upon the timing Donny suspected he was one of the final visits but he didn’t mind that part After all it meant that their talk could be more productive

Or perhaps Donny reflected it could be less so just catching up He almost shivered with how much he wished for that Things were definitely different with the System But not all in a bad way

Well it’s more than a gym Donny finally said setting down the weights he had been working with He gestured at the punching bags and weapon racks It’s a great place to train too and to try out new things We’ve been doing some research into creating our own Skills and Mrs Hamilton is very optimistic about what we can accomplish moving forward

The Ghosthound simply nodded and Donny considered the man that had changed his life so much His feet were still tanned and bare the legs of his pants ripped to shreds around them He was a tall man and muscular although it was a very different beast than Dozer’s slabs of meat that covered him These muscles were all built for a very specific purpose to kill

His hair was still long and black his eyes still burning a bright emerald Basically what had changed was that it seemed like the Ghosthound’s arms had gotten marginally longer his shoulders widening more noticeably And also although the color of it hadn’t changed the tone of his eyes had definitely shifted There was a harder cast to his features a cruelty and violence to it

Donny recognized that from his own face magnified 100x on the person in front of him This was the dark side of the System The way it warped you shifted you changed you to fit a mold of something that you were not

He could only guess what mold the Ghosthound was growing into

Feeling slightly awkward at the silence Donny said So Did you have something to say to me

The Ghosthound smiled but it was extremely sad and tired Well yes But I think I need to wait for a bit to say those things

He trailed off for several seconds then his emerald gaze snapped to Donny with such force that Donny almost jumped The examination was intense and lasted for several long minutes but then the Ghosthound turned away sighing Perhaps what I really want to say is thank you I could not have managed to do this if you hadn’t stepped up You’ve kept this town alive

What other choice did I have ’ Donny wanted to say but he simply nodded seriously Everyone had their own burden to carry He didn’t need to add his small weight to the Ghosthound’s back After all

Thank you but is what the notifications say true That the energy in the air Donny let the question hang in the air but the Ghosthound’s shift in expression was all the answer he needed

Yes The other man whispered his eyes narrowed to slits And I suspect it’s a bit more complicated than that I’m going to need to borrow some of Donnyton’s strength in order to handle it

That was slightly shocking to hear even though Donny had expected it The rumors about a group of 10 going to clear the Raid Dungeon would be true then Did that perhaps mean

The Ghosthound’s eyes flashed and Donny could see the man clench his fist then force himself to relax It earned a certain amount of admiration from Donny because the struggle of emotion never crossed his face just in that small physical expression of the hand That degree of control

So then there’s that that I do want to talk about The Ghosthound said He folded his hands giving Donny a level look Tell me about the people here Who would be worth considering to kill a monster

Randidly’s conversation with Donny left him thoughtful It was almost noon now and Randidly hesitated Of all the people that Randidly had intended to visit the one he hadn’t yet visited was Sam Still

He could feel inside himself that Lucretia was clamoring to speak with him in regards to some of the Aether he had absorbed In addition Randidly had left Neveah alone for a while and she was starting to grow bored of interacting with the Squads of Donnyton

Randidly’s mouth twisted Well he needed to reframe the issue as best he could before Thea used her Stone of Fate and Randidly needed to observe the process doing his best to extrapolate some truth about the construction of the System Since realizing what was ahead of him he had done his best to observe the world better but

It really would come down to a roll of the dice But he also had access to his Stone of Genesis

Several things clicked into place in Randidly’s head The Stone of Genesis would serve as a good 2nd experiment in regards to Aether construction but he had been stuck on how to choose who should get it He had received a relatively long list of names from Donny in regards to talented people perhaps 25 in total but Randidly didn’t believe that he would ever gift the item away without meeting the person

In addition the work he had done with Mrs Hamilton in regards to shifting the social emphasis

A tournament multiple tournaments

Randidly’s eyes glittered He would need prizes for each of the different tournaments for the different social strata The Stone of Genesis worked for one but as for the rest

Well issues for later Something that Randidly could consider slowly because these probably wouldn’t be announced until the weekend when Annie and Dozer announced their baby’s name The tests themselves would take a bit more time to implement

Grimacing Randidly began to move faster across the hills eventually arriving at the spot where Neveah was playing with the people of Squads 2 and 3 After shooing the people away Randidly hopped on Neveah’s back and road North and East away towards the edge of the Zone and away from human habitation

After traveling for about half an hour Randidly believed they were far enough away from people and had Neveah stop They were in an area that was just more and more low hills covered in scrubby trees and relatively lousy with a strange crimson haired monkey creature

Frowning Randidly considered hunting down the Raid Boss that was probably producing these creatures but ultimately decided against it As the soul who had inhabited Neveah’s body had said they had room to grow but it was not infinite and above 30 it became extremely difficult for the monsters to improve much like it seemed that people had hit a similar wall above 45 their leveling speed slowing to a crawl

So much to do Randidly muttered closing his eyes Neveah pressed her body up against him causing him to smile Well at least he had support

Don’t act like I’m constantly trying to sabotage you no matter how much you wish I would Lucretia’s sour voice floated up in his subconscious

Randidly’s mouth twitched but he said nothing

Laying on the ground Neveah curled up around him covering his body in several rings of bones Part for protection but also because she liked the proximity to him Eyes burning golden Randidly used most of his Mana and thousands of small root tendrils exploded out of the ground filling the air writhing back and forth

Most of what Randidly would be doing was discussion with Neveah and Lucretia who would be doing the heavy lifting in terms of Aether manipulation although both of them relied on his Skill to interact directly with it But that would mean a portion of his consciousness would be free and there was no point in wasting that extra time

Slowly dozens of Root Avatars began to form picking up their root spears getting in line and they began to practice and polish their spear arts lightly sparring against one another At the same time Randidly activated Anguish and then closed his eyes floating downwards towards his Soulscape

Lucretia was waiting there as well as a foggy figure that was part human and part wurm Randidly squinted at it and it wiggled back and forth distressed

Difficult Want better Eventually Neveah sounded reproachful depressed and sad

Randidly could only shake his head and did his best to console her strange amalgamation Then he turned his head to Lucretia Her smile was small and for once not designed to rip and tear

I have good news and I have bad news She announced After Randidly cocked an eyebrow she continued The good news is that this will definitely work Watching the portions of Aether we

We Neveah thought darkly in a way that was exceptionally clear to Randidly did NOT include Lucretia Randidly hid his grin

absorbed from the Creature disintegrate I think I have a pretty good idea of how to make the actual substance of the Class As for the shape She paused we need examples Preferably multiple Preferably live Preferably getting a Class for the first time

Chapter 367

Mrs Hamilton leaned back in her chair You are morally against this I assume

Randidly sighed I just Can this really be considered a prize

You are too used to your own life Let me paint you a picture Mrs Hamilton leaned back her face becoming shrouded in darkness But from the shadows her eyes still gleamed Randidly slowly forced himself to relax as he listened You are not a brave person You do not have an aberrant Skill and you ask around and the Paths you have access to are only the base ones And yet you crave the strength that you see from the heroes of Donnyton

It’s frustrating and you try training but you have a hard time sticking to it You dislike pain you dislike extremes Life is beginning to settle down and slowly almost unwillingly your training tapers off further There are now other people to defend you stronger people who worked harder You acknowledge that And yet and yet at your core you have a deep anger a grand stubbornness an urge to be great And you do one of two things You hate yourself for your inability to stick to the training or you turn your hatred on the others

Because the only reason they are there and you are not is because you are blessed Mrs Hamilton smiled at Randidly Whatever you would like to do to these people in a way it can be considered a Blessing’ if only because it is a deviation from the norm This will always distinguish that person It would finally vindicate that voice in that back of their head Honestly you can consider this something of a service

Keeping his tone even Randidly said Isn’t that a very callous way of thinking about the issue

As her face was still in shadow even Randidly’s improved Perception couldn’t determine her expression but he sensed amusement Randidly frowned slightly Honestly if her face was unclear to him with his Stats this was not simply a trick of the light A Skill was active here one that escaped his notice until now

How many lives have you taken Randidly Mrs Hamilton asked her voice soft Randidly’s hands balled into fists Her amusement seemed to increase further while Randidly closed his eyes and saw countless faces the mess of guards that he had slaughtered in Shal’s world Beyond that there were several individuals that Randidly had caused the death of which was similar

But Mrs Hamilton wasn’t done And also how many lives will you take We haven’t dwelled on this yet or at least the rest of you haven’t but what happens to us when our Zone connects to other Zones Based on our trade with our sister Village there were likely humans who were aware of the coming apocalypse but they kept it to themselves Their presence is further verified by the fact that we were the first Village in our world to be founded but not the first to defeat the Tier III Raid Boss That dubious honor belongs to another

The types of people who would allow such a huge portion of the population to die a ruthless group and one focused on their own power I suspect they will not take kindly to political rivals If they come at us with force do you have it in you to stop them

Randidly kept his eyes closed now picturing everyone here in Donnyton He knew the answer to this question He would slaughter the other Zones in a heartbeat

A Spear Advances Ash Trails

It was spooky sometimes how closely his first self created move mirrored the reality around him Still hopefully they could come to a peaceful conclusion where that wasn’t necessary where they could agree to a balance That might require a show of force which Randidly was more than happy to supply But again beyond the other Zones there was something larger The Calamity And waiting in the wings was the Creature

What’s your point Randidly finally rasped although he already knew what she was going to say

My point is that not everyone is you able to change the world on their own And they are often more than happy to give their lives to help the cause Those small flashes of light in the darkness dimmed sinking deeper into the shadows as Mrs Hamilton leaned back farther And to emphasize that these are not battles we can afford to lose Randidly You are our advantage Not only for this issue with the Raid Dungeon and this Creature but against everyone Leveraging you is exactly what we need to focus on

Bowing his head Randidly breathed out another long sigh So it would be like this

Careful Slow End fine Neveah whispered reassuring him With a small smile he mentally waved her off That was true And to do that they needed practice They needed to be able to understand Aether and the way it behaved At night Randidly would train in just that focusing all his attention to mastering the Aether and moving it while passively grinding some other Skills But during the day

There was another avenue Not to actually understand Aether but to understand the ways that he could mimic it

It was time to see Sam

Regina raised her eyebrows adding more potatoes to the pot He still hasn’t visited you

Sam simply grunted in response his back to her as he continued cutting the meat Regina smiled bitterly Even after 5 months of marriage he could stump her like this She really couldn’t tell whether he was ambivalent or upset He was very excited she knew to unveil some of his creations but perhaps the wait wasn’t so bad

If she could see his expression it would be different

Sam Regina said sharply He glanced over her shoulder at her then turned back to the meat Upset then

As Regina opened her mouth there was a knock on the door Even Sam looked up somewhat shocked Basically only the higher level foremen in the Production District knew which house was theirs located in the mezzanine passages of the housing zone that was propped up against the side of the main production building

Calmly Regina wiped her hands and walked to the door There she found a tall athletic young man with cold emerald eyes and black hair down to his shoulders She clucked disapprovingly

You need a haircut

The Ghosthound smiled chuckling I think so to but there just hasn’t been time Also one of the unfortunate side effects of high Vitality is that the hair grows back to this length really quickly Seems more trouble than it’s worth

Then he paused Is Sam in

Here boy Sam said rinsing the red blood from the meat cutting from his hands before walking over to the door and offering the Ghosthound a handshake He took it and soon Regina had to step out of the way because the handshake had turned into a rough hug

The two men parted sizing each other up

The Ghosthound spoke first a small smile on his face You need some exercise I didn’t even know that you could get fat since the System arrived

Sam grunted and gestured dismissively Hiding a smile behind her hand Regina continued to prepare the stew She had actually made a similar comment to Sam a few months ago when it started to happen It had actually been very concerning to Regina at the time so she had consulted Mrs Hamilton about it

After all Regina had conducted examinations of Sam and there was nothing physically wrong with him But Mrs Hamilton seemed to think that it had something to do with the connection to the Ghosthound

All Classers Regina had learned began to show slight physical changes based on their Class For whatever reason the four who got the Blessings from the Ghosthound received a very markedly increased effect from this So Sam was simply shifting towards a body that was more appropriate for a Dawn Smith to have

It was relieving and concerning at the same time to Regina The changes did seem to be slowing down now as Sam settled into a rather portly figure but the fact that Classes had that sort of power

Shaking her head Regina asked Would you like to join us for dinner then Randidly

The Ghosthound nodded and from his ring produced a series of bottles of beer After they popped them open poured them out and took a drink Sam’s eyebrows rose

This ain’t from here Sam muttered taking another appreciative sip

The Ghosthound laughed Yea a souvenir from my trip Actually while we are talking about it I don’t know if you are interested in it or not

2 hours later the older and younger man were standing next to each other the stew STILL in its pot the table instead dedicated to the different weaponry that the Ghosthound had brought back from wherever he had been which he didn’t seem keen on talking about

There were also materials and most importantly information on Engraving Since the Ghosthound had left Sam had continued to slowly improve in Engraving but it seemed that what the Ghosthound lacked in patience as compared to Sam he more than made up for it in sheer Mana pool size and background information

He had brought with him a full set of encyclopedias about Engraving as well as several special runes that he had received The two were currently deep in a philosophical discussion about the behavior of Mana and also subjective versus objective energy

Very discreetly Regina poured herself a bowl of the stew and left Those two could certainly entertain themselves without her

Chapter 368

Stan Culcart was in love with Raina that much he was certain about Well mostly certain He scratched his beard awkwardly trying to keep her in sight so the organizers wouldn’t be mad at him but trying not to watch too closely while she limbered up by stretching They were in the small preparation tent behind the performance area with just them remaining to go out in front of the crowd

Are you nervous Stan asked the air about 2 meters to Raina’s left The woman straightened shrugged and flashed him a sunny smile

Nope Just a little rusty It will work itself out

But Stan knew she was lying Of all the strange Skills the one that Stan had received in the wake of the System’s arrival was Emotional Sensitivity He could basically intuit what most people were feeling at most times Of course around someone like Raina who was effectively broadcasting her emotions

Sometimes Stan felt he wasn’t even himself any longer he was just swimming in the emotions Raina had 5 minutes ago So now when she smiled at him he could feel the nervousness bubbling right beneath the surface

At first upon his arrival to Donnyton the emotions that Raina was throwing off had driven him crazy It was a constant drone in the background He almost left But Stan was a man who had had mental problems his entire life His anxiety and depression were more familiar to him than most people So he decided to try some advice that his old therapist used to give him

Stop fighting this and just accept it

So he did

Now 5 months later Stan was buzzing with her energy acting as Raina’s manager Which of course made his feelings for her completely inappropriate And also made Stan very aware of Raina’s own confused attraction towards Tykes one of the golden boys of Donnyton although it had only involved posturing and sharp comments up to this point Everything was just so

No really Raina said her expression softening You are giving me that look again It will be fine Stan I’ve got this

The warm flood of her emotions washed over him and once again the anxiety was pushed backwards Sighing he shook his head and said I don’t even understand why you agreed to this Didn’t you want to start only performing in front of small audiences Basically all of Donnyton is gonna be here and word got out to Franksburg Tentatively another 800 fans are convoying up

Ha really it wasn’t you that told them I figured you were just trying to promote me Raina teased

Giving her an exasperated look Stan ran his hands through his hair No he had not spilled the beans Fitting all of Donnyton in the quarry amphitheatre was a squeeze But now with people coming up from Franksburg

No it’s just it was a favor for Randidly so Raina trailed off looking at the ground her emotions swirling around wildly Stan did his best to study the same spot on the ground and studiously kept himself from examining the emotions she felt now too closely And I agree with what he’s trying to do We’ve sorta been coasting along not really thinking too deeply about what has happened to our lives what the System means I guess we are going to have this one last hurrah and then make everyone address the elephant in the room

Basically yea

The extremely close voice caused Stan to jump He spun around shocked to find an athletic man with black hair standing their dressed in an apron He offered them both the plate he was holding which was covered in sliders scones and a thick helping of macaroni and cheese Figured you could use some fuel before you went on stage I’m Randidly by the way

The man who founded the town Randidly Ghosthound the most powerful man in the world extended his hand towards Stan After breathing loudly for several seconds Stan took it feeling very overshadowed

I’ve heard of you He said meekly tuning into the man’s emotions This was actually hard Impossible in fact There was something about the Ghosthound that just muted the emotions From him Stan could only feel a strange even coolness It wasn’t just for himself either His very presence muted the constant flow of emotions of Raina turning it to a trickle For the first time in months Stan was alone in his heart feeling only what he wanted to feel

There was a deep sickness there and a melancholy Stan shivered

You want me to eat fucking mac and cheese before performing I guess it’s good to know that even you can be a total guy sometimes Raina said playfully taking a scone and ripping off a small corner to eat

Shrugging the Ghosthound offered it to Stan who waved it away Then the Ghosthound feeling no compunctions sat down and began to eat Your loss

In his core Stan felt extremely strange After the sick feeling and melancholy passed there was just a strange shivering sensation almost as if his arm had fallen asleep and now it was slowly reviving His chest tingled feeling rushing back into it after so long of it being numb It was a joyous occasion Stan couldn’t tell

How long am I performing Raina asked folding her legs underneath her carefully to sit next to the Ghosthound without damaging her dress

You know the answer to that ’ Stan wanted to say but instead he said nothing because he knew there was no point The vibrations had shifted from prickles to tremors his chest twitching his heart thumping painfully

Not a big deal Just finish with the song that you sang the first time I saw you The Ghosthound said That will be a signal that I recognize Then we will come up for the press release Afterwards if the audience isn’t bored to tears feel free to sing some more

In a very indelicate way Raina snorted and rolled her eyes Then her expression became serious But thank you This is nice to have this opportunity

She’s lying ’ Stan wanted to say his chest cracking and erupting strange deep things moving there But there was no point in him saying it was there His mouth twisted bitterly She would look at guys like this at guys like Tykes and he well he would always be the simple manager That was his role It was a role that he was satisfied in His connection his understanding of her

Easy you don’t have to fake it This is hard for you But thanks for doing it anyway The Ghosthound said setting the plate down

Both Raina and Stan froze Stan began to panic as he couldn’t tell why she froze The dampening from the Ghosthound The rumbling was growing worse and more painful

I Raina began but the Ghosthound waved her off

I should be thanking you I didn’t build this even though everyone thinks I did The people that were here living built Donnyton Like you Celebrate that The peace here you accomplished that

Then the Ghosthound stood and left taking the numbness with him Towards the end Stan was about to explode unable to truly understand what to feel about the fact that his connection with Raina wasn’t one of a kind That this man could look at her and understand her too This great man

But then Raina’s emotions rushed back in cool and cloying at first but then sweet and warm Happiness surprise a low longing a begrudging admiration relief

Stan sighed with relief

Thank you for your time and attention everyone Raina shouted smiling brightly even though she was clearly covered in sweat

Randidly rolled his eyes He shouldn’t have said sing as long as she wanted The girl had gone for almost an hour and a half At this point due to the dancing and singing components even a System enhanced individual would have a hard time keeping their breath But the crowd didn’t see that They only saw the sparkle

And now we have something special Donnyton’s leaders want to announce a few things for you all But first what we’ve all been waiting for the most adorable person in Donnyton what is her name Let’s hear it for Annie and Dozer

The cheers were loud but much more low and masculine as it seemed Dozer’s Squad had come in force Again Randidly could only roll his eyes Annie and Dozer walked out onto the stage Dozer fully 3 times the size of Raina a hulking mass of meat and muscle

Very perfunctorily Annie walked up and took the mic from Raina and then tapped it three times to make sure it was on Then she said I do not approve of this being such a big deal But she is the first baby in Donnyton so well her name is Delilah Please stay away from my child

Then she handed the mic back while the crowd laughed and began whispering excitedly the name Delilah on their lips Again Randidly rolled his eyes They took it as a joke but Randidly knew that Annie was actually threatening these people Hopefully no one got too excited to see the first baby of the Village

And now let’s bring to the stage the Counsel of Donnyton

Chapter 369

Donny breathed in and out looking out over the sea of faces packed into the quarry He didn’t know Donnyton had this many people Hell in some part of his mind he probably didn’t even know that this many people were still alive after the System arrived It was strangely reassuring in a way to see them all arrayed there looking up at him with serious expressions

Next to him came Dozer Mrs Hamilton Regina Sam Glendel Daniel and Clarissa Their expressions had varying degrees of nervousness from Daniel’s white eyed terror to Mrs Hamilton Regina and Glendel who appeared completely unphased beneath all of the scrutiny

Donny had noticed how he was changing but standing here with these people this counsel he realized it was more than that They were all changing Slowly warping and shifting becoming almost caricatures of themselves Emphasized expressions of their most poignant qualities

Backed with the power of the System

Donny shivered and began to speak

Donnyton is changing He said Then he took a breath In some good ways in some inevitable ways and in some bad ways Today we are going to announce some systemic changes to Donnyton that will hopefully keep us changing in the good ways make the best of the inevitable changes and curb some of the negative side effects of our new world

In his head Donny heard his voice speaking slowly and confidently from very far away He was 17 Before the System came he was a punk asshole with no spine And now and now he found himself moving methodically through a prepared speech revealing things that would affect thousands of lives

Again Donny shivered But this shiver was tinged with something much darker and more sinister than fear

There are three big announcements tonight and I’m in charge of the first and second one The first one is policy The big thing is that Donnyton is gonna start to make its own currency It’s a hybrid of gold and steel at the high end and paper currency to serve as small bills We will be buying back all System produced money and standardizing everything We have a very large backstock so don’t worry about us running out Mrs Hamilton has assured me that this change will help alleviate some of our economic concerns

Mrs Hamilton nodded serenely while Donny felt very cold inside This was perhaps the most innocuous change on the service but it left him with the most foreboding feeling For no sooner had they agreed to the idea and experimented with the formula that Donny received a notification from the System asking if he would like to allow the Donnyton Dollar to be given as payment in System stores in the Village

He had quickly said no but he still had the ability to transform the currency Which effectively eliminated all of the logistical issues they had with this plan But to know that the System was watching to that degree

If it turned against them at the wrong time

But Mrs Hamilton’s discussions with the Ghosthound had led her to believe that it wouldn’t work like that the System was primarily that just a system It would not turn against them it wasn’t intelligent It just responded to inputs

Still Donnyton couldn’t shake the bad feeling in his heart To dispel his rising doubts and also the whispers in the crowd Donny continued to speak In a similar vein over the next few weeks we will be delivering a certain amount of gold to all landowners which is Donnyton effectively buying all the land from people Of course you are free to buy it back within a week at the exact same rate but if you wish to diversify your assets or hold onto some of the gold you can leave the land in the hands of Donnyton

Louder and more suspicious whispers at that but Donny ignored them There are other small economic changes for which Mrs Hamilton has prepared a pamphlet Grab one at the exit if you are interested Mostly it involves new construction loans and expansions for Donnyton If you don’t plan on owning a business it isn’t necessary you read it line by line

Which wasn’t exactly true There were some very firm resolutions in there regarding tourism and how it was to be handled But moving towards that would be a slow process and everyone thought it best to leave that for later So for now it remained unspoken But it was definitely an emphasis for some of the changes

Second there will be some changes to the Squads of Donnyton The amount of people allowed in each will be increased to 20 plus the Captain In addition all members of my own Dozer’s and Decklan’s groups will be freed from the restriction of not joining Squads The limit on Squads will also increase to 60 active Squads at one time Demands on the individual Squad member will decrease but we want to have more individuals in fighting shape for the expansion we plan for Donnyton

Everyone took this neww stoically most trying to figure out what it really meant The only people against it would be those in the higher tiered Squads already who would need to recruit new members A lot of mid tier Squads would likely be cannibalized in the process but that was acceptable Also there would be more individuals flowing from the pool of hopefuls into the Squads which would mean they would probably retain more of the people who had wandered in from Franksburg or from the North

Of course this would mean a dilution in their Squads’ strength but better to happen now than later when they would be forced to fight in larger scale battles

Nobody had said anything but everyone on the counsel was clear that the threat of war was the reason for a lot of these changes And after the Ghosthound had returned Mrs Hamilton’s certainty only increased That made Donny shiver too with a perverse joy It had been too long since he had been allowed to fight at the front despite his constant training

But that was for another time

Finally to make the final announcement I would like to bring our founder Randidly Ghosthound to the stage

There was silence for several seconds a stunned one where the only noise was the slow even slap of the Ghosthound’s bare feet against the wood of the stage For most of these people this was probably the first time they had seen him in person or at all Although some had argued for it no one had ever made a portrait of him or a statue Mostly through the interference of the counsel who knew he wouldn’t like it

Now they saw him And then they began to clap

In came in waves thunderous echoing waves that filled the quarry reverberating off the walls smashing back and forth wildly full of energy the people’s eyes burning with a strange fervor Donny felt strange watching it watching the Ghosthound walk towards him and take the mic

Of them all this man changed the most But at the same time Donny could tell that at his core he was the one who most stubbornly refused to let go of who he had been It was almost tragic to see the hardness in his eyes but to know that if he wasn’t a person built on kindness none of this would have happened

Sighing Donny stepped back The Ghosthound looked out over the crowd and from his vantage point of behind him Donny couldn’t see what expression he made but the crowd instantly fell silent Then he began to speak

I’ll be brief At my request Donnyton is creating a semi annual Assessment one every six months The first one will be in 10 days It is voluntary but I recommend participating Right now there are thousands of you and you are different types of people When you look at each other and when new arrivals come to the city you can’t tell unless you recognize a person how long they’ve been here or what they’ve done

This is supposed to change that The Assessment will be done in 4 portions over 2 days in the mornings and afternoons Right now we have the Squads which will continue to be an important part but this will give recognition to other people who contribute a lot but don’t get recognized

The first test will be combat a duel Everyone is welcome to participate aside from myself and members of the counsel There are a variety of rewards we have prepared mostly gold and weapons but the winner of this will get one weapon made by request from Sam and they will also be able to challenge any individual to a duel if they wish Even me

class="book">The second test will be for production It is not limited to weapons and armor but also includes cooking brewing weaving basically anything that will become an export of Donnyton We want to know who is creative and productive and what we will be offering the Zone There will be a panel of judges for this and the winner will receive very generous support from Donnyton to get their production an order of magnitude higher

The third test will be one of System Knowledge Daniel insists and I agree that we take this System too much for granted For those of you who have attended some of the talks hosted by the library you have an advantage But those of you who haven’t practical experience matters too For this the reward for the winner is a Stone of Genesis a reward I received from killing a Raid Boss It will let you create your own Skill

The final test is one of tactics We need leaders for larger than 20 person skirmishes Mrs Hamilton has designed a basic wargame Over the next 10 days those of you who are interested learn it The winner of this will receive a position as vice head of our First War Battalion of Donnyton and also

The Ghosthound paused Even Donny couldn’t help leaning forward feeling the tension in the man There was not a peep from the crowd

And also I will change that person’s fate

Chapter 370

For the next week Randidly isolated himself turning his attention inward The actual administration was being taken care of by others and during that time he could finally focus and work on the problems that loomed most prominently in Donnyton’s future

Randidly had not been idle for the week instead he had taken advantage of Mrs Hamilton’s generous offer to move a bunch of her Class based experiments a bit ahead of schedule Therefore he had been able to see dozens of individuals receive Classes Very carefully he observed their changes and the structures of Aether that were erected within them and conducted interviews to determine what sort of Class they received

The results were basically what he had expected A more powerful more specific Class were better with more well defined Aether as a base for them With Lucretia’s help and the reference of the encyclopedia of Mana Engraving they were even able to determine the critical mechanisms of the Class structure within these individuals

Within a person’s Soul Space the Class was basically a small tree that was transplanted into an individual with a belt spreading out to surround the Soul Space These “belts” functioned as a limiter on the ability of the Soul space to grow but it did provide focus and support for those Skills that were within its purview Which explained why when Randidly returned to Earth his Skill level lead over most people wasn’t as monstrous as he expected Those people who had classes received some benefit from them that improve the speed of leveling certain Skills

In addition to limiting the space those base belts appeared to also contain within them the Skills that Classes obtained as well A sort of balance to the Skill limit imposed upon the person It then appeared that when a person gathered experience and their level increased the ‘trunk’ of the tree began to grow slowly upward guiding the absorption of the energy Then the trunk consumption was what was important to understand in order to have level up gains Although they weren’t exactly the same studying the Mana Engraving runes did a lot to allow Randidly to recognize different parts of the trunk in the people who obtained Classes giving him a fraction of insight into what level up gains they would have

Of course this was only a week’s worth of experience and although he had become passable at identifying what stats would be emphasized Randidly had no ability to actually predict which of the different stats would be emphasized which was slightly concerning They didn’t appear to shift based on an intricate weaving pattern that could be found in the core of the trunk partially hidden from his view Other than that he was unable to think of any ideas where the pattern might be coming from

More positively he was becoming increasingly adept at examining the Classes of others The higher his Aether Skills went the more he could see but it was far from enough to actually parse it apart

This face gave Randidly a headache but there was nothing really to do The only way to see what was occurring within the Skill would be to effectively dissect someone And not just themselves but also the Aether construct within them Sure Randidly was training in order to create that sort of Aether construct but by its nature the farther it grew the more difficult it would be to weave it back together once it was pulled apart Even if Randidly were to dissect someone who was level 1 there was always the chance that his interference would reduce their Class to a shabby alternative of what it had once been which filled him with too much guilt to ignore

Still Lucretia poured over the information that they did have conferring with Neveah trying to figure out how it could work together in such a simple way when the energies arrayed within were so volatile

Hopefully they would be able to reach a conclusion within another week

Which meant that whoever won the contest would probably be the guinea pig by which they judged the success of their research They really didn’t have any other methods Already there was guilty creeping into the edges of his awareness crusting and settling

Shaking his head Randidly breathed in and then breathed out allowing his mind to turn away from the issues of Aether Carefully he stopped channeling his Mana controlling the 16 Root Avatars to fight each other Although it had started slow he was really starting to feel an improvement in his Skills with the strange training method It was hard to split his mind and then allow it to flow into a very reactive unconscious state Honestly it took him several tries every day to get the right sort of balance for what he was attempting But once he had it it would progressively eating away at his Mana his Spear Mastery creeping upwards but his Root Control going up in surprising spurts of motion

It was a welcome change of pace a strange mental/physical hybrid that he enjoyed but he would prefer if he could participate in a more thorough improvement of his spells There just wasn’t enough time Deciphering the encyclopedias took long enough but then he also had to participate in physical training designed by Mrs Hamilton in order to reestablish his physical limits once more and then he needed to take the information provided to him by Sam’s Engraving experiments Neveah’s intimidating intuition and Lucretia carefully couched hypotheses

Because while the two women would seem to have a better understanding of the mysteries of Aether he was the one with the Skill that could manipulate it And neither Neveah’s nor Lucretia’ influence was enough to ACTUALLY influence him it would just make clear some of the steps that were the necessary

Which was reassuring in Lucretia’s case but also disappointing considering the stakes to what they were trying to accomplish Creating a Class and having the methods to create the Class would essentially eliminate one of the large differences between what Randidly carried in his chest and a Village Once that gap narrowed he would feel much more comfortable breaking away from the System and having his own interaction with people he could support A threat such as the one posed by the Raid Dungeon would no longer be enough to sway him

After cracking his neck Randidly left his cabin and was surprised to find that it was the early morning Although he hesitated for several seconds he knew in his heart that he couldn’t stand anymore Aether discussion for the day His time in Shal’s world had given him the ability to endure almost will crushing levels of adversity but that had been in terms of physical threats To these influences which were enough to give him several levels in Mental Strength over the past several days Randidly found himself completely exhausted The mental strain added up and weighed him down in a way that the physical strain never had

And since he was looking for a distraction on just such a day perhaps he should go see how the Assessment was playing out It would only be the first day but it still might be interesting to use his newfound knowledge of Classes to examine all the participants

Slightly bemused Randidly put on a cloak pulled the hood up and walked out towards Donnyton proper

Donny didn’t know whether to laugh or cry Today had been a day of almost embarrassing truths From his prominent seat above the combat assessment he had witnessed it all and had to keep his face very controlled in order for his feelings to remain hidden

First there was a cloaked individual with bare feet wandering through the combat assessment which was the assessment that occured the first morning In order they would go Combat System Theory then the next day Production and then Tactics These two days would be busy as hell for Donnyton’s administration but hopefully they would have a better idea of their Village’s strengths at the end of it

But there were several problems A huge problem was that immediately upon arriving this morning the cloaked individual captured the attention of everyone He earned himself a berth of 1 meter almost immediately as to why his feet were bare and there was only one person who had bare feet in Donnyton

Even more than that he exuded this absolutely impenetrable vibe that made him seem mysterious and distant giving weight to the whispered rumors about him And yet Randidly for his part seemed completely oblivious to the fact that everyone knew who he was and let him pass through Donny supposed he just assumed that anyone would walk up to the front of the arena stands and get a better view

There had been one point that the Ghosthound was walking forward and a particularly rowdy group was in front of him It almost made Donny smile and he leaned forward interested to see how it would be resolved But a woman from Paolo’s bruiser Squad was there and saw the issue coming and single handedly moved 6 men a few meters to either side clearing a path

It was disappointing but also illuminating because it let Donny expand his focus a bit looking around the grounds When he did it became clear that there were several dozen individuals moving in the crowd maintaining a constant distance from the Ghosthound They were an amalgamation of people from the first 3 Squads Paolo Kayle and Alana’s and when the action was at its height their gaze was always reverently pointed towards the Ghosthound

Even if he wasn’t actually hidden it was obvious that when people learned that was him walking among them something changed He wasn’t just some mysterious benefactor He was a man slowly changing into a god He was also the person who pushed for this this Assessment which was met with some reluctance by some parties but it was not because they didn’t relish the opportunity to compete but because they didn’t know what it meant

Donny knew that deep down a lot of people felt dissatisfied by the fact that the only way to prestige in Donnyton was through participation in a Squad But the Ghosthound came and changed that He sought out everyone who had the ability to kill and to suppress an opponent And the enthusiasm for battle could be seen in the fact that the final count of the number of participants was just over 400 Without Daniel and Mrs Hamilton’s personal helpers who made paperwork evaporate even holding the tournament in the morning would have been impossible

It would be an interesting day Donny mused somewhat bitter But it at least was a day without paperwork

Chapter 371

Luckily most of the participants didn’t need much sleep so everyone was present at dawn when the fighting began It was single elimination to stay in the winners bracket but the top two individual from the losers who would be put in battle royal after battle royal until the winners reached the top 6 would finish out the top 8

Even then after the top 8 were determined fights would continue because they wanted to determine not only finish in the tournament but also the percentile they finished in It wasn’t explicitly stated in the Ghosthound’s presentation but they would be dividing the participants into percentiles and awarding them “Contribution” points For example a person who was in the 64% percentile would get 6 points And this was from the combat portion alone You would be able to display your individual combat contribution of course as a show of strength but you might also be able to combine it with your participation in the Tactics section to have a higher contribution amount

There would be badges available already forged by Sam and his workers which would provide various benefits In fact upon the return of the Ghosthound Sam had exploded with ways to improve the contribution pins giving them a much more appealing amount of stat bonuses Already Sam had requested that Mrs Hamilton provide him with a talented NCC er with a high Mana pool It hadn’t been feasible previously to have a few Classers dedicated to Mana Engraving but now with the library of runes that Randidly brought

Donny and Mrs Hamilton were working through the specifics of what benefits you would receive from having a higher contribution but it would be noticable And it would be pushed up or down depending on how you interacted with people who weren’t familiar with Donnyton incentivizing helping the tourists Donny planned on being able to give away a few more points This of course necessitated a census and something like a Social Security Number in order to keep everyone straight but Mrs Hamilton turned out to already have such a compilation Slightly disturbing but useful

The second reason that Donny didn’t know whether to laugh or cry was that he couldn’t help but feel that the movers and shakers of Donnyton were overrepresented in the Final 8 of the Combat tournament the 6 that came from the winners bracket were Alana Tykes Decklan Kayle Paolo and a fire mage named Tina From the loser’s bracket an absolute beast of a man who rivaled Dozer in size who called himself Thor emerged as well as Jaylen whose Class was Magician

shouldn’t we have let some of the working Class in Donnyton work up to this point and taste their share of glory

But Donny supposed this was for the best The Ghosthound needed to have a look at their best and this was their best aside from both Dozer and Annie who hadn’t participated in the tournament to watch the baby

The matches for the top 8 were selected by random drawing Decklan would face Kayle Alana would face Jaylen Thor would go up against Paolo and Tykes would face Tina

These matches were a level higher than those they had seen in the past because now everyone was forced to bring out their hidden Skills All the participants here had levels in the 40s and the difference in stats wasn’t so sizable that one could easily handle the other And to Donny’s surprise the first match was Decklan losing to Kayle

As it turned out Kayle was the ultimate opponent of Decklan There were very few exemplary things about Kayle aside from his leadership and Skill in tactics But his Perception and Reaction stat were unusually high and his mastery with his duel knives was such that very few attacks could get through his defense Although Decklan was powerful in assassination attempts and in burst power he was probably the highest in Donnyton he wasn’t able to use that to its full effect in a 1v1 situation He could only become frustrated and then succumb to the small wounds that Kayle inflicted upon him

Aside from the first match Alana was able to trounce the misleading and beguiling Jaylen and Paolo demonstrated to Thor how size wasn’t everything to power The fourth match was also interesting because Tykes was in a bad predicament

After a bit of inquiring it came out that Tina was not affiliated with any Squad so it was no surprise that she wasn’t on anyone’s radar But she did have purely fire focused magics and the ability to shoot Flamethrowers Fire Grenades and also Flame Slashes which possessed very different areas of effect Reading the report that was hurriedly brought to him Donny wasn’t surprised that they hadn’t been aware of her until now She had mostly participated in the clearings of the nearby Turtletown going into the dungeon with some friends avoiding the sanctioned trips But she was sharp and she was methodical

It was clear to Donny that Tina was not aiming for a win early as Tykes stumbled multiple times rushing for her Instead she focused on pushing him back and working on slowly burning through his Stamina

Tykes realized her strategy 30 seconds too late and with a roar he charged at her directly But she just Flame Slashed towards his legs and tossed a Fire Grenade to keep him from closing the last dozen or so feet between them Again he was forced back and now without anymore strength he was forced to concede in the face her Flamethrower

Donny’s brow wrinkled as he watched Tykes spike his large iron ball into the arena leaving a huge hole and then stomp off That kid

But the matches continued as an individual with Earth Mastery healed the wound he had left The semi finals would be Alana versus Paolo and Kayle versus Tina

“I’ll see you in the finals ” Paolo said with an exaggerated bow

Kayle snorted “Perhaps I’ll be in the finals but you “

The two of them glanced at Alana who was beginning to glow a warm gold color the energy from the sun filling her driving her forward Both of them winced

The matches started without much fanfare the attention of even the losers aside from Tykes focused on this battle Alana and Paolo’s fight turned into a grind where both were just slowly landing hits on the other dealing damage and pulling back to recover quickly before skirmishing again This continued for almost 10 minutes before Alana started to rely more heavily on her Skills which were superior even to an untrained eye She simply started to overwhelm Paolo pushing him slowly back until he conceded

In Donny’s eyes it was an honorable loss although a tragic one In the wake of it Donny couldn’t help but wonder how his own Skills compared to Alana’s She was a monster birthed from common origins but Blessed by the Ghosthound and she had quickly overtaken basically everyone to become the most feared fighter in Donnyton Even Lucifer had turned down her request for a duel although his attention had truly been focused mostly on clearing out Raid Bosses of late

To everyone’s surprise as Paolo sat on the sidelines a towel over his head a man in a cloak and bare feet the only such man in the entirety of Donnyton stepped out of the crowd and walked over towards the bench on which the depressed man sat He sat down next to him

“Where’s your pride ” When the Ghosthound had walked out everyone had fell silent Which made his insult echo strangely in the arena And afterwards well no one could come up with an answer to THAT

Paolo looked up the expression on his face hidden by the towel The Ghosthound continued “Your Class is the Grappler yes Yet you do not embrace the core tenant pride in the ring When she is there she is doomed to be suppressed for that is your area While she would be more comfortable on the battlefield you should show her how stifling the dueling arena can be Can you see it “

As he spoke a strange aura spread slowly out from the Ghosthound A suffocation A pressure that couldn’t be understood with the typical human mind a primal animalistic thing where the very breath caught in your chest escaping understanding avoiding it

Even Donny as he opened his mouth felt that nothing could happen but stillness He was completely suppressed

Then the moment passed and the entire crowd breathed out a sigh of relief

“Do you understand ” The crowd shivered then because that cloaked figure was now ominous his power to suppress most everyone here made clear That strength was not a fluke It was the spine of Donnyton that kept them all almost invulnerable in the face of the threats arrayed against them It was the Ghosthound spreading his wings

“Huhuhu to think it was as easy as this Thank you Mr Ghosthound ” Paolo said standing whipping the towel off of his face And from his body a different aura exploded a strange energy that seemed to spread outward in a wave hitting the blood of everyone in the vicinity and setting that blood buzzing It was a resonance a beautiful call and response a power that no one could ignore And the more their blood resonated the straight Paolo seemed to stand the heavier his shadow was as if it became more real with every audience member

Chapter 372

After Paolo’s silent transformation the Ghosthound said nothing but he returned to the crowd Donny could see that those of his volunteer honor guard that were part of Paolo’s crew were particularly reverent in their gaze while Kayle’s crew seemed somewhat displeased

But the other match ended in a surprise to finish Kayle off Tina summoned a Flame Tiger which stayed in a fixed position but threw constant fireballs towards Kayle Using her remaining Mana Tina controlled Kayle’s movements forcing him to accumulate damage And her Mana lasted longer than his Stamina which was surprising

Kayle sat down on the bench sighing and depressed He rolled back and forth He threw his hands up to the sky

He sighed again

Finally he looked in the Ghosthound’s direction and coughed “Hmm I really feel like I am only a single step away from understanding something profound “

The silence was deafening so much so that Paolo’s snort echoed throughout the arena

After a few seconds the Ghosthound walked out onto the arena once more “Your knives why don’t they just cut through everything If you cede those things beyond your range it’s only fair you demand that range belong to you “

Then he walked away From his hunched posture Donny was sure that the Ghosthound felt embarrassed from his first outburst and even more uncomfortable from the forced second and would spend some time hiding

But to his credit Kayle began to chuckle and then laugh maniacally a strange aura appearing around his knives

“Kukuku to think I was neglecting my ultimate weapon ” Kayle laughed a silvery glow surrounding his weapons Now it was Paolo’s group’s turn to have ugly expressions as they looked on at the arena

The final was Alana versus Tina the powerful blessed individual of the Ghosthound going up against the unknown girl from Donnyton Tina perhaps channeling her inner flame mage had dyed her hair a vivacious shade of red violet that was difficult to look away from A lot of the men among the audience were looking at her in a way that made it clear her rather close fitting robe was popular among them

Meanwhile Alana was more metal than woman wearing very serviceable chainmail mixed with shaped bone plates specially made by Sam She had a spear that was glittering with runes which she was slowly polishing as the crowd repositioned themselves to gather around the central stadium where the final match would occur

Tina was surrounded by a group of people with similarly bold hairstyles One girl had a mohawk and the tall gangly male that was holding Tina’s hand had his hair in pigtails They talked quietly amongst themselves While watching them carefully Donny gestured for one of Daniel’s aides to bring him the info that he had on those kids

It was strange to think of them as kids considering they were probably of an age with himself but Responsibility had a certain propensity to warp your outlook To Donny these people who hadn’t run a Village for almost a year were just kids enjoying their relative freedom Not that he would begrudge Randidly his lost innocence but

His newfound power and influence came with drawbacks

There really wasn’t any true information to be had about the kids only two of them had received Classes from Donnyton including Tina The other 3 had gotten them from Franksburg Not that it really mattered but Donny made a mental note to push a little harder for the information exchange with the other town Donnyton had all the expertise but Franksburg had numbers an order of magnitude higher than Donnyton possessing somewhere between 5 and 10 times the population

Tina’s Class was Fire Caller and her stat gains if not her Skills were recorded here It was a Class that no one had achieved since which showed it was rare and the stat gains were high which meant it was powerful But neither of those explained Why she had done so well in the tournament Not to doubt her skill but

Donny’s eyes were flinty as he examined the group There was something amiss

The fight started without fanfare the two fighters 20 meters apart Instantly Alana rushed forward holding her shield in front of her while the spear was pressed tightly against her body As expected Tina danced backwards throwing Fireballs and trying to create space

When it became clear that Fireballs were far from cutting it she began alternating the typical Fireballs with Flame Slashes and Fire Grenades This caused Alana’s speed to slow down but it was far from being able to stop her or inflict any real damage

Then with a shout Tina pointed upward and her flaming bird descended spewing fire towards Alana This was the first real damage that she was forced to face and there was a split second where Donny’s eyes narrowed watching the fight Because Alana hesitated

And then she leapt backwards moving out of the area covered by the flame phoenix Some members of the crowd began to boo in jeer in good fun but some others because they had been knocked out in a very dispassionate manner by Alana Then they fell silent because after scratching her chin briefly Alana leaned back raised her spear and threw it like a javelin

The projectile streaked across the arena so fast that Donny almost had a heart attack If Alana’s casual throw killed this talented girl and suddenly a new headache was dominating Donny’s attention as he struggled to come to terms with the balance they needed to strike between putting these warriors in danger and raising them safely Threats like this that could legitimately take away your life in a second seemed a bit

Looking bored Alana raised her hand and pointed twice Meanwhile Tina finally reacted scrambling out of the way just in time the spear barely missing her She stumbled and then straightened to look at Alana but was struck in that moment by the two Mana Bolt’s that Alana threw while she had been distracted They were weak like getting hit with a snowball but they had hit her in the gut and chin and had caught her completely by surprise

Although Alana’s Mana Bolts weren’t strong Donny knew that she had focused very long and hard on making them extremely pure so they were practically invisible if you weren’t paying attention

As they landed Alana leapt forward but this time Tina was more on top of her game pointing at the ground

Smokescreen

Thick black smoke billowed upwards cutting off vision in every direction In a 10 meter area But contrary to expectations Alana simply raised her shield and ran right into the smoke Donny’s mouth crinkled up So Tina what tricks do you have left

The smoke screened area exploded a huge gout of flame shooting upwards But spoiling the image was the sight of Tina scrambling backwards cursing loudly covered in soot Alana walked smoothly after her relatively unscathed her armor only slightly scuffed

You can make a clone that’s a bomb Interesting But if I hear your breath running away from your body how could I fall for it Alana said coolly raising her shield

Get fucked Tina said flicking her fingers and creating 3 Fire Grenades Immediately afterwards she shot out a Flamethrower which Alana deftly deflected with a spear Rather than stepping backwards Alana continued forwards and the Flame Grenades bounced harmlessly past her before exploding

Widening her eyes Tina scrambled backwards raising her hands again for another attack But nothing happened Of everyone Tina seemed the most surprised Rather than paying attention to Alana she turned around and looked towards her group Donny followed her gaze

The Ghosthound stood among them his hand on the shoulder of the pigtail guy Narrowing his eyes Donny allowed himself a small smile So it had been cheating Sam had been right Can’t trust anyone these days

But Tina’s strength was real even if she used some sort of supplemental Skill from someone else Probably some sort of Mana linking which would explain why she had access to so many spells constantly But that was a strength that could be reproduced in battle even if it wasn’t very useful in single combat Not a situation where she should forfeit her rewards but still

Donny tapped his chin He had a few ideas with what she could be used for

Now that he had caught them cheating Randidly felt no qualms about digging deeply into both of the people his Aether Detection prodding them feeling their classes and Skills examining the details The fiery haired and hotter tempered girl was interesting but she mostly seemed to have a strange ability called Mana Syphon which was a Spell Vamp that stole Mana from the opposing party

He wondered if Alana had noticed and that’s why she began to use her spells against Tina Either way it would make Tina that much more effective in areas where she could inflict huge amounts of damage The Mana returns would make her unstoppable

Meanwhile the pigtailed man whose named was Peggy which didn’t end up clearing up his/her gender identity at all had a much more interesting Class Mana Blessed Hermit Upon consulting Daniel it seemed the Hermit was a know Class possessing superior Meditation esque Skills as well as some basic healing earth magic and monster interaction Skills Either of these three Skills could be improved relatively quickly and they all gave Paths at Skill Lvl 25 that then rewarded another Skill effectively specializing the Hermit

Mana Blessed had apparently given him another Path that allowed him to give and take Mana with willing participants So the whole group had fueled Tina’s run It was fascinating because the way Aether interacted with the Mana to provide that effect gave Randidly some ideas about how to use the runes they had made with Mana to intuit how Aether would do a similar thing

Although he had wanted a break from studying Aether improving the success rate of the final attempt was most important so he had Peggy use the Skill dozens of time examining the strange series of interactions

Satisfied around 3 PM Randidly finally around the tired man to stop collapsing exhausted on the ground It was truly a good haul for the day Looking at the sun Randidly judged he still had time and began walking over towards the next Assessment

Chapter 373

The Assessment on the afternoon of the 1st day was System Knowledge and it had just as many if not more people attending as the combat Assessment had Perhaps because this was open to all people and while not everyone had any wish to participate in combat Donnyton’s almost 4 000 strong population all thought they knew a thing or two about the System

Because almost 800 people wanted to participate in this in order to test them all in an efficient manner Daniel had done his best to design several tests A huge part of the knowledge of the System was memorization because there simply wasn’t a logical underpinning they understood yet So to start everyone had to do three tasks Name 10 Classes 10 Skills and 10 Paths The only caveat was their choices couldn’t be the Class Skills or Paths that they had access to

There was no real way to check for sure if people were following the rules for the second and third categories but usually people’s Skills were obvious and their paths even more so Of them all Paths was the hardest to remember as most people had never really thought about the Paths that other people used

With these three tests the large group had been knocked down to just under 100 a 90% failure rate from something so basic

Because he was bored Randidly found himself taking the test and rather easily passing through the first three tests Afterwards however he went over to Daniel curious and asked how they would know if they weren’t just making up Classes Skills and Paths

I suspect it doesn’t matter Daniel answered shortly barely looking up from his papers people rushing about him in the small tent they sent up for him to hold court at If you have made up something that we haven’t considered yet so much the better Plus it shows initiative and ingenuity This is just to knock away the lookie loos The hard stuff comes later

Bemused Randidly took the next round of tests as well This time the test asked Randidly to rank 10 Classes in order of Strength The question was very careful to say that accuracy wasn’t as important as logical underpinning The Classes were Spiritualist Warrior Archer Arcane Mage Axe Warrior Thief Strongman Glorious Knight Amazon and Lich Necromancy

Randidly raised his eyebrows This

Was a trick question Because Strength was capitalized Which meant it wasn’t overall power but rather basically which were the most physical Classes Which probably meant Strongman was first followed by Axe Warrior and Glorious Knight then Warrior and Amazon followed by Archer Behind them were Spiritualist Arcane Mage Thief and Lich Necromancer that were basically all not strength focused or even Strength adjacent

Randidly turned in his paper one of the few to answer so quickly and was waved onto the next area

It took about an hour but around 40 or so people came trickling in Listening to other people talk some people had apparently not actually gotten the trick of the question but talked at length about the power of adjectives and specificity and Classes and they were given special exemption to proceed

Inwardly Randidly approved even while he rolled his eyes He approved because Daniel needed people like this who could wholeheartedly research things like Class specificity He rolled his eyes because Daniel clearly just wanted people he could get into pointlessly long conversations with talking about what the System had done to people Even Clarissa grew weary around Daniel after being exposed for too long

This Assessment did a good job of bringing those people to the surface What was interesting about this Assessment rather than the other three is that this type of test could only be used once Every 6 months a whole new criteria had to be devised both because general knowledge would improve but because people could study for the test specifically if it didn’t change rather than actually becoming knowledgeable

Randidly shrugged Oh well that was Daniel’s problem

The next round was a word problem Randidly found much to his own bemusement

Alice has received the Class Brave Adventurer She receives 15 Attributes per level as well as 5 Stats mostly concentrated in Health and Physical Defense She also receives the Skills Struggle Brave Strike Desperate Stand and Aura of Hope She has 6 free Skill Slots

James has received the Class the Armored King of Turnips He receives 11 Attributes per level as well as 4 Stats which is balanced between Health Vitality and Wisdom The Skills he obtains are Turnip Strike Green Thumb Farming Rising Strength Valiant Block Armor Proficiency and Ruler’s Aura (Un) He has 4 free Skill Slots

Dmitri has just gotten the Class Conqueror Please speculate how many attributes stats skills and free skill slots Dmitri will receive Include your reasoning Assuming he obtains at least 3 Skills speculate as to the nature and strength of three of Dmitri’s Skills Explain your reasoning

Following this please develop criteria on which to grade Classes and explain how the different types of Classes affect the bonuses that come along with stats

By the end of reading it Randidly had a cold sweat dripping down his back It wasn’t that it was difficult per se but really just that it seemed like an incredibly time consuming activity He even suspected that he understood what Daniel was going at generally even if Randidly didn’t know if it truly was that easy

There were two things to care about in terms of Classes Well Randidly amended three things But the third was closely intertwined with the first two The first was specificity and the second was for lack of a better word coolness The third thing was image

Between the two provided Classes Brave Adventurer was certainly much more general than the Armored King of Turnips Meanwhile it was arguable much cooler than anything related to Turnips From this it could be seen that Adventurer had higher Attributes and Stats Turnip King had more Skills but a few of them seemed like throwaway Skills

But still the image of Turnips was that much stronger than the adventurer and Randidly would suspect that some of the Skills that were more interesting than they appeared Specifically Green Thumb and the uncommon ranked Ruler’s Aura would probably end up paying dividends Of the two of them Randidly would likely go with the Turnip King for that reason

For the final part of the question the Class Conqueror was introduced It was very general but also seemed very cool and powerful And in terms of image it probably ranked about the same as Adventurer

If it was powerful but general it would probably have higher Attributes and Stats with fewer and more straightforward Skills But depending on the image there might be something surprising buried there

Randidly looked around Every one of the other 39 participants were writing like crazy their eyes filled with an insane zeal Sighing Randidly directly conceded and left the testing grounds sitting next to Daniel and focusing on his Golden Roots of Yggdrasil It was a Skill that was one of his most important but it was a difficult one to improve Usually he relied on grinding

But because Randidly was already here and he wanted to see how the Assessment continued he stayed and focused on it To remove his Mana Randidly shot Incinerating Bolts into the ground then sat down pressing his hands against the ground as well His attention flowed down through the thin tendrils of golden energy into the deepest parts of the Earth

When he had created this move this sort of distance was already his limit But since then Randidly had changed WIth his eyes burning emerald Randidly pushed his perception digging downwards grabbing and sucking absorbing the energy of the Earth Parts of his inner soul world began to vibrate shaken by the abrupt increase in pressure on them

It wasn’t simply that he was increasing the power of his pull although that was true It was like he was forcibly expanding the infrastructure of the Skill he created digging it deeper into the Earth shoving it downward Then he expanded its power creating a more demanding suction using it to gather more energy than it had every handled before

The strain on the Skill was quickly evidence by the annoying resonance it had but Randidly clamped down on that pressing forward His Willpower and Control made this left of strain a small matter

The ground beneath his feet trembled

Grinning Randidly began to have his golden roots spin slowly not only absorbing the nearby energy but grabbing more and more his net spreading wider gathering faster Too long Randidly had been content to allow himself remain a sapling He had learned in Shal’s world the important of Willpower and image when using a Skill to broadcast to the world how you wanted it to work eliminating inefficiency and wasted space by general thoughts

By this point the strain was growing at a rapid pace so much so that Randidly had started to sweat First expanding the scope now upping the voltage of the hardware to handle the increased load and all of this done on pure will and determination alone But once it was complete the huge upgrade would likely cause huge changes to the efficacy if not also bumping his Skill level up

This was what was important to Randidly The previous Skill was important but it was just a toy What Randidly wanted now was an engine that would drive him farther forward Aether began to stir within him but only trace amounts What was surprising was of all things the Aether from the creature’s construct was reacting

Lucretia was clearly annoyed that her precious research subjects were moving but Randidly ignored her allowing a small amount to slip over through his soul space settling into the Skill filling out its shape making it more complete Immediately the difference was evident as the speed of his gathering Mana jumped upwards

Chuckling Randidly let it fall away savoring the new feeling even while he was mentally extremely exhausted That was not something that he could do very often Or should He could feel the strange amount of strain it placed on his mental world But still

The energy flowing into him felt warm

Chapter 374

To pass the time Randidly studied the shattered remnants of his 2nd Self Created Skill in the Ashen Spear Skillset Randidly had done his best to ignore the thing as it reminded him of the deep wound that he struggled with for several months Even now after everything else was more or less dealt with and the quality of his inner world was much higher he couldn’t suppress a shiver thinking about the echoes of that pain

It was because it was a different sort of pain than any he had ever experienced It was a strange pain beyond the physical and the mental It was something that threatened to wrest away control of his body from him Had it became too powerful that resonance would begin activating other skills slowly warping him until he died

Or became an unstoppable monster his personality shattered running on pure instinct And constantly activating his Skills

Forcing himself to chuckle and dispel some of that dark thinking Randidly carefully looked at the floating pieces of himself They swirled in a circle hovering in the general area of where the skill once was Among them he could intuit their previous shape knowing how they could be reunited joined to form a powerful whole once more

And Randidly had to hand it to himself that skill had been powerful It had been enough to make a Master level spear user stumble even if only briefly even if it was only against a Skill incarnation But there was a problem

A slowly growing problem

At the time of the accident Randidly’s skill had been shattered spreading out into fragments that now floated around calmly orbiting him Their previous shape was clear in his mind But during the intervening time they hadn’t been idle

It was likely a useful attribute when a skill was simply damaged but upon fracturing the Skill had begun to madly absorb Aether swelling to form strange warped shapes Had the general shape been intact they would likely have swollen to cover the cracks then slowly sank back down to normal once the Skill realized it was working properly

But without that feedback Now his Skills had became a series of twisting well honestly gnarled roots They squirmed like maggots writhing back in forth slowly swelling as the desperately absorbed more Aether It was becoming slightly disturbing Some experimentation let Randidly discover that he could trim the shards of the Skill but doing so eliminated his intuitive understanding of the previous form

So as long as he let them run wild they would let him remember how they used to be But if he tried to return them to that state his interference would eliminate that understanding and leaving him holding a weirdly shaped chunk of raw Aether

Randidly rubbed his eyes in annoyance There was simply too much to learn about Aether these days

Feeling exasperated Randidly focused back on the outside world and was shocked to discover that it appeared the nerds had been whittled down to two people Someone had produced bleachers and podiums and it now seemed like

there was a debate going on

Daniel sat in the middle his hands folded seemingly extremely pompous On his left was Peggy of all people and across from Peggy was a bright eyed elderly woman who was pounding the podium Knowledge is power That is everything we stand for How you could come to such a conclusion is beyond me

It’s simple Peggy’s voice was drawling his pronunciation dragged out Look at the most powerful Classes we are aware of the Sovereign of Ghost Was that a Class that we earned No it was a random Class

Shrugging Peggy continued from the rather mundane Class options that most everyone has access to combined with the acknowledged fact that our expectations affect the Class and Skill System there is only one conclusion the current humanity’s psyche produces weak Classes We simply don’t have lexicon and lore needed to really invent an emblematic and powerful Class There are obviously exemplary individuals but they were exemplary before they obtained their Class

Before he obtained his Class Glendel was a timid average man Now he’s one of the most mysterious and profound individuals in Donnyton The random options allowed him an escape from the way he was raised Did he even imagine a ghost sovereign before Of course not He could only see laborers and things popularized by role playing games warriors rogues priests mages etc Which is why I believe it would be most prudent to hide information relating to Classes from the public

If we do so public opinion will run wild thinking up Classes far greater than the disappointments of reality I think Mr Ghosthound has been invaluable in this regard inspiring growth in new and unexpected ways

Peggy bowed towards Randidly in a very polite manner which was strange after Randidly had sealed away his Skill during the combat portion giving Alana the victory she deserved But still this man probably thought Randidly was someone to be wary of and to watch A little flattery never hurt

But it did leave a weird taste in Randidly’s mouth to be on the receiving end especially because this Assessment was his idea

You have a flaw in your argument The elderly woman said leaning back with a relaxed smile on her face At the core you are saying that the unconscious mind can surpass the conscious in terms of creativity and ingenuity And that just isn’t accurate

The great accomplishments of the past century the things that pushed the cutting edge of technology further were deliberate acts of man Accidents perhaps and experiments but it was what the people did with those small truths gleaned from coincidences that shaped the world In the same way we cannot know what tidbit of information we have from the Classes will eventually inspire someone I’m just confident in the belief that someone will be inspired Knowledge should be disseminated as much as possible

Peggy folded his arms Daniel tapped his chin then looked at Randidly

Randidly shrugged This sort of debate was interesting he supposed but it didn’t really strike him as one that they should be having when the danger of an Aether drought was looming over them suddenly he felt a decent amount of regret that he had come over here at all

And the winner is Shawna I believe she is correct and her argument has better logical underpinnings But that was a profoundly fascinating point of view Peggy we should

Randidly left before the conversation devolved further

Back at the small cabin he had claimed for himself he found Nevaeh curled up and an extremely small seeming Kiersty climbing over her bony protuberances to slowly near Neveah’s head

Neveah was supremely amused at the child’s struggles and was doing her best not to move Sighing Randidly scratched his head and hid a smile as he walked passed Now since so much time was wasted time to focus back on

Mr Ghosthound

Randidly blinked and looked around It was extremely rare for him to miss something and the voice came as surprise When he turned he found himself faced with the slight form of Kiersty’s brother Nathan

He seemed less healthy than he had then when Randidly had last seen him with hollow eyes and deep bags as well as his bones being extremely prominent but it was hard to really worry The System caused a lot of weird effects especially upon the younger generation who wasn’t quite so used to the world free from the the System They accepted things more easily and carried them to stranger and more foreign extremes This was likely just an example of that

Hopefully

Yes Randidly said curious

Nathan nodded slightly then continued I want strength like the Blessings To protect Kiersty I even obtained a Soul Skill hanging around the Arbor worshippers the Twisted Sapling I’ve snuck over to watch the military training but when they catch me they kick me out

Nathan’s gaze fell to the ground and Randidly could feel the slowly growing self hatred there he could practically see Nathan’s inner monologue of recrimination and blame for failing to grow stronger

But this puzzled Randidly I know they don’t allow you to get a Class but isn’t there training for

Shaking his head emphatically Nathan said There might be Classes but they are slow and pointless Most of the other kids want to just play tag or shoot Mana Bolts at things None of them really understand the just don’t get Then he fell silent his gaze slowly turning upwards towards Randidly’s They eyes locked

Randidly did not look away first but he shivered Just because Donnyton was flourishing when he returned well run and well equipped he had assumed that things had been easy for the residents Based on the look in Nathan’s eyes that wasn’t necessarily the case Something very particularly had happened to light a fire in his chest

There was a strange tightness Randidly put his hand on Nathan’s shoulder feeling extremely awkward

Please The boy’s whisper was desperate

Do you truly crave power so much child Randidly said feeling something very strange in his heart It was something he recognized however after a moment of reflection

Karma The binding threads of fate Nathan nodded

Inciting Action All a spear can do is advance

I’ll see what I can do Randidly said his voice so quiet that he was afraid he wouldn’t be heard

Or maybe he hoped he wouldn’t be

Chapter 375

What do you plan to do with him Lucretia asked Randidly He didn’t turn to look at her just so he didn’t see her face

Not that you could even see inside the Soulspace not really but Lucretia’s amusement was clear just from her tone And how could she not be It seemed that somehow Randidly had triggered the use of one of her Skills that allowed her to manipulate a target give them three gifts and then consume them

It seemed like their strange parasitic partnership wasn’t as one sided as he thought

And he didn’t know whether it was the Skill or his desperation but he could feel the glimmering of ideas on how another person’s Soul would be useful to test out his theories But he forced that part of himself down and away suppressing those instincts Holy Christ but he wasn’t just going to become her sacrificing other people just because there a bump in the road

So Randidly said nothing and just began to focus his attention inward focusing on his Path Menu He finally had enough to finish the Adept (+1) Path

Randidly had gained 6 Levels in Mana Shield 12 Levels of Aether Manipulation and Breath of the Spear Phantom 21 Lvls in Aether Detection 11 Levels in Superiority and Mental Strength an astounding 26 Lvls in Living Aether 5 in Grace and Cooking 17 Lvls in the Golden Roots of Yggdrasil 15 Lvls in Root Manipulation 7 Lvls in Spearing Roots 4 in Flexibility of the White Hunters and Anguish 10 Lvls of Soul Bond 8 in Spear Mastery and 7 in Mana Engraving

With this PP Randidly finished the Adept (+1) Path or at least tried to Part way there the notification for his Soul Skill popped up

The world of your soul skill turns The denizens of your inner world evolve A strange peace descends to the world After the great mecha of the Spriggits battled against the Monster King and its mount leaving both heavily wounded none dared reignite the flames of war And those that remained continued to throw dirt on the slowly dwindling ash

The Weavers broker an uneasy peace and as part of that individuals from the Monster Kingdom spread out into the outer lands some disguised but some traveling openly The three religions of the world struggle to understand these new interlopers and how they fit into the Progenitor’s plan

In the dark volcano where he was born the Monster King nurses his wounds and wonders the same thing

The Spriggit economy has transitioned smoothly into industry after the war ended and new inventions seem to come out everyday More and more peoples flock to their capital seeking their wealth

A young Spriggit thief touched by the Progenitor bearing his weapon asks the sky why she was chosen The heavens remain silent

Randidly considered interfering more directly with the world but the System seemed inefficient Besides he felt a certain amount of responsibility towards these people but he didn’t think anything would be gained my actually governing or guiding or whatever

Scratching his cheek Randidly couldn’t help but remember how useful that emperor of the Earth Golems had been when he needed a warrior If he could find a way to repeat that but it also relied heavily on Lucretia’s skills at that time

And that thought brought him right back and he grimaced

Well for now best to leave things as they were They would develop naturally which was best for everyone Instead focus on the task at hand Randidly needed to strengthen himself as much as possible because after the Assessment ended both Thea and the winner of the tactics Assessment would undergo System related processes that he would love to glimpse

It was somewhat a surprise that when Randidly added more PP to his Path he was stopped again this time by a branching path

Congratulations Branching Path This Adept Path is a condensed and purified version as you never bothered to walk the Path of a Journeyman You Path led you far beyond the normal trappings of civilization and out there there are no tiers only survival and the struggle against the world around you As such you never had the opportunity to choose your focus moving forward

Now you understand that with your increased proficiency you may choose one area with which to apply your abundant experience focusing and refining it further Please either select one of the following or create your own focus Warning efficacy of the self made focuses might be less than the precreated one

Health Attack Defense Blocking Dodging Movement Mana Usage Stamina Usage Mana Recovery Stamina Recovery Physical Mental

Tilting his head to the side Randidly considered the very short list He had the option to create his own but they wouldn’t be as effective as those listed So this was just another way to specialize the character He supposed those people who got to the level where they could do the Journeyman Path wouldn’t usually have many other options for advancement which meant that this sort of boost could really help them reach the next level or address their weaknesses

It also made him regret slightly that he hadn’t waited another tier But he simply didn’t have time

Just as Randidly was about to select Mana Usage he hesitated biting his lip Because

Instead he opened up the self made option and said Recovery

He already had a lot of Skills relating to the subject and his Attribute totals were now nearing ridiculous levels where the people with Levels could only barely keep up with him Therefore giving him more tools to leverage that high amount of Health Mana and Stamina was exactly the way to increase his lead on his enemies

It might be a little general of a category but Attack and Defense were included as options so

Recovery selected Calculating Success

Initiating Recovery as focus High Synergy detected

High Synergy detected

Perfect Synergy detected

Low Synergy detected

Medium Synergy detected

Congratulations Due to the rampant Synergy between your Skills and your focus of Recovery some Skills can be consolidated together These Skills will retain their efficacy as one Skill and the performance and growth of the newly acquired Skill will be greatly increased

Would you like to continue Warning this transformation will require some of your vital energy and if your energy is insufficient injury or death my result

Randidly could barely resist rolling his eyes looking at the notifications Of all his problems Aether was not one of them

This was actually a difficult decision For although Randidly liked that this would increase the performance and growth he didn’t like that when it stated Consolidated it seemed like he would lose skills in order to make better Skills Some part of him simply didn’t like that he would be losing Skills which were his access to PP in order for more utility

But Randidly supposed that was exactly what he was doing anyway by creating a Class for himself It was time to cash in all of the investments he had made and make a big purchase He selected yes

Consolidating the Skills Meditation Mental Strength Mental Fortitude and Weeping Cloud have been consolidated Creating new Skill based on other available themes the Skill the Glittering Leaves of Yggdrasil has been created Based on the average level of your Skills the Skill level has been set at 99

Glittering Leaves of Yggdrasil Under the leaves of Yggdrasil you find peace and eternity The strength and resilience of your mentality increase with Skill Level Your passive Mana Regeneration increases with Skill level Your resistance to Status effects increases with Skill level Some of the benefits of this Skill will be obtained by friendly parties while they stand near you This effect increases with Skill Level

You have abundant vital energy remaining The effects spread

Consolidating the Skills Bacterial Regeneration Second Wind and Living Blood have been consolidated Creating new Skill based on other available themes the Skill the Emerald Sap of Yggdrasil Has been created Based on average level of your Skills the Skill level has been set at 94

Emerald Sap of Yggdrasil Through your veins flowed the blood before blood the sap of the entity that holds the world aloft The efficacy of your recovery has increased across the board Your body is constantly reinforced and reinvigorated from the inside Stamina regeneration has greatly increased and will increase with Skill level Health regeneration has greatly increased and will increase with Skill level Your blood has become a weapon that will deal significant damage when spilled upon enemies This effect increases with Skill Level Your blood has been a powerful reagent which may cause strange reactions in other materials This effect increases with Skill level

You have abundant vital energy remaining Growing Synergy detected The effects spread

Consolidating the Skills Physical Fitness Running Sprinting Haste Empower Mana Strengthening Grace and Flexibility of the White Hunters have been consolidated Creating new Skill based on other available themes the Skill the Yyrwood Flesh of Yggdrasil has been created Based on average level of your skills the Skill level has been set at 101

Yyrwood Flesh of Yggdrasil Your body is no longer simply flesh but you are the substance of life and the line between existence and nonexistence Yours is a body that would make a world feel safe should it rest on your back An active and passive skill Passively your physical performance if vastly increased both in strength speed and defensive capabilities This effect increases with Skill level Your body’s ability to bend and twist has been stretched to almost impossible levels The effect increase with Skill level As an active double the bonuses associated with this Skill The percentage increase will vastly increase with Skill level

You have abundant vital energy remaining Cascading Synergy detected The effects spread

Consolidating the Skills Battle Intent Struggle Weather Affinity and Superiority have been consolidated Creating new Skill based on other available themes the Skill the Indomitable Spirit of Yggdrasil has been created Based on the average level of your skills the Skill level has been set at 91

Indomitable Spirit of Yggdrasil Your mind is incomparably clear and your wisdom and experience becomes a tangible weapon with which to strike your enemies They may not bow before you but time will take them as it has all others You simply continue on your path Efficacy of images greatly increases Effect increases with Skill level Allies will be filled with hope and confidence in your presence while enemies experience despair Effect increases with Skill level You have developed an intimate understanding of the natural world Effect increases with Skill level

Chapter 376

Randidly had a lot of emotions Sure these things seemed amazing and an improvement on his previous skills and the names were cool but

Did he really need to fucking have 19 Skills become 4 And these were Skills that he used all the time too Most of them were near 100 in level and would likely continue to grow independent of each other fueling his Path craze but he supposed if he was switching to the Class track anyways

It was still frustrating But Randidly could only sigh and turn to the most recent notification that popped up

Congratulations You are the first individual on your planet to obtain a Legendary Ranking Skill You have obtained access to the First Legend 0/ Path

Another reward path Well at least there would be some positives out of this Randidly dismissed that notification but then was greeted by something that made his heart sink

Noo My skills Randidly shouted falling to his knees’ in his Soul Zone Lucretia and Neveah spared him a glance then shook their heads and muttered to each other about shirking responsibility and slacking off

Consolidating the Skills Anguish Rejection Torment Curse Resistance and Flesh Eating Virus have been consolidated Creating new Skill based on other available themes the Skill the Cruel Indignation of Yggdrasil has been created Based on the average level of your skills the Skill level has been set at 92

Cruel Indignation of Yggdrasil With the same hands you support life you can take it away There is an active and passive effect The Active unleashes your inner horrors upon the world warping and damaging the fabric of reality in the area around you You will also experience the repercussions Effect increases with Skill level Passively all attacks Mental and Physical will inflict increased pain susceptibility to status ailments and weariness upon recipients This effect remains for 10 minutes and the timer will reset if another stack of the effect is added The effect stacks to the level of the Skill

So the final count was 24 Skills become 5 huh

Randidly chuckled to himself falling to his knees Well now at least he had other things to test and experiment with

Sighing Randidly left his Soul World At this point he wouldn’t be able to focus on studying Aether not with all the strange and sudden changes that occured Instead better to address the strange turmoil in his chest figuring out what exactly had changed So he felt himself slip back to his physical body touching it

Immediately everything was roaring around him hot and present a vibrant heat that seemed to fill him illuminating his insides with pure heat and fire The strange sensation was so sudden that as Randidly’s eyelids trembled he gasped

Was he being attacked But now this

A breath of air rushed into his lungs filling them setting them on fire They tingled and twitched and his whole body began to spasm lightly With his eyes still pressed shut Randidly rolled on the ground of his cabin flailing around for something to grab onto Everything was burning and tingling not really in a bad way but in a way that was so present that it was overwhelming It was like every part of his body had fallen asleep and now it had to slowly wake back up again

Finally his hand landed on something and Randidly desperately gripped the item It snapped instead crumbling into powder under his fingers

Furious and feeling profoundly stupid Randidly tried to open his eyes but found his eyelids continued to play hookey simply spasming Randidly rolled a little further and felt something give underneath his shoulder as he rolled Then he felt something else collapse on him

Randidly lay there for several seconds savoring the strange new feeling of his sharpened senses which were slow adjusting to his new body It didn’t feel more detailed really It just felt strangely intimate And of all the Skill effects to strike him Randidly first noticed the understanding of the natural world Around him he could feel the warmth of the ground as the sun’s heat slowly was syphoned off by the cooling night He could feel the roots and bugs and small rodents around him struggling He could feel how they would eat each other get eaten by something larger and then die giving food for the least and smallest

Randidly let out his breath his consciousness tracing across this grand cycle Another mistake however because his breath came out too fast causing him to sneeze His whole body seized at this twitching and threw the portion of the roof that had collapsed on him off of his body

Fucking Randidly slowly stood on one leg from laying on his back straightening the leg under him and pushing himself up without any problems

At the end of it he found himself striking a strange sort of yoga pose his arms at his sides leaning backwards bent at the waist His other leg stretched out in front of him The leg underneath him was rock solid

Hmm This level of balance

He hopped on the leg a few times delighting in the perfect balance While he was doing that Randidly discovered that he could move his other leg with basically no change in his balance He began to spin it in a great circle Except during one of his little hops his instincts somehow got spooked as he stepped on a small bit of debris

Pinwheeling his arms Randidly attempted to straighten but overcorrected unused to his new reactions He ended up face planting on the ground

It didn’t hurt exactly except his pride but his face did buzz pleasantly seemingly delighted to have new sensations flowing through it With an aggrieved expression Randidly stood up the normal way this time He found himself face Neveah who was showing him her teeth

Worse than me She said annoyingly smug delighting in the destroyed cabin and the wreckage he had made of the tables and chair Randidly wanted to say something about being new to this body but could only hold his tongue bitterly After all Neveah had the same excuse

And his body hadn’t changed completely like hers just the passive underpinning Skills that he had grown so used to using were replaced by something bigger newer A strangely powerful new engine that left him shocked

Randidly checked around but no one was here Carefully he lifted up a hand cupping it to the sky

And then he showed the world the Cruel Indignation of Yggdrasil

Instantly the air in front of him began to roil and twist mixing with itself and hissing Very quickly the effect spread to his entire body and then to the surrounding area creeping outward The ground crumbled and cracked the wood of the cabin rotted Then another wave spread from his hand and Randidly was forced to grit his teeth as the pain and the strange buzzing grew stronger

The air was popping now the ground seething beneath him warping and self destructing even as the wood had melted into a puddle of steaming liquid

When the energy reached her Neveah squeaked surprised and swiped her tail at Randidly

Activating Yyrwood Flesh of Yggdrasil Randidly reached up and grabbed her tail stopping her from knocking him on his side He swayed but was otherwise completely unphased Randidly grinned wolfishly and looked at his new status screen Perhaps this wouldn’t be so bad after all

Health(/R per hour) 1322/2027 (+118) (799 (+27

Mana(/R per hour) 649/2034 (+5) (333 (+9

Stam(/R per min) 1233/2163 (269 (+9

Vit 199 (+9)

End 111

Str 178 (+17)

Agi 227 (+17)

Perception 177 (+10)

Reaction 196

Resistance 158 (+15)

Willpower 272 (+10)

Intelligence 191

Wisdom 116 (+9)

Control 283

Focus 243 (+4)

Progenitor’s Influence 71

Skills (Soul Skill) Four Shaded Clockwork World Lvl 1627

Combat Spear Mastery Lvl 151 White Phantom’s Half Step (Un) Lvl 52 Heavy Blow Lvl 74 Dagger Mastery Lvl 10 Iron Skin Lvl 47 Dodge Lvl 80 Fighting Proficiency Lvl 120 Block Lvl 54 Phantom Onslaught Lvl 42 Sweep Lvl 54 Spear Deflect Lvl 10 Calculated Blow Lvl 78 Roundhouse Kick Lvl 41 Flesh Eating Virus (Un) Lvl 63 Idiosyncratic Cut (Un) Lvl 70 Pierce the Skies Shatter the Earth Lvl 39 Body Control Freeze Lvl 27 Stalemate Breaker Lvl 29 Talon Strike Lvl 38

The 6 Signs of the Spear Phantom ® The First Sign The Inevitable Phantom Arrives Lvl 85 (Un) The Fifth Sign The Spear Phantom’s Embrace ® Lvl 160 The Breath of the Spear Phantom ® Lvl 26

Aether Skills Aether Detection Lvl 59 Aether Manipulation Lvl 57 Living Aether ® Lvl 64 System Interference Lvl 1

Spells Spearing Roots Lvl 67 Mana Bolt Lvl 28 Mana Shield Lvl 32 Root Control Lvl 119 Arcane Orb Lvl 22 Fireball Lvl 30 Magic Missile Lvl 4 Healing Palm Lvl 12 Pollen of the Rafflesia Lvl 20 Summon Pestilence Lvl 54 Wall of Thorns Lvl 20 Soul Seed ® Inspiration ® Incinerating Bolt Lvl 74 Circle of Flame Lvl 48 Plantomancy Lvl 35 Hammer of the Dawn Lvl 33 Burning Footsteps Lvl 16 Ashes to Ashes Lvl 22

Crafting Potion Making Lvl 37 Farming Lvl 32 Plant Breeding Lvl 19 Mapmaker Lvl 7 Analyze Lvl 29 Refine Lvl 39 Extract Lvl 29 Mana Engraving Lvl 91

Yggdrasil Glittering Leaves of Yggdrasil Lvl 99 The Golden Roots of Yggdrasil Lvl 98 the Emerald Sap of Yggdrasil Lvl 94 the Yyrwood Flesh of Yggdrasil Lvl 101 the Indomitable Spirit of Yggdrasil Lvl 91 the Cruel Indignation of Yggdrasil Lvl 92

Auxiliary Sneak Lvl 46 Acid Resistance Lvl 22 Poison Resistance Lvl 21 Pain Resistance Lvl 61 First Aid Lvl 16 Equip Lvl 25 Pathfinding Lvl 18 Fire Resistance Lvl 23 Sewing Lvl 11 Cutting Vegetables Lvl 2 Manual Labor Lvl 6 Digging Lvl 5 Cooking Lvl 50 Clockwork Mastery Lvl 16 Aether Connection Lvl 3 Soul Bond Lvl 76 Chef’s Palette Lvl 19

Chapter 377

After an hour of tests Randidly looked away from his Status screen and realized he hadn’t finished his Path yet The strange branching path portion had taken his attention for so long that he had simply forgotten about it Plus there was the stress of the consolidated Skills

Although he hadn’t tested them extensively Randidly had tested each and every one of his new consolidated Skills Each one was more impressive than the last demonstrating why seeking out Skills at theAncient rarity was desirable So much so that even a suspicious Randidly had to admit that the extra benefits generated by the more powerful Skills outweighed what he had lost in PP generation

Besides Randidly supposed he was about to make himself a Class soon Depending on what the Class was he would obtain some Class specific Skills that would help him generate more PP

And in the meantime his consolidated Skills were currently rising fast He had gained 2 Skill Levels in all of them except the Cruel Indignation of Yggdrasil in which he gained 3 levels With this extra PP he finished off the Adept (+1) Path

Congratulations you have completed the Adept (+1) Path Your path

Error recalibrating

Randidly’s good mood that he had gained from the performance of his consolidated Skills quickly evaporated A System Error The System errors that he had encountered in the past had not left him with a good feeling in his stomach

But very quickly the notification fixed itself

Congratulations you have completed the Adept (+1) Path Although you have wandered far afield your steps have led you back towards the road to Mastery With the experience you have gained the benefits from raising your level to the Adept level have been increased From this stage it is possible to see the next level above you

Congratulations All Stats +5 all Attributes +50 and all Regenerations +10 +1 Stat point per level +2 Health Mana and Stamina per Level You have gained the Skill Counter Lvl 1 In addition you have the opportunity to select an addition Skill which has been generated based upon your previous Skills

Please Select one of the Follow Intimidating Shockwave Lvl 1 Fire Manipulation Lvl 1 Lightning Bolt Lvl 1 (Un) Chaos Thrust Lvl 1 (Un) Disguise Lvl 1 Shadow Dash Lvl 1 Touch from Beyond Lvl 1 ® Mana Infusion Lvl 1 Ashen Explosion Lvl 1 (Un)

Randidly lightly bit his lilp as he looked through the list of Skills When he clicked on them no details appeared so apparently he would be forced to choose based on the name and Rarity Which was annoying because Randidly had some questions about what the effects of Skills would be especially after he had lost so many

Counter was an interesting Skill if uninspired It gave him a slight amount of additional damage if he could time his strikes to counter his opponents Which was unexciting but it would add bonuses and incentivize him to focus on countering in the future These other Skill options they all appeared to be active Skills although Disguise was not quite active in the same manner of the others

Specifically however Randidly wanted more information in regards to Fire Manipulation His Root Manipulation had evolved in interesting ways that were supremely useful but it was only a common Rarity Skill In addition it had taken some time for his Root abilities to develop

Perhaps also relevant was the fact that none of his Skills really produced fire Most of the damage from Circle of Flame came from the explosion and Incendiary Bolt was a concentrated attack that was mostly molten metal Surely he could produce fire with Fire Manipulation but there wouldn’t be much synergy with his current Skills

Much more interesting was Ashen Explosion for that reason Although he hadn’t trained it recently Randidly still had a deep interest and fascination with the Ashes to Ashes It was an almost cheating level Skill that made an ash copy of himself that would be destroyed by the opponents strike while Randidly’s actual body would be repositioned in a location to strike at the opponent

Although he couldn’t be sure Ashen Explosion seemed like a Skill that might somehow be related The notification did say that the Skills provided were given to him based on his other Skills if it had the option for Randidly to detonate the deteriorating ash clone it would certainly be incredibly powerful

Other than the Ashen Explosion the other two Uncommon rated Skills were Lightning Bolt and Chaos Thrust One would be a magic attack the other would be a physical one Lightning wasn’t something that Randidly currently had any power over but it certainly would be powerful

And it was certainly more tempting than Chaos Thrust when Randidly had the Inevitable Phantom Arrives to use as his bread and butter thrust attack Sure he could obtain two and differentiate the images between them but then the Skill leveling would be much more slow Better to concentrate the levels for similar Skills in a single Skill and have that Skill be vastly more effective across the board

But Randidly didn’t know if he could resist the allure of Touch from Beyond It wasn’t to the level of Randidly’s recently acquired Ancient and Legendary Rated Skills but it was still higher than the others and seemed like an active skill rather than a passive one

After a once over to check if there was anything he was missing Randidly selected the Skill and the information appeared before him

Touch from Beyond ® In that chaotic space ungoverned by the System the cold energy of Entropy dwells Reached beyond the veil and pull a small speck of that energy into your body empowering your attacks with this phenomenon Will inflict extremely high damage on the recipient that ignores most forms of defense Damage vastly increases with Skill Level Ability to maintain the touched state increases with Skill Level Ability to summon larger amounts of Nether energy increases with Skill Level

An interesting Skill that would vastly increase his damage but It wasn’t that he really needed a damage increase but Randidly supposed he was somewhat used to fighting opponents that were human these days He would be heading into the Raid Dungeon where he would be forced to face monsters

It wasn’t a big influence on his fight with the Skeleton Knight but it was obvious during that clash that the Champion’s Health was much higher than his stats should indicate It was a common occurrence in games where as the difficulty rose what really changed was the amount of health that the enemies would have turning what would have at one point been a quick fight into something that would last for a longer amount of time Simply put durability would invalidate lucky strikes and force the one side to be consistently skilled

Otherwise they would die It was a style of play that emphasized perfection And this was not a game Which would mean that if the Squads of Donnyton were expected to face off against the upper tier of monsters they would need that much more training in order to stand firm for longer fights Their Vitality and Stamina would obviously be higher but the mental strength needed

Randidly had a headache Still there was no point in thinking about this now it was just speculation based on a strange and interesting Skill If nothing else it was a way of attacking in an unexpected way in an extended duel All the better if this new technique could be combined with Talon Strike All it really said is the Skill summons a bit of this Nether which is used to attack

Curious Randidly raised his hand and activated the Skill He was surprised to discover that there was no cost but as soon as the Skill activated he discovered why And he realized two three things

First it could be used to Talon Strike At the center of his left palm a small bit of blue black darkness was summoned which swirled with power The activation took about a second but Randidly thought he could perform it while moving But it would never be instantaneous and would always give away what he was doing while it was happening

Second there were some side effects While it was active the air in the surrounding area was very quickly chilled Frost formed on Randidly’s hand and water condensed on his arm In addition Randidly was losing Health Mana and Stamina at a constant rate of 50 per second which appeared to be the cost of the activation

Third it was powerful He felt a strange chill completely unrelated to the temperature in regards to the this Skill After a few seconds he had even gained a Nether Resistance Skill which gained two Skill Levels He also gained 4 levels in the the Touch from Beyond Skill

Dismissing the Skill Randidly frowned at his hand There was even some stiffness to it as he stretched but he could feel the blood in his veins begin to pump and very quickly that vanished Truly this Skill was beyond what he had expected He would need to experiment more with attacks but an extra finishing move was never a bad thing The striking speed of it combined with Talon Strike was rather good too

Sighing Randidly steadied himself in the moment and looked at the available paths

Heretic XV 0/ Nexus Traveler Cohort 5 0/50 Path of Control 0/200 Experimenter I 0/50 The Phantom’s Embrace 0/150 Fighting Proficiency III 0/ System Transgressor 0/1 Steps of the Godling II Path 0/200 Basic Soul Bond 0/75 the First Legend 0/ the Road to Mastery 0/500 Seed of Yggdrasil 0/150

Randidly groaned God fucking damnit more Paths that he wanted to try

Shaking his head Randidly walked back towards Donnyton He only had 40 PP there was no need to rush making the decision on which to choose Besides before he did he wanted to blow off some steam

After so much considering and weighing options some exercise would do him some good

Chapter 378

Alana sat upright slowly controlling the movement With a yawn she wiped the sleep from her eyes and then focused on what her senses were telling her It was about an hour before dawn her internal clock told her primly almost reprimanding her for sleeping in for so long

Snorting Alana stood Although her high stats meant she didn’t require sleep it was still something that she preferred even if just for an hour a night It always gave her a little bit of an edge that she could use to push just a little harder with in training

But it was time to turn to the issue at hand Someone was standing outside her door And the feeling that she got

It was familiar yet foreign like catching the flavor of your favorite spice in a strange stew It felt a lot like the Ghosthound in terms of the strange sharpness and vitality to the energy but there was also a ghastly pressure something like a weight of history It felt like what Alana would imagine a collapsing cathedral looked like ancient and desolate

So when she opened the door and was faced with the Ghosthound she felt no surprise just a flash of fear and excitement in equal measure Something had changed with him since their fight last week Something hugely influential The very aura he threw off became much more concentrated and multifarious which was confusing in a way But Alana had no doubt that it meant that his power had taken another step forward

“Are you free ” The Ghosthound asked the corner of his mouth quirking up in a small smile

Alana grimaced at him unsure if he was making a joke about her solitary nature in Donnyton or legitimately asking Then she had a few seconds of wondering what she would do if the Ghosthound had some romantic interest in her After all she admired him a lot and thought he certainly was handsome in his loner sort of way but

And then she was caught by his eyes and all the romantic thoughts fell away replaced by a wariness His eyes were always green and the System had somehow magnified them to emerald letting their color shine incomparably clearly even in the dark There were small flecks of gold there hidden in the rich color hinting at the wealth of power he held

But now they were almost lime lanterns in the dark Alana couldn’t look away

“I want to test something ” He said slowly

Sam folded his arms slowly Looked like Randidly wasn’t coming so he might as well get started

“Alright punks listen up ” His voice cracked like a whip over their heads silencing them instantly Long hours of competing with the sound of hammer clangs had taught him how to shape his voice to cut through the chauff There was as certain sort of voice that everyone recognized and demanding and insistent one one carrying an ultimatum That’s what Sam used and everyone fell silent gazing at him It wasn’t a bad feeling

“There are two phases As you’ve been told the first phase is simply the product You can bring anything you’ve made so far to compete I’ll judge Part two is judging a process You need to perform that process in a 2 hour window demonstrating how it works and then letting us judge the product you do in that time I’ll judge that too Any questions “

When there were none Sam nodded a rare smile crossing his lips Thank god that most of the individuals who gravitated towards the production focus weren’t idiots If he had to deal with those who went out for the System Knowledge Assessment

Once the Assessment was announced to have begun the people sprang to work half moving towards the table to get in line to present their pre made product the other half here to secure the loans from Donnyton to expand their business based on the efficacy of their process

Accepting a freshly squeezed lemonade from an aide Sam shook his head He took a long sip It would be a long day for sure

“How how are you so fast ” Alana whispered staring at the Ghosthound No this couldn’t even be the Ghosthound any longer He was

Well her senses swiftly crushed her rising fear This was still the Ghosthound using the exact same sharp spear skills to pressure her His speed had indeed gone up by a level but it wasn’t at the point that she couldn’t cope with it If anything the changes in his speed were rather simple he was simply a fraction of a second faster

No what caused her the most grief was not the change in speed and strength but rather he seemed to never lose his balance or have a second where he wasn’t at his strongest His balance and flexibility were boosted to an impossible degree and the Ghosthound casually swiped at her with enough strength to send her sprawling A new Skill perhaps

If it was a Skill it was one that Alana was profoundly envious of The Ghosthound had no problem completely suppressing her with messy spears work alone It was as though his baseline strength had risen by a whole level

And more than that when she activated her Solar Flare Skill for the speedboost

In the past it had given her enough of an edge to gain an upper hand But now she felt him activate his own Skill and quicken his own movements So much so that they were once more of a speed with each other and it didn’t seem to deplete any of his Stamina at all Very quickly Alana was overwhelmed and staggered backwards looking to establish space

But the Ghosthound was not one to go easy even in a spar He pressed her until she broke her spear knocked away her stance destroyed even her hope extinguished Sitting on her ass she just looked up at him in wonder His eyes glowed as he studied her

Then he extended a hand and helped her back to her feet ” I consolidated some things It looks like the effect was even greater than I expected perhaps it won’t end up being a waste after all “

One of Sam’s previous students a leatherworker ended up winning the pre prepared product contest The leather armor that he produced was almost a work of art with molded shoulders and complicated patterns sewn into the leather with gold silk In addition there were two factors that pushed it above the works done by everyone else First the leatherworker had taken the time and effort to contact Franksburg and purchase a portion of the Tier III Raid Bosses Corpse and made the armor from its skin From that alone the armor stood head and shoulders above its competition in terms of effectiveness

One could not overestimate the value of high quality ingredients With them a master of their craft could truly display a vast amount of power and influence

The second large advantage that this man had was that Sam had taught him the basics of Mana Engraving It wasn’t enough to actually manage it but he firmly understood the underlying concepts From that he was able to create his own special skill Blood Embroidery

Even Sam was forced to sigh in admiration as he looked at the armor

Tough Leather Armor (Un) Lvl 41 A very durable and sturdy leather armor Protects the wearer from damage and the spirit of the animal it is made from infects the user with a bit of ferocity Bloody Embroidered Stallion II Blood Soaked IV Health +200 Endurance +20 Reaction +5

Bloody Embroidered Stallion II Embroidery in the shape of a Stallion dances across the armor The golden thread to make it has been soaked in the blood of a powerful Monster Strength +7 Agility +9 while moving gain momentum more easily

Blood Soaked IV The leather was produced through long periods of soaking in monster blood The process was devised by a prodigy in the art of leatherworking Health Regeneration +100 per hour Stamina Regeneration +30 per minute User gains 5% Lifesteal

Even Sam struggled to consistently get one of the bonus features of his armor up to the IV category That the product that won had reached that level and in such useful areas was just proof of the level of competition for this Assessment In terms of production Donnyton was at the peak

Looking at the armor again Sam whistled Especially the bonus towards Stamina Regeneration when this armor was sold it was sure to generate a lot of interest

But now he was faced with a tough and annoying decision It wasn’t so hard to pick the winner and pick the 9 people below the winner that were the closest in strength but beyond that ordering them seemed so arbitrary

Sam’s eyes lit up as he spotted Randidly arriving Hurrying over Sam hailed the boy and explained that he should handle the ordering of the top 10 while Sam dealt with the process portion of the Assessment Then Sam wandered off but he still kept a close eye on what was going on at the other side This was another bonus of working long hours in a huge foundry he had developed a knack for spotting what was going on across the space where he was working

Mostly he had used it to ferret out when someone was slacking off but this use was fine too Sam was looking forward to seeing how Randidly would differentiate between the different contestants and how they would respond to his choices Although he had seen it in spurts this would be a very concrete and small scale test of the Ghosthound’s strength as a leader

Chapter 379

In a surprisingly short manner Randidly looked at everything and selected the winners ordering them cleanly and in a manner that Sam could find no fault with Second place ended up going to a pair of eyeglasses that increased Mana Regeneration Perception and Reaction Compared to them the Ghosthound didn’t put so much stock into the powerful weapons that were entered into the top 10 He gave the rewards to those that added bonus functions through the ritual of production rather than straight Strength bonuses from powerful materials and larger weapons

Although there were some extremely dissatisfied expressions no one dared speak out and Randidly calmly explained every decision that he made Those expressions faded somewhat but they settled into stubbornness as the dissatisfied contestants squinted at Randidly They surely had opinions but it appeared that his succinct manner of delivery and his aura of majesty as the Ghosthound was enough to silence them

It made Sam want to snort No man should accept criticism of his work simply on the basis of the status of the speaker It went against the pride of the craftsman Not really his problem however but he would note those who probably had a good case for arguing for a better position in the ranking

Not that any of them was weak But Sam was tired of constantly be growled at by surly smiths A note over who would back down would be useful to use as blackmail down the line Sam’s mouth curled Hehe let these assholes dare complain before him in the future after rolling over before the Ghosthound so meekly he would see how strong their nerves were

The process portion of the Production Assessment proceeded in a much more typical way Not that the processes weren’t impressive and useful just that there were less shocking than the prepared works Which is how it should be Sam would have been very disturbed if two hours of work would have been able to surpass the level of several weeks of toil

There was a method for weaving some of the newly acquired Marrow Silk into very powerful and lightweight armor there was a method of making chainmail from over large loops of metal (only possible due to the System enhanced levels of strength) there was a fermentation method for quickly making pickled vegetables and also a powerful fire strengthening ritual that could be added to most weapons post forging which would give an extra 7 to 10 points in his stats

The fire strengthening ended up being the victor due to the fact that someone was willing to give away their fire strengthening technique which would improve metal weapons across the board Sam privately thought it was foolish to reveal the secrets he applauded the sentiment and publicly spoke words of thanks

What he was surprised by was that Randidly stepped forward to speak

This you could have kept this and made a lot of money couldn’t you It means a lot that you chose this come here The Ghosthound extended his hand

The man’s name was Callo an overweight Italian man and at first he seemed at a loss of what to do But then as the Ghosthound remained still standing there Callo stepped forward allowing the Ghosthound to touch his shoulder

The contact was brief and then quickly broken The Ghosthound’s hand fell to his side Consider it a gift I think you’ll find your future hard work won’t be in vain

Blinking in a daze the man simply nodded before he was lead away by his friends The Ghosthound stared after him a while and Sam stepped forward going to his side

A reward Sam asked

The reply was only a small smile and a shrug Sam wondered what it could have been Then something clicked the Ghosthound had made a connection similar to what that Sam himself enjoyed

Interesting So he had that ability it also made sense The greatest benefit that Sam had been able to intuit from his experience with the Blessing of the Ghosthound was that he could very easily develop and learn Skills More than that it was very easy for him to create Skills involving his specific processes shaping the Skills in a manner that he wanted If Callo could develop skills relating to the creating of forging processes or the process itself

His potential just skyrocketed meanwhile the man was lead away giddy with the fact that he had been chosen as the winner Well one of two winners for the Production Assessment but both would be awarded the maximum amount for their contributions After all Donnyton felt no compunction over shamelessly pushing most of the people towards production Classes

Scratching his beard Sam walked over towards the pre prepared product winner Long had he struggled inwardly over what he should give towards the Ghosthound in terms of equipment And for the first time in a while he had the seed of an idea

Unfortunately for Randidly this was not exactly the sort of rest that he had in mind when he put off choosing his Path This was simply busy work So after the Production Assessment was finished he disappeared sneaking away while nobody was looking

In a way he felt a sharp stab of disappointment he hadn’t chosen to go the route of Disguise as the chosen Skill It would have been much more useful in terms of allowing him to move through Donnyton without being harassed

After the the constant struggles and studying followed by the strange roller coaster of emotions with the Yggdrasil Skills Randidly didn’t want to really focus on Aether Also although the fight against Alana was enjoyable it wasn’t enough Training his Skills in a similar way was not what he wanted at all In fact of all the things he could do what he wanted was

Randidly blinked and then smiled

Razor Fleetfoot official embassador between Kith Klark and the Donnyton wandered through the stalls in Donnyton’s market licking his fingers greedily After the initial friction between the two towns when they first encountered each other over the past 6 months the two Villages had settled into a very mutually beneficial trade

With the help of Donnyton’s superior numbers Kith Klark was able to eliminate the Raid Bosses in the surrounding area and put themselves in the position to secure a dominant presence in its Zone As they were naturally very secretive and suspicious of the humans most of the people of Kith Klark were content to allow the humans to handle things on their side provide them with weapons and armor while they supplied raw materials

However Razor was different He found the human’s strength fascinating especially because by all accounts the level of gains they obtained through their Class was so much smaller than theirs In addition they didn’t have access to Soul Skills like the denizens of Kith Klark did through their animal totems Yet at the same time

It seemed like the flexibility and growth of the human’s skills surpassed anyone’s expectations Especially

Razor stared down at the item in his hand which glistened when it caught the light Truly kebabs were the epitome of culinary delight

After ripping the meat off the skewers and licking the grease Razor wandered to other places looking for food Most everyone was in festive spirits because of the Assessments that were going on in Donnyton and they had set up dozens of special shops based on people who had made production items and hadn’t won the competition

And to pander to those people the food had arrived It was currently between the final two Assessments and the area was filled with a throng of people laughing and buying and exchanging the newly established Donnyton currency It boggled Razor’s mind that none of his people wanted to enjoy this They just wanted to sit in dusty rooms and extol the virtues of stoicism and the superiority of their tribal spirits

Yet here there was

Razor’s nose twitched and instantly his eyes narrowed This smell this unfamiliar smell and yet his taste buds were already watering

Already his Discerning Nose Skill had reached Level 61 which allowed him to accurately move through the crowd and pick out any foods of interest It was a point of pride for Razor that often times the shops and stalls that he stopped at were soon swarmed with people as he was the barometer of taste in Donnyton despite the fact that he wasn’t a native

His rabbit ears twitched and he isolated the source of the smell focusing intently There were clangs cracks sizzles These noises were highly indicative of superb flavor

Spinning around Razor utilized his unearthly grace and speed to rush through the crowd the 20 meters to the source When he arrived he passed a youth who was walked away with a cheeseburger on a wooden plate

There was only a single man tending the small fire over which there was a simple iron grill To one side he had several bowls of spices to another he a pile of ground up meat In a low metal tray nestled in the coals there was an iron dish in which a variety of root vegetables popped and sizzled merrily As Razor arrived the man was adding a sprinkle more to the mixture and he looked up at Razor’s arrival

Razor opened his mouth then closed it

The man was wearing sunglasses and a bandana over his mouth as if he was a notorious killer trying to hide his identity

May I help you sir The man asked straightening

Chapter 380

Razor didn’t think this man would murder him in the public like this but surely there was something hidden here With a sick sensation in Razor’s stomach he examined the pile of meat which seemed to suddenly take on a sinister color With a man of ill repute like this it was hard to know what sort of sources this meat could have come from

Perhaps even a low level sheep

Shivering Razor crossed himself hoping against hope that the meat that this man was peddling was at least Level 20 while alive There was no way that Razor’s delicate and refined palette could handle anything less And based on the evidence

Although the smell was extremely appetizing the wood of the small shop was of poor quality and the level of the counter part of the stall was slightly tilted Razor wrinkled his nose in distaste but that heavenly smell filled it again lifting him off the ground and pulling him a step closer

Uh Two sides of him were at war his eyes and his nose But ultimately a true chef lived through the nose so Razor could only close his eyes in defeat I would like one of the burgers as well as a serving of the veggies

Sure sure The man said nodding and moving to the task To the man’s credit he moved with an obvious grace as he adroitly separated out a patty’s worth of meat and threw it over the fire In addition Razor didn’t miss the small amount of spices mixed into the meat Immediately the smell intensified and Razor raised his eyebrows

Who was this man This level of spice mastery was unheard of in Donnyton Not that the small restaurants here were bad but it was mostly just a side thing run by people with the brewing Skill Food went well with beer and spirits Meanwhile this man was on the level of opening his own shop just based on the smell

if the taste could match it then

Razor shivered unwilling to be done in so easily by this man There was still the chance that the subpar ingredients would destroy him but for now Razor had to grudgingly admit that he was intrigued by what was happening in front of him

After a few minutes the man expertly placed the patty on a toasted bun added a soft melty cheese and put in on a wooden bowl with a couple of the potatoes and carrots After paying Razor moved a small amount of distance away A few more customers were lining up behind him whispering and gazing at Razor

Immediately Razor felt regret He shouldn’t have been so quick to go up to the stand His honor and reputation were on the line and to be seen going to such a shoddy stall

Thanks by the way The shady man said scratching the back of his head Seems like you brought a lot of people over I mean I didn’t take much time to make this but to waste it would be a bit

As Razor was raising the burger to his mouth he choked back a sob Didn’t take much time to make this And around him the whispers began

Oh this man knows Razor Foodfoot

Indeed even though this man looks a bit

Perhaps this is the equivalent of a dive bar

Razor hid his tears and ran away as fast as he could hoping that not too many people would hear about this blunder As he ran he cursed his nose which had lead him astray For so long he had relied on that and this dirty and shady man had used that same reliance to take advantage of him

And the prices the man was charging was relatively expansive for this sort of stand at the market He would make a killing through this

After reaching the edge of the market Razor staggered still holding the plate His hands trembled with rage as he gripped the edge This damn swindler He took a deep breath ready to toss the food on the ground but the smell hit his nostrils again and instantly a dopey smile took over

But truly this smell

Well better find out how angry people would be

Razor gripped the burger and raised it to his mouth He sniffed it again Still delicious seeming With a quick bit Razor scooped the front third of it into his mouth

Wiping away his tears Razor collapsed to his knees This was

Perfection

Stan Culcart carefully had read the rulebook over the past several days studying the game that would be the Tactics Assessment It was a relatively simple game with 10 units and three different maps that would allow them to compete against each other in a variety of scenarios

The 10 units were Sword Adventurer Axe Warrior Spearmen Rogues Mages Archers Knights Raid Boss Werewolves and Workers

They were arranged in 3 sets of 3 Sword beats axe which beats spear which beats sword Rogues beat Mages which beat Archers which beat Rogues Knights beat Raid Boss which beats Werewolves which beat Knights The final three were a bit special in that they each had a special ability Knights had charge Raid Boss has taunt and Werewolves could split their pack into several smaller groups The Raid Boss was the only singular unit but had a high power to back it up A power that was only surpassed by the strength of a full contingent of charging knights

The only special unit was the worker which was a relatively weak on in terms of combat strength but had the special build ability If given enough time the worker could create a Wall a Ditch a Trap or a Hiding Spot With these buildings the terrain of the map could be shifted creating scenarios where your particular team could exert is maximum strength

The three maps were a forest map a winding ravine and a grassland with a small lake in the middle The game itself was played in a rather unorthodox way two individuals would sit with a view blocker in between them They were each given a copy of the map Turns were taking simultaneously with a third party watching both sides passing notes at the end of the turn to indicate what had happened after your units carried out their orders All groups of units aside from the Raid Boss consisted of 20 people Meanwhile the Raid Boss had 30 Health

There were explanations for how and why each unit countered the others and in which way but Stan was content to take it on faith In fact you had to be content to take these things on faith for all of it because you would be relying mostly on your imagination for this game

Most of what happened would run through the third party but Stan didn’t worry too much about any sort of partial behavior Besides everyone took this strange little game very seriously even if it was a cross between old school RTS and DND It would be fun Stan thought glad for the numb buzzing in the back of his head He had taken advantage of the several practice games offered by the hosts of the tournament and although he received a middling result Stan wasn’t to worried

Nothing really worried him these days

At the beginning of each round each person had 7 points to spend purchasing units For now the first 6 units each costed two the Knight Raid Boss and Werewolves tier cost 3 and the Worker cost 1 From this several different combinations could be made

Well relatively few when it came down to it but it was important to keep a balance and to anticipate the opponent Truly tactics was all about manipulating units in battle but it was fair that there was an aspect of strategy involved Preparation and planning could slide very cleanly into tactics and there really wasn’t any way of predicting the others choices so early

Stan supposed at some point that trends would emerge in usage but that was for down the line Although the games were extremely fun to play now it remained to be seen whether there would be any longevity in the game

More than that Stan also couldn’t decide whether this would really test for a useful Skill Well it would test for something but likely not what the directors of Donnyton were looking for

But if those thoughts and dissatisfactions grew too strong the numbness rose again blanketing it out It would leave Stan sighing with relief He didn’t know where she was but Raina was here somewhere during the festival likely enjoying herself As she wasn’t performing she didn’t really inform Stan her manager where she had gone but that was fine

He hadn’t had dwelled on it for too long the numbness wiped those feelings away leaving only a bland sense of enjoyment Truly the games were fun and fascinating enough to keep him engaged in spite of the buzzing

No perhaps it was the buzzing but sometimes Stan had strange inklings of what would happen He was very careful to not activate his Feeling Skill so he wasn’t cheating but it was more than that

Stan stood with the rest of the 200 or so odd people who had chosen to participate and listened to the rules Then after that he was matched up and sat opposite a pretty young woman with red hair who shook his hand and then ignored him seating herself

Shrugging Stan sat down as well It wasn’t that he was feeling the opponent And even if he was he couldn’t feel the specifics of their choice All that was conveyed to him were the strong emotions that the other was feeling No Sometimes it felt like he could just feel a little bit into the future giving him a bit of an edge

Ready What are your selections for your units The referee asked

Humming tunelessly along with the buzzing in his head Stan slid the bit of paper with his choices across to the man and began putting the tiny wooden pieces he had carved last night onto the table They weren’t very detailed but he had received the Whittling Skill after several hours of effort so they would likely improve in the future

Let’s have fun Stan whispered

Chapter 381

Randidly was quite pleased with the way things had turned out with his stand Although business was slow at first after that rabbit had come through everyone had wandered over And once that group of people had tasted his food word of mouth spread news of it even faster

Soon dozens of people were swarming around his stall and his Cooking Skill could be displayed to the fullest It was a very satisfying night and exactly what he needed to get his mind off of the nonsense of Paths and Skills

He had even gained a few Skill Levels in his Chef’s Palette and Cooking Skills as well as one in the Yyrwood Flesh of Yggdrasil Every little bit helped now that he was much lower on Skills

Afterwards most people were pulled away towards the Tactics Assessment to watch but after reading Daniel and Mrs Hamilton’s rules for the competition Randidly knew that it wouldn’t be a very interesting game to watch More interesting to just wait and see who would emerge as the victor For the person who was the winner of the Tactics well the highest NCC at the Assessment would be a person that Randidly had to make a decision over

At the very least Randidly would establish an Aether connection with the individual who won but also he might very well use that person as an experiment to see how creating a Class would work

An image of Nathan’s determined face flashed before Randidly who could only shake his head That that was not a possibility Although the boy had a firm resolve that reminded Randidly of himself he was 9 8 The fact that Randidly didn’t even know reaffirmed in his mind that it wasn’t possible to use the boy as a test dummy He would simply need to accept whoever won the Tactics portion provided Mrs Hamilton could assure their quality of character

Randidly wasn’t currently very confident about his Class creation experience if he was being honest with himself They had a little over two weeks remaining in their month time frame and the effects of the Aether being cut off was becoming increasingly apparent Although crop yields were still high the produce harvested was empty compared to the previous crops The same vital energy wasn’t present

For the first time since the System arrived most people were finding that they needed to sleep at least for a few hours each night The Assessment was acting as a good excuse as everyone could tell themselves that they were just tired from the excitement but the truth was their Zone was being starved of Aether It was not how Randidly wanted Donnyton to end

In his heart he suddenly felt a lot of guilt over all of the activities that he had spent time doing this past week that were not related to Aether His eyes hardened That stopped now He had enough of a break

Sighing Randidly removed his sunglasses and mask and left his stall He stopped a Squad Member of Donnyton and sent a message to Daniel to send for him when the Tactics Assessment concluded Until then he would be studying Aether And more than that working with Lucretia and Neveah to improve his ability to shape it

It wasn’t simply knowledge that he lacked currently it was also a soft touch to weave the Aether together

As Randidly found a quiet spot by his cabin and sank into his inner world he found Lucretia creating a strange weave of Aether Welcome back Good try this we likely need to be able to do this in real time during the Class creation so practice hard

In another corner of his mind he could feel Neveah pouring over the list of runes they had gathered tinkering with them making them in 3D models of woven Aether threads that made Randidly’s head spin He shook those doubts clear Only one struggle at a time

Then he got to work

Kayle cracked his knuckles sitting down for the finals of the Tactics competition To his surprise Kayle had enjoyed the concept of the game immensely He had faced a dozen opponents to get here and each one had made relatively unique choices in how they arranged their units and what units they chose

It was just they behaved rather similarly on first contact which let them play right into Kayle’s hands Most people would simply bring their other forces around to attack units they found happy to have encountered an enemy at all The fact that you couldn’t see anything and all information was fed through notes made a lot of people nervous

Meanwhile Kayle felt that his own patience and imagination was exactly what was needed to persist in the competition You could not let the lack of information influence your decisions On the battlefield an imperturbable attitude was key Without it you would swiftly make a mistake

His opponent a man named Stan didn’t seem particularly intelligent or savvy but he did seem extremely good natured and calm This put Kayle on edge for some reason Also because the man he was up against had won his games either very quickly or after a very long time That showed that this man was not one who got into messy scraps and skirmishes He controlled the battlefield and attacked at all the right points

Hum this was an opponent who valued flexibility so

For his starting units Kayle chose the Raid Boss Mages and Rogues He had been very impressed with the Raid Boss as an unit so far and the other two were designed to counter the hard counter to the Raid Boss the Knights

One of the great things about the Raid Boss and the weakness Kayle supposed is that when its health was 15 or above it recovered one health every turn However below 15 it lost health every turn With this recovery combined with its taunt it was difficult for any significant damage to be dealt to it without a Knight’s charge

The selected map made Kayle grimace The ravine map A double edged sword for a Raid Boss but it definitely meant a lot that he had a singular powerful piece When the battle began Kayle spread his forces out sending the Rogues further afield to scout Almost instantly a paper was returned to him Kayle raised his eyebrows It seemed the other played fast

Nothing to report So Kayle moved his Rogues farther forward while keeping the other two back

Again the note came almost instantly in response Nothing to report

After a hesitation Kayle had his units sit and wait One more turn If the other hadn’t appeared by then he didn’t want to commit his Raid Boss without finding the enemy first

Again the response was instantaneous The content of the note made Kayle frown Werewolves were scything through his Rogues It was annoying but for the best that the opponent had chosen Werewolves but he would sustain losses to make the opponent bleed

While having his Rogues engage Kayle moved his Raid Boss to provide support and his Mages to stay close on its back protecting it from ambush Which was why the next note made Kayle’s jaw drop

Ultimately his Rogues had repelled the Werewolves as only half the pack was there He had lost 6 Rogues but his opponent had lost 8 Werewolves Meanwhile the other 10 Werewolves and a group of 20 Workers had hit his Mages How had the other

No now wasn’t the time for that Shaking his head Kayle ordered his Rogues to pursue the remaining 2 Werewolves Better to flush out a ambush with the wounded Rogues Meanwhile he ordered his Mages to engage and moved his Raid Boss to cut off the other Werewolf group’s retreat Truly his opponent had been lucky with the Werewolf choice The ability to split them into groups made them dangerous especially when most of the soft classes were weak to physical combat And their speed

When the note returned Kayle wanted to tear out his hair

His opponent had immediately disengaged as well and then moved towards the center of the arena aiming for the chasing Rogues However the Werewolves and Workers had encountered the Raid Boss instead

They had all been slaughtered by the Raid Boss’s powerful taunt but not before lowering its Health to 13 Kayle crushed the note in his hands In slightly better news his Rogues had chased down the escaping Werewolves killing them and had also discovered something strange A wall built at the edge of the deepest ravine

So Kayle had a bleeding Raid Boss 14 Rogues and 12 Mages remaining and all he knew from his opponent was that he had lost both Werewolves and a Worker That was 4 points worth of units leaving him with 3 remaining

This time Kayle took his time thinking Immediately he dismissed the idea that the opponent had bought a 3 cost unit After all that unit was stuck behind a wall If his opponent hadn’t run into the Raid Boss and lowered his health below 15 he would have been screwed keeping that much fire power behind the wall he had built No more than likely what was behind the wall was either a Worker unit or a ranged one Archers or Mages

If a Worker was behind the wall it would be filled with a trap which would do significant damage If it was an enemy they would likely try to keep their distance and damage those that came into the ravine Although the best case was to send the Rogues out and search for who was hiding outside of the wall taking the time to do so would let the Raid Boss slowly bleed out And if BOTH the unit and the Worker was out around that wall and they had made a hiding place

So better to just bust down the door There was also the chance that the opponent had Rogues hidden in the surroundings and would ambush

Kayle ordered his units to gather in a tight clump keeping a lookout at the surrounding area and moving towards the erected wall

The paper came back they arrived at the wall uncontested

Fine then Kayle muttered He launched a full scale assault at the wall

The paper came back After reading it Kayle began to laugh slapping his knees and pushing himself back out of his chair

Truly I guess that’s one way to lose

Chapter 382

Randidly followed after the young man that Daniel had sent over still musing over the flows of Aether in his mind It was strange the more he learned the less it seemed like learning to handle Aether but more just remembering

For a while this strange sensation had Randidly deeply disturbed Could it possibly be a side effect of the strange apparatus that was at the center of his Soul Skill How deeply did the Creature’s game run Even now as it had sealed itself up inside of the Raid Dungeon allowing him to do as he pleased was he not still playing to its tune

But then the more he studied the sensation inside of himself the more he realized that it had a much simpler origin Neveah

There was something so natural in the way that she utilized Aether and it made a certain amount of sense that if she was able to do it some of that would flow over to him through their connection It also left Randidly slightly shaken If this was how much information that he could intuit how much did Neveah have access to

Suddenly her flashes of insight and her strange ideas about how the Class should work didn’t seem so odd

Both Lucretia and Neveah agreed that the main part of the Class that needed to be refined was the trunk That was the sort of the information about it concretely in terms of growth and also provided the blueprint for how the absorbed energy can be used to push the soul space further More than that Lucretia hypothesized the Class trunk would eventually do something with all of the space inside the soul it set aside binding the rest

Randidly had examined Alana’s Lvl 47 soul space and there were definite signs that something was changing deep within her The space was almost colored The very air was infected with the image of her Class This was independent of the Soul Skill which existed in harmony with the Class but didn’t affect the same things Which again made Randidly wonder what exactly Soul Skills were but this probably wasn’t the time to speculate on that

Or perhaps it was exactly the time where that needed to happen and it was impossible for Randidly to tell which is which

Another problem that Randidly had been wrestling with was choosing what Stats would go into his Class He had figured out the patterns that would likely cause growth in each Stat although chaining them together was more difficult than he had imagined and all that was left was to choose which to put into his Class

Based on their investigations the more Stats that were packed into a Class the wider the trunk of the Class would be Which was fine in theory but the difficulty in weaving Stats upwards increased geometrically as there was an increasing number of possibilities and also a growing number of dead ends in the weave These dead ends wouldn’t affect him initially but it was important to plan how everything would move forward

If his Stat increases ran into dead ends they wouldn’t continue to grow with him as he grew Instead he would be stuck with what was remaining And because the growth had been designed with a flaw the remaining Stats would also have a hard time finding an equilibrium among the weave and they too would falter By the end the Class would effectively stop being able to grow

Randidly didn’t relish the thought of discovering what happened when your Class collapsed inward like that firsthand Better avoid it if at all possible

The words that Randidly had said to Nathan popped unbidden into his head Those words and the absolute relentless certainty that had filled the boys eyes in response

Do you truly crave power so much child

Randidly shook his head feeling strangely queasy The threads of fate were moving and he didn’t like that Best to avoid Nathan in the future It was an easy decision He would not use the body of a child to test his foolish experiments

Even if it could save thousands of other lives A voice inside of Randidly asked almost amused

instead Randidly would focus on living in the present

He walked up to Daniel who was standing and talking with Kayle and of all people Raina’s manager Stan The guy gave Randidly a creepy vibe but it seemed that he had made it far in the Tactics Assessment which meant he would need to look past that and work together with him to discover a few more tricks of Aether

Kayle was speaking excitedly Daniel I don’t have any regrets It was a move that tied his own hands but it ended up being the right one Buying both Werewolves and Knights and then immediately sealing your Knights behind a wall that took guts

Shrugging Stan said I don’t really like playing defense Better to just have offensive cards

Kayle laughed but Daniel was frowning It’s fine now but when would the strategy work in real life Keeping your best offensive force locked up like that Sure it misled you but

Your competition was winning the game That’s what he did Kayle said still amused More than that he controlled my perception perfectly Based on what I saw I immediately ruled out Knights as an option for his other units which made me group up my units perfectly for his charge when I knocked down the wall That isn’t something that could be accomplished with luck

Then Kayle turned to Stan Even now you don’t even mind that he’s trying to argue you out of your victory

Stan shrugged a small frown on his face but honestly there was a pleased air around him Randidly sniffed Yes creepy Gotta ignore it

Congratulations I guess you won Randidly asked stepping forward

Stan turned and looked at him and as soon as he did so Stan’s expression fell There seemed to be a tremor in his eyes as he gazed at Randidly which made Randidly extremely self conscious He forcefully suppressed that impulse Right now he was public Randidly and public Randidly didn’t falter or acknowledge his awkwardness Better to just rush forward and pretend that everything was on purpose

When Stan simply continued to stare Randidly continued Perhaps you recall but there will be a very special reward for the person who achieves the highest performance in the Tactics Assessment I believe the words that I used were something about changing your fate

Randidly trailed off Stan simply continued to stare his expression worsening as time went on

Did I do something wrong ’ Randidly thought to himself wonderingly He had showered recently His clothes were rather tattered but they were clean There was no blood or shit anywhere on him He had come to the Assessment with as much effort as he was willing to put into looking presentable So why

Abruptly Stan’s expression eased and one of peace settled across his features Oh yes Pardon me And how does that work Will I need to leave Donnyton

Randidly considered that It never really occurred to him but he supposed that most of the people who lived here were rather fond of Donnyton so much so that they would prefer not to leave it overmuch Well not that Randidly wasn’t fond of Donnyton but he had seen many strange places both on Earth and in Shal’s world It would always be the place that he would return to but it never really had the strange attraction that home should have for people

Instead it was something like a child Perhaps a bit like his Soul Seeds And even more difficult to control

Idly Randidly wondered where Thorn was Since coming to town he had seen basically everyone else that he had set out to see and interact with Perhaps when he had free time he should go talk to Arbor and Kiersty and see whether they had any leads

I want to give you a Soul Skill Randidly said formally to Stan It’s a pretty rare thing and it can be considered a way to grow just for spending PP on Paths It’s sorta a giant permanent Path that gets a point anytime you spend PP on anything else It basically doubles the value of PP

Nodding slowly Stan said Those are the things that the four you Blessed have It’s why they are so strange

That’s part of it yes Randidly said almost relieved that this was the direction that Stan’s curiosity had driven him No questions about what it would mean how it would be done or the way that it could backfire should something go wrong But Randidly was much more confident in a Soul Skill than a Class although there were some similarities between the two

Randidly had arrived at the idea for a Soul Skill early in the Aether research partially because he had successfully created three by himself to date although the first was heavily assisted by the System Mostly because it involved complicated workings and interactions of Aether and also was something that needed to be able to grow

Similar to a Class it was supposed to have a guiding image and then some guidance for how it could change in the future On the other hand it had fewer risks than a Class because it wasn’t so intimately connected with the recipient

A Soul Skill created a sealed off area in the person’s soul space where a particular reaction would be occuring With the power of retrospect Randidly could understand it as a factory where Aether was mined and refined out of the air becoming more suited for the body Normal Soul Skills were smaller scale than Randidly’s for that reason there simply wasn’t enough ambient Aether to justify the initial investment

But with Randidly footing the Aether bill

And a Class had to bind the soul space leading to far reaching consequences in the event of failure Randidly figured a Soul Skill could just be burned away with pure Aether harming that area of the soul space but largely leaving a person undisfigured Or at least that was the working theory

Hopefully he wouldn’t have occasion to test it out

Chapter 383

When the knock sounded on her door Thea looked up I’m coming

Thea swiftly dressed herself petted Chrysanthemum seven times for good luck then walked out of her room into the hallway With her typical lumbering gate Chrysanthemum followed Thea wasn’t sure if she could have gone through with this without her support

Not that she was ever really apart from her due to their bond but still

Mrs Hamilton stood there with Donny a small smile on her face as she looked at Thea Are you prepared Time is of the essence but the Ghosthound doesn’t mind if you delay somewhat to make up your mind You only have one chance at this

But Thea shook her head No I’m ready

Would you like my advice Mrs Hamilton asked her smile widening a fraction

Inwardly Thea wondered whether she would be like this woman when she grew up Although their interactions had been few everyone talked about the Grey Spider of Donnyton and how she was the force behind the scenes that animated this place She was both manpower and mastermind a woman who seemed to have an endless supply of time attention and energy to deal with Donnyton’s problems

She was cool and calm and a woman that Randidly trusted implicitly Thea had never seen her fight but when she looked at this woman her instincts were completely silent as if the space in front of her was occupied by driftwood rather than woman And yet here and now as they stood waiting for her to make her decision

Perhaps it was just artifice but there was such kindness in her voice as she inquired whether Thea wanted her advice

She did she truly did but what if her advice was couched in such a way to serve Donnyton rather than Thea Thea wasn’t an idiot she understood that Randidly wanted to observe the process so he could discern something Something important that everyone was keeping very hush hush about

Yet

Trying to keep her shoulders from sagging Thea said Yes of course Any advice you can give is appreciated

Mrs Hamilton’s smile widened and she walked towards Thea and fell to her knees and pulled Thea into her embrace Thea froze at first shocked by the sudden display of affection but then softened as the genuine warmth from the gesture melted away her inhibitions She buried her head into Mrs Hamilton’s shoulder

Mrs Hamilton was probably a foot taller than Thea standing but kneeling she was several inches shorter Thea was wrapped in armor while Mrs Hamilton wore a long black dress Between them there was probably 20 to 25 years age difference although the System would probably make that much more difficult to discern in the future

They probably looked almost silly they in their strange embrace but Thea didn’t care She had struggled all week beaten bloody in training by almost everyone driven to her limits shown the true strength of Donnyton and god damnit being strong for so long fucking sucked Plus now everyone was waiting on her decision on what to do with her one use item

It was all too much So Thea buried her face deeper into Mrs Hamilton’s shoulder while the other woman stroked her hair Even if this was just to manipulate her Thea knew she needed this This small moment of weakness of kindness from a stranger

Oh child Mrs Hamilton whispered the smile still in her voice although Thea couldn’t see it My only advice is that you already know the answer The women and the young have for generations suppressed our guts to listen to others telling us what to do But now you have the power to change that Seize that power and make it yours

Mrs Hamilton pulled back and smiled at Thea who could only blink

Then she straightened and walked away Donny following after her as if nothing happened Then several seconds later Thea staggered after them her head swinging as Chrysanthemum brought up the rear

Just trust her instincts Seize the power

What the fuck did that mean

Stan sat in the Cathedral gazing at the Ghosthound There was a calmness in the air a numbness perhaps keeping him from feeling the feelings of people around him It wasn’t oppressive like it had been previously but rather regal in a way

When Stan had seen the Ghosthound walking up to greet him as the winner of the Tactics Assessment all the joy that he had felt over the fun of the game fell away replaced by anxiety When they had met previously that strange numbness around the Ghosthound had stripped Stan of all of the emotions he had felt especially those he absorbed from the powerful emotional broadcast that was Raina

With that void inside of himself some emotions that perhaps had been suppressed in the wake of the System and suppressed further now that he had encountered Raina were able to squirm to the surface filling him with powerful angers and vicious hatreds But something had changed about the Ghosthound

Squinting at the man it was even possible to see the difference in him His body while not necessarily bigger looked different Like he had been made out of skin and bone in the past but now he was made out of twisting wood and molten metal There was a density and grace to him that had been present but much more subtle Now the man could hardly move without making everyone around him notice the difference between them

Bitterly well as bitter as Stan could feel Stan supposed that was just the difference between their two fates He was slightly interested in the Soul Skill that the Ghosthound proposed but Stan didn’t harbor any hopes that whatever he gained from this would be able to change Raina’s relative opinion of the two of them

But more than the physical changes it was that strange presence that the Ghosthound had now that enabled Stan to survive near him It was like being on a beach where the constant low hum of the wind robbed the world of their words and reduced everything to a humming In the same way the powerful presence masked everything else but not so much that everything was numbed away

Still constant was the chilly pride that suffused him that strange self confidence that bordered on arrogance It made Stan feel inferior but not in a way that he was angry about It was like swimming next to a whale

In front of the realities of nature how fragile was a human’s pride

There were 4 people in the room already and they were apparently waiting for a few more There was himself the Ghosthound the winner of Knowledge Assessment and a bored looking woman called Clarissa Clarissa was a name that Stan had only heard vaguely during his time in Donnyton and seeing her here chatting so amicably with the Ghosthound Stan almost wished he had paid more attention to her so he could understand her role

The Cathedral itself was a beautiful area filled with tall ivory pillars and warm wooden benches Unlike a typical church however at the center of the Cathedral was not an altar but rather an indentation in the floor in which there was a small resting chamber where a person could lay It was somewhat like a permanent casket had been placed there drawing everyone’s gaze

About 10 minutes passed and just about the time that the Ghosthound was looking impatient 4 more figures came into the inner chamber of the Cathedral The leader was Mrs Hamilton who was followed by Donny and one of the head healers whose name was Ptolemy Following him was a youngish looking girl who seemed extremely confused as if she had wandered in off the street

But based on the Ghosthound’s gaze this girl was who they had been waiting for And Stan was very interested in starting but

somehow the fact that one of the head healers had come here gave him a sinking feeling in his chest

Are all three of you prepared The Ghosthound asked his eyes glowing a luminous emerald while he looked at them all In turn they all nodded

Breathing out through his nose the Ghosthound exhaled slowly Alright then Let’s start with you Here this is the Stone of Genesis You have the idea for the Skill that you want

After a brief pause the elderly woman he was referring to nodded There was a nervous energy in her stance but she was clearly suppressing it in front of the Ghosthound Stan felt a slight annoyance that his emotional reading was suppressed because it would have given him some comfort to feel these emotions through another and then to finally feel her relief when her part was over and his would have to begin

Taking the stone from the Ghosthound she looked around confused Donny pointed It’s slightly unfortunate but you just need to lay in the resting area down there This whole building is designed as a focus of sorts and it will improve the efficacy of the stone

Oh but first The Ghosthound reached out and touched the woman’s shoulder A tremor ran through her and she stumbled The Ghosthound didn’t move to help her and stepped back Wordlessly she turned and looked at him

A gift Use your imagination to your fullest the stone can give you anything right now The Ghosthound said speaking softly He folded his arms

Nodding the woman stepped down and laid inside of the resting area

Chapter 384

Even though part of his attention was focused on the woman most of Randidly’s attention was on the Cathedral around her Immediately after walking in here he had felt it the thick layers of Mana Engraving through the entire building the funneled ambient Aether down towards that resting space

Even now with the Aether slowly being drained there was a thick layer there No wonder this was the building that allowed people to Reclass it had such a high cost and a powerful upkeep According to Donny they needed to gather thousands of contribution points to fuel it each week likely to flood the place with this placid Aether

It wasn’t as pure as his own but some of the harsher restrictions had been removed from it For creating a Skill this was also a very useful area But

Upon taking stock of the energy around him Randidly closed his eyes and opened himself to the world in the smallest way Due to the vast difference in energy pressure Aether rushed out of him blooming like a flower in the air around him He could feel the way instantly it warped the space a dose of concentrated power that came into the world It was still formless of course and an average person would miss it but

All of the people who were in the Cathedral were not average people When he released the energy they stumbled backwards stunned by the sudden explosion But very quickly the Aether that Randidly released was caught in the pull of the Cathedral and was dragged down to pool around the woman

Ignoring the people around him Randidly focused his senses keeping his eyes closed Very delicately he felt the Aether forming a cocoon around the woman as she held the stone Then he felt her hands tighten

The stone cracked and then disintegrated

Immediately Randidly was stretched to the limit trying to keep up with what was occuring in front of him A small part of him marveled at his mental acuity and he realized that the Indomitable Spirit of Yggdrasil had a very powerful mental component And Randidly said a small prayer of thanks for that

A strange apparatus of Aether sprung out of the stone almost fully formed Immediately Lucretia and Neveah leaned forward scrutinizing it while Randidly manipulated his sense to cover as much of it as possible probing its shape Very quickly the apparatus twisted and folded in on itself becoming smaller and snapping onto the woman

In a way it reminded Randidly of a breathing tube for divers because after the thing snapped into place Aether began to flow back and forth through the woman clean pure shapeable Aether

The woman frowned The apparatus began to glow

A small point in the air above the woman began to shimmer and there was a ripple in the air like of god sighing Then the glow around the Aether apparatus brightened and different portions shifted again

Catalyzing improving mental capacity now applying a small amount of something Lucretia whispered her eyes narrowed to slits

Pain Came Neveah’s reply almost casual although there was a certain frenzied look in her eyes Applies pain Pressure

A mental catalyst Awe was in Lucretia’s voice as she spoke One of the newly brightened portions of the Aether apparatus began to glow even brighter The frown on the woman’s face deepened

Randidly took care to breath his senses tingling Focus he needed to remain focused

Aether began to move suddenly becoming a huge whirlpool swirling around their figures sucked very quickly into the singularity that was swiftly forming just above the woman’s chest Now Randidly began to frown Because although he wasn’t as intuitive as Lucretia or Neveah he understood Aether and understood how Skills were shaped after his had been injured for several months

That Skill that was slowly forming which was no more than a gentle curve of energy in the air right now was quite a bit of time away from becoming an actual Skill It needed to develop and refine itself further And yet

And yet the Aether in the air had almost been completely thinned out The area around her was swiftly being sucked dry by that greedy Skill

Jesus christ what sort of Skill had she chosen to create Randidly supposed he should have warned her that the more complicated it was the more difficult it would be to create and the longer the process would take absorbing more Aether but he supposed he hadn’t even thought to it made sense that it should be said but he was still too inexperienced in this area

And yet he needed to create a Class within two weeks and enter the Raid Dungeon

Focus Neveah chided him and he could feel the warmth and concern in her message She understood the stakes she understood how out of his depth Randidly felt And more than anything she understood how much anxiety he had that he was basically relying on Neveah and Lucretia in order to accomplish this goal

Randidly was good at a lot of things and he would learn quickly how to use Aether but they didn’t have time for him to learn So instead he simply needed to be a tool in their hands In some ways it was relieving to be basically absolved of control But on the other hand this was not how Randidly had created himself in the post System world He had pressed forward ignoring the odds and stubbornly continuing

Was this the wrong path Was this a show of weakness relying on them A total mistake perhaps in Lucretia’s case

Well it was too late to back down now Sometimes faith was necessary

And if faith failed Randidly would just overcompensate with the quantity of his pure Aether pressing it together in a ball until he had created a Class so he could at least help out with the Raid Dungeon Those rips in the fabric of Aetherwould stop anyone but him dead By killing them

Suppressing a chuckle Randidly focused back on what was going on in front of him The Aether was almost completely gone now and after grimacing Randidly opened up his stores again Immediately the billowing energy was devoured by that growing Skill It was just a drop in the bucket because Randidly’s Soul Space had been constantly filled and compressed and refilled with Aether as the Aether Crossroads continued to operate barely moving even with the growing demands

So when it was clear this was an opening more and more Aether mobilized moving to exit his body and enter the world It increased at an exponential rate exploding outward in a howling swirl almost gleeful But just as quickly it was devoured by the Skill

The Skill itself continued to suck the Aether in but after another 10 seconds Randidly was producing too much Aether too fast The Skill couldn’t keep up Belatedly the Cathedral activated trying to gather and channel the Aether and that held it back for a bit but that was only a fraction of a second before the amount of Aether produced outweighed the absorption

At that point Randidly could barely keep both the opening in his chest under control and pay attention to how the Skill was forming Well it was less like he was seeing and understanding the Skill formation and the underlying Aether apparatus and more like he was just keeping a light shined on the occurrence so other people could absorb and dissect the information

More and more Aether gushed outwards coming out in huge waves sweeping out of him filling the Aether starved air spreading to cover all of Donnyton and then after another 10 seconds tendrils of it reached all the way down to Franksburg More and more farther and farther

The limpness to magical plants was slowly rubbed away as Randidly’s body hummed with the passage of the Aether flowing through him and filling the land But very quickly Randidly cut off the flow slowly at first then more and more until it was down to nothing and he was left gasping for breath Anymore than that any bigger a hole and he might lose control of it and the Aether would explode out of him His soul space was already completely rattled shaken by that much energy moving through him

Holding onto his knees to keep himself upright in the face of a spell of dizziness Randidly remained trained on the occurrence And finally with a strange tinkling it happened The Skill condensed from that singularity almost fully formed glistening and sank into the woman’s chest

She immediately sat up gasping for breath Ptolomey hopped down checking her vitals After around 30 seconds he signaled everything was fine and helped her up taking part of her weight on him as she was lifted out of the indentation at the base of the Cathedral

Mrs Hamilton folded her arms her gaze lingering on Randidly while she spoke to the woman Well Did it work

Grinning the woman shared the details of her Skill with the surrounding people

Eternal Eye Yours is a gaze that cannot be blocked Things such as distance substance disguise time and understanding need not bar your vision should you know where to look Control over what you see improves with Skill Level Distance away that you can see improves with Skill Level Complexity of relative temporal placement that is possible improves with Skill Level

Chapter 385

When he saw the description of the Skill Randidly’s eyebrows rose On the one hand it reminded him a lot of Simon’s Skill in terms of flexibility It did not present the same ability to form an Astral projection that Simon’s Skill did but Simon was limited in only being able to explore the world in a linear manner slowly spreading his influence out over a Zone And he could only focus on one portion at a time

Meanwhile this Skill seemed like it was more possible to already know what you wanted to see and look and pierce through everything between your two positions and depending how well you knew how to look it was possible to see something Fascinating

Almost out of reflex Randidly used his Aether sense to feel along the surrounding area quickly locating Simon’s tiny bird avatar Unsurprisingly it was hovering around Thea watching her as she gazed wide eyed at the coughing woman Although for a while after they arrived in Donnyton Simon had paid attention to Randidly very quickly his focus narrowed The poor kid Randidly wondered if Thea realized the crush he had on her

Back in the present the woman was explaining with an excited voice her notifications as she received a short Path that seemed to be a reward from it It was after all an Ancient Rarity Skill and the System rewarded their creation It seemed that hers was the 301st Ancient Rarity Skill to be created

Which wasn’t a large number but it wasn’t a small one either It gave Randidly a bit of hope and made him realize that although his circumstances seemed extraordinary there was probably other individuals with similar ability although probably not the Aether Crossroads or his Stats based on all the time he spent in Shal’s world

But still these people might have just as much potential as Randidly Hell they probably had more potential than him Sure before the System he had been pretty physically fit and intelligent but he wasn’t a genius And he wasn’t someone who understood how important working hard was It took him weeks of near death experiences and Shal’s brutality in the Dungeon before he had taken the first step to being the workaholic he was currently

Lucretia was thoughtful as she looked out at the woman through Randidly’s eyes I wonder if the amount of Aether required was because of the type of Skill or because of the rarity

Even general Not specific

Oh that’s true Lucretia said nodding If she just had a general idea then it probably would be so much less efficient It would need to have enough Aether to sense the subtle images that she was generating

Finally Randidly released a breath as he could feel the last dregs of the strange weariness leave him in the wake of releasing Aether It had the added benefit of slowing the death of this land adding a little bump of Aether especially to the area around Donnyton but Randidly didn’t think that the small amount of Aether that he had managed to channel was anywhere close to being able to influence the whole Zone

It was an interesting question how much Aether he had within himself but like a lot of things these days it would have to wait for another time There were pressing issues

Mrs Hamilton led away the woman who she passed off to Daniel who was waiting at the door Together the two left talking excitedly about how she could use that Skill The remaining people looked to Randidly Ah they likely wanted to know what was next Well preferably

He turned to look at Thea Are you ready

After a brief hesitation she nodded I I think so I think I’ve made my decision

So are you upgrading your Class then Or even a Stat Randidly asked already distracted He knew that he would prefer that she choose to upgrade her Class so he could watch how it would change when the Stone of Fate was used but Also seeing how Stats could shift would allow him to use that upgraded Stat in his Class

A Skill actually Combat Proficiency Thea said her voice meek

Randidly paused Then he turned to look at her What Why would you do that

Stan frowned at that annoying Randidly further but he refused to let himself be distracted His gaze was fixed upon Thea Sure improving a Skill was an interesting process and Randidly wanted to see how it worked but they currently only had one of these Stones of Fate They hadn’t located anymore from the mine yet so this was the only chance Randidly would have to see a process involving a Class happen

As he was opening his mouth Randidly noticed how much Thea was trembling just standing there silently in front of him And suddenly he felt profoundly tired

She’s a good example If we let this pass Lucretia began but Neveah cut her off

Wants something else Her choose

So instead of saying anything Randidly just gestured for her to continue At first she seemed hesitant and then she shot a glance at Mrs Hamilton who was smiling at her Randidly’s lip curled Of course Mrs Hamilton was responsible Well she enabled it and probably primed Thea to be able to stand up to Randidly if she chose to Would Mrs Hamilton have known that it would happen

No perhaps not but she would have given Thea the tools to do so if she needed them Which filled Randidly with a hot fury But just as quickly it melted away and that same wariness came back

That was the other problem with being here everyone treated him like he could do no wrong People didn’t stand up to him they just listened to him Other than Lyra but after recovering she seemed unable to speak and stayed shut up in a small room even while continuing to give Classes and allow Donny to purchase buildings Which was slightly suspicious but

Like everything else a question for another time

Being treated this way didn’t come without consequences Already Randidly could feel his petulance and his stubborn insistence of his own way And he was 100% sure that his way was the correct one and would yield the best results for both himself and for Thea but he supposed that it wasn’t his job to correct other people’s mistakes They could make their own choices

But if those choices endangered the lives of others

I I think that Alana told me the best sort of Skill is a general one Thea said her voice uncharacteristically squeaking as she nervously looked at Randidly It was strange listening to her Suddenly you would think that she had forgotten all the times they had fought together like it was nothing Like they vanished like ghosts

So I want to upgrade my Combat Proficiency A Stat would likely make me more immediately powerful but I don’t think I don’t think it would be too ridiculous Meanwhile a Class my growth will probably increase but I’m already Level 28 I missed a lot of that growth already Thea was finding her voice now and she began to speak more quickly But a Skill a Skill would benefit me now and it would probably grow with me more powerful faster

And also She stammered her eyes almost pleading as she looked at him The System loves specificity correct A Skill can do that leading to a Path leading to more Skills to a whole branching growth On my own I don’t think I can find that But with this chance I have a vision A strong image Specific And with it

Her head fell to her chest and Thea spoke the final words to the floor I can be strong too

Sighing Randidly said nothing for at least 30 seconds simply closing his eyes and feeling the air around him The Mana Engraving on the Cathedral was humming gathering a portion of the Aether that Randidly had released making the Aether here extremely thick To his surprise both Neveah and Lucretia remained silent letting him think in peace

The other people in the Cathedral too said nothing but from Mrs Hamilton’s smug seeming silence Randidly could tell that she already knew what his answer would be Once he was aware of it there was no way that he would overturn Thea’s decision Perhaps he would have stubbornly argued with her before she had make her stance so clear thinking he was convincing her but basically just railroading her but

This turn of events made him feel helpless He was a man who was currently experiencing a large amount of stress based upon his inability to control his destiny Instead he was forced to rely on Lucretia and Neveah Although it would be a simple thing to take that out on Thea forcing his will on her Randidly resisted that

Okay He said simply Then let’s begin

Without Randidly opening himself and spreading Aether this time through was more of the same This time however a Skill slid out of her chest and was surrounded by the Aether apparatus Again a small singularity of Aether was formed much less hungry than the previous one and absorbed Aether for several long minutes before the old Skill sank into it was rewritten and exploded as something new

If nothing else even Randidly could notice a pattern in the amount of Aether used and the way it was absorbed He could also see how the System apparatus would influence other Aether while being made of Aether itself which was one of the concrete problems involved If they solved that it would be that much easier at least in terms of the manipulation But that was half of the battle

The other half was the planning and after examining so many Classers both Neveah and Lucretia had an idea on how the Class was created All they needed was to prepare the Aether and to carefully let it take shape They had watched people gain Classes but they seemed to spring fully formed onto a person Perhaps that was just the Village Spirit version of the Aether singularity and it was very difficult to witness a Class getting created

That thought made Randidly’s hackles rise So he would just need to be lucky

What’s the upgraded version of the Skill Mrs Hamilton asked

Thea was blushing For several seconds she didn’t speak Everyone paused noticing her and how she was behaving Thea’s blush deepened She muttered something unintelligible

What Randidly asked somewhat bitter If they had wasted this chance

M m my Combat proficiency is now is now Dance of the Ghostbear ® Thea muttered

Ghost bear Which almost seemed like it was based on

What were you imagining when you were upgrading your Skill Thea Mrs Hamilton said her wicked smile clear in her voice Thea’s blush made her head look like a tomato

Chapter 386

After that grudging explanation Thea hurried away leaving the people behind her with bemused smiles except Randidly who was just blinking and staring wordlessly after her

She had based her combat Skill on him

Honestly the fact it had only become a Rare Level Skill was the bit of information that Randidly latched onto It had taken away his opportunity that his anxiety stated would be very important to develop a Class and she had upgraded a Normal Skill to the Rare grade It felt somewhat of a waste

Perhaps not Lucretia’s extremely timely whisper came You’ll notice that most Skills that have high Rarity are relatively specific not including your consolidated Skills Those are a bit broken But the more general a Skill is the harder it is for it to be a higher Rarity Which is why your Ashes to Ashes Skill is so impressive because it feels like there is more to understand about it even now This girl achieving a Rare rated Skill on flat combat ability can be considered a great boon to her future She likely achieved what she had set out to do

When Randidly remained quiet Lucretia just laughed You are too used to your own performance I suspect Not everyone can break the mold everytime Most people must be content with remaining in the System

Trying to distract himself Randidly turned his attention to Stan who had been watching all of the previous goings on with a very mild if respectful expression It was hard to judge from the other man’s face what he thought about the things that just occured and it was also difficult to see any sort of stress or nervousness in the way that he was standing If anything Randidly had a weird sense of deja vu when he looked at Stan because his posture seemed to be mimicking Randidly’s own

That made Randidly wonder sardonically when he was noticing his own posture in someone else It wasn’t like he had a monopoly on a way of standing And also what he saw in Stan’s posture might be what he was aiming for rather than the spot he was currently at

Mrs Hamilton coughed lightly ” I suppose my presence won’t be required for this Good luck gentlemen ” And then she turned and left with a smile

Which left the room with just the four remaining men Randidly Donny Stan and Ptolemy Of them all Ptolemy seemed the most uncomfortable as he scrutinized the strange depression in the middle of the Cathedral There was a suspicion there and it was a suspicion that did not seem to be based on any real occurrences but Randidly figured that Ptolemy was not a person who would make judgements without evidence

But if Randidly could not sense this with his Aether Detection Skill what could that be based upon A sense of the woman’s body after she created the Skill Was there perhaps a physical side effect to the Aether Apparatus

Finding that out at this point would be difficult now that she had left and some time had passed but it was something worth paying attention to moving forward

Randidly’s thoughts were interrupted by a voice in the back of his head “Neveah and I have been speaking about this actually “

mm

“It seems as though the Soul Space is perhaps inaccurately named By you But I suppose that you couldn’t have actually known what you were doing at the time The “soulspace” is a physical thing rather than something relating to the soul Its a person’s Aether based body Therefore we can see Classes as useful towards growth simply because it gives shape and order to the chaotic Aether that was being slowly composed into the body

“Thinking about the soul space in this way also gives some insight into Aether Sickness and Aether Starvation Aether Sickness occurs when you spend too much time in a Dungeon Physically this is analogous from moving to a low to high pressure environment and the physical distress that can result from the change Meanwhile Aether Starvation is what happens when your Aether body has become so large and complicated without a central pillar of support that it begins to sag and stretch at the edges

“All this to say when you are working on this man’s Soul Skill that might actually be more closely related to the ‘Soul’ “

Randidly scratched his chin In the real world there was an awkward silence as each of the four men had their own thoughts Donny just seemed bored although he was currently studying the architecture and the Mana Engraving that made the Cathedral work Ptolemy continued to study the area of focused Aether while Stan mildly looked at Randidly Annoying but Randidly did his best to remember that the man didn’t mean to do this he just seemed somewhat bland Perhaps not the best choice to change his fate but

Then again Randidly had to remember that this was the man who had won the Tactics portion of the Assessment For whatever reason this was the most strategically minded individual in Donnyton

Inwardly he asked “What do you mean “

Soul Skill is soul Grow Seen Vivid Neveah said pleasure in her voice to be lecturing Randidly He almost rolled his eyes

Lucretia seemed similarly amused although for perhaps different reasons Well basically The Soul Skill becomes a lense that can focus the images a person has giving them direction If it is some sort of complementary relationship with the Class so much the better But people can exercise and also research to educate themselves without having those two areas overlap If they do it’s just that much better

Important Class is body Base important Thick and heavy Neveah added

So Randidly said speaking through what he was hearing Creating a Class also has the added benefit of adding order to their Aether Then I

As far as we can tell you have been incredibly inefficient in the way you utilize your Aether Lucretia said You are currently using a huge sea to provide water for sprawling haphazard farm And that is even after the reward for the Adept Path cleaned up a lot of what you were Imagine if you had a Class that boost would have really sharpened your power creating an entirely new on theme brand of Skills As it is you can consider it lucky that the effect chained so many times organizing your soul space If that hadn’t happened it would have been that much more difficult to create a Class because the trunk of it would need to support so many different things

It makes me wonder about the Classes people obtain from Village Spirits Lucretia continued Because with this knowledge the Classes that are provided must be Classes that can support the different sections of yourself that you have already created Which means that they cannot offer a truly random Class but they can offer a Class with a trunk that would fit with the shape if not the theme Which on its own is an incredibly suspicious option Could there be damage Could

Rambling

Lucretia sighed shaking her head sorrowfully You do you truly not appreciate that we are on the cutting edge of the System and Aether The things we have learned here

Not yet solved

Bah Lucretia waved a hand airly It’s only a matter of time We have the base materials we can shape them we have the tools we have a rudimentary plan all that’s left is the execution

As the two female entities inside of him continued to bicker Randidly walked over to Stan bringing all of the focus in the room to him Donny shifted his stance and Ptolemy came to his feet

Alright Randidly began I think I’ve prepared as much as I can I intend to try to create a Soul Skill in you But for that I need some guidance The stronger and more distinctive the better The less this is shaped the less benefits you will see And once it’s created it will grow with you shaping you while you shape it What would you like Or more rather how would you picture your soul

A mirror Stan muttered his eyelids slowly descending to shutter off his gaze Randidly immediately perked up This wasn’t quite enough on its own but it was a bold start

More What are you

For a full minute Stan was quiet just holding his eyes shut Although Randidly began to grow slightly nervous he felt that this was a man who would not waste time And in a way he was right when Stan’s eyes snapped open he spoke in a very direct specific manner although whether it would be useful to Randidly

Just general I’m almost non descript But I can reflect what is around me More than that I can take it and broadcast it as my own Not just vision but also sound and taste I can change it make it bigger or smaller I’m a catalyst almost useless when left alone

For a few seconds Randidly considered whether he should say something to this man maybe encouraging him in someway Because some of the things he was saying well perhaps it wasn’t that he had low self confidence but

Still a person who was struggling inwardly didn’t have the intensity of gaze that Stan had Or perhaps more likely although people with this gaze might be having a harder time it was worth it to them This was the gaze of an individual who was willing to give up almost anything in order to accomplish their goals But behind these eyes and behind the rather nondescript description what was the goal that he so desperately was aiming for

Randidly had an inkling that it had to do with Raina based on the man’s puppy dog like eyes when she was around but he didn’t think it was his business to dig into if it was only at this level Raina could take care of herself Instead

Nodding Randidly closed his eyes reaching for the Aether Immediately it surged around him seemingly happy that it would be used greedy to experience more This was a new sensation although it had always been willing and Randidly wondered if it was due to the earlier large release of Aether Either way

Aether could not create substance not really Well perhaps that’s not true but Randidly wasn’t at that level But what it could do is contain a powerful flavor of something So all that remained was to create that flavorful vision or object and then insert it into Stan’s soul space Which was perhaps the most dangerous of the steps but seemed the easiest

Better just to start then Randidly closed his eyes and began to picture

Chapter 387

In the darkness of the area outside of his soul space Randidly felt oddly cold and oddly exposed as he shaped Aether But there really wasn’t anything out here either to help or hinder There was just a strange sluggishness to the Aether and a resistance to be shaped as it wanted to expand and fill the area given to it

But not today What is needed was a much sharper hold of the Aether to resist it a higher Control and a very distinguished Skill And those Randidly could handle

First he started with a simple mirror That was the basis of what Stan had said after all Of all the things Randidly had learned through his experiences with the System and he had gone through a lot at this point what stuck with him is how many different ways that this System allowed one to gain power

Some powers came slower some more quickly but what came the easiest was the simplest things And although it was a bit ambiguous this was simplest and most honest of the answers that Stan had given

Randidly’s Aether very quickly swirled around and very easily began to shift and morph holding onto that image of the mirror as if its strange existence depended upon it Then Randidly began to expand the mirror folding and shaping it

Because the second thing that Stan had referenced was not really himself but his relationship to others He was someone who interacted with others shaping and capturing and catalyzing what others give him In terms of vision the easiest way to do that was to change the shape of the image of the mirror so it would send off different light than was reflected on it But larger than that

The mirror rippled the substance of it becoming liquid then swirled upwards becoming a 3D shape It was a little jerky due to the shaping out in the world in front of him but after a stern press from Randidly it generally snapped into place accepting its role It wasn’t a shape that Randidly created which left him dissatisfied Instead of stopping he continued to work the mirror changing the shape again And then again Then again

Keep speaking Randidly whispered barely emerging from his trance to address Stan who had fallen silent content to continue to stare intently at Randidly Briefly there was a flash of panic on Stan’s face but then a strange stubbornness emerged in his expression Even distantly through the haze of handling so much Aether Randidly could feel that this reaction for sure was one that came from him

Perhaps it was a good thing that Randidly had taken his first answer so literally But this did clarify what he meant with the second half of his earlier statements it was more than a reflection it was a copy that was played back to the original Stan could apparently very easily mimic people although why he didn’t use this ability more accurately was difficult to understand

Almost unconsciously the shape that Randidly was aiming for changed forming into curves and long widening lines It was an instinct and Randidly let it flow through him while he let the words Stan began to supply flow through him All the while Aether came together swirling in a tighter and tighter spiral funneling to the object that Randidly was creating

I I’m not sure what to say I think What I am is just that I’m not anything special but I can listen I can I can change I can be anything if someone asks it of me I’m just the way I am is though I just Everyone flows through me you know And I can feel them all I think that I

Randidly’s focus fell away from the speech and drifted towards the Aether image It had twisted itself into a gramophone made entirely of mirrors It was a small object that was composed entirely of the mirror substance warped and shaped to the small object with the curving amplification horn on top of that But also below unbenounced to Randidly there was a large cage

Honestly when he turned his attention downward on the image of his creation and found that strange uniform square cage he was extremely shocked How had this emerged without him attempting to shift the image Perhaps the answer was the location this had been created inside of Stan’s body and something about the host had affected the result

Or perhaps this was of a much more sinister origin and placing this inside of the man would have consequences Randidly’s mind immediately jumped to the Creature shifting the image from afar while he was paying attention to other things but that didn’t feel right Randidly’s knowledge of Aether and his ability to track it was increasing by huge margins everyday with the constant research If something was different it was hard for him to believe he wouldn’t have noticed it

You underestimate Aether Lucretia’s voice was soft and Randidly was beginning to get annoyed with how she kept chiming in as if she could read his thoughts without him conversing with her It has much in common with my ability to manipulate the threads of karma Can’t you feel it After you set out to create this some sort of connection has allowed his words to guide your creation

Inside of the cage a shadow formed small and amorphous a blob of shifting pitch black mist It seemed sometimes that there was a figure within that shadow but a new wave of mist would billow outwards obscuring it and by the time that wave was close to dissipating the form within the shadow had changed into something else It was a new creature a new form even if what was at its core animating it stayed the same

The Aether in the air began to rumble even as Stan’s increasingly wild whispers and Randidly’s silence continued As time went on the ability of Randidly to feel the connection between the two of them grew They were drawn together This Soul Skill was taking shape partially by Randidly’s will but partially because it would snap seamlessly into Stan’s soul shape

There was not so much a sense of completion with it as much of a silence Abruptly the Aether rumbling stopped Stan’s whispers cut off and the quicksilver mirror gramophone floated quietly above the cage in which the mist creature was kept

Randidly let out a slow breath holding that image in his mind and then pressing sharpening focusing deepening His Control and Willpower were at a level that there was a qualitative change in how he could use his will upon the world and with that extra bit of influence he refined the Soul Skill making the details brighter and the whole project much more distinct

Of its own accord the Soul Skill floated through the chasm between their bodies buoyed by Randidly’s will It sank into Stan’s chest

Stan’s eyes widened

Two hours later Donny looked grimly down at the shivering body of Stan The Ghosthound said nothing his arms folded his expression guarded Ptolemy was sweating and seemed profoundly disturbed

So he’s fine Donny asked slowly He had been initially interested in what the Ghosthound had offered wondering if he could acquire a second Soul Skill based on his association with the Ghosthound After all his Village Chieftain Soul Skill had the opportunity to grow and seemed to be very close to that level but having one on an entirely different track that he could draw strength from would be the ideal But after witnessing Stan’s reaction to it

Ptolemy shrugged Well physically he’s only exhausted now There is no damage to him or any lasting damage He does however continually have the Status Effect Crippling Fear’ After using my Skills on him for a time it’s clear this isn’t really a side effect of this Soul Skill inside of him but rather his reaction to it

Sparing the Ghosthound a glance Donny checked his reaction He wasn’t agreeing but he wasn’t disagreeing either Instead the other man just continued to frown The Ghosthound was the one with a better view of this issue Donny knew so he wished he would speak up Ptolemy was only basing his understanding on second hand information he could glean through a combination of a physical and some basic diagnostic related Skills Some confirmation would be nice

Some people Ptolemy continued slowly his expression sad Cannot handle seeing themselves I suspect that Stan is one of these people Based upon what I’ve heard he’s a very distant and stoic individual Although he won the Tactics competition that seemed to have been through a complete lack of fear of losing and several bold strategies that worked out for him If what you’ve said about Soul Skills is true Randidly perhaps what you showed him especially the shadow in that cage was something his psyche didn’t want to accept

I hadn’t thought of that The Ghosthound admitted rubbing his chin as he looked at Stan’s crumpled form Some of the sweat from when Stan was writhing and screaming earlier still remained on the man’s body giving his hair a matted sullen look Donny felt a headache coming on The more he learned the less likely it was that this man would actually be useful as a tactical leader in a real battle

Better to find out now like this than in the middle of a campaign Donny supposed

Then let’s let him rest The Ghosthound finally said his voice tired The two other men nodded

That sleep powder will last for a few more hours Ptolemy offered Would you want to remove the Soul Skill before that time’s up

The Ghosthound just shook his head but the frustration in his posture was clear

Donny wanted to reach out and pat the man’s shoulder tell him that they didn’t need him to be perfect just to give it his best that they knew how difficult this was that he was not truly a myth but a man in front of them with flaws who made mistakes

But Donny’s hands wouldn’t move Instead he simply watched the Ghosthound walk away carrying the weight of this man’s previous torment on his shoulders

Chapter 388

Randidly didn’t receive further news until 8 AM the next morning Stan had continued to sleep long after the Sleeping Powder wore off simply lying there After briefly examining him Randidly realized that something was changing about the Soul Skill even while Stan’s consciousness was dormant The creature in the cage was producing increasing amounts of mist that billowed outward

Soon the entirety of the cage would be masked by the mist’s presence Which was one type of solution but it was one that Randidly found incredibly frustrating It was hard for him to understand why something that was clearly so true would fill Stan with such fear What sort of monster was he hiding burying deep in his chest

The other part that was frustrating was that Randidly knew that what the Soul Skill was unconsciously doing was covering up a portion of Stan’s potential although which portion he wasn’t clear on The mist obscuring the cage would call for a weaker effect although it would probably slowly shift towards Stan growing to understand that portion of himself as his Soul Skill grew

Or at least that’s what Randidly had expected It was so hard to fully comprehend what they were learning everyday and tough to know which portions were speculation and which portions were proven evidence Lucretia and Neveah had both been very quiet in the wake of Stan’s bad reaction although both seemed to tacitly agree with his assessment

But the fact that they had to wait so long to have that agreement

With the rest of the night and morning however Randidly had not been idle He had been furiously training his other Skills specifically his spells refining them with images and new utilizations in order to get more PP and improve further After all he still had a bit of leftover PP from his previous improvements and now with a few extra Skill Levels in a few spells Randidly thought that it was time he considered the question of what Path to use next more directly Honestly anything was better than dwelling on what happened to Stan

He had gained 3 Skill Levels in Spearing Roots 2 in Root Control 5 in Incinerating Bolt and Circle of Flame 4 in Hammer of the Dawn 7 in Burning Footsteps 2 in Ashes to Ashes and the most impressive growth of his spells was in Touch from Beyond which grew by 8 Levels

The performance of Touch from Beyond was also swiftly becoming the most impressive as the extra destructive power that it added was unmatched in speed and ease of cast The only problem was the slight amount of recoil damage that his body sustained after use but with his high level of regeneration techniques he could overcome that given a short amount of time

In addition Randidly had passively gained a lot in his work with Aether Aether Manipulation had increased by 7 Skill Levels while Aether Detection the Indomitable Spirit of Yggdrasil and the Cruel Indignation of Yggdrasil had increased by 4 The big winner over here was Living Aether which had jumped up 12 Skill Levels mostly due to the moment when Randidly released a small amount of the Aether that was sealed up in his body letting it flood the portion of their Zone surrounding Donnyton

Even now the Aether inside of himself seemed much more alive and jubilant seemingly happy to flow within him off through his connections to distant individuals strengthening them It showed a certain amount of sentience that was disturbing It was also confusing because one of Randidly’s earliest theories about where Neveah came from was that she was basically the consciousness of the Aether Crossroads But that became increasingly unlikely as the Aether itself flowing from it came alive It couldn’t both have a central sentience and be that every shred of energy was alive could it

When combined with the PP that he had saved up previously it was over 100 Which meant whatever path that he chose would take a significant hit from using this Intrigued in spite of himself Randidly considered the Paths open to him

Randidly was initially confused about the fact that Heretic had reached 15 yet no Judgement had descended It was good in a way because right now was an extremely inopportune time for a Judgement to descend but it also meant that something was building If it followed the pattern set up by the System’s treatment of the Journeyman/Adept Paths this later Judgement would be perhaps even more powerful

Everytime a Judgement descended Randidly believed that his power had increased by such leaps and bounds that there was no way that the opponent could still be his match and everytime more and more Skills were revealed by that strange Yeti thing suppressing Randidly’s ability to resist If not for the fact that it seemed like its abilities were designed for the actual Heretics and were relatively useless on Randidly he would have been crushed in their previous engagement

Honestly Randidly hadn’t even overcome that Judgement He had simply locked it into the prison and run away And to Randidly’s surprise it hadn’t come bursting out of the prison following him If it was being strengthened even now

A problem that he would have to face when he returned to Shal’s world If he returned to Shal’s world Randidly sighed One problem at a time Besides that wasn’t really a Path option that he was considering anyways

Nexus Traveler Cohort Experimenter I and the Steps of the Godling II Path were other Paths that although they seemed useful they were permanently moved to the back of the Path queue Which was unfortunate because they were ones that he had had for quite a while It just always seemed like there was a more pressing and useful Path And as time went on the difference between the useful paths and those that weren’t was growing larger

System Transgressor was an obvious no which left Randidly with Path of Control the Phantom’s Embrace Fighting Proficiency III Basic Soul Bond the First Legend the Road to Mastery and Seed of Yggdrasil

Path of Control was a strong contender especially because when Randidly got access to it he also got a +1 Control per Level bonus There was possibly another boost like that available at the end of this Path which would make leveling that much more desirable The 200 cost was annoying but it would likely further raise his Control Stat which was one of the main reasons that he had been able to utilize such a strange fighting style thus far His implicit control over his body allowed him to shift cleanly between magic and spear to the point where even Azriel Blanche the most talented monster Randidly had ever encountered was slowed somewhat by his antics

But at this level there really weren’t any bad answers to what Path he should choose next just better ones Phantom’s Embrace was still the Skill he relied on most often in close quarters battles Randidly just hadn’t been forced into many of those of late Fighting Proficiency was similar It would give him the sharp boost in fighting power that Phantom’s Embrace would but it would provide an increase in efficacy probably that was more general It also probably contained a Skill

And now that his Skills had been consolidated that was a much more valuable option

Basic Soul Bond was the cheapest and it also would likely provide benefits to his connection to Neveah which was one of the pillars he relied upon for this whole creation of the Class thing improving that was not a benefit to sneeze at

The First Legend was a reward Path and Randidly believed that the Road to Mastery was the final in the long line of Main Paths offered by the System It would provide bonuses for leveling which was something that Randidly wanted in the future but it was harder to tell whether either would be as initially worthwhile especially as he attempted to create the Class In that regards although both of these might be better long term Randidly leaned towards the Path of Control and Basic Soul Bond

The final option was the Seed of Yggdrasil Path which Randidly thought was extremely strange It was obviously a response to his consolidation of his Skills and the Yggdrasil theme that emerged It was slightly annoying to him that he had created all these high ranking themed Skills and a Skill set hadn’t emerged One possible explanation supported by the presence of this Path was that an additional Skill was required to bring them together

Perhaps this Seed of Yggdrasil Path was exactly the Path to do that Creating a Skill set was something that Randidly wanted very much to do even though he already had one After all progress on the other Skill set had stalled ever since the second Skill in it had shattered And that was another problem that needed to wait until there was more time to deal with it It was not something that he could take care of with his attention divided

The reward Paths would have to wait Randidly decided The combat Paths too at least on Earth Randidly was reasonably confident in his ability to defeat most opponents Which left Basic Soul Bond the Path of Control and the Seed of Yggdrasil

Grumbling to himself Randidly put his PP into the Basic Soul Bond It was the least exciting of his options he supposed but that also meant that the benefit was more guaranteed which is what he really should focus on right now

After putting 10 PP into the Path a notification popped up that raised Randidly’s eyebrows

Due to increased Synchronicity benefits have been obtained from your bonded partner All Skills relating to Aether have increased

Just Just like that There was a strange sensation of tightness and then it was gone and as Randidly looked at himself he noticed the Aether Detection Aether Manipulation Living Aether and even System Interference had gone up by a Level This was unexpected

Would it really happen every 10 levels That would end up being quite a lot of free PP Randidly supposed it made sense since that was the main benefit that he obtained from Neveah The body she had that was so powerful and even now still growing was one that she had received from him That strength wasn’t what was flowing through their Soul Bond It was just this this powerful ability

And at the rate it was growing Randidly allowed himself a small smile He supposed he shouldn’t be so negative about this after all

Chapter 389

After finishing off the Path the completion notice popped up

Congratulations You have completed the Basic Soul Bond Path There are many methods of growth but your Path has intersected with another The entity known as Neveah has become a part of you and as your strength supports her it is only with her help that you may proceed forward It starts simply but never forget that like her strength has become yours so has her weakness But do not tarry for your Path leads ever onward and without each other only doom lies ahead

Affinity with Neveah increased She will have increased access to your thoughts and emotions Communication between you two has become easier Now if you attempt to utilize a Skill with insufficient Mana or Stamina you will take Mana or Stamina from the other to fuel the Skill rather than have it fail In addition blows that reduce your Health below 0 will instead take Health from the other

Randidly shook his head Sure he was glad he took the Path for the free PP and Skill Levels he received in very relevant Skills but the other rewards were somewhat lackluster Perhaps it would result in increased coordination between them when making the Class but that wasn’t a very concrete bonus

The real reward Randidly supposed was the connection of their Attribute pools However the only Attribute that Randidly ever had any real trouble with was Mana and Neveah’s Mana pools were pitiful Her new body just wasn’t one that often utilized Mana in grand ways Mostly it was used as a method of moving around by that earth surfing technique that she used

Stamina Randidly had no problems with and generally he didn’t have his Health reduced but he supposed it was possible that he would get into a fight where being able to call upon Neveah’s Raid Boss levels of Health would be extremely useful

There was some additional PP remaining but Randidly set that aside again It wasn’t enough to finish anything and he was relatively unimpressed by what he had received this time Better to give it some time to properly develop so he could obtain a powerful reward from one of these Paths

Instead now his attention had to turned to some of the more pressing issues with the Raid Dungeon dive There were only 12 days remaining until the end of the time and then there would be no Aether remaining in the Zone or an extremely depleted amount of ambient Aether His release would likely stave that off somewhat but it was better not to trust that And if push came to shove he could do it again but

It felt dangerous Like once a door was opened like that inside of himself releasing the Aether to the world Randidly could lose himself in the sensation of being a conduit for all of that energy rushing out into the world Even now it made him shiver The vibrations were too strong They would destroy his soul space and leave him nothing Although perhaps it was possible that the strengthening that a Class would give his soul space would make it more feasible to do so in the future

Clicking his tongue in annoyance Randidly stood and left his small cabin heading into Donnyton proper It was time to talk to Mrs Hamilton and Donny It was time to gather their party for the dungeon

And while they were traveling to join him it would finally be time to create a Class

Lucifer sat in a dark room the windows covered the lights out There with only the dull and muted line of light coming in from under the door he polished his sword

The new weapon was a long thing a two handed sword that was not necessarily pretty in a reflective way But in the darkness of the room it perfectly melded into the shadows around it fading to become a natural grey almost immediately blending into the backdrop like a chameleon

That was the great conceit of this sword Lucifer reflected That the dull color could hide its size and efficiency That one small detail could make up for a dozen or so conflicting ones

There was a knock on the door Lucifer didn’t bother to answer He had been in the room for almost 3 weeks now just waiting polishing his sword in the darkness Franksburg had enough Classers now that unless there was something serious they didn’t need to send for him And besides he was waiting for something else entirely

Again Lucifer applied the oil to the sword and then rubbed the worn rag up and down across the blade Several ruined rags lay scattered around him on the ground After three weeks of constant activity the fabric on these things naturally would break down Especially when someone with the physical strength of Lucifer was polishing the weapon

He had already resigned himself to the fact that he would need to rip off portions of his shirt after this to continue polishing

The knocking was repeated and Lucifer slowly looked up his expression souring But then the person beyond the door spoke

We’ve heard from Donnyton They are asking for assistance with the Raid Dungeon It seems like the Ghosthound will be leading the party

Lucifer smiled in the darkness

Coppernicus clicked his teeth together as he shifted his chess piece positioning it to take Drake’s rook Drake frowned

I’m not sure why I ever agree to play this game with you Drake said shaking his head They were sitting in the dining room of the small castle that they had made their headquarters idly letting the time pass Around them the Village was in a constant state of preparation Ever since they had sided with the Skeleton Knight and lost Sydney had pushed them hard towards militarizing the entire population

It had gone surprisingly well all things considered The people of East End were a bitter stubborn people as half of the population had come over from the failed Village while the Hero was still alive and polarizing the people around him

Still the backlash they expected did not come Most everyone was too concerned with monsters or their business or even surviving to hold a grudge for what happened with the Champions which was seemingly now on hold while this Raid Dungeon issue was resolved

Coppernicus suspected things weren’t that simple but now wasn’t the time to dig It was hard for him to believe that the people of Star Crossing who were attacked more directly than the other Villages wouldn’t have a strong response to their exposure to danger Just the presence of a live Dungeon spewing monsters between them had done a lot to stem their willingness to seek revenge

That and their fearless leader Sydney

Because we are waiting Sharpening yourself is preferable to simply wasting away in the meantime Coppernicus said stroking the bones of his chin Recently he had unlocked a Skill that allowed him to absorb other bones and he was in the midst of considering how much to do that Coppernicus suspected that if he followed that path very quickly he would no longer even appear to be human With interaction already difficult that might have him labeled as a monster and hunted which would be inconvenient

Of course that wouldn’t happen as long as Sydney was around but

What I don’t get Vandal said sitting up from his beanbag chair he had insisted on bringing down here Is why we are waiting What are we waiting for

Drake’s frown let Coppernicus know that the guard captain had been thinking similar thoughts although likely for different reasons Vandal simply was a teenager who was used to getting his way Meanwhile Drake had noticed the differences in Sydney’s behavior of late and was worried by the implications

Coppernicus was more in Drake’s camp than Vandal’s but he had to admit that he would have preferred to be more active during this time Instead they simply prepared But really that was the most productive thing to do

The door to Sydney’s office swung open and the owner walked out All three individuals turned to look at her startled Even Coppernicus couldn’t deny that this caught him by surprise After all it had been quite some time since he had seen Sydney leave her office It was a power ploy an extremely effective one She was a person who remained in her inner sanctum not because she was afraid of the outside but rather because there was no need to leave Everything she needed would come to her

Where Sydney hissed in frustration glaring at them all the fuck is he

Then without any explanation she turned around walked back into her office and slammed the door

Ah damn Drake said standing up Then he sighed and sat back down I forgot to mention another letter came from the Refuge Not through Rose this time it looks like Dauntless wrote it himself She probably would

Break your back for bringing it up Vandal said quietly and Coppernicus was inclined to agree but he said nothing and listened to the other man speak

appreciate knowing that even that bastard can admit he’s wrong Drake finished

A good point Coppernicus thought turning away from them both and looking out the stone windows to the lush valley below them But Sydney wouldn’t have appreciated it The man known as Dauntless was brittle and broken and she would never forget that

At the time it had happened Coppernicus had been rather shocked how well she had taken it But as time went on it was clear that Ace was not the man that was held in highest esteem in Sydney’s heart No there was another

And now that boy made her wait And they all had to pay the price

Play again Coppernicus asked Drake moving his bishop to place him in checkmate The other man only sighed

Chapter 390

Randidly pondered the sheets in front of him In terms of amount of time he had spent very little going over the dossiers that Mrs Hamilton had provided to him as he chose the people who would join him on his trek through the Raid Dungeon More so he had admired her fearsome ability to list out an individual’s strengths and weaknesses and other notable facts about them

Well Randidly said slowly I think of the top tier I’d prefer Alana to come along In addition she can have an extra spot to give away to anyone that she thinks best Clarissa as well Her brand of magic and the variety she has access to is invaluable Ptolemy might be her second but his healing Skills are definitely worth bringing

Mrs Hamilton made a dismissive gesture The magicians don’t really need a leader They will be able to make it without much guidance Including you and Lucifer who is on his way that puts the number at 6 There are 4 more spots This is a Zone wide thing you know We should consider the political ramifications if we don’t invite a representative from the Northern Villages

Randidly rubbed his forehead Don’t I have you guys so I can avoid this The real problem is they don’t really have anyone who can keep up with us both in Level and equipment

Speaking of

Both Randidly and Mrs Hamilton turned to the new voice Sam stood there hands behind his back the leather apron he wore displaying the clear signs of recent burns Randidly grinned at him

Have something for me Although Randidly hadn’t explicitly stated it he had hinted that he was looking for a total upgrade in terms of equipment Training spears could be made of roots but if he could have a spear that would give him additional benefits

Something like that Sam said with a nod Then he glanced at Mrs Hamilton and then back at Randidly I have to agree with Mrs Hamilton however As fucked as it is we can’t just do what we want

With an exaggerated motion Randidly sighed But then he nodded

Speaking of Mrs Hamilton glanced at Sam Randidly felt a flash of annoyance If they already had an idea of what was going to happen why were they bothering to consult him

You baby otherwise Neveah said in a matter of fact tone causing Randidly to snort Well perhaps that was true He would much rather be included in the discussions than feel like they were controlling what was going on with this Dungeon especially because the stakes were so high and neither of them would be on the expedition

But that line of thoughts made Randidly wonder how strong both of them were Although it hadn’t been confirmed he suspected that both of them had obtained Classes and good ones based upon the jumps in Aether that they were consuming Although neither appeared to leave Donnyton one of the buildings bought by the Village gave quests and missions and generally very specific ones In this way they could slowly accumulate experience and level in a way that didn’t expose them to danger

They also both had training areas and theoretically they could be practicing there or sparring Or they should be at least Everyone should have some basic level of strength

More issues for another time

Speaking of Sam picked up the line of conversation A delegation is coming down from the North Should be arriving now Do you want to be there to meet them or just

Let’s see the equipment first Randidly said Sam nodded

Dinesh wondered why his Class hadn’t ended up being Babysitter

Its fucked isn’t it Tykes said grinding his teeth as he looked at the swarm of people preparing the best packs for the group of 10 that would head North to the Raid Dungeon People like us are just as strong as any of the top people here But do you think they would ever pick someone like us

As Dinesh watched Health Stamina and Mana potions get placed into the bags he wondered if Tykes wanted to make this a weird racial thing In Dinesh’s mind it was eminently clear why neither of them had been chosen for the expedition or wouldn’t be because the final lists hadn’t been released yet

Dinesh wouldn’t be chosen because he was good as a mage and a fighter but where he really was great at battlefield management and tactics Only good enough for 5th place at the Tactics Assessment but more than enough to impress everyone around him

Hell with the combination of his Assessment finish earning top 10 finishes in everything but the Combat Assessment and his association with Paolo and Kayle had earned Dinesh a relatively unlooked for respect from most people Which is why the upper tiered people at Donnyton like Dozer and Alana had been greeting him politely And Tykes had adopted him as a friend

Mostly Dinesh suspected because he was a very quiet guy and would let Tykes talk and was one of the only other brown people in Donnyton Which didn’t seem like a big deal until Tykes’ anger made it clear that it was something worth paying attention to

Which led to the reason that Tykes wouldn’t be chosen he was a hotheaded angry teenager

Ah fuck man I know it’s not like that but it’s just so frustrating Tykes balled his hands into fists I want to do something help the town Killing monsters is important I get that but there are bigger enemies out there aren’t there We should

Both Dinesh and Tykes looked up at the same time their expressions becoming serious

So this is Donnyton There was something about that voice a heaviness that hung in the air over the area making the air turn just a hair colder Standing in the middle of the teleportation formation were three individuals

The first was a tall athletic looking man that had a biker helmet over his head To his side there was a slim pretty young woman with a clipboard and a bored looking man that could only be a guard But it was abundantly clear from the helmeted man’s stance that he meant to start a fight

Instantly Dinesh could sense Tyke’s anger finding an outlet as the younger man started walking to the newly arrived group Hastily Dinesh followed after him

Oh what’s this The helmeted man ignoring the annoyed gesturing of one of the workers walked over to one of the packs and removed a small vial of powder shaking it and holding it up to the sun

Sir The worker said exasperated but the helmeted guy shrugged and put the vial into his pocket

It’s shiny and I like it It’s mine now Do you have a problem with that

On the worker’s face there were several emotions First annoyance then confusion then a flash of fear Which was right about the point that Tykes’ huge iron ball thrown from afar careened towards the man’s unguarded back

Snorting the muscular guard stepped forward and pressed out a hand Instantly the ball stopped dead its momentum spent and fell to the ground Tykes hissed

Kinetic controller Little bitch That one’s yours Dinesh That thieving asshole is mine

Dinesh who had been chasing Tykes had unwittingly walked past his companion as the man stopped to throw his large iron ball Now Dinesh was standing only a few meters away from the muscular guard whose gaze shifted from Tykes to Dinesh and was sizing him up

As he opened his mouth to speak he saw the man disappear and his instincts from long training sessions kicked in instantly the hand he kept pointing behind him released an Arcane Orb There was a sound of impact and a large grunt and Dinesh spun away blindly avoiding the reaching hand of the man

That was close It was luck more than anything else that meant he had avoided the grab Otherwise when he looked at the man’s large and calloused hands Dinesh shivered

He has some sort of spell holster The woman said frowning down at her clipboard He has 5 more spells stored there right now and can use them instantly The way it’s set up prevents me from seeing into it Also a danger sense that is tied to a perception Skill hard to tell the specifics Dauntless that one

No worries The helmeted man waved his hand stalking towards Tykes who was baring his teeth at the visor I’d prefer to do this raw More fun

Instantly Dinesh’s nervousness increased That girl had instantly intuited his Skill somehow and could even discern how many charges he had left Meanwhile the other man was clearly the leader and wanted to take on Tykes in a frontal confrontation alone Fights weren’t common in Donnyton these days but they also weren’t unheard of mostly between Captains of rival Squads So people had gathered and a few jogged away to inform their superiors but no one was really worried

A few were even starting to cheer A few characters had appeared and were riling up tensions

Ohohoh So our boy Dinesh has challenged this muscle bound monster to a personal duel My how he has grown His boldness gives me the shivers Paolo said rubbing his chin

Kayle sighed It’s somewhat bittersweet I suppose this is what a mama bird feels like when the baby has left the nest

The giant bone wurm Neveah whom the previous two individuals were riding shook her head sorrowfully No enemies left We watch

The tragedy of the tardy Kayle opined The other two nodded sagely

Dinesh wanted to cry but the man stepped forward and then disappeared

Chapter 391

This wasn’t speed Dinesh realized as the man disappeared he was clearly using a Skill One that got him close but not close enough to instantly overtake Dinesh There was a moment when the other man had to reorient himself where Dinesh could act

A hand closed on his arm Both of Dinesh’s hands flexed

Arcane Orbs shot in both directions as Dinesh was unsure of where the opponent was located as his senses scrambled to catch up There was a grunt to his left and Dinesh cast Frost Nova a bloom of cold spreading out around him With more instinct than finesse he brought up his other hand to deflect the palm thrust at him by his opponent the stabbed his hand towards the other’s neck

His hand hit but immediately the momentum of it died and not the slightest depression in the other’s skin could be seen Although there was some frost condensed on his face and torso he was otherwise unharmed and his grip pulled Dinesh closer Meanwhile Dinesh could feel a strange weakness from the other’s grip

Some sort of draining touch Skill Along with a controlled gap closer Well fuck

Thunder Palm Dinesh whispered casting one the old fashioned way and using one of his free uses for the other one so both hands crackled with energy Both slammed into the opponent’s body or Dinesh tried to but that ability to dissipate kinetic energy appeared again Luckily the electricity from both discharged snaking across the opponent’s body making him stagger

In that opening Dinesh pulled away opening some space his eyes glowing Most of his nervousness fell away as the adrenaline of a fight flooded his veins This was not an opponent that Dinesh could beat alone that was immediately clear In terms of Health and Stamina the other would outpace him Dinesh focused his Spells on utility which helped his team but wouldn’t win a direct confrontation for all that he had managed to inflict damage on the other So for now

As the guard reset his stance and began to walk slowly towards Dinesh Dinesh’s eyes were scanning the battlefield around him The helmented man Dauntless and Tykes had already clashed several times Tykes coming out the winner of each but not enough to make the trades worth it

And while Tykes wielded the large iron ball savagely Dauntless only used his hands and was able to dodge around and land some small jabs in the opening between attacks If this continued Tykes would probably be worn down too

I was mistaken The young woman said looking at her clipboard It isn’t a holster it’s just a cache of free spells Uncommon Rating only There must be some sort of limit

The man in front of Dinesh disappeared and Dinesh rolled forward reaching with Mage Hand Tykes charged at Dauntless Behind Dinesh’s head he could feel the grasping fingers swing by barely missing him and his Mage Hand landed on the woman’s clipboard

With a tug he ripped the papers free and threw them in the air pulling them towards the man obscuring his vision giving Dinesh a brief respite Then with Mage Hand still Dinesh reached up and grabbed the front ankle of Dauntless who was preparing to meet Tyke’s charge Then burning the rest of his Mana Dinesh pulled

Instantly he felt his opponent moving through the papers heading for him so Dinesh cursed and rolled out of the way His move against Dauntless worked and the man trembled and fell to the side Very quickly he recovered his stance but that split second of loss of balance had cost him He was leaning to the side and had no way of straightening and resetting himself before the metal ball arrived

As if by magic Dinesh felt the burning weight of Dauntless’ gaze even through the visor for several fractions of a second that seemed to stretch out filling the air But then the moment passed and instead of straightening Dauntless leaned further to the side until he was being in an arc twisting out of the way of the ball which sailed harmlessly by

Tykes was close behind and his eyes narrowed focusing on the opponent that had dodged his attack After a quick pull on the chain bringing the ball back he dropped his grip and moved into close combat with Dauntless

Cursing quietly Dinesh scrambled backwards his focus on his own very dangerous predicament His opponent was wary of his spells now but seemed to sense that he held the advantage despite Dinesh’s earlier actions Then again perhaps he was just reacting to Dinesh’s very passive stance

Sometimes being overly aware of oneself was

There was a crash and Dinesh froze because his opponents attention turned away from him and towards the fight between Dauntless and Tykes It seemed that after bending to the side Dauntless had recovered enough to knock out Tykes in several short blows But before he had been knocked out Tykes had brought the ball back and it had hit the back of Dauntless’ helmet knocking the man out

Now both of the other fighters had collapsed knocked out lying together on the ground in a heap of cracked stone

Dinesh glanced at his opponent who shrugged and straightened Then he turned to the young woman who was glaring at him With a gesture Dinesh gathered each and every piece of paper back together and handed it to the woman who accepted it with a huff

There was a cough behind Dinesh

What happened here Sam said gruffly stepping forward At his shoulder was the Ghosthound looking at the three new arrivals with cool eyes

Draw Neveah said Paolo and Kayle nodded in agreement

After taking away Ace and Tykes and sending the other two towards Mrs Hamilton Randidly followed Sam around to the back of the production compound It was impressive how much the area had been built up in 6 months of Earth time until it was seriously a whole little town in its own right where hundreds of people lived and worked constantly producing and refining the process of producing equipment in a System based world

If you see anything you like just let me know Sam grunted as they walked past several display cases that were full of different armors Randidly nodded but wasn’t sure whether he would actually do that He didn’t want to just take armor he needed

And honestly he had gotten quite used to fighting with very little armor Some accessories would be nice but above all Randidly didn’t want anything that would be too constricting His mobility was something that he had gotten used to in his time in Shal’s world Randidly was confident in his own strength but he wasn’t sure how easy he could adapt to fighting while weighed down by armor Better to stick with what he could do

And god forbid if Sam had made him boots But based upon other people’s attitude it was clear that they understood that he wanted to have his bare feet on the ground While that was true before it was almost necessary now that he had earned himself the Yggdrasil Skills Barefoot was his new most powerful style

Eventually they crossed a half mile of brick buildings and arrived at an open area There a group of young men and women were clustered around a stone table talking quietly Their bodies kept Randidly from seeing what was there but it was likely that this was what Sam had prepared for him

There was a problem with making equipment for you Sam said slowly Part of it was me I’m just getting too good too fast Halfway through each project I feel myself inundated with better ways of forging things so I didn’t want to make a spear too early and then regret not making you the best I could So I’ll finish that tonight But I want you to put the other equipment on now and then show me some of what you can do Knowing your flavor will help me make a better spear

But for now Sam continued shoo ing the milling people out of the way These are the base of what I want to give to you You remember them right

The first object on the table were a familiar set of leather armors It was the winner of the Production Assessment To re familiarize himself Randidly scanned its status

Blood Soaked IV The leather was produced by long periods of soaking in monster blood The process was devised by a prodigy in the art of leatherworking Health Regeneration +100 per hour Stamina Regeneration +30 per minute User gains 5% Lifesteal

Randidly slowly breathed out a long breath When he had first seen these leathers and imagined them on powerful fighter he had been impressed But imagining them on himself 200 bonus Health plus 41 useful Stats topped off with huge bonuses to Health and Stamina Regeneration per hour And above all else that 5% Lifesteal

Randidly felt a small thrill of excitement at the thought of fighting with these on But then he came back to himself and turned to Sam with a questioning expression Is it really alright for me to wear these At least let me pay

Oh we did Sam said his face twisted and narrow What pisses me off more than the amount is that every dollar of it was worth it This armor is the best and it suits you You use mobility and flexibility to overwhelm your opponents harder and sturdier armors don’t suit you Pluswith the Regeneration bonuses as long as you have this it will be very very hard to kill you even if you get caught

Nodding slowly Randidly slid the armor over him tightening the straps covering his chest arms hips and upper legs It was pretty extensive with defenses in key areas without being bulky It was slightly strange to wear it but not overly uncomfortable After some time spent wearing it Randidly had no doubt that he would be used to it

Then he turned back to Sam who had a sly grin on his face

Now let me show you what I have made for you

Chapter 392

Sam led Randidly over to the far side of the table where most of the people were clustered Then Sam picked up what seemed to be a strange sort of wide woven blanket and threw it to Randidly Reflexively he caught it marveling at the strange clinking noise the thing made as it flew through the air

With his hands on it Randidly abruptly realized that the source of the strangeness was because it was chainmail it was hundreds of quarter sized circles of bone woven together Someone without Sam’s Skill would have been unable to manage it Each was slightly curved so the joining flowed seamlessly and the woven bone could moved like a very heavy cloth

But then Randidly looked closer at each bone and saw that each and every one of the smaller circles of bone was Mana Engraved Every single one As he scanned over the portion that his hands were holding he saw several he recognized and a few others he didn’t and was instantly perplexed Instead of asking questions Randidly simply brought up the description for the item

Masterwork Bone Cloak Lvl 50 An inspired bonemail cloak from the man known as the Dawn Smith Although the elements between the work and the forger are somewhat conflicting they have been weaved together in a harmonious manner The many runes that cover the cloak only possess a portion of their usual strength but together they add to the defense of the armor Touched by Twilight IV Forged by Dawn IV Endurance Vitality Strength Agility Reaction and Perception +10

Touched by Twilight The creator of the Cloak infused it heavily with the Shadow V Mana Engraving but this shadow was heavily influenced by the first rays of the Dawn Enemies will find it very difficult to pin down your location Sound made by the Cloak will be muted and echo strangely in the surrounding area Leave a trail of afterimages in your wake There is a random chance that a projection of your future moves with be sent forward confusing your opponents While wearing the Cloak you gain the Skill Twilight Manipulation Lvl 75

Forged by Dawn IV The light of the Dawn fills the armor granting it a random quality that few other armors possess While some armors inherit the dawn’s heat or brightness or awe inspiring presence this armor has been infused with the Dawn’s purity Health +300 Resistance +30

Randidly whistled Then with trembling hands he slid the Bone Cloak over his shoulders It settled there cleanly the clinking sound echoing out filling the air bouncing back and forth as the thing swung softly back and forth Then he pulled up the bone hood Immediately Randidly could feel the twilight around him and he could sense the small vision impurities in the air around him hiding his movements just slightly from those that watched As he moved it was as if he was moving behind a grey curtain the specifics fuzzy the details of his face and motions obscured

Randidly grinned He really fucking liked this Twilight Manipulation was something he needed to practice more with but giving him more stealth and feints in close combat was exactly what he wanted for an extended campaign into the Dungeon The bonus Health Resistance and other Stats were nothing to sneeze at either

Slowly Randidly pulled the hood back down and looked at Sam with a meaningful glance Thank you

Sam grunted waving his hand It was nothing A little bit of a bitch to Engrave so many tiny bits but all in all I’d say it’s one of the only things that I think is passable

Seriously Randidly said somewhat frustrated by Sam’s gruff exterior It was still one of the reasons that Sam was the first person in Donnyton that Randidly truly opened up to but Randidly had matured a lot since those days For him two years had passed It was one thing to be emotionally muffled out of awkwardness it was quite another to allow a debt like this to simply lie because he wasn’t willing to put himself out there and ask the price Tell me what you want for this It’s it’s the highest Rarity I’ve ever seen on an equipment

Yup Sam said as if this was the most natural thing in the world And don’t think I wasn’t rewarded for making the second Ancient Rarity equipment I was Which is why the only payment I need is to see you fight

Randidly almost wanted to roll his eyes But he could sense that Sam wasn’t going to back down on this one so he just resolved himself to be on the lookout for things that he could do for Sam Alright then Who am I dueling

Me Sam said pulling a large set of plate armor over his head Then after he latched it shut he began to put on vambraces and grieves and then finally a metal helmet like a jousting knight of old Looking profoundly silly armor Sam stood hefting a war hammer

Perhaps not silly Randidly reminded himself It was just Sam looked very much like a legitimate knight out of a fairy tale Most of the people Randidly had seen around had an amalgamation of armor leathers and jeans a strange mixture of olden style armors and current leftover fashion But Sam had abandoned that and simply embraced the tried and true utility of a suit of armor The armor itself was nothing to sneeze at either glistening silver gold in the light as Sam approached

Let’s begin Sam said stepping forward

When Dozer walked into the room Annie looked up from the baby narrowing her eyes at him

So Annie asked her tone extremely casual Inwardly she winced He would know immediately from the way she said that how much it meant to her But to her surprise Dozer said nothing he just grunted and sat down on his chair then spoke after several seconds

It’s like you said Is there anything that’s needed to watch the baby As he spoke Dozer stood again and went to the wall for a pack Then he began to slowly move items into it

Annie’s heart clenched She was very glad in that moment that Dozer was turned the other way so he couldn’t see her face He would see how devastated she was how resentful how how

It wasn’t that any of this should come as a surprise Dozer aside from Donny was the best of anyone in the Village at locking down one powerful foe while the rest of the party inflicted damage Inside a Dungeon Dozer’s contributions would be invaluable And because of the baby only one of them could go no matter how useful Annie would be

Hell she would be

She could be

Silently tears streamed down her face running down her cheeks and dripping onto the baby’s sleeping face The little girl stirred and Annie leaned back wiping away some of the tears all the while keeping her eyes trained on Dozer’s back She could be like this now while he worked and while he was away but but if he were to turn around

And that was the worst part Because in her heart Annie knew she would say nothing no matter how upset she was over this over the fact that she would have loved the chance to go on this journey relished this chance to finally get to go out of Donnyton since being pregnant Dozer had worked so hard to protect her and now he was doing it again and was so fucking logical about it

She wanted to manipulate him to wrap him around her finger but

Dozer turned around Annie sneezed managing to pick up a tissue and reasonably wipe her face before he could see her Were her eyes red He was staring at her for a long time Was this one of those things where he could see through what she was doing again God she fucking hated his stupid

Be careful Dozer said simply offering her the pack

Eh Annie blinked slowly unable to understand She looked at him and then the pack Setting the baby down she took the pack cradling it in her arms unsure of what was going on Dozer picked up the baby

Like I said earlier Dozer said a decided twinkle in the corner of his eye Is there anything that’s needed to watch the baby I’m not you but

Annie took the baby from Dozer carried her to the crib and set her down gently Then she tackled the man she loved to the ground or tried to filled with manic energy and glee and euphoria fully intending to bite off a chunk of him to take with her for the road so the nights wouldn’t be too lonely

As it happens she only managed to embrace him and then collapsed in his arms letting his huge hands pick her up and cradle her

Randidly cracked his neck wincing Although he hadn’t really been all that pressured by Sam during their duel the other man was almost annoyingly impervious to damage It took Randidly a full 15 minutes to work up the nerve to hit the armor with a full strength attack only to have it rebound almost useless Then a further 15 minutes of methodical targeting to rip into it

All in all it had filled Randidly with an awe for Sam and his craft and also a healthy curiosity about how Dozer and Donny would look in full armor protected like that But apparently their vicious duel was enough of a sample and Sam went to work preparing the materials for the spear Randidly would use

So Randidly had come back to the headquarters and was speaking with Mrs Hamilton

All I’m saying is that it would be wise to invite them She said with a shrug

Randidly gave her a bitter look Sure we were friends before but Ace he’s a little off these days Everyone has scars from the System He’s not someone I want at my back I get that you think this makes it better politically

Oh hush that’s all a front Mrs Hamilton said waving her hands But it’s always good to keep those things in mind No the reason you invite Ace is not for him but for Rose Calloway Even you cannot deny that her ability to read Skills is useful In the middle of a Dungeon with unknown threats Her detection would make the trip that much safer Just consider it alright She won’t come without the man who calls himself Dauntless And if anyone could control him wouldn’t it be you

Then she left leaving Randidly to mull this information over Or likely she hoped that would be the case But instead Randidly met Neveah outside of town and had her carry him far to the East again When he did this he wanted to be alone with a lot of buffer around him in case in case something went wrong and there was some sort of Aether reaction

Alright Randidly said to himself psyching himself up Time to make a Class

Chapter 393

After breathing and looking at the stars for about an hour Randidly felt his heart settle If Randidly was a pond the ripples had stilled Neveah loomed over him hanging above him in the air Lucretia organized her notes utilizing markings that she had made in Randidly’s Soul Skill world

They were as ready as they would ever be Or rather the other two were Randidly was just a pawn he thought with a twisted mouth

Let’s begin

This time when Randidly agitated his Aether he did not have a hole in the seal that let it surge into the world He simply pressed with his high Willpower activating a portion of his Battle Intent to create a great whirlpool within himself having the Aether spiral downwards in himself to form a huge current Slowly at first but Randidly kept his will pressing urging it onward

Not too much Came Neveah’s silent warning as she intently monitored the situation inside of himself Grudgingly Randidly nodded allowing the vast majority of the Aether to slowly drift back to stillness It honestly made him sweat as he did so because he suddenly realized how much Aether he had gathered He had reached with his hand and just ripped forward and almost everything had moved to his will Sure having this much Aether was a good thing but

Highly concentrated Aether reacted with itself and Lucretia needed it in amounts that she could control and weave If the Aether latched onto the other strands or rejected where it was in the greater weave at the wrong time all of the previous work would come to naught

Breathing through his teeth Randidly released his Battle Intent After all the Aether that would become his Class needed to be clean and free of images in order for it to form correctly as both Neveah and Lucretia informed him Once the shape was formed that’s when they would require Randidly to imprint the image onto the Class giving it the shape he desired He felt that he was a bit off of what he truly wanted in that regards but there wasn’t anymore time

The image needed to be ready

Alright there Lucretia confirmed as Randidly shaved off a further amount of Aether leaving only the Aether closest to the surface whipping around at high speeds Neveah leaned forward focusing on the Aether that had been gathered and began to for lack of a better word comb through it removing the stray images that had settled into it during its time inside of Randidly They were mostly small things embedded into his Aether that had probably been deposited there by the people Randidly had connections to

Rather bored Randidly just maintained the speed of the Aether while the purification process was occuring Then at Lucretia’s urging Neveah began to syphon off small tendrils of the Aether forming strands that would be actually used during the weaving These strands were folded and retied made flat and uniform able to be easily manipulated

More Neveah hissed and Randidly pressed again with his will gathering more Aether

Again and again this happened until Lucretia had gathered a decent amount of Aether strands winding them into neat pools floating in Randidly’s soul space It was to her limit and it would be a little short of what was needed to finish the weave but there was nothing they could do Neveah and Lucretia seemed to exchange a meaningful glance with their forms in Randidly’s Soul Space

Relax Randidly whispered annoyed he had to reassure them at this juncture If you need to take a break I can follow the pattern

They said nothing but the reluctance was clear Once more Randidly smothered a sharp flash of annoyance It wasn’t worth the time and effort Better to focus his energy on annihilating the problem in front of them

The base of the Class was the belt for lack of a better term that would wind around the whole of Randidly’s soul space restricting non Class Skills and adding some inner stability to his area In addition Lucretia theorized that this would help deal with some of the Aether resonance that occurred when Randidly moved too much of the Aether at once

Once this belt was in place a seed could be created which would serve as the anchor in Randidly’s soul space and then the trunk would be made by weaving Aether slowly growing it into a tower Now of course the tower base would only be constructed by them because the goal was then to allow it to grow naturally with experience but that tower base was composed of Aether so thin that it was nonexistent when pressed flat So the layers they would be forced to make might be somewhere between 20 30 so the way that they were weaving his Class would take

Currently they had enough Aether to form 20 layers They proceeded anyway

Growing Neveah grabbed a huge current of Aether apart from the stuff that Randidly was keeping clean and pure This she twisted and pressed battered and bent folding and forging until it began to glow with a strange blue energy

Randidly felt a strange trembling in his chest somewhere between the sensation of being poked and nostalgia It was as if something in his heart called out to it Called out to have it The implications of that

Neveah was moving wrapping it slowly carefully around Randidly’s Skills Then she began to press and they slowly shifted towards each other crowding inward Randidly grimaced as a dull pain emerged behind his eyes As expected even moving the shattered Skill had consequences But he could feel the Emerald Sap of Yggdrasil running through him fixing the problem even though it was spiritual in natural

Through it all his Soul Skill floated built on a different layer impervious to the changes

Slowly Neveah stopped now that Randidly’s Skills were much more closely gathered together but still not near enough to touch or merge There was even a sizable area about ? of the total space surrounded by the belt where Randidly could create new Skills This would let him have another 20 or so new Skills that weren’t a part of his Class

This number filled Randidly with a certain amount of alarm to be hemmed in like that but both Neveah and Lucretia were adamant that stretching it farther might hurt the integrity of the Class base causing it to collapse into useless Aether binding Randidly’s soul space

Of course with Randidly’s ability to manipulate Aether he was in much less danger than most people but it still wouldn’t be quick or easy to fix that little disaster With the looming time limit of the Raid Dungeon it was a mistake they couldn’t afford

Almost unwillingly Randidly’s mind flashed back to Nathan and he shook his head clearing his vision Both Lucretia and Neveah hissed in annoyance at him as the flow of Aether faltered and he pressed with his will and refocused His portion of this was to provide the tools while they handled the delicate work It was tiresome but

But it was the safe choice

Randidly bit his lip

Lucretia and Neveah worked together to wrap the end of the belt and bind it causing it to flow into the rest of itself seamlessly It was now one whole surrounding him supporting him It would be the base of what would later grow inside of Randidly

Randidly’s inner world shuddered causing his vision to briefly blur Blinking Randidly reached out through his Soul Bond to see what was going on but Neveah’s emotions didn’t have a trace of surprise or nervousness Was that because this was supposed to happen Or because she couldn’t feel it

The shuddering grew worse for a single second and then faded to nothing leaving Randidly breathing heavily but otherwise unharmed That was peculiar

The seed Lucretia said looking at Randidly

After blinking it took him another few seconds to realize what she wanted Then he gasped and nodded closing his eyes There was ONE portion that was all him and that was the seed It would form the anchor between the Class and his soul space and be the energy source the engine for everything that followed It would somehow convert Experience into growth which Randidly wasn’t too sure about but they had examined plenty of people with Classes so Lucretia had already made the apparatus

What Randidly needed to provide was the image just to start They cautioned him however to keep the image relatively simple The more basic and clear the stronger the base So although it was somewhat cliche Randidly closed his eyes and pictured a seed

It was small but strong and burning with life and potential Lines of hot emerald ran through it glowing the promise of a bright and strong future If it was planted it would explode into growth rising and shaping itself until it became a spear of emerald and gold the most powerful weapon that the world had ever seen

Randidly opened his eyes A glowing circle of Aether was forming the soul space around it warping connecting to it and to the base apparatus that Lucretia had prepared Sighing Randidly moved back before the purity of the image was tainted by the other things spinning through his head

Aemont’s back as he disintegrated to ash The strange monochrome cast that came over the world as Randidly used Ashes to Ashes The spear advancing forward The hanging promise of death delivered by the Spear Phantom That strange Aether construct still ticking still sitting at the heart of Randidly in his Soul Skill Potion making Roots

Shal’s hands heaving Randidly to his feet The taste of Helen’s mouth The burning violet of Lyra’s eyes The Creature’s empty smile

The people of Donnyton

Keep up the good work Randidly Lucretia whispered and Randidly snapped back to himself Luckily he had maintained the rotation of the Aether for Lucretia while she worked and she had gotten about 5 layers of the Aether down already Neveah was already moving to syphon off and purify more strands

The strangest thing was Randidly felt nothing looking at what was occuring in his soul space Instead he felt profoundly detached Then he shrugged

Perhaps it would have to wait until he imprinted the greater image upon the Class that it would feel like his own Now it just seemed strangely beautiful like a tapestry

Heedless of his thoughts Lucretia continued to weave her eyes narrowed

Chapter 394

As Randidly focused on watching Lucretia’s movements he was able to make out generally what she was doing in terms of the runes she was using The most common base of it was Control Agility Vitality and Intelligence in that order as the building blocks of the base of Randidly’s Class Below that there were the runes for plant growth and as a counter the rune for fire

Even deeper as a broader theme the Shadow Rune in its IV form was woven subtly throughout That annoyed Randidly somewhat that his Class would only have the Shadow IV rune inside of it rather than the Shadow I but even Randidly admitted that the Shadow I rune was far beyond their ability to imitate even in its base form let alone working it into this complicated orchestra of sigils

In the blink of an eye Lucretia had created 10 more layers Neveah was keeping up with Lucretia’s use of Aether so they weren’t running low on that With a small thought Randidly gathered a small additional amount and began to purify it His stomach growled Annoyed Randidly ignored the sensation

Now Randidly could watch as they tried to work his Class Skills into the base It was a slow steady thing as they built the 3D shape up layer by layer but the two of them had been very secretive in what Skills they planned to give him Randidly considered this something of a sin as it was HIS Skill but they both insisted it would be better as a surprise So he could only grumble and wait

Carefully watching the shapes Randidly actually had no idea what they were aiming for At first he thought it was something to do with Ash but the longer they shaped it it started to resemble Randidly’s Summon Pestilence Skill Did they were they attempting to merge together two Skills complicating an already worry fraught procedure

Randidly’s stomach growled again Sighing he reflected that it probably had been since returning to Donnyton that first night since he had eaten anything Even though his Stats were so much higher that’s no excuse to ignore basic nutrition He was aware that Mrs Hamilton was conducting trials to see exactly how hunger and food intake assisted people but he couldn’t imagine that the System had reduced the effect to zero it had simply lessened the bad side effects

And at some point Randidly was sure they would discover additional foods that would provide positive benefits but for now all you needed to do was eat SOMETHING Which he apparently hadn’t managed

Problem Neveah mumbled as she continued to spin off more strands of Aether and pull them into the weavable form Lucretia frowned but she said nothing instead her eyes simply began to glitter

Hearing this Randidly’s focus narrowed back to the weave again even as another wave of that strange blindness descended his Soul itself buzzing When it passed Lucretia had enough time to lay another 3 layers of the Aether and it was becoming abundantly clear what the problem was

Even though they had planned and practiced apparently Lucretia had underestimated how many layers would be necessary in order to achieve the requisite thickness In terms of layers they had put down around 35 already and from how it appeared they were only halfway through the process which would make the final product over twice as large as they had expected

And this was the version that Neveah had argued was the only safe option because of its relatively small size

Of course in terms of Classes it was extremely large because of who it was for it would be the Class of Randidly Ghosthound It could not be some common thing But to take 70 layers of weaving

The problem was not to continue weaving in a pattern for the individual Statistics that would make up the vast majority of the layers Although it was problematic at the outset once the trick was learned Lucretia was probably able to continue in that pattern indefinitely

No the problem was that a good fourth of each layer to this point had been dedicated to the Skills that Randidly would start with in his Class That meant that they needed two more prepared Skills Of course they had brainstormed a dozen or so Skills trying to figure out which ones would be the most valuable before selecting a few very carefully If this continued Randidly would be forced to have some of the non chosen Skills which struck him as somewhat frustrating

His stomach rumbled again heightening his annoyance

The next Skill that was slowly woven into the Class was a Skill based on what the had gotten from the rabbit and turtle people of Kith Klark It was a strange combination of the Fleet of Foot Skill the Herculean Strength Skill and the Endless Patience Looking at it Randidly could tell for sure that this was a created spliced thing Although his mind wasn’t as sharp as Lucretia and Neveah’s he could only look at the thing dubiously as it was woven into the fabric of what he would become

He spared Neveah a glance This time there was nervousness in her soul as her gaze remained locked on the slowly layering weave

Sighing Randidly closed his eyes And at that moment the buzzing came again greater and worse than before It wasn’t to the level of being pain but it was Annoying It was like the whining of a child in his head a droning off putting thing Randidly growled in response and this time actively tried to push it back and down silencing the vibrations but this only seemed to intensify them

As he felt his control of the rotating Aether slipping Randidly eased off and just tried to relax even though at his core he was wound as tight as a spring This was not the fucking time to handle some weird mental shit

Lucretia’s curse brought him back to focus the buzzing parting like a curtain before his necessity

What

Randidly’s Skills were there pulled together by the belt they had created Resting just above the belt in what was going to be the anchor and bridge there was Randidly’s image a small spatially warping ball of light Above that Lucretia had been layering the Aether weave now 57 layers thick and extremely dense with energy Small little bolts of discharge flashed off between layers

But that wasn’t what had caught their attention The weave was starting to twist for a lack of a better word The portion of the weave directly above the anchor point was beginning to slowly spin sucked in towards the light that was supposed to be the anchor And the more they watched the faster it started to happen as the first the bottom most layer was gobbled up the second began to twist

No Neveah howled and she reached with her own senses relating to Aether right into Randidly and grabbed onto the layers of Aether as they slowly twisted forcing them to remain strong Randidly shuddered feeling abruptly ill at the sudden invasion even though it was from someone who shared a Soul Bond with Hell if they hadn’t shared a Soul Bond he suspected that the side effects of what she was doing would have been much more dire

Then he shook his head refocusing I think it’s too heavy The thickness

I know Fuck Your image isn’t strong enough Lucretia hissed rubbing her temples If Neveah can hold it there I think I can fix this mess

Randidly’s temper flared It’s only lasted that long because of how strong the image is One basic image can’t hold up all this Aether If this was going to be a Skill the ratio

Randidly’s mind ground to a halt as the strange dizziness and blindness returned everything drowned out beneath a layer of buzzing Instead he could only wince He could sense Lucretia speaking to him but she seemed unaware of what was going on and the fact that he couldn’t answer

When he didn’t answer she seemed to take that as agreement and motioned to Neveah who adjusted her grip and tried without success to pull the portion of the layer that had been sucked into the image back out to form his Class Instead it remained stubbornly absorbed and it seemed that the suction was growing

As Neveah changed her grip the buzzing only got worse Randidly’s stomach also started growling in response and suddenly Randidly wondered if that this wasn’t his stomach growling but something else

And there was a tickling in the back of his mind one that had been here the whole time one that had been buried under dissatisfaction and frustration Randidly didn’t like this this method of cobbling together something and forcing it together to be organic But the other two understood Aether much more than him

Strangely of all memories Randidly’s father’s voice floated to the surface of his mind People with hammers like to see nails ’

Randidly paused Was that really all it was Because these two were so focused on their ability with Aether they were attempting to solve a problem through Aether that they didn’t need to

But that was wrong this was an Aether based System and

Randidly’s eyes snapped open Of course

Because the System itself wasn’t the enemy the person running it was that fed the Aether But if his Aether was a separate type of car to what everyone else had that didn’t mean Randidly had to stop using the roads

If this was a Skill They needed more images But if they had images they needed more Aether too so everything remained balanced And hadn’t this whole idea with Neveah pointing out that Classes were just larger versions of Skills

Something settled in Randidly’s chest The buzzing slowly died away With a gesture Randidly moved Neveah and Lucretia back away from his core Without their influence instantly layer after layer of the Class they had been attempting to build began to be sucked into the image at the base The anchor had become something of a black hole and greedily ripped into all the ambient Aether around it

Randidly what Lucretia began but he just gave her a look

Then Randidly smiled reaching again and this time he didn’t hold back but scooped up over half of the Aether that had sat inside of him soaking into his soul and bones whispering to him Then he pressed and it began to spin

His eyes burning emerald Randidly said I’ve had an idea

Chapter 395

Mrs Hamilton sipped her tea as the young woman or what had once been a young woman stood next to her

It’s time Lyra said her mouth curling into a smile That idiot is finally starting to move Took him long enough It’s not easy to keep the Administrator distracted We are almost out of time

Mrs Hamilton said nothing simply looking at the cooling liquid in her cup There was a lot she wanted to say about Lyra’s choices the dangers of the the bets that she was making about Randidly and the changes he was going through about the broader changes that were happening due to the System But they would simply be rehashes of old discussions with Lyra Although the girl was willful she had good instincts

Even though it was difficult for Mrs Hamilton to let go of control she simply had to the other player had the better hand And it was going to be a long game of poker

Are you coming Lyra asked squinting at Mrs Hamilton

must I Mrs Hamilton asked surprising herself But she really dreaded this in a way because what they were doing what Lyra suggested they do

was to change this boy’s fate To interfere in his path To cause the strength of his ability to incite action to be bent to their plan their agenda Mrs Hamilton was no stranger these days to manipulation it was her bread and butter She thrived on using other people by helping them see the path that would benefit both of them

This was something else Was this a path that would benefit Randidly as well

Yes Lyra said decisively I cannot and there is no one else that knows the fate of this land

Mrs Hamilton looked sadly at the ground You’re sure

Nodding Lyra said It hurts to admit but the Calamity isn’t fucking around I cannot go into details but if we don’t do this

In Mrs Hamilton’s sigh she shed a weight of responsibility It was feather light compared to her other loads just the small ounce of pure and unthinking trust that a young man put in her to run this town In a way she needn’t shed this the actions that Mrs Hamilton was taking were for the good of the town She was adjusting them towards a long term course This was the way that it had to be

But to this small weight of responsibility it felt like a betrayal Finally she was asking him to give up something that he couldn’t easily spare

I’m not going to apologize ’ Mrs Hamilton thought to herself But I just want it on record that I will never forget this moment ’

She brushed off her shoulders as she stood that bit of responsibility falling away The heavy weight of the safety of Donnyton crushed down on her shoulders abruptly much more pressing and urgent Her eyes were cold as she nodded at Lyra

Then let’s be off

To the Northeast in a manner that was visible to the naked eye Aether exploded in a storm shaking the ground and shaping the sky into a large typhoon

Careful Neveah’s warning was full of anxiety as the small anchor point became an all devouring black hole but Randidly couldn’t help but allow the smile on his face to grow ever wider stretching across his visage like a fault line There was just a manic glee to him now a rightness

The Aether around him began to roar as his Indomitable Will of Yggdrasil urged it onwards creating a huge darkening mass of Aether at the center that continued to condense becoming more and more compact more and more refined Randidly had taken note of Neveah’s methods but he suddenly found them unnecessary

Sure this Aether was filled with strange bits of meaning from Mrs Hamilton or Helen or Arbor but so what That was who he was The image that was going to be the basis of him the anchor that held his Class together was not a single thing He had become many things to many people learning through his experiences how to use different Skills and fighting styles

His strength came from his multidisciplinary nature and his ability to multitask utilizing the best approach for each situation He needed that depth in a Class too if it was going to be the path of his future growth He needed more than a single golden seed to create the effect that Randidly was aiming for

What are you doing Lucretia howled her eyes bulging as she watched all of her carefully arranged layers being absorbed into the old anchor that was struggling to grow by any means necessary

Randidly wouldn’t say that he laughed but he was decidedly amused at the strange expression on her face We were too light We were too cautious The Class would have destroyed itself as I demanded more and more out of it Better to go the other way and make it too heavy

You fool Lucretia hissed How can you just say that Do you think we didn’t already think of that But beyond what we had the complexity of doing it on your own

Why do we need to make it on our own Randidly asked his smile sharp More and more Aether was snapping into motion drawn upwards by the momentum of the surrounding Aether and slowly Randidly realized something more There was a gravity to the gathered Aether a presence to it that pressed down over them all

It felt strangely familiar It took Randidly several long moments of examining the sensation to realize that it was a strange combination of his past Skills a lot of which had been absorbed into his new Yggdrasil themed Skills He could feel the dull burn of Agony the strange whisper of Bacterial Regeneration even the extremely old Grasping Roots Everything he had experienced was wrapped up in this Aether that had surrounded him for years now

Although it was easy to forget even in the beginning the Aether Crossroads had been in him since he had killed the Tribulation of Turtletown Ever since then every breath that he took every thought that he had every interaction every image every ounce of strife and every desperate fight everything passed through the Aether that was at his core

And though not much at all was taken each time that slowly added up The struggle to figure out how to reach out to people the long days of fighting in the prison Randidly’s struggle in Shal’s tournament the slow and agonizing recovery

There were more and more moments and images rushing by as the Aether gathered above them filling Randidly making him feel a strange profound joy This was his this was his and only his unlike the static thing that Lucretia had been creating this would have the strength to support him

Lucretia was still gazing at him incredulously The whole basis of this was that you refused to get a Class from a Village If you hadn’t stubbornly insisted on such a foolish prideful move

Calm Bigger Skill

Both of you are fools If we miss this chance if we waste this much Aether if your soul space implodes based upon the weight of this Aether We know nothing about how to handle this Can you feel that Look at how it’s changing That’s not an energy source anymore it’s a fucking bomb

It’s life

It’s me Randidly said his face twisting further his eyes brilliant and emerald illuminating even the soul space Lucretia backed away her face drawn as she watched the last of the layers she made being slowly absorbed into the old anchor

You are right I didn’t want to get a Class from a Village But I realized Randidly stared intently at the huge sphere of Aether that he had created infusing with his images Very rapidly it started to shrink losing size and gaining density as well as qualitative increases in the strangely heavy aura it threw off the baleful weight of it

This continued until it was the size of a marble A marble that felt like it would crack and sunder the earth if it was allowed to touch the ground such was the weight and gravitas contained within it

I realized that the System isn’t the enemy it’s just a shape What we hate is the dirty fuel that the System runs on So as long as we borrow the shape and use our fuel

The last of the layers were absorbed into the anchor which pulsed strangely in the aftermath of it plaintive The marble of Aether that Randidly had created this time around pulsed in response almost in answer to the first The two were still for a second and then the higher marble of Aether exploded long spikes of Aether rushing down crashing into the already gathered Aether the whole of Randidly’s soul space vibrating with the force of it

But the anchor held up devouring it all greedily lapping up every last strand of Aether First 5 or so then a dozen then hundreds of these spikes shot out of the marble and aimed downwards crashing towards the anchor

Give me weight Randidly’s burning eyes said for him as his voice remained silent Ground me

The soul space began to warp with the force of it everything twisting and winding its way inwards everything drawn towards the anchor Even the Skills began to be pulled inexorably drawn by the force Randidly went to smile but that smile froze on his face

Because his body was warping Well his soul version of his body

Fool Lucretia snorted disdainfully This is what you get

The world twisted further and all three of them along with the remaining Aether were ripped from the soul space and pressed into a singularity of possibilities

Chapter 396

Randidly felt strange That was the only word that he could think of to describe it But even that was insufficient to convey how he felt

There was a peace in his soul that he had never felt before a fullness Around him was simply blackness He couldn’t recall how he arrived at this place nor would that peace in his chest allow him to care There was simply acceptance Here he was in the blackness

That was that

A part of Randidly rebelled against this notion Why are we here That part of him raged furious at the complete acceptance that the other parts felt But there were many forces against that part of himself that questioned

Again and again Randidly railed against the peace in his heart and again and again the peacefulness flooded into him like the sea struggling to drown and deaden those emotions leaving them waterlogged and drifting But as time passed

The fires in Randidly’s heart only grew hotter

Fuck this Randidly whispered opening his eyes staring intently into the blackness around him Why am I HERE

The world around him shook seemingly nervous at his strength This time when the peace returned rushing into him Randidly simply devoured it swallowing it whole Then he exposed that peace to the burning insistence in his chest his refusal to back off his demand to know And that peace evaporated into nothing

After that no more peace flooded towards him leaving him alone in the blackness But after overcoming that peace there was a question floating in the air that Randidly could feel that his one clue as to why he had arrived in this place

What are you

Twisting his lips Randidly considered this question What was he A human obviously but

Ah the Class

Randidly’s eyes glowed a brilliant emerald and his smile was wide So he was right the System would assist him in creating a Class if the right conditions were met That sense of peace then was perhaps the System trying to re exert its influence That bore watching then for the future For the moment it appeared that was broken and now it was just time to choose

Over the past few weeks as the knowledge that the Raid Dungeon could only be entered with a Class forced him to consider getting a Class Randidly had carefully considered his options There were perhaps too many directions that he could go into But what Randidly wanted was something that was uniquely his and that would be able to support those people around him

His Soul Skill seemed like a lead and also his spear usage learned from Shal but Golden Roots of Yggdrasil was the one thing that had captured his attention It was a Skill he had learned from Burt a villager of Kith Klark but it was simply a passive Skill that had vastly increased his staying power in a fight due to its influence on his regeneration

Well it didn’t truly boost his regeneration but what it did was raise the effect of his Vitality to a ridiculously high degree allowing him to have the natural strength of body to overcome most injuries and exhaustion He was simply an engine that pressed forward under its effects And there was the very eye catching term Yggdrasil included in it which was something worth remembering

But that didn’t strike Randidly as enough and it wasn’t quite aptly suited to describe him He was not a world tree and he wasn’t just a root system Randidly was

He was

Images of his past flashed by His fights His time in the original Dungeon The sight of Donnyton growing at least a hundred people now seeking shelter underneath his influence The sight of Lyra’s dead body cold and grey

Tessa’s face as Randidly lashed out with Agony hurting her The wreckage of monster and some human bodies after Kim Lath attacked Donnyton

Shal’s proud face The fury and rejection in Drak’s eyes as he accepted Aether from Lucretia in order to have a chance against Randidly The intense way that Azriel looked at Randidly while they were practicing as if nothing else in the world existed

The smug expression on the Engraving Guild Representative’s face as he told Randidly they would be watching him The dead look in Claptrap’s eyes the last time Randidly saw him Arrogance scrawled across Drak’s grandfather’s face as he descended and then the shock as Randidly used his Skill to stall the man if just for a second

Pure unquestioning concern in Simon’s eyes as Randidly awoke finding himself filled with the shrapnel of a broken Skill

This world Randidly whispered slowly his eyes becoming even brighter in the dark this System brought with it so much pain didn’t it

In Randidly’s heart he could feel unwillingness too flowing into him through his connections with others The sharpest of them all was Helen who continually flooded Randidly with bold and unrelenting images of struggle A staunch unwillingness to surrender if even for a second had become second nature to her and that continued supply of images had an effect on Randidly

But everyone had that feeling in their heart with the System hanging over them with the threat of the Calamity They refused to give in and allow death to come The four that Randidly had originally blessed all were filled with a proud insistence that humanity would survive all of this growing stronger and more fearsome

Because to stop moving forward would mean death

I hate it Randidly said surprised at himself He really did Although so many things had happened because of the System so many people died Those things those benefits that Randidly had obtained he could have grown in similar ways without the System He wouldn’t have traveled to Shal’s world or met anyone there but he still could have grown beyond his stubborn awkwardness around other people

It wasn’t like he was very social now but anything was better than how he had been previously

This was growth that he could have had anyway without the death And while people were given Aether they weren’t allowed to shape it in the way they wanted to Most of the images that people created would just disappear because the System provided mostly Aether that was already stiff and unyielding unwilling to let other people control it It sucked that meaning away though to where Randidly wasn’t sure

The blackness around him was expanding slowly pushed backwards by his thoughts that were becoming more and more violent and surly It was almost as though it was shrinking back and the message was one of placation trying to focus him back on addressing the question presented

Just take a Class the weird System process seemed to say so we can both get this over with

Randidly’s grin stretched wider Fine then He was

A growth of hope A source of life and support for those near him A force that allowed for survivors to band together underneath him growing stronger An inciting action for humanity

The Yggdrasil image was a strong one too

I’m a Planting of the Forest of Eternity Randidly said slowly savoring every word He was just one sprout of many one of the same tier as Yggdrasil but Randidly didn’t want to seize that name He wanted his name to be his own and he would slowly discover it Yet as he said the words out loud that hot angry part of himself seemed unsatisfied

Create the Class Planting of the Forest of Eternity Y/N

Although Randidly wasn’t sure why he followed his instincts and selected no Because at that moment a thought occurred to him To say he was just part of the Forest of Eternity it was a powerful image and it would likely give him good Skills but again it was missing so much

There was too much to include in a single Class Randidly thought shaking his head But he could make this closer to the truth He wasn’t just a normal Planting but that portion didn’t seem to be the most efficient part of his phrase to change That part felt insufficient but it was just a transition period It would start weak and then grow strong that was what Planting said to Randidly And honestly it was his image so

But the latter portion

Smiling Randidly realized he knew how he wanted to change it

I’m a Planting of the Forest of Enmity Randidly whispered his eyes blazing emerald Yes because that was what he was He could feel his image as his roots trunk and branches twisted and warped becoming bloody and jagged spears He was not simply doing this to be a source of life No Randidly was seeking something

To tear down the System and dance among its ashes To feel the spine of the Calamity break for him and reforge that into a spear that could annihilate this behemoth of parasitic Aether that they slaved under That burning desire that enmity would not rest until its goals had been accomplished For it there was no true victory while the System remained

Which was a realization that Randidly never had before In that moment he realized what he truly wanted was to crush the System to nothing and earn everyone freedom from its influence

Create the Class Planting of the Forest of Enmity Y/N

Even though he could feel his inner world twisting and becoming blackened and dangerous Randidly selected yes The world around him began to rumble the blackness shuddering and cracking Aether rushed into the cracks breaking through the darkness flooding Randidly’s surroundings with violet light That rushing noise from the Aether swarmed Randidly’s consciousness slowly setting him adrift

Struggling to remain conscious Randidly found himself helpless before that strange rushing flow of Aether Very soon he was deep in the darkness even as his hands balled into fists even as his eyes were squeezed into unwilling slits This

Chapter 397

Mrs Hamilton stumbled slightly as they emerged through the portal that Lyra had created Brushing herself off Mrs Hamilton felt slightly embarrassed It had been quite a long time since she had behaved as anything but graceful and she half suspected that the other woman had done a rough landing on purpose to cause her to stumble

Not that there was any proof but ever since Lyra had become involved with that strange being that had been parading around with her face she had gotten even more deeply mysterious and pompous

Still Mrs Hamilton didn’t really begrudge her for that Lyra was a brat who was truly a genius But that didn’t mean she would make the right decision or even one close to correct all of the time But Mrs Hamilton had no choice but to rely on her as a source for information And as a lever that she could exert influence over to control the fate of humanity

Because although they had stayed ahead of things so far the next portion of the System’s trials might be the most difficult they had ever faced interacting with other segments of the human population Those could perhaps be even more dangerous than a Raid Boss if left unattended and the fact they were progressing another level made the possibility of a Tier IV Raid Boss appearing likely

A small part of Mrs Hamilton twitched wanting to raise the morality of what they were attempting to do now but she instantly squashed it She had made her decision Mrs Hamilton was not one to act squeamish when she decided to roll up her sleeves

Fucking doggy The ONE time he moves quickly Lyra hissed and Mrs Hamilton looked around They were on a dull grey platform with darkness surrounding them The material of the platform seemed to be ivory because there was glossy smoothness to its greyness At the center there was a stone table upon which Randidly was lying dragons and snakes composed of Aether spiraling around his body biting into him piercing through him and emerging from the other side

But floating above Randidly was a spiraling sigil hanging in the air slowly condensing As Mrs Hamilton looked at it she couldn’t suppress a shiver There was something almost evil about the rune that was there Somehow it filled her with a cold sense of dread Its cool light touched her skin and invigorated her but it also filled her with an unholy unwillingness almost like a geas Very quickly she looked away controlling her breathing

Mrs Hamilton glanced sideways at Lyra and clicked her tongue That’s his Class then We were too late

Lyra nodded glumly but her eyes were filled with glittering calculations Perhaps perhaps not

Mrs Hamilton controlled her face even while the other party was pointlessly being a bitch The problem was the girl was too used to playing a role so she was constantly in this snarky character Mrs Hamilton was aware that it wasn’t the girl’s true personality but she was also losing touch with Lyra’s true personality buried under the play acting and muddied with the influence of that strange being that Randidly called the Creature

What was worse was that Randidly encouraged her irreverence which Mrs Hamilton supposed he couldn’t be blamed for He just wanted to be treated normally And verbal derision seemed to be a sort of interaction that he understood and was comfortable with but

Lyra took several steps forward and waved her hand The rune trembled and then slowly stretched opening up spreading apart Between the two sides of the rune a finely detailed network of energy lines emerged weaving together and connecting the two sides Those little connection nodes glittered with dangerous power almost hissing when exposed to the air

Imitating Mrs Hamilton Lyra clicked her tongue Well we can’t shape his Class now but we can weave our own influence into his Class as long as it follows certain guidelines The effectiveness of it will depend on whether he accepts it and has images to back it up but

Ah I wasn’t first A rare tardiness on my part my apologies ladies

Mrs Hamilton turned calmly around while Lyra spun Inwardly Mrs Hamilton sighed Why not just announce to the world you weren’t expecting this and you are now nervous

There was a creature walking forward a wide smile on its Rhinoceros head

Octavious Shrike Lyra whispered her eyes narrowing I thought

that your distraction would be sufficient No Your arrogance is distasteful child I allow you to play your games but this is something I can’t miss Octavius arrived at the low grey table Randidly was lying on and waved a hand An ornate golden chair appeared and he seated himself comfortably It is quite rare that a being achieves Transcendence And oh every alarm in the 7th Cohort is ringing like mad I need to be here so I can make an accurate report

Lyra’s eyes narrowed even further lending her a very melodramatic air Mrs Hamilton performed a small curtsey Octavius Shrike A pleasure to make the acquaintance of the being who oversees all of our Cohort I must say I much admire your work so far I would be delighted to join you to witness this Transcendence if you would be so kind

Octavius turned and exchanged a glance with Mrs Hamilton In his eyes she could read a lot and a lot of it was worrisome But there was also a truth there that put Mrs Hamilton on very familiar ground this man was primarily a bureaucrat Then he grinned because he had seen the same truth in her eyes

Of course Please allow me Octavius waved his hand again and two more chairs appeared simple black wooden pieces with a strange triangle base and no real back More like stools than anything else But that was just him posturing

Mrs Hamilton seated herself murmuring her thanks even as another part of herself flexed its legs The grey spider that sat in the back of her mind slowly woke up calmly feeling around testing the web it had weaved around it Not the best scenario but better to go along with it for now

Are you here to stop us Lyra said Mrs Hamilton had 3 problems with the sentence and what it represented but she knew that the younger woman wouldn’t care She had her own way of dealing with the world and her looks had apparently given her no cause to believe that this wouldn’t be sufficient when dealing with the metaphysical overlord before them

Octavius shook his head Of course not There is ample ambient Aether that you can use still clinging to his body to add meaning to his Class I am simply here to record it all You as the first people to arrive may start Simply name the Class you would like him to have and if accepted it will use images from him to add it to his current Class An extra bonus for him

Nodding Lyra turned to Mrs Hamilton Just say something like Hero of Humanity or whatever

Mrs Hamilton’s brow twitched and she ignored the foolish girl Instead she turned to Octavius The System is truly a work of wonder So it even has contingencies for this situation

Octavius nodded a small smile on his face as he watched Lyra’s twist with annoyance Oh yes By the 3rd Cohort the modern prototype for the current System was in place After that there were increased opportunities for past Cohorts to influence the future for example I was originally born on a world in the 5th Cohort but very rarely has there been any surprises

Impressive Then Mrs Hamilton tapped her chin thinking Which was a mistake because Lyra cut in seemingly using her brain in this brief time that her mouth was switched off

What are the criteria that would allow a suggestion to be accepted

Mrs Hamilton’s mouth twisted This

Luckily it seemed that Octavius didn’t care much about about small talk Or actually it seemed he cared very deeply about the rules of the System themselves and his voice became animated the longer he talked about how things worked

Well it’s rather simple The suggestions you make have to fit inside’ of his created Class Whether he expected this or not he created an extremely broad Class that can be filled with multiple different meanings In addition the amount of Aether used to create it is staggering I have never seen a Class cost this much And only about half was used His body is still suffused with the remaining Aether although it is the Aether of a Heretic it seems which is distasteful

Then Octavius coughed lightly before speaking And yet his Heretic level is so low I wonder how he earned this much Aether hmm At any rate since the circumstances are so ideal there is only one final criteria your addition has to mimic his Class Translated to your language

He paused there needs to be a P then an F and then an E Small variances are possible but the less the better

So it’s a word game Lyra said her voice sounding disgusted Mrs Hamilton almost smiled

Octavius nodded his eyes bright

As Lyra opened her mouth to make her opinions about such a thing clear Mrs Hamilton spoke her voice ringing clearly Protector of Humanity’s Final Enclave

There was a rumble then a strange dinging noise as if it was accepted Below the floating sigil but above Randidly’s chest several of those swimming strands of Aether shaped like dragons curled upwards condensing and shaping themselves Very soon they formed another smaller sigil below the first Very quickly light around it started condensing growing brighter and brighter

It was accepted Octavius said producing a small notepad and scrawling something Now let’s see how well he takes to it

The light continued to intensify so much to the point that Mrs Hamilton could only close her eyes to avoid blinding herself Then all at once that light was snuffed out

Now when she opened her eyes and looked at the sigil it had shifted Or rather it had been shaped by the image in Randidly’s heart

Chapter 398

The light was still there emerging from the smaller sigil above Randidly’s chest but it had changed becoming softer The whole thing exuded this aura of softness and strength The strength was brutally dangerous but it was guided by a calm determination Whereas the Class itself was filled with a baleful fatality what animated this one was not that but

Responsibility

Very effective Octavius said his voice conveying how impressed he was You did well with your word choice I suppose

Thank you Mrs Hamilton said nodding her head as she watched the smaller sigil float up and join the larger one There was a ripple through it and a small shift in it as they adjusted to each other’s presence Some of the evilness of the Class’ aura was abated but honestly

It just made it more of an insidious thing more self righteous and demanding That responsibility had perhaps been more twisted than it had done twisting

Now what Mrs Hamilton inquired turning to Octavius He gave her a wide smile

Well now that you took your turn we allow the others to go Who would like to go next With this amount of Aether

I’ll go

Mrs Hamilton turned and saw a stubborn looking woman with long pale lavender hair riding what appeared to be Neveah slithering over towards the group that was already gathered around Randidly As they arrived the woman hopped off not even sparing the three sitting individuals a glance Instead she just looked up at the sigil with furious eyes

Then she turned her gaze down to Randidly and the look she had softened It wouldn’t have been a betrayal just guidance that you needed And would have ignored otherwise

Neveah rumbled her displeasure and the woman waved her hand It didn’t work alright He ripped everything to shreds with raw power Don’t go getting your bones in a bunch Hm

After tapping her chin for several seconds she said Progenitor of the Four Shaded Evolution

Again a ripple ran through their strange location Again the light began to gather slowly building to a blinding crescendo And as it fell down it revealed a glittering sigil that glowed with four different lights There was something strange about this sigil too or multiple things

The first was that it was oddly mechanical and in motion shifting and clicking together merging into new forms always growing moving forwards The second thing was that it was hidden at first but the more that the four pieces moved the more Mrs Hamilton could sense that at its core there was an unrelenting engine acting a powerful energy source that held almost too much power to be channeled

Slowly that sigil too rose and joined into the larger mass causing the other to twist and shift This time the change was more Mrs Hamilton wanted to say superficial but she suspected that this wasn’t actually the case It was just that the changes were much easier to see The varied mechanical style had been absorbed and now there were dozens of smaller shifting parts that made up Randidly’s larger Class

In addition the aura that it emanated had intensified perhaps driven by the addition of that energy source

Another fine synchronization with the image Octavius said making another note Still more Aether remains perhaps

You can sense me can’t you Well I suppose there is no point in remaining then From Randidly’s chest a figure appeared first blurry but then slowly condensing to a grey ashy form and then resolving itself into a man holding a simple spear Immediately Mrs Hamilton’s spider felt the strength of this shape and was filled with caution This man was probably the most powerful thing she had ever seen

Even more so than Octavius He simply seemed unstoppable

After sparing Mrs Hamilton a glance seemingly aware of her assessment the man looked at Octavius with an easy smile I suppose that you will not allow me to dwell within his emotions Many of them were inherited from me

I am aware of your situation Octavius checked something on his wrist Aemont But most of your personality has sacrificed itself to give the boy additional power You are just the memory of the true Aemont’s shape feeding on the ample Aether this Heretic possesses Not that I would act against you the boy’s safety is none of my concern but when the Class is instituted you will be purified And you don’t have the luxury of this woman’s refuge who cowers in his Soul Skill

The lavender haired woman pursed her lips but said nothing The figure Aemont nodded slowly Then he turned and looked at Randidly I sense you can be considered my family even though I don’t remember clearly why But yes I remain because of you and because of my resolution that won’t let me rest Perhaps it is best that I pass that onto you as well

Aemont straightened his eyes becoming deeper and darker filled with a wild hatred I feel in you a kindred spirit boy You have taken my emotions then you took my techniques Now take my resolve It is all I have left but I feel like You too have the tenacity to seek its completion Phantom of the Foreshadowed End

The form of the man dissipated leaving only the sigil that grew and then became eclipsed with light As it dispersed what remained was the smallest of all the sigils created but also the heaviest Mrs Hamilton felt it like a weight against her heart Every beat was a struggle as long as that sigil hung before them

It was a dark dense thing It didn’t have much meaning on its own but it was like a promise Or a seed Or an egg that would hatch the most vicious monster that Mrs Hamilton could imagine a thing of black limbs cracked bones and desperate teeth Very slowly it floated up and joined the larger Class

The only change was that the light it was producing was a hair darker now than it had been in the past But it was enough to give Mrs Hamilton a sense of foreboding Just who was Aemont The fact that he carried that around with him in his chest

The Aether is being depleted Perhaps now Octavius turned and looked at the darkness

Yes I will go I just figured I would let the children act first A deep amused voice sounded out and a figure appeared above them a face made of ash and lava twisted into a lopsided grin I will name this boy too as is my right

“You choose to name him ” Octavius almost seemed amused scratching his horn in a practiced motion getting around the place where his ivory met his skin “These nice denizens of Cohort 7 and otherwise seem to have a vested interest in his potential I might “

“Worry not ” The huge face of ash said its mouth stretching wide and what appeared to be a car sized droplet of lava oozing from the corner of its strange mouth “He is not there yet but soon he will be chosen And then he will have the potential to go even further to take up the mantle I have held for so long “

Octavius’ eyes widened “You mean “

“For he is the Patron of the Fallen Earth ” The face said and when he spoke the rumble that went through the platform was not small More than that though the face began to vibrate too shaking and stuttering large hot red cracks emerging in the face lava oozing slowly outward from the wounds dripping down and landing on the grey ivory with dull thwaps Mrs Hamilton pursed her lips as she watched This thing was one of the rare Patrons

There were of course people from Donnyton who had obtained Patrons and went on the strange teleportation to the Patron’s world where they were tested to see if they were worthy of the powers of the Patron If she recalled correctly there were three levels to Patronage Initiate Anointed and Chosen This Patron spoke of Randidly as though all he had yet to do was become Chosen which would mean he was already Anointed Mrs Hamilton made a mental note to ask him about the process

That boy went through so much The amount of knowledge she could probably gain about the methods of the System just by following him around was probably 10x the amount she learned in Donnyton even with multiple experiments running Somewhat frustrating

More than that though this being seemed to be implying that what he was giving Randidly was the ability to move beyond simply being a Chosen to the next level being a Patron himself

Even now Mrs Hamilton gritted her teeth as the shuddering rumbling grew more intense so that if she didn’t her teeth would rattle right out of her mouth More and more chunks of rock fell off the giant face revealing a bright red molten core but as that was exposed to the air it cooled and darkened then cracked and fell

For the first time since Octavius arrived Mrs Hamilton sensed that he was truly shocked and worried There seemed to be a sheen of sweat on his brow “Senior “

“Nonsense ” At last the central chunk of rock that had composed the face was revealed hardened and fell From it a stone form shaped roughly like a human with large clublike arms stood Its body was brown grey and its mouth and eyes glowed with the red of molten rock “Among Patrons I am rather young I hailed from the 3rd Cohort I was born as a treant you know before I became a Patron And in this boy I see the potential to die as one “

‘Titles ‘ Mrs Hamilton thought tapping her finger against her lip ‘ Were important The System designation ‘

She considered how much Lyra had worsened after becoming a Village Spirit It wasn’t just power it was information Seeing behind the curtain of the System to the inner workings But the power was not insignificant either It was enough to make Champions of men

Finally the vibrations ceased A glittering rune floated in the air larger than all that had come before almost of a size of the Class rune that was originally made albeit much more slender and basic It was all burning reds and hard lines a vicious thing a desolate thing without any soft portions Mrs Hamilton looking at that floating rune was very dubious how much effect their addition to his Skill would ultimately be Although they added some softness and understanding everyone else seemed to add hard brutal unrelenting and unforgiving shapes and meanings These would emphasize his stubbornness and foolhardy tendencies not soften them

How much could a Class change a person Mrs Hamilton wondered How much could that boy be warped by this unyielding image

Chapter 399

Mrs Hamilton’s gaze was locked on Randidly’s still form With all this would Randidly still seek to defend humanity Would he have the heart to resist throwing himself to his quest to resist the influence of the System

Mrs Hamilton didn’t think he wanted to rid the world of the System completely but it was clear from his unwillingness to adopt a Class that it didn’t sit well with him It was more than just a youthful rejection of authority too There was a knowledge there Mrs Hamilton could sense There was a deep worry What was it about the System that infuriated him so

The light began to build and this time it wasn’t just light but a scorching heat Doing her best to suppress a gasp Mrs Hamilton stood and stumbled backwards away from the source of the heat Even so her skin was red and dry even as she felt her own improved Vitality move to cope with the damage Her frown deepened as the light departed leaving a rune that now appeared to burn visibly not with actual flames but with heat waves around the sigil It inexorably floated upwards sinking into Randidly’s skin morphing it making part of its aura a sense of dry devastation

Displaying a surprising amount of insight Lyra patted Mrs Hamilton’s shoulder With a complete dearth of tact she then said “I think it’s one of those times where the more they go against us the more they emphasize us Don’t give up on our path so easily “

class="book">Mrs Hamilton wondered if she possessed the ability to kill this foolish girl Her Soul Poison Skill that she obtained at level 30 might be worth a shot regardless of the fact that she was almost completely composed of the System’s laws At least then one of the last elements that were within her purview that completely ignored her control would be gone

Well perhaps that was part of the fun Mrs Hamilton reflected Without Lyra it was like everything she was doing was too predictable Lyra and Randidly They shared that habit of acting in a way that left her almost infuriated but mostly amused

Mrs Hamilton patted her shoulder back For all she wanted to murder the girl she did have a certain annoying physical beauty And people like pretty things

“If that’s everyone ” Octavius seemed still to be worried and glanced around No one else stepped forward out of the darkness no more forces acted “Then “

He produced a hammer and then a small table and swung it down as a judge would hit with a gavel

Mrs Hamilton blinked Because right before the hammer hit the table the hammer stopped

“Not so fast “

Lyra spoke but it wasn’t Lyra’s voice It was something older something darker something much more dangerous So this was the Creature

“A pleasure ” Mrs Hamilton found herself saying “You are the one they call the Creature May I inquire after your name “

“Yestyx How quaint ” When Mrs Hamilton spoke the Creature and was looking at her smiling something like a cancerous organ would grin at you “No one has asked me that in a very long time For that I’ll give you a gift “

Lyra’s hand reached out and touched Mrs Hamilton and as she struggled to back away from the younger woman she found herself frozen When those fingers touched her Mrs Hamilton thought she would freeze to death as something colossal and lonely brushed its soul up against her

Then she pulled her hand away and Mrs Hamilton fell back gasping The feeling quickly departed and she was left wondering if anything at all had happened

“I’ll also let you see this Although you should know telling that poor boy that I do this will only confuse him Better leave me as the easy enemy It will make the next part simpler “

Lyra’s body walked forward filled with Yestyx the Creature until she could reach out and touch Randidly Which she did stroking his cheek

“My hero ” Yestyx whispered her smile wicked “I’m trapped in this Dungeon Come save me from the dragon I name you Poison for the Fickle Aether “

Something in reality cracked and Mrs Hamilton felt herself sliced in half and then die

Then something corrected itself and she was back whole She vomited spilling the stew she had eaten for dinner over the grey ivory ground not caring at all how graceful she seemed Yestyx laughed

The rune was not a rune but it was an absence of anything shaped as a rune It was several slashes in the fabric of the world quivering and dark And for this light did not come but simply a deep blanketing darkness As the darkness grew and grew it muffled light then noise then thought

Then it was gone and Mrs Hamilton was shaken by the fact she had no idea how long that had taken

What was left was a small wizened rune barely the size of a fingernail but it burned with pure hatred It squirmed and seemed to emit a keening wail full of absolute disgust It was an emotion that would not negotiate would not show mercy would not compromise

It sunk into the Class without a trace

The hammer banged on the table Then Octavius spoke still with his eyes on the ashy remains of the treant not even noticing Lyra’s abrupt appearance next to Randidly’s side “Then that ends this Transcendence Perhaps the most effective one I’ve ever seen but then I’ve only seen four Now since this is such an extreme situation I suppose I will need to submit a report “

When Lyra opened her mouth Mrs Hamilton’s hand shaking though it was clamped down on her shoulder This was her turf not this hasty girl’s

“Ah Transcendence is against the System’s rules ” Mrs Hamilton asked innocently

At the mention of rules Octavius’ ears visibly perked up “Hmm hmm a very interesting question What was your name again I would say that it isn’t against the System’s rules because at its core the System forbids nothing Anyone may take the path of the Heretic for example Only there are consequences for all actions that subvert the will of the System “

“How intriguing and well designed Individuals such as yourself undoubtedly are a necessary part keeping the System running “

“Haha Well ” The rhino man seemed to blush and gave her a look that Mrs Hamilton had received many times from human men She almost wanted to roll her eyes It was the look a man gave her when they moved her from an unknown entity to something that wasn’t attractive enough to be lusted after but wasn’t yet old enough to have her brain dissolve into mush A capable assexual being Easy to work with uncomplicated and she could feel him shift her

The grey spider in her mind rubbed his forelegs together in glee

“Perhaps so administration of the System is not something that is simple it’s more of a monitoring Seeking patterns Finding problems and making sure the System recognizes them as an issue “

“Ah so you’ve known this was coming for a long time ” Mrs Hamilton asked quizzically Lyra was silent in very strange way her gaze focused on Mrs Hamilton’s face

So she can imitate me later practicing in the mirror Mrs Hamilton thought with a certain bitterness And Mrs Hamilton had no doubt that she would be great at it

“Of course Your Earth has been peculiar in a number of ways ” Octavius said coughing into his hand then pounding his chest “The exploits of your people have surpassed expectations by magnitudes My regular reports detail the dangers of humans in an incredible amount of accuracy I had just this sort of situation in mind “

Gotcha Mrs Hamilton thought her mouth staying perfectly still “So this Transcendence it necessitates an emergency report “

“Well no ” Octavius said with a sigh shaking his head “There is only one time that a true direct report is given when the first world in the Cohort triggers the Calamity I will give a debriefing on everything Until then the regular reports are how I record my research “

He trailed off seemingly struggling with something Which made Mrs Hamilton narrow her eyes Was he truly

But then he spoke and she once more felt at ease “I suppose this doesn’t constitute something that is outside the normal operations of the System Still I’m somewhat worried “

There was a greedy gleam in Octavius’ eye Mrs Hamilton smiled Making a deal with a fool was unpredictable Making a deal with a monstrous intelligent rhinoceros that had weaseled himself into controlling a whole Cohort of the System

“Tell me what you are worried about ” Mrs Hamilton cooed Lyra watched her eyes unblinking

The ash treant did cartwheels delighting in his body

“You feel that ” Donny looked towards the horizon Lucifer stood next to him gazing in the same direction as him towards the Northeast

“Yea ” The other man didn’t speak much Donny had learned very quickly but was most comfortable brooding and meticulously inspecting his equipment Donny was disappointed that all of that careful maintenance hadn’t had anything to do with the cloak he allegedly received from slaying the first Tier III Raid Boss but it was something that Donny could afford to wait on

If the difficulty of the Raid Dungeon was to be believed they would need every tool in their arsenal to handle it At least based on the seriousness that the Ghosthound was treating it

“He finally got a Class ” Lucifer said squinting towards the swirling clouds visible even miles away

“Yea ” Donny said not knowing what else to say That was their leader The hope of humanity

Donny wondered what sort of Class he ended up with He wondered what sort of level up gains he would receive from it

Chapter 400

Randidly didn’t really understand what was happening but he could feel its effects One by one certain images that he held within his heart were emphasized growing in strength and power beginning to dominate portions of his grove of the Forest of Enmity

Idly he mentally tapped his chin considering these influences His mind was foggy and his vision was slightly blurry but there was a sharp incisive intuition that warned him of these strange influences in his mind Almost bleary he considered them with suspicion The notifications he received didn’t exactly ease his worries but it certainly gave him focus

The Class Planting of the Forest of Enmity is being created Calculating parameters

Addition (+) has been added to Class Calculating benefits adjusting parameters

Foreign influence ’ Randidly narrowed his eyes his animal instincts immediately diagnosing this threat examining what was happening He could feel the changes dimly Already the Class was connecting itself with his soul space even while his consciousness remained sucked into the anchor allowing the entirety of the process to flow through him

But as Randidly monitored the changes as closely as he could through his senses he gradually came to accept what was happening There was a resolve in this addition to a deep sense of responsibility towards his fellow humans It flowed slowly into him Or rather he could slowly feel that part of himself coming into focus If it was a color inside of his personality it did not grow as he would have expected or move to a more prominent part of himself but simply increased the vibrancy of its shade moving from red to crimson or from grey to an impending thunderstorm

Strangely Randidly didn’t mind it Rather than adjust his personality it was intensifying him Making him more than a person It was a gradual thing as several thin lines of himself strands of emotions became stronger Not in the way that it would cause them to occur more often but just that when they did occur those emotions would be stronger more relentless their images vivid and bright

Or it was like adding a higher quality engine to a car Even now Randidly could feel himself working harder faster more tenaciously just given an extra inch of strength due to motivation

Closing his eyes Randidly reached for the image of his Class And after some soft groping in the dark he found it Immediately the world exploded and he gasped sucking in air Immediately he was surprised by the fact that it actually worked and his lungs expanded

Eyes full of wonder he looked down at his hand his arm a true body standing here somewhere deep deep within his soul space Then he looked around taking in the small grassy hill and the 5 young saplings that stood at the crest of the hill At the center was one that was about double the size of the rest a young tree about 3 meters tall its trunk still skinny and slender

Its branches twisted upwards to points sharp spears aimed at the heavens The bark of these trees was cracked and rugged black at the edges and a dull grey at its base Thin veins of emerald flowed through the silver revealing the staggering vitality that all of these plantings carried within them

Randidly looked and saw a thin blue shield condense in his Class the personification of the addition he supposed It fell to one of the peripheral trees leaning lightly against it Immediately it began to emanate a blue light that flowed into the nearest tree causing it to slowly but visibly glow Soon it had reached a midpoint of size between its previous size and the size of the central tree and stopped But now from its branches small azure flowers bloomed casting a soft light over the surroundings

Looking up at the sky Randidly frowned So it seemed that there were plenty of people willing to take the chance to impart parts of themselves This was not an asked for benefit and it was not like the debt that he owed Shal he would not go to the ends of the earth to help these people It was a free benefit that he obtained

Not that he could really discern who had given him these things But his heart swiftly hardened as he considered who might be moving to assist him The first appeared to be related to protecting humanity but these others

The first it was a focus on his Soul Skill A growth in his protectiveness his inventiveness in his value towards being their Progenitor And it also had other strange effects drawing it more closely to him moving it towards a change of some sort that it would make it more powerful That must be Lucretia but how

A small pocket watch split into four quadrants of white red golden and blue grey appeared and was swiftly absorbed by one of the plantings That tree began to grow too strange cogs and flywheels poking out of its bark its color shifting to more varied and multifarious

The next addition was even more confusing It was just a brutal determination A set of principles to live by a sense of responsibility and vindictiveness against those who crossed Randidly

A tattered and ripped Tassle appeared hanging from one of the four outer trees and Randidly coolly watched as the tree twisted further every bend and crook of the branches reminiscent of violence Shadows gathered around that tree and out of the corner of your eye it seemed there was a face hidden in its trunk smiling sweetly at you It was a tree that could fulfill other functions but it was completely transformed into something that evoked the spirit of a weapon The hardness to protect softness as it were

The third addition Randidly’s eyes widened A vast desolation A deep melancholy and loneliness Fury dulled by passing time Endless patience Wrath bubbling beneath the surface The tangy taste of ash The Patron of Ash

A small crack opened up in the hill and a thin stream of magma bubbled out quickly cooling into rock before cracking and falling away again More and more flowed out and the nearest tree trembled Rather than seeing it Randidly could feel how its roots moved beneath the ground seeking out that earth fire tentatively sucking it into itself

The whole tree shivered Then it began to lightly smoke But Randidly could feel that although the emerald fluid and that lava met each other and sought to eradicate the other it was a controlled exposure and they only served to emphasize the other’s strong points Very soon both flowed through the veins of the tree and while it was not peaceful it was not dangerous

The final addition was simply a deep and implacable hatred Above the hill hanging in the sky a fat yellow green moon appeared So close and bright it cast its strange light over everything giving it an unholy pall

This hatred who did it come from Perhaps Lyra After what she had to go through due to it he would understand but he didn’t think even Lyra was carrying this monstrous hatred in her chest

Randidly frowned This was a deeper more complete thing that he had His hatred was perhaps rather adolescent in its complete rejection But it was an easy thing to cling to to grow strong It was easy to understand and pursue Staring up at the yellow green moon Randidly considered

Perhaps He said slowly speaking to no one but himself I wouldn’t have thought about it had I not been forced to see it face it directly but we cannot escape the System can we But that does not mean this hatred is useless but

Reaching up Randidly grabbed the fabric of his Class his eyes blazing emerald Distantly he could feel Aether rushing to assist him in his will fueling the change he sought Randidly grabbed the sky and tugged softly The moon began to drift downwards slowly towards the horizon First just a sliver then half then all of it was devoured by the edge of this small hill that made up all of his Class Then slowly a sun rose in the East bringing with it light and warmth

all things should be tempered with warmth and mercy Randidly whispered

Then he sighed letting out all of the tension that he had been holding within him Something chimed deep within his chest and then there was a click as if something locked into place and then he could feel the space around him becoming blurry Closing his eyes Randidly allowed himself to be thrown from his Class and then withdrew his attention from his inward soul space to be back into his real body Then he opened his eyes and saw notifications even as the energies ran rampant through his body

Neveah watched as Lucretia added her meaning to Randidly her Soul Bound partner and remained silent She understood how little influence these would really have but it remained to be seen how much power that Randidly would receive from it all

After Octavius’ hammer struck instantly Neveah could feel through their connection how Randidly began to shift and change shaped by the Class given shape to his growth Hopefully it wouldn’t affect him too much

Immediately though those energies swirled within Randidly and then exploded outward through their connection flowing through in Neveah’s soul space She couldn’t get a Class but

Those energies hit her like a stampede of hungry wolves ripping into her consciousness Instantly something instinctual took over and her physical body took over physical and spinning As she felt her personality completely displayed by something primal inside of herself she found herself hoping that this would hurt

Him

Chapter 401

Congratulations You have received the class of Planting of the Forest of Enmity( +) You have gained the Skill Plant Control (Un) Lvl 1 You have received the skill Spray Holy Sap (Un) Lvl 1 You have received the skill Sharpness Lvl 1 You have received the skill Call Grove Defenders ® Lvl 1 You have received the skill Aura of Enmity Lvl 1 You have received the skill Earthquake (Un) Lvl 1 You may learn 10 additional skills to these and those you already possess Skills may be forgotten to learn new skills +12 Health per Level +15 Mana Per Level +14 Stamina per level +5 Vit Per Resist Int or Control per level (these points may be distributed between 5)

Congratulations You have gained the Invigorating Call (Humanity) (Un) Lvl 1

Congratulations You have gained the Four Shaded Domain Lvl 1

Congratulations The Skill Plant Control has merged with Root Control and become Plant Dominance ® Skill level has been adjusted

Congratulations The Skill Aura of Enmity has merged with Cruel Indignation of Yggdrasil Skill level has been adjusted

Randidly laughed aloud then frowned and tapped his chin The bonuses themselves were wonderful double digits in all three attributes would mean his survivability and burst power would increase by a whole order of magnitude if he had access a bunch of levels The 5 attribute was also the highest that Randidly had ever seen and was only the base Beyond that he had earned 3 addition stat levels ups and 1 to a P Def 1 to M Supp and 1 to Control It was unfortunate that the points he had to distribute also included a P Def and Control and didn’t have any Strength or Agility but

But Randidly’s expression turned more grim as he looked at the remaining Skills portion of the Class Only 10 Skills remaining

It was true that at the moment his Skills seemed to be more than enough but would that case continue If he needed to make more Skills for whatever reason or increase his Skill Sets

Ah but Skill sets only counted as one didn’t they That was some small comfort Which eased the very uncomfortable restraints put on him by the System But based upon what Lucretia and Neveah told him the tightness was necessary because it would provide a base that would allow his Class to grow high

He hadn’t really thought about it overmuch but what they hadn’t really considered was WHAT the Class was going into During his time in Shal’s world he was made aware that there was the 25 and 50 level tournaments but beyond that 50 he wasn’t sure what happened to Classes Based upon all reports the leveling slowed to a crawl after 45 No one in Donnyton had reached 49 yet let alone 50 although several would likely do just that within the next month

Was there some sort of qualitative change to Classes Did it have to do with the Skills that were obtained every 10 levels And how high did the leveling system go Was it capped at 50

Lucretia is there a level cap Randidly said inwardly concentrating on his Soulskill sending his whisper throughout its air

But there was no answer Frowning Randidly turned his attention to it only to notice that something was occuring within the Soul Skill Unlike its normal slow march of time right now it was frozen as his Class settled around him It seemed some influence of the Class was sinking into it as he considered the issue

Perhaps after whatever was occurring finished he could figure this out Honestly Randidly chided himself for not thinking of this and asking sooner but there were so many other things to give attention to

For now Randidly considered his new Skills The merging of Root Control and Plant Control to create Plant Dominance was nice and easy to understand But the rest

Spray Holy Sap (Un) As a Planting of the Forest of Enmity you constantly produce an amount of sap Once per day you may spray this sap This will either heal an ally bind and enemy or do a large amount of physical and mental damage to an enemy Strength of Effect increases with Skill Level Every 10 levels decrease the Cooldown of the Skill by an hour to a minimum of 1 hour (Synergy with Emerald Sap of Yggdrasil detected Efficacy increased by the Skill level of Synergized Skill)

Sharpness Spend a small amount of Mana to increase the sharpness of bladed weapons Also increases the durability to a small degree Efficacy increases with Skill level

Call Grove Defenders ® As a Planting of the Forest of Enmity minions of Enmity flock to your standard You may spend 1000 Mana to summon some of those minions to your side For each summoning a Statistic must be selected to base their form upon Their ability to fight increases with Skill level and as the chosen stat increases Special characteristics of minions increase with Skill level and as the chosen stat increases

Earthquake (Un) Create a localized earthquake in your surrounding area Will destabilize terrain in your target area Subterranean enemies will take increased damage Effect increases with SKill level Mana Cost decreases with Skill level

Invigorating Call (Humanity) (Un) Shout raising the spirits of all humans nearby Heals them for a small amount and doubles their regeneration for a short time Efficacy increases with Skill level

Four Shaded Domain Call down the influence of the Four Shaded Eternity surrounding yourself with its power and influence Within its area receive small buffs to Wisdom Focus Strength and Reaction while opponents receive debuffs to the same Size of change increases with Skill Level Area of Effect increases with Skill Level

The first four were clearly from his Skill while the final two were likely from some of his bonuses Randidly had truly obtained 6 Skills from his Class but two were absorbed by greedy other Skills At least Root Control had the decency of changing its Skill name indicating that the combination had an effect

As for the Skills themselves they weren’t overwhelming but Randidly could see their uses The Sap undoubtedly had a powerful effect not that he needed another strong finishing move but it would work well as an emergency healing measure After all he no longer just needed to worry about himself It remained to be seen whether a full party of 10 was necessary but all the slots were being filled just in case

Randidly’s mouth narrowed into a thin line After all they couldn’t afford to fail

Sharpness and Earthquake might not be impressive now but Randidly suspected they were the type of thing that would grow to an unbelievable effect if he worked at them both long enough Of course that was a matter of time and honestly that was the thing that he just hadn’t had after leaving the prison in Shal’s world

Still since he was going into a Raid Dungeon there should be some time difference and with that he would have some time but it wasn’t likely everything he needed

More interesting to Randidly was Grove Defenders It was another summoning type Skill which he had tried before but this was another one that appeared to make different types depending on which stat he used It would be interesting to experiment and see all the types And if they would get stronger both by his Stat and by him leveling the Skill a lot of potential of growth for him there

What was strange to Randidly about the final two Skills was the fact that there was only two of them He frowned at the two of them These were clearly from the first two influences Another healing buff made to help defend humanity and then something relating to his Soulskill Both useful but what about the other 3

The choice of buffs was somewhat strange but Randidly supposed it was based on the races in his Soul Skill Wisdom would be Weavers Focus Spriggits Reaction the Hunters and the Golems were Strength They would hold back his enemies and boost him Mostly that Strength buff was interesting to Randidly but he suspected everything would be useful

Just depended on how costly it was to maintain well Randidly supposed that it would work out with his large growth rates of his attributes now

The lack of any Skills or bonuses whatsoever to his Class based on the bonuses was annoying but perhaps he had been hoping for too much Like Lucretia always emphasized a Class was a tower The base was never supposed to be impressive just sturdy As it grew only as it began to tower over the people below would it be clear how well designed it was

Randidly looked at his hands Hatred tempered with Mercy huh

His hands tightened into fists This was his path then It was only a matter of time before he walked farther down this path and discovered the answers that he wanted What were Classes Why did the System insist upon them

But what Randidly was amused by was that there was now a new function that displayed his growth rates And when he looked at everything he had earned himself per level after all this time he couldn’t help but smile

Growth per Level +5 (Vit Per Resist Int or Control) 3 free Stat +1 M Stat 1 P Def 1 M Supp +1 Control 20 health 24 mana +23 Stamina (+ 5 regen per level) (+1 Health and Stamina Regen per level) +20 Progenitor’s influence

Chapter 402

After cracking his neck Randidly stood The area around him had been reduced to a glass smooth crater He scratched his ear Apparently some of his Aether had escaped in a major way due to his lack of control during the process because a casual kick from Randidly wasn’t enough to even scuff the empowered ground beneath him It seemed that so much concentrated Aether had the benefit of strengthening even something as basic as the ground

If he had put this in a more useful position

But Randidly shook his head banishing the thought Better to stay focused for now Even though he wanted to explore a bit and try out his new Skills better to head back to Donnyton and then gather everyone up to head North towards the Raid Dungeon There was one thing that Randidly wanted to do before he went in there if he could help it

In case he failed he had to check

Again Randidly shook his head That was for later

His Soul Skill seemed to be still in its strange transition period so Randidly instead reached out for Neveah She didn’t respond but he could sense her nearby her body waiting while he performed the ceremony to obtain a Class Although Randidly suspected that he could move very quickly especially now and it wouldn’t be difficult at all to obtain a few Levels he figured it wasn’t worth the effort

Those first few Levels would be easy to get either way So Randidly just walked over towards Nevaeh who appeared to have dug a trench out for herself a fair bit away from him

Neveah Are you Randidly reached the edge of the trench and looked down Then he began to frown

A small bird formed out of the air condensing on his shoulder It chirped at him

Randidly shook his head No I don’t think it’s bad but it certainly throws a wrench in things

Lucifer sat as still as he could but his traitorous toes gave away his excitement by tapping excitedly It was dawn and he had arrived in Donnyton After he had been given a delicious meal he was now brought to the staging area where he was given an interspatial pouch filled with 20 of the highest tiered potions he’d ever seen although he wasn’t going to reveal that now

Standing with his arms crossed he surveyed the other people who had already arrived Alana was there of course looking as surly and serious as ever two spears strapped to her back and a shield to her arm Standing nervously next to her was a young girl absolutely strapped with armor and next to her there was a tall grizzly bear rubbing its belly

There was also Clarissa and Ptolemy who Lucifer recognized who he assumed would be the mages for their expedition Although Franksburg’s militia was improving by leaps and bounds that was one area that they still had to rely on Donnyton for which rankled somewhat The mages that came out of this small town were absolutely inspired

Like what you see

Lucifer barely controlled his urge to jump and spared a sidelong glance to a very pretty woman with long dark hair tied behind her head in a ponytail She gave him a saccharine sweet smile and waggled a finger at him

Annie the White Arrow they called her Just standing here Why not introduce yourself We are going to be teammates aren’t we Let’s get friendly

She linked her arm in his and started walking What was shocking was that she had enough Strength to forcibly drag him across the area towards the final duo that was currently waiting an athletic man with short golden hair and a woman who looked like she was constantly taking notes The two looked up as Lucifer was dragged over by Annie and the man smiled

You The man said pointing to Lucifer have the making of a truly great villain Never stop chasing that dream kid

That’s not how you greet people the note taker said then glanced at Lucifer scanning him up and down Lucifer had gotten used to being looked at both before and after the System’s arrival due to his height and long bright orange hair Now that lanky frame of his was covered in a layer of muscle which drew even more eyes to him Combined with the large cleaver he often carried across his back

But the way this woman looked at him was disturbingly clinical as though she could see right through him It made the sleepy beast in Lucifer’s heart suppressed by shyness wake a little one eyelid trembling But then the woman extended her hand and the moment was past

I’m Rose Calloway I believe I’ll be in charge of analysis and tactics on our expedition This is Ace You are

Lucifer frowned Rose and Ace Those were not names that he was familiar with based on the dossiers that he read of Donnyton’s personnel And to go so far as to say she would be in charge of analysis and tactics well hopefully she had the ability to back up that claim

this is Lucifer He’s from the South and even worse at making friends than Randidly so keep that in mind Annie said removing her arm from Lucifer’s and casting him an amused look Lucifer managed to shrug trying to look nonchalant inwardly sweating Still it might be hard to tell now but these people were undoubtedly all strong There was no reason to dismiss them Better to just extend an olive branch

Lucifer running on a flash of nervous energy extended a hand and put it on Ace’s shoulder Then as calmly as he could he spoke

Heeyy It came out as a low growl hanging in the air Ace’s eyes met his Very rapidly Lucifer felt the attitude between them change Tension crept out of hiding for both of them as they both began to glower more and more strongly Lucifer realized abruptly how what he had done could come across as threatening but now he could only sit back helplessly as the instincts of the beast inside of him took over

The other groups looked over Alana’s eyes narrowed as she looked on and she quietly drew one of her spears

You Ace said his eyes squinted Then his face broke and he sighed You might be the most talented villain I’ve ever seen That flashy appearance that deadpan expression that gravelly voice You make enemies everywhere you go don’t you I’m so jealous

Ace patted Lucifer’s shoulder a few times then walked away a sad expression on his face Lucifer scratched his cheek That turned out fine

An older man with short grey hair came out of a nearby building carrying a long package and looked around at the group of them quizzically Not here yet Christ that boy

Annie laughed You saw that spike of energy to the North It just abated He can’t be two places at once

Yet And suddenly Lucifer’s perception narrowed focusing on the tall young man that had appeared in their midst his shoulder length black hair swishing lightly from his obvious momentum The ground beneath him remained undamaged which made Lucifer’s heart pound

To stop without damage at that sort of speed

He looked just the way he did in Lucifer’s memories but he felt so much more So much more focused and real so much heavier The air was thick with his presence His eyes flashed emerald as he scanned through them all But apparently what he found there wasn’t what he was expecting

And when the Ghosthound frowned that weight turned piercing Alana where’s your second We should leave soon

Thea’s my plus one for this dance Alana said putting her hand on the shoulder of the young girl For her part the girl looked extremely nervous just looking at the ground in the face of the Ghosthound Lucifer could understand that There was an intensity to that gaze that made him uncomfortable as well Still the beast in his chest would never allow himself to look away if the Ghosthound initiated contact no matter how uncomfortable Lucifer himself was

But the Ghosthound’s eyes softened as he looked at the girl Thea and he said nothing Instead he nodded and turned away

There’s a 10th spot yes Clarissa asked tapping her wrists Who will be our final member

Another from the North The Ghosthound said this time looking at Ace who waved good naturedly at him with a cheesy grin Almost in spite of himself the Ghosthound’s mouth curved up into a grin From East End Ace you’ll accompany to ask for their assistance yes

Ace’s happy expression fell away Instead his face twisted into a combination of pain and guilt It was so strong that even Lucifer could discern it so it was indeed extremely overt The Ghosthound frowned in response and it was Rose who stepped forward with a hesitant expression

No offense meant but that is not the best idea The two of them did not part on good terms Rose explained The Ghosthound said nothing Ace’s foot began to tap again

Well then I’ll go alone The Ghosthound said turning away Mrs Hamilton and their research specialist Daniel were hurrying over As they made a beeline for him The Ghosthound turned over his shoulder and said Introduce yourselves to each other familiarize each other with everyone’s Skills It’s just a hunch but I suspect we won’t have an easy time in the Raid Dungeon Strength isn’t enough we are gonna need teamwork

Chapter 403

After they had heard the details of his Class both Mrs Hamilton and Daniel seemed extremely excited They demanded the details of every Skill and after getting the details they shooed him away as they excitedly discussed the particulars of what he obtained Apparently his worries about not obtaining anything from the bonuses were unfounded Randidly could only assume Otherwise their behavior didn’t make much sense

Hey kid Hearing Sam’s voice Randidly turned and looked at him The old man was carrying a large package that made Randidly’s face break out into a large grin Sam nodded some of the same glee coming into his eyes

Yes it’s just like you think I finished this beauty for you this morning If I had more time or could obtain better materials well I’ll let the work speak for itself Sam handed over the package Randidly’s smile widened as he felt the weight enough that his arms actually strained to hold it It was a spear that he would need to grow into which was exciting

Carefully he removed the cloth wrapping revealing a long steel grey spear a completely whole piece of equipment all forged of one extremely long bone

Spine Spear of an Ogre Gargantuan Lvl 44 A titanic spear forged from the spine of an Ogre Gargantuan Extremely dense the bones of the Ogre Gargantuan are a combination of calcified carbon and iron leading to a metallic feel The creator of this weapon is a fine artisan and was able to bring out its inner potential to the fullest Flash of the Dawn III +30 Strength The Skill Heavy Blows is automatically activated when the spear is swung for no cost

Flash of the Dawn III Forged in the fires of dawn there is a 30% to strike with additional sun based damage and a 3% chance to cause an explosion of solar power with a strike

Randidly laughed aloud Nothing but Strength from the Spear huh The bonus from both the constant Skill activation and the forging method were extra bonuses too With this Randidly finally had a weapon other than that strange Aether spear to use

Well his expression became solemn as he looked at the spear This spear was powerful but it wouldn’t help to fight against the Creature who was lurking at the end of the Dungeon His idea about spraying stiffened and useless meaning into the Creature was worth looking into as well as investigating that small amount of powder that Mrs Hamilton had provided him that caused Aether to burn more quickly

After all pick your weapon based upon your prey

Well Sam asked his voice gruff Randidly abruptly felt somewhat embarrassed and swung the spear around enjoying the weight of it It was difficult at first as his body adjusted but the Strength bonus from using it made it just possible As he grew used to it his strikes grew wider more fluid his Yggdrasil bonuses kicking in boosting his physical capabilities far beyond what a human should be capable up

Alana whistled her appreciation while Rose watched Randidly intently furiously taking notes Immediately Randidly stopped swinging the spear feeling somewhat embarrassed It wasn’t like he wanted to hide his Skills from her she would have plenty of chances to find out later while they were in the dungeon But it just seemed a bit braggy to perform like this

Yea Sam it’s perfect Randidly said meaning every word pointing the huge grey thing towards the sky Sam nodded in satisfaction

With that no more soft attacks from you eh Well that’s about it from me Just eh be careful alright Sam smacked Randidly’s shoulder then walked away

Looking at his departing back Randidly didn’t know what to say Should he have offered a hug

Scratching his neck Randidly focused inward and looked at his new status with all his new equipment his new Class almost an entirely new person his strength rising to another level entirely without even him gaining Levels There was also the fact that he still had PP that he needed to put into a Path There was so much room for his strength to grow

Class Planting of the Forest of Enmity (+x5)

Level 1

Health(/R per hour) 2920/2190 (+730) (852 (+165

Mana(/R per hour) 2149/2149 (373 (+9

Stam(/R per min) 2350/2290 (+60) (288 (+45

Vit 208 (+15)

End 120 (+20)

Str 183 (+52)

Agi 237 (+24)

Perception 199 (+20)

Reaction 211 (+15)

Resistance 167 (+45)

Willpower 277 (+10)

Intelligence 196

Wisdom 128 (+9)

Control 298

Focus 255 (+4)

Progenitor’s Influence 170

Equipment Master’s Fine Leather Belt Lvl 49 (Vit +5 Str +5 Agi +5 WP +10 Resist +15 Wis +9 Focus +4 Per +10 Health +100) Masterwork Bone Cloak Lvl 50 (Vitality Strength Agility Reaction and Perception +10 Health +300 Resistance +30 Twilight Manipulation Lvl 75) Tough Leather Armor Lvl 41 (Health +200 Endurance +20 Reaction +5 Strength +7 Agility +9 Health R +100 Stamina R +30 5% Lifesteal) Spine Spear of an Ogre Gargantuan Lvl 44 (+30 Str)

Paths Newbie 7/7 P Def 10/10 M Supp 10/10 Risk Taker 15/15 Basic Physical Fitness 20/20 Trainee 15/15 Wandering Survivor 20/20 Pathless I 5/5 Pathless II 5/5 Pathless III 10/10 Pathfinder 15/15 Disciple of Shal 37/37 Pathless IV 10/10 Pathless V 15/15 Pathless VI 15/15 Pathless VII 20/20 Pathless VIII 20/20 Pathless IX 25/25 Pathless X 50/50 Pathless 100/100 Mana Bolt Path 25/25 Phys Fitness 25/25 Evasion 35/35 Phantom Thrust Path 40/40 Spear Mastery I 50/50 Monster Slayer I 1/1 Monster Slayer II 3/3 Heavy Blow Path 20/20 Monster Slayer III 6/6 Monster Slayer IV 12/12 Monster Slayer V 25/25 Potion Making I 25/25 The Monster Slayer 100/100 Entangling Roots 40/40 Meditation 35/35 Frontrunner 100/100 Apprentice Path 50/50 Fireball I Path 50/50 Potion Making II 35/35 Spear Mastery II 75/75 Phantom Thrust II 75/75 Empower I 60/60 Root Manipulation I 75/75 Advanced Phys Fitness 100/100 Fighting Proficiency I 80/80 The Lonesome Spear 100/100 Path of Carnage V 1000/1000 Oathbreaker 25/25 Grace I 75/75 Fighting Proficiency II 100/100 Weeping that Falls like Rain 200/200 Aether Philanthropist 1/1 Tireless 50/50 Initiate of Ash I 75/75 Bacterial Mutation I 125/125 Initiate of Ash II 150/150 Anguish I 125/125 Intermediate Battle Intent 200/200 The Ash of Aemont the Spear Phantom 500/500 Steps of the Godling I 50/50 Mentalist I 50/50 Basic Mana Engraving 100/100 Adept(+1) 250/250 Basic Soul Bond 75/75

Skills (Soul Skill) Four Shaded Clockwork World Lvl 1752

Combat Spear Mastery Lvl 151 White Phantom’s Half Step (Un) Lvl 52 Heavy Blow Lvl 74 Dagger Mastery Lvl 10 Iron Skin Lvl 47 Dodge Lvl 80 Fighting Proficiency Lvl 120 Block Lvl 54 Phantom Onslaught Lvl 42 Sweep Lvl 54 Spear Deflect Lvl 10 Calculated Blow Lvl 78 Roundhouse Kick Lvl 41 Idiosyncratic Cut (Un) Lvl 70 Pierce the Skies Shatter the Earth Lvl 39 Body Control Freeze Lvl 27 Stalemate Breaker Lvl 29 Talon Strike Lvl 38 Counter Lvl 1

PoFE Class Skills Plant Dominance ® Lvl 72 Spray Holy Sap (Un) Lvl 1 Sharpness Lvl 1 Call Grove Defenders ® Lvl 1 Earthquake (Un) Lvl 1 Invigorating Call (Humanity)(Un) Lvl 1 Four Shaded Domain Lvl 1

The 7 Kata of the Ashen Spear The Spear Advances Ash Trails Lvl 51 As the Sun Stills &&

Aether Skills Aether Detection Lvl 70 Aether Manipulation Lvl 71 Living Aether ® Lvl 83 System Interference Lvl 8

Spells Spearing Roots Lvl 70 Mana Bolt Lvl 28 Mana Shield Lvl 32 Arcane Orb Lvl 22 Fireball Lvl 30 Magic Missile Lvl 4 Healing Palm Lvl 12 Pollen of the Rafflesia Lvl 20 Summon Pestilence Lvl 54 Wall of Thorns Lvl 20 Soul Seed ® Inspiration ® Incinerating Bolt Lvl 79 Circle of Flame Lvl 53 Plantomancy Lvl 35 Hammer of the Dawn Lvl 37 Burning Footsteps Lvl 23 Ashes to Ashes Lvl 24 Touch from Beyond ® Lvl 13

Yggdrasil Glittering Leaves of Yggdrasil Lvl 101 The Golden Roots of Yggdrasil Lvl 100 the Emerald Sap of Yggdrasil Lvl 96 the Yyrwood Flesh of Yggdrasil Lvl 104 the Indomitable Spirit of Yggdrasil Lvl 97 the Cruel Indignation of Yggdrasil Lvl 99

Auxiliary Sneak Lvl 46 Acid Resistance Lvl 22 Poison Resistance Lvl 21 Pain Resistance Lvl 61 First Aid Lvl 16 Pathfinding Lvl 18 Fire Resistance Lvl 23 Sewing Lvl 11 Cutting Vegetables Lvl 2 Manual Labor Lvl 6 Digging Lvl 5 Cooking Lvl 53 Clockwork Mastery Lvl 16 Aether Connection Lvl 3 Soul Bond Lvl 76 Chef’s Palate Lvl 24 Nether Resistance Lvl 3

Level UP +5 (Vit Per Resist Int or Control) 3 free Stat +1 M Stat 1 P Def 1 M Supp +1 Control 20 health 24 mana +23 Stamina (+ 5 regen per level) (+1 Health and Stamina Regen per level) +20 Progenitor’s influence

Soul Skill Bonuses +16% Concentration +12% hearing and vision range +4% size Immunity +8%

Where is Neveah Alana asked coming to stand next to Randidly distracting him from his Stats Randidly pressed his lips into a thin line

I I don’t know Well I know but Randidly turned and looked to the Northeast Where his Soulbound companion still lay dormant she’s transforming somehow Something to do with me gaining a Class I expect So for now I’d love to wait for her but

To Randidly’s surprise the next person to step next to him was Annie a NCC child developed a cough today They brought her into the clinic the parents more bewildered than worried But

Yea Randidly said nodding turning away They didn’t have time to wait for Neveah and whatever was going on His Soul Skill too was still transitioning which was annoying but hopefully that would stop soon as it was showing definite signs of changes

Ready everyone Randidly said looking around Alana Annie Thea (and Chrysanthemum) Ptolemy Clarissa Lucifer Ace and Rose Including Randidly that was 9 people A party of their best Perhaps not THE best that could be fielded but a flexible group that wouldn’t debilitate Donnyton by being away

Turning Randidly looked North but now Northwest Towards the East End Village Then let’s head out Time to visit an old friend

Chapter 404

It was raining when he arrived in East End Of the companions for the Raid Dungeon only Ptolemy and Rose had taken Randidly up on his offer to accompany him to East End Thea had wandered off to spend time with Simon while Alana and Annie had dragged Lucifer off somewhere to spar

Ace had disappeared much to Randidly’s chagrin almost immediately after they arrived in town and Clarissa was much more interested in talking with mages in Star Crossing to see what sort of spells they had developed whether there were any unusual Classes Randidly thought this was a mission given to her by Mrs Hamilton but Clarissa seemed to enjoy it well enough so Randidly said nothing

So there they stood at the gates of East End a steady drizzle turning the world around them grey Randidly’s hair plastered to his skull Ptolemy had a cloak and Rose had an umbrella Briefly Randidly considered pulling up the hood of his bone cloak but

Not only were the bones rather poor at keeping water out but also pulling up the hood would activate the twilight effect and hide his face and figure from view There was no point in spooking out the people of East End more than he had to

Randidly had also considered breaking into East End just making his way through the town and tracking down Sydney but that felt wrong There was a strange nervousness in Randidly’s chest when he thought about meeting Sydney one that he had never felt in the past This meeting was different somehow Perhaps because they had both assumed that this would be their final permanent separation Or at least Randidly had He had thought she was dead for so long

Ace was his best friend but Sydney Sydney had been a part of his life for far far longer So long that even now after the period of time stretched by the System she still felt like a permanent fixture in his memories

You’ll be wanting let in I expect An old man said looking down from the roof of the building in front of them His eyes were narrowed and suspicious Randidly blinked He had no idea how long he had been standing here Both Rose and Ptolemy had stayed silent the entire time they had remained here content to wait his mood out Which was perhaps a mistake but luckily this man had brought his attention back to himself

Yes Randidly managed He wasn’t nervous he was just This was a person that he had thought long dead That he had mourned That he had ignored knowledge of to solve other problems There was a complicated system of pulleys and ropes that almost bound him with guilt rendering him unable to run away but also unable to approach

The old man hocked and spat and thumped on the ground with a club With a groaning noise the wall of metal that blocked off the doors to the East End Mini Mall were drawn back allowing passage

Welcome to East End the man whispered turning away walking back through the sheets of rain to wherever he had been watching Randidly from

Turning a mall into a Village was a fascinating prospect As long as the walls were sturdy it provided a natural shape that would make defending the Village that much easier There were also quite a variety of supplies contained in the mall that would make living in the wake of the System that much easier Donnyton was currently reaching a point where it could no longer feasibly import its paper products including toilet paper tampons and writing paper from Franksburg

At this point Franksburg itself was realizing the crisis that it was about to face as it ran into shortages of those items and prices skyrocketed So Donnyton could only helplessly watch and push some people into getting Classes related to paper production

Meanwhile at a location like this there was a higher amount of pre System resources to rely on which would make the transition that much easier

It also Randidly mused as they walked into the main part of the mall made the fashion here a bit strange

The mall was a huge sprawling three floor building filled with shops and boutiques catering mostly to the rich but also containing a fair amount of grungy specialty shops designed to cater to the spoiled children of the rich allowing them to act out just enough to catch daddy’s attention So the people wore a mixture of strange RPG esque belts and suits creating something a strangely steampunk semi formal vibe

It made Randidly shake his head in amusement There was clearly some sort of weird fashion thing going on here and he could feel Sydney’s hand in it She always had the right amount of flair to turn the ordinary into a statement

Randidly made no attempt to speak with the average person but walked forward heading through an area dominated by shoe stores turned into a strange mixture of textiles and armor production facilities But then Rose tapped his shoulder

I know my way to my contacts from here She announced giving him a slow look Randidly said nothing so Rose just shrugged and looked at Ptolemy I wouldn’t mind introducing you as well if you

Please the man said nodding and the two of them walked off barely sparing Randidly a glance

His mouth curled up into a sardonic grin He must have really stood out there in the rain for a while for them to treat him so coldly So long that the gate watcher had come out of his little hidey hole to speak with them ostensibly because he felt bad they had waited so long And that man from their brief interaction appeared quite bitter It would have taken a while

Randidly could only sigh His relationship with Sydney was always strange Always just a little bit

Mr Ghosthound When I heard that someone matching your description entered East End I can’t say I was pleased As Randidly turned he saw a man in loose leather armors walking towards him It was the guard leader Drake The man flashed him a short smile You must forgive me for preparing for the worst

Randidly could hear the archers about him moving as silently as they could on the 2nd and 3rd levels getting in position The middle portions of the mall were open so they could look down from the upper levels to the hole in the middle and peer down towards him Honestly it made him want to laugh It was amusing and refreshing to be so honestly threatened

And so underestimated

I’d like to meet with Sydney Randidly said doing his best to not let the words stick in his throat although they were as slimy and floppy as a live trout Drake stood but said nothing simply drumming his fingers on one of his leather belts Smiling Randidly settled in to wait

There were three things that Randidly knew about Sydney and no matter what happened even if something similar to the trauma that had befallen Ace had happened to her these parts of her would not change The first was that she was missing something some part of her that let her empathize easily with other people For that reason many people had called her a cunt or retarded or ripped up her notebooks poured spilled milk in her backpack or 1000 other small pranks that were designed to make her miserable

Every one of those people who had given her these small slights would find that that missing piece of her freed up room in her head so that she could perfectly remember those people who she wanted to pay back And she was vicious and vindictive when she had the upper hand

The steps were slow and even solid clicks making it clear that she was wearing heels Because of his boosted Perception he could hear her walking towards him on the 2nd floor when she was still 100 meters away But also because the people had disappeared and the mall around him was almost silent save for the breathing of the guards

The second thing was that Sydney liked making an entrance She always believed that no matter what people said those aesthetics were the first thing people saw and the last thing that someone would forget about you For that reason Randidly suspected that when Sydney realized what the System was what it meant she had seized this location purposefully

Her base being set up here was not a coincidence this location had elements that she valued and she had carefully chosen to be located here She had created for herself a place where she was in her strongest element But that again was not quite true Randidly could tell If she truly was confident about facing him she would have summoned him back to her base not come out here to meet him

Shocked at himself Randidly shook his head as the footsteps came closer Why was he thinking about her like she was an enemy This was Sydney

The footsteps stopped Randidly looked up

Her eyes met his They sized each other up

Randidly watched as her thin hands seized the handrail squeezing it until her knuckles were white And then further until the handrail warped bent by her strength

Randidly Ghosthound Sydney said almost sighing as she looked at him She was wearing a deep purple dress with a small leather jacket pulled over her shoulders There were three belts across her hips and beneath the hem of her dress boots peeked out

Although she was more ridiculous than ever it was so familiar that it was bittersweet But to explain why was a bit

Sydney Harp Randidly said simply surprised at how easily the name came out

She smiled but it was self mocking Well let’s go then I suppose we have a lot to talk about

Chapter 405

Sydney Harp remembered very specifically waking up as a two year old and fixedly pawing at the latch to her crib Eventually by some miracle her fingers caught the latch and her crib fell open From there she pushed herself off of it and landed on the ground harder than she had intended

After a brief silent cry she stood and tottered off heading to the window Because that was the source of her current fury

She couldn’t make it to any of the windows in her room but the Harp family living room had a couch she could climb up on that would give her a view out of the window and to her neighbors’ house Also luckily for Sydney her parents always left her door cracked so they could hear her if she began crying

Which she never did of course but it made them paranoid that she was a crier they were just missing it And so she could use her two year old hands to pry open the door and slowly stumble towards the kitchen From there she moved to the living room and then spent around 10 minutes working herself up onto the cushy couch

Then another 10 minutes to get up to the top part from one of the arms so she would walk along to the side by the window and press her nose against it peering out towards her mortal enemy

Because out there in the darkness of the night a baby was crying She could see his window and Sydney was sure it was a he the house to their house’s left with a light in one of the uppermost windows as he was left to cry himself to sleep every night

Syd sometimes I wonder if you aren’t trying to run away from home

Sydney jumped spinning around Her 10 year old older brother stood behind her hands on his hips superman onesie zipped to his chin

I’d come with you if you were Zack her brother added I’m tired of all the vegetables in this joint

Sydney frowned but said nothing She could speak but had only practiced it in secret because she was aghast at how slurred her words sounded She resolved herself that she would only speak when her English was perfect So she pointed violently out the window towards the lit up window in the house next door insistent

Zack crawled up next to her humming Oh the Ghosthound kid Yea he’s a whiny baby Careful you don’t end up like him You know he’s your brother right So you are a crybaby like that too

Wide eyed Sydney stared at Zack drinking in every word He nodded clearly satisfied with the attention Ask mom and dad You two were born on the same day right next to each other So you are connected And that’s that

And so it was

Sydney was fascinated by this strange relative that her parents hadn’t told her about and watched him carefully for the next three years All in all she found him profoundly unimpressive

His hair was always messy he always looked at the ground and when he spoke he mumbled half his words so he was impossible to understand

So when they coincidentally had a birthday party in the same park at the same time because of course their birthdays were on the same day and they lived in a small town Sydney resolved herself to make contact with the sloppy boy Inform him that if they had to be related the very least he could do is practice his speech a bit

Everything went wrong immediately Sydney had approached the boy Randidly and dragged him to the sandbox behind the hedges There she had demanded an explanation and he just looked at her dumbly He also just backed away as she advanced towards him until he tripped and fell on his butt

Then his eyes crinkled and a telltale look went over his face Sydney’s heart filled with dread he was about to cry

Her hand shot out and grabbed his mouth yanking him forward until they were nose to nose

Don’t you dare You are better than this Sydney whispered her eyes narrowed And to his credit he didn’t cry Randidly just stared at her But then just as she escaped disaster things took a turn for the unforgivable

Ha I found em mom They are kissing back here Jack called over his shoulder a 13 year old who was too cool for his sister’s party taking out a bit of his angst on her Sydney leaped backward away from Randidly but it was too late

Sydney’s mother and father walked over chortling looking over at the two of them with the most disgusting eyes that Sydney had ever seen

It’s good to be young Her father said kissing the crown of her mother’s head

Her mother laughed It’s a little early but those two have a special connection don’t they

Sydney knew they were saying something but she was still a bit too young to be able to parse apart what So she just stayed silent and stayed away from Randidly And she did research By watching Disney movies

About a month later horrified Sydney stomped into her parents’ room You think I love Randidly

Her mother looked up from her book a mild expression on her face Now what gave you that idea

You you He’s gross Sydney grasped for words and then just blurted out the first thing that came to mind It wasn’t clever or eloquent and she hated how childish she sounded but goddammit it was true Randidly was gross and she couldn’t believe they had believed Jack when he had said she had been kissing him

After laughing quietly the older woman picked up Sydney in a huge hug Aw he’s not that bad Honestly I think he’s kinda cute Here look at him And with that her mother took Sydney over to the window and they looked out it together

Outside Randidly had drawn a line in the dirt and was throwing a ball at a tree from that line Sometimes Randidly would hit the tree and then he would walk pick up the ball and then throw it again More often he missed the tree and he would just chase down his little ball and then walk back to the line

He’s an idiot Sydney said scathingly Then she winced as her mother pinched her cheek

That’s not nice to say But you aren’t wrong Sydney’s mother looked at the boy then up to the house beside him which was silent and empty Her eyes took on a pained look Still there are worse things in the world to be than dumb Dumb might be unexciting but it’s predictable dependable

And she added her face twisting into a smile At least he’s not ugly

Sydney nodded absorbing this lesson She watched her mother’s face shift again becoming bitter And sometimes there are forces in the world more powerful than the choices you make Sunshine Sometimes Sometimes you just need to do the best you can with what you are given because everything else is too much Even when you are otherwise so strong when otherwise you are so loved

Her mother trailed off and Sydney’s gaze turned from her face to the boy below throwing balls at the tree

A month later both Sydney and Randidly started 1st grade at the same school although much to Sydney’s relief they were assigned to different classes Later that week Sydney was told by her mother that her father had gone away to someplace called Rehab so he could adjust his diet because he had done too many unhealthy things

He would never come back because before Sydney had turned 6 he had relapsed and died of a heroin overdose During that same time Randidly’s father and mother were divorced During the summer after that year again Sydney would go to the window and look out it at her neighbor And as always he would be there throwing the ball at the tree He hadn’t even gotten noticeably better which drove Sydney insane

Yet she still would watch him

Predictable dependable Every day she watched him

Due to the timeliness of their trauma they both began acting out in class during 1st grade and often spent time together forced and terse time where they barely spoke But he was always there by her side

Sydney Jack and her mother moved away before the start of 4th grade She didn’t bother to say goodbye which she regretted for a whole 8 months They were now in a different state after all The chances they would see each other again were so small that not even Sydney’s mother would have suspected they would meet again

In the summer after 6th grade Sydney discovered boys and would spend her days hanging around the baseball park that was in her neighborhood whispering with her friends as boys walked by

One day a girl dragged her over to one of the little league games to watch a team getting creamed Bemused Sydney followed And then she sat down transfixed the entire game because she recognized that boy She knew every idiosyncratic twitch in his throwing form It was Randidly and he still hadn’t gotten any better at throwing the ball

After the game ended she followed him back to his car ditching her friends His dad was there his heavy hand on Randidly’s shoulder guiding him back to the car And when they were safely hidden between cars Sydney heard the loud and echo y sound of a hand hitting flesh

Peeking around a red SUV she saw Randidly lip trembling standing in front of his dad Sydney’s heart seized Jesus not again

But then Randidly gulped it all down and his face went blank and numb His dad nodded approving and they kept walking

Sydney’s wheels whirred That hadn’t gone how she had predicted it would

Chapter 406

Sydney tried for the entire walk back from the South end of the mall to the staircase to the roof to think of the word that could describe how she felt being near Randidly after so long To her surprise it was most aptly described as a violent apathy She could feel her emotions smashing leftwards and rightwards furiously but there was no need for an outlet She seemed eminently content to remain silent feeling nothing

Perhaps the real problem was that she had been struggling to quash her hope for the past several months that the absurd name Randidly Ghosthound actually referred to HER Randidly Ghosthound And then she had been furious how much she wished it was him Then she felt guilty for wishing so vehemently that it wasn’t him and that she sorta hoped she would stumble across his dead body in a ditch so she could finally put the damn emotions to rest

On and on they would cycle swirling within herself a snake chasing its tail continuing forever Or it would have Had not he actually come actually been Randidly causing her emotions to grind to a halt Now

Now she did her best to ignore him as she walked purposefully forward When they reached the roof she paused waiting for his reaction Although it had taken some doing Sydney didn’t regret building a miniature castle on top of the mall a sprawling hulking behemoth of a thing that had taken her months It certainly looked sinister now though especially in profile Plus doing it had done wonders for her in the beginning giving her a fanatical purpose and also grinding some Skills up to the point she could begin finishing Paths and gaining useful Skills

Randidly peered up at it his face solemn ignoring the rain plastering his hair to his skull

At this moment while he examined the heavy stone castle on top of the mall Sydney allowed herself to really examine him looking at him and more specifically what he was wearing

The most obvious and the eye catching thing was the strange cloak he was wearing that appeared to be some sort of bone mail made entirely of tiny rings of bone At first Sydney had assumed it was some sort of metal but there was a hollow clinking sound when the different pieces shifted which was completely different than the noise metal would have made In addition each of those small rings of bone was covered in strange runes Sometimes they would flash with a strange energy as Randidly moved

Now though as he stood still he was just covered in a strange bulky white cloak It almost looked silly but Sydney’s instincts told her that it wasn’t a simple thing After all even the idea of threading so many of those bones together gave her the pangs of an oncoming headache Whoever had produced this cloak had spent an incredible amount of time working on it shaping it to be just so

Underneath the cloak Sydney could make out a set of leathers lightly dyed red that were even more impressive East End had its own tanners and leather workers and although they had heard how proficient the forges of Donnyton were Sydney wasn’t too worried She had believed that even if they could produce more the geniuses working tirelessly under her could do better in small doses

That red brown leather set shattered that confidence But that was an issue for another time

Randidly turned from the castle and looked at her Sydney turned away and walked into the castle They walked through the wide wooden doors into the entry room where Sydney led Randidly towards the stairs For this Sydney planned on heading to her private study Some privacy would allow her

She paused Her emotions continued to swirl seemingly heedless of her thought processes They were almost a separate entity at this point

But honestly why did she need privacy

Her body was another separate entity and carried her forward Within minutes she walked through the door allowed Randidly to enter and told Drake to guard the door Then she closed the door and turned to Randidly

With a flick of the wrist she created a goblet of ice After a second of reflection she created another then cleared her throat Would you like a drink

Nodding slowly Randidly said Yes Still hard to really feel anything these days

But it’s better than nothing Sydney said going to the cabinet and removing some spiced rum from the shelf She knew what he meant in more ways than he perhaps meant It was very difficult even for her who didn’t focus on Vitality or Endurance to reach a point of being drunk without multiple bottles of liquor But more than that she was so cold so numb Feeling things was a distant memory

As she was pouring the drinks he started speaking

I thought you died He said his voice almost wondering Raw and lost filled with a strange tension that Sydney could also empathize with Sydney at least had Ace for all that the human monster they had fought with had warped him into something broken She wasn’t alone facing the vicissitudes of the System Randidly had no one

Sydney wanted to turn around and hug Randidly tell him they were back together after so long that again he had shown up surprising her when she thought that she had seen everything he could manage And from the rumors that she had heard about him the things that he had been able to accomplish they were impossible He was the most powerful human alive and he was that same dumb boy that couldn’t hit a tree from 20 meters

But instead she found herself turning around and saying So Why have you come

Randidly straightened slowly looking at Sydney really looking at her Her usual streaks of dyed hair were gone leaving all of it a rich dark brown that could be confused with black Her eyes were light a mix of grey and blue cold as the glacier they seemed so intent on imitating And yet

Sydney hadn’t always been this cold In the time after Randidly’s move in middle school they started talking all the time and by high school they had been really close When it came out they lived next to each other growing up Randidly was bewildered but the pictures showed Sydney as the correct one Then in the months leading up to college Sydney had sat Randidly down Then she had told him the school she was applying to and the acceptance rates

After looking at him with her eyes so warm then she had said This has been strangely fun But it can’t keep going Good luck

Then her eyes cooled as she turned away and departed Randidly had never in his life really wanted anything before that moment He had been content to sit quietly ignoring his mom and her boyfriends drifting to and from school just letting life carry him forward It wasn’t that he didn’t care it was just he had never found anything worth caring about

That changed that day Sydney had given him a challenge and then left He would not keep her waiting long And yet when he saw her that first day of class freshman year

Her eyes went wide and she took an involuntary step backward right there in the world history classroom and said What did you come for Did you follow me

Randidly froze After a brief awkward interlude Sydney stormed out and the professor coughed and said something very opaquely about boundaries in relationships that had Randidly burning Then the tall athletic looking blonde man in theseat next to Randidly chuckled

After casually leaning over he whispered into Randidly’s ear Man if I had a chance with that girl I’d follow her around too

That’s more than a little creepy Randidly replied more shocked than anything else to be so poorly received by Sydney Hadn’t she encouraged him to try Wasn’t this exactly what she wanted

Randidly had driven himself into the ground trying to cram enough extracurriculars and volunteer work into his last year of high school to get into this school The whole time Randidly was thinking about Sydney about how she cared enough about him to encourage him even when the task set before him when considering his history was impossible

Yet in that year Randidly had learned something about himself Although he had drifted for a long time that was due to a lack of direction not a lack of spine It was not easy but he had made it

The blonde man laughed and then offered Randidly his hand Yea well only in private My name’s Ace Who are you lady killer

Now in the present in the wake of the System standing in a castle built on top of a fucking mall it hit him in the gut to hear her use those same words in reaction to him after so long apart Was it really just this

Randidly opened his mouth then he closed it Sighing he shook his head Then he straightened and this time the person looking out at Sydney was not Randidly but the Ghosthound his eyes glowing emerald

You’ve seen the notifications I assume We are launching an expedition to clear the Raid Dungeon There is a 10 person limit on the party that goes in As the leader of one of the Villages in the North you can have one slot if you want it You can come with us

Sydney’s eyes narrowed but she said nothing Randidly recognized this mood of hers It was most of what he had dealt with in her reactions to him before Sydney began dating Ace before she was forced to be civil to him Before she had been diagnosed with cancer and her frosty exterior finally cracked

Ace will be coming Randidly offered taking a calculated gamble Immediately the change in her face the tightening at the corners of her mouth informed him he had chosen incorrectly

I have a question Sydney downed the rest of her drink and straightened her goblet of ice twisting into a glittering bracelet I think it’s a reasonable one What qualifications do you have to lead this expedition Mr Ghosthound Do you really have the strength to do so

Randidly opened his mouth to speak then he closed it Because he knew how stubborn she was too And right now she was dealing with the Ghosthound He gave her a sharp look It was a show of good faith and support from Randidly to come and offer her a slot in the party to go into the Dungeon Randidly didn’t doubt it would be dangerous but that the rewards for passing it would be similarly phenomenal And sure there was the added benefit of seeing Sydney but

She never was very sentimental

Fine Randidly hissed his eyes glowing even more brightly

Chapter 407

Sydney had once had a very strange dream that Randidly had appeared before her and effortlessly overpowered both her and the representative of the Skeleton Knight who was visiting with her That was prior to her deciding which of the Champions she should throw her support behind

In the wake of that Sydney had experienced a wake up call Sure when she founded her Village she was undoubtedly the most powerful of the forces of East End But in the few months following that she had somewhat let herself go

Which was why unbeknownst to most of her people she had arranged to have a Dungeon installed in the room off of her study That was where she spent most of her time stretching each day into almost a week After a prolonged period of this she began to experience Aether Sickness as explained by the Village Spirit so she laid off somewhat but she never forgot how easily he had overpowered her

That would not happen again

Now 20 Levels later and with Skill Levels almost double her previous highs Sydney was confident Even when with an eerie similarity to her dream vines and roots erupted out of the ground twisting towards her

She dismissively slashed with her hand and Cone of Frost blasted forward stopping the advance of the plants dead Although the System could empower things that didn’t mean that the Skills didn’t still follow reality’s laws Plants were weak to cold Combine that with the fact that she was almost Level 90 in the Skill and his plants were easily dealt with

If that’s all you have you don’t Sydney began but she threw herself to the side at the last moment a bolt of molten metal ripping through the frozen plants and blowing a hole in her wall And after she examined the trajectory of the attack Sydney could only grit her teeth Randidly had missed on purpose taking it easy on her

Fine then Coldsnap Pointing Sydney activated her most powerful Skill She was partially relying on Randidly actually being powerful here because if he wasn’t his body would be ravaged by the abrupt change in temperature

Randidly didn’t even move Eyes glowing he allowed the Skill to hit him his bone cloak abruptly covered in a thin layer of frost as he simply stood and took it Then with exaggerated slowness he lifted his hands and grabbed his hood and then drew the hood of the bone cloak over his face

Instantly the light from his emerald eyes was snuffed out There was only a strange shadow and then his whole figure became blurry before fading into the poorly lit room

Sydney froze for a second then pointed towards where Randidly had been standing and also towards the fireplace Fireball

A moderately sized ball of fire ripped forward only smashing harmlessly into her stone wall another igniting the wood in the fireplace However the fireplace was deeply set into the wall and Sydney’s own body and her wooden chair continued to cast long dark shadows across the room

Randidly remained hidden There was a knock at the door

Is everything alright Drake asked concern and tightly controlled anger clear in his voice Sydney wanted to rip the man’s eyes out Now of all times for him to get jealous

Yes Sydney said simply The room became quiet once more She could hear Drake huff and back away then drink something

There was a creak on the floorboards behind her

Zone of Frost Sydney shouted spinning and bringing her hands up the ice bracelet shifting into a dagger made of ice Of all of her training most of it focused on Dagger Mastery to the point that it was her highest leveled Skill It was only by a few levels but it was more than enough to overpower most individuals who expected that she would be easy to overcome because she was a mage

But Sydney just gaped in shock because standing in front of her its weight on the creaky floorboard was a strange creature made entirely of roots and vines shaped in a vaguely human shape

A cold metal blade pressed against her neck Is this acceptable as proof

Sydney said nothing but her hands dropped to her sides How was he so strong This this wasn’t how this reunion was supposed to go at all

So he’s gonna be the representative of East End Dauntless’ female secretary asked looking at him with curious eyes The Ghosthound just grunted looking up at the rain clouds overhead

Drake crossed his arms He wasn’t any happier about this than the Ghosthound was But both Coppernicus and Vandal were away on other matters so Drake was the only person who was near strong enough to keep up with the crew of elites and also Sydney trusted enough to represent her interests

What’s your Class and Level And any special Skills you have You’ll also be given access to the information that everyone else provided so it can be considered a net gain for you The woman who introduced herself as Rose said And don’t bother holding anything back My Skill will allow me to see what Skills you use and based on the difficulty we are expecting we don’t have the luxury of holding anything back

Drake considered for a long moment before nodding After the Ghosthound had stomped out of the room his face studiously blank Drake had gone into Sydney’s study to speak with her She was also curiously devoid of emotion and calmly informed him that he would be going with the group into the Raid Dungeon In addition she had ordered him to cooperate fully with them

After all Sydney had said We aren’t at war with them yet

In his heart of hearts Drake locked that yet away and made it a priority of his to examine the strengths and weaknesses of this group And part of that was baring his own abilities

Level 34 My Class is Guard Captain But I do have a Soul Skill called Haunted Armor It gives me bonuses to Endurance Strength and Resistance Plus I learned an extra Skill called Bone Exoskeleton which gives me a huge armor boost but takes forever to activate and cuts down on my mobility a huge amount

Good news Ptolemy Rose said her eyebrows rising 39 isn’t the lowest Level anymore Well Drake you’ll have to stay sharp because you’ll probably be outclassed by most enemies for a while but that means you will grow more quickly

Drake just grunted then realized he probably made the same noise that the Ghosthound had a minute earlier and flushed with annoyance Trying to change the subject he looked around and asked So Where’s that big bone centipede of yours

Randidly’s face darkened She is otherwise occupied

It was midnight and the group that would descend into the Dungeon tomorrow were gathered around a fire introducing themselves talking about strengths and weaknesses polishing their weapons and saying small prayers

Randidly sat a small amount of distance off feeling his connection to Neveah She continued to sleep the forces of whatever happened still transforming her It didn’t appear that she had moved from that ravine where she had locked herself after Randidly had obtained his Class

In more positive news Randidly’s Soul Skill had finished its transformation and seemed altogether unchanged except for the increased presence of energy in that world It made Randidly frown because he could feel that something had shifted at the core of the world and some of that clockwork based on the work of the Creature was shuddering into motion

But Lucretia was also back even though she largely was silent examining every inch of Randidly’s Class keeping her opinions to herself She seemed profoundly disappointed about something and honestly Randidly didn’t want to press her for the details They were strangely connected but that didn’t mean that he wanted to be an integral part of her life Hopefully at some point Randidly would return to Shal’s world and just let her out

Well perhaps not she had done a lot of evil things in her time there

Shaking his head Randidly turned his attention to his Paths screen

Chapter 408

Over the past several days Randidly had gained some small amount of Levels in things But he had quite a bit of PP left over from before he obtained a Class and that gave him the sizable amount of exactly 100

Ultimately Randidly’s attention focused on five choices Path of Control 0/200 The Phantom’s Embrace 0/150 Fighting Proficiency III 0/ Intermediate Soul Bond 0/125 the First Legend 0/

What he needed now was a consistent source of strength With his Class he could grow more quickly than he had previously but that didn’t mean that he could set aside these lucrative seeming Paths Of them Intermediate Soul Bond was likely the weakest but Randidly still couldn’t help but be tempted by the possibility that it would do something to help Neveah who continued to slumber

With a heavy heart Randidly removed that option Next Randidly was able to remove Fighting Proficiency as an option for although it was likely a Skill Path and one that would provide a big boost to Stamina it was probably a worse reward than he would receive for the Phantom Embrace Path

Which left him with the Path of Control the Phantom’s Embrace and the First Legend

The Path of Control had been with Randidly so long that it was starting to get annoying Perhaps he had been spoiled so far because he had access to such a large amount of PP but not being able to pursue some of the interesting sounding Paths was really starting to irk him Plus Control was a Stat that Randidly relied on a lot both in its ancillary role as a way to make his attacks more delicate but also by giving him a greater amount of control over his Spells

On the other hand Phantom’s Embrace was his greatest physical Skill and an upgrade there would be extremely valuable In addition physical Stats that he would likely obtain from it would be extremely useful and would improve Randidly’s survivability Thus far he hadn’t encountered many things that could threaten him simply due to his high Stats but if that changed moving forward

Death only needed to come once even in the System Then everything was over and there was no way to make up that loss

A middle ground between those two options was the reward Path the First Legend From Randidly’s experience with the previous reward Path it would be extremely lucrative But from Randidly’s other experience with the System he knew that as things progressed the rewards might get higher but also the time between them would get larger It was entirely possible that this Path would be something that required a very high amount of PP perhaps something like 500

Then his current PP would only be worth 1/5th of the total and he might spend the entire time within the Raid Dungeon without able to finish a Path But even so if the rewards were high enough

One of the downsides of being the first group to go into the Raid Dungeon is that they really didn’t have any idea how long it would take to clear In terms of scaling it was hard to imagine that it wouldn’t be higher than the Level 39 Dungeon that Donnyton possessed that a skilled party could clear in a little over 3 weeks Randidly believed that he could shove the number down in terms of raw Stat and Skill Levels but this was another tier higher and would likely increase by a large amount

It was possible that he would spend an entire month struggling through the Raid Dungeon even with his higher ability That was a slightly disturbing thought because over the past few days Randidly was feeling the absence of Neveah with increasing sensitivity Even before they had formed the Soul Bond and they were both two things strangely attached to the Aether Crossroads they had supported each other He never had to wonder whether there would be at least one person who had his back

Now

Randidly gritted his teeth resisting a sudden impulse to surrender his previous reasoning and just select Intermediate Soul Bond No of them all

Randidly was supposed to be the reinforcements in this foray into the Dungeon Although he could stand at the front with them all and would probably handle more damage than most people he needed to be ready at any point to bail them out And the most effective way to do that was to rely on his Plant Dominance to forcibly support those who fought in front of him

Path of Control it is

Randidly dumped his 100 PP into it Path of Control earning 1 Control and 10 Mana every 10 PP He also received notifications from his Soul Skill which gave him a certain amount of relief

The world of your Soul Skill turns The denizens of your inner world evolve Time has passed and the peace between the original races and the monster peoples has grown even stronger Even the staunchest supporters of the war are changing their tune as the lure of coin draws them towards trade

Again the Weave is being created with the Weavers doing their best to piece together portions of the past that have been forgotten For they fear that as the monster threat has left more sinister forces among the four races begin to simmer as greed and corruption spread among the upper echelons of the Spriggit and Earth Golem peoples

The Monster King has disappeared the body of his mount found drained of life There are whispers among the monsters about foul play but the Monster King was the most powerful warrior that they have seen in this world since the great Earth Golem Emperor They know not who might have conspired against him

The Spriggit Thief has grown from a young girl into a woman bearing the Progenitor’s weapons acting as a Ranger throughout the land She assists those who need it and arbitrates disputes But as more and more energy rises out of the strange core of this land a new threat is emerging Mutations of normal races warped by powerful emotions and the addictive energy that flows from the strange cracks in the earth

This Ranger has taken it upon herself to find and seal these cracks preventing the spread of mutation But the road is a lonely one and sinister forces begin to experiment with ways to use this power for their own twisted ends

It has been seven cycles since this world’s creation Would you like to add anything to the world (Warning the added qualities will be taken from a Skill A single Skill Level will be consumed in the taking Other side effects are unknown)

After chewing on his lip for a minute Randidly added both the Touch from Beyond and Four Shaded Domain to the Soulskill The former because he was curious how it would influence it and the latter because Randidly assumed he only had that Skill due to the Soul Skill so paying it back for what was given would do no real harm

The Touch from Beyond descended into the Soulskill and spread into several large clumps sinking in the ground in certain places creating mineral deposits of some strange unusual mineral Randidly suspected that if it was based on the same principle that the Skill was it would be highly dense and valuable When the Spriggits found it they would be frothing at the mouth to obtain it

Randidly rubbed his head Perhaps that wasn’t the best choice then another reason to go to war

Meanwhile the other Skill split into four large clumps and fell through the populations sinking into four individuals empowering them in some small way What interested Randidly most of all these happenings was that the Spriggits didn’t receive one of those split blessings but theirs appeared to go to a monster boy curled up in a small crib He was based on a variant of a duck and his wings flapped weakly as the force of energy inserted into his body

Sighing Randidly pulled his perception away The way the Soul Skill moved was interesting to watch and it gave him a chance to gather more Progenitor’s Influence but for now it was just a distraction But as he put the rest of his PP into the Path he had chosen the next notification he received made him frown

Congratulations You have received the Blessing of Cleaning Rain Wisdom +7 Free Stats +10 You have learned the Skill Child of the Rain (Un) Lvl 1

Child of the Rain Receive small bonuses to vision and stealth while it’s raining Gain a slight boost to Agility These effects grow with Skill Level

Randidly tapped his lip A small bonus most likely but one that would be useful enough in a raining scenario The problem was that the boost he received from the Blessing seemed to have shrunk somewhat even though he had gotten a Skill out of it It was a strange trade and one that didn’t really make much sense to Randidly

How had him getting a Class pushed him towards receiving Skills from his Soul Skill After all he only had a few Skill Slots remaining This Child of the Rain took up one of his remaining 10 spots

Sighing Randidly shook his head There wasn’t much time left Then his eyes flashed emerald in the darkness

It was time to see how some of his new Skills worked before he took them into the Raid Dungeon

Chapter 409

When they approached the Raid Dungeon there was a strange tension in the air a strange chill Randidly supposed that they all knew why they were there and what would happen if they failed at least in theory Most people aside from himself had experienced some small fraction of the pain of Aether Sickness so they knew how debilitating it could be

Randidly couldn’t stop thinking about that child in Donnyton who had the first cold since the System

Randidly led the group walking towards the Raid Dungeon his Bone Cloak clinking although it was somewhat muffled by his leather armor underneath Honestly although it had been difficult at first to get used to moving in it spending the last several days in it constantly had done a lot to make it more natural feeling In terms of his spear moves he believed he was almost back up to 100% performance although that remained to be seen

Immediately behind Randidly were Alana and Rose Alana was wearing well polished plate mail and spent this last portion of their walk obsessively checking her armor Rose didn’t seem to wear any armor just a practical dress over long boots She also was carrying a clipboard and occasionally made small notes on it

Behind her was Ptolemy and Clarissa who were talking quietly to each other Ptolemy’s outfit was form fitting on the chest but included a pair of fluffy pants making him look oddly like a martial artist Clarissa was dressed in full witch regalia with a crooked hat and a black cloak Randidly found it somewhat amusing how dedicated she was to her Class Weather Witch but then he remembered how unreasonably into character Ace also got and some of his amusement soured

Those two were followed by Annie and a morose seeming Lucifer Of them all Randidly reflected Lucifer was the one that made him the most uneasy He was tall lanky and carried a huge cleaver looking weapon It didn’t help that orange red hair erupted from his head hanging down at least 1 meter of his significant height making him look like a villain from a bad anime

Although Randidly had received some information in regards to how he fought in preparation for what was to come he had still never seen the man actually fight which made Randidly keep his guard up Until he knew what sort of tricks he might use

Of course the majority of the expedition was Donnyton and those Randidly trusted implicitly And also this was for the good of the Zone Randidly doubted that any of them would be foolish enough to try and strike at him while the threat of the Raid Dungeon was still live

But his main reassurance Randidly supposed was how powerful he was As long as he kept his guard up

Behind Lucifer was Ace who was trundling along next to Chrysanthemum Ace had traded his previous leather jacket for chain mail and leathers and now appeared to be actually a System ready fighter Chrysanthemum just seemed like a large bored bear

Looking at Chrysanthemum brought a pang of regret to Randidly’s chest He wondered how Neveah was doing even though he could always sense she was fine just unconscious

The tail of the expedition was brought up by Thea and Drake who were talking to each other in short clipped tones Actually Randidly was slightly shocked to find that those two were awake this morning when he had finished his training and were sparring Plus their strengths appeared to be very near equal Or at least without Chrysanthemum’s interference

Randidly wasn’t sure whether to be impressed at Drake or disappointed in Thea for using the stone to upgrade her Skill and it didn’t appear that it was particularly effective

When they arrived at the Raid Dungeon Randidly reached out and felt the stitchwork he had done pulling closed the tears he had made in the Dungeon’s Aether His Skill had advanced by a huge amount since his previous attempt so this time he completely stitched the strange Aether of the Raid Dungeon together doing his best to match the shape

It wasn’t pretty perhaps to someone like him with Aether Detection Skills But now no one would walk into the rip in the Aether and have their arm devoured

After stitching them together Randidly led the group through the gate and into the small antechamber of the Dungeon Standing there in the middle of the air was a large black hole that seemed to just absorb all light leading to the abyss Around it Randidly could see the dancing threads of Aether Luckily this portion seemed relatively undamaged or they would be in trouble

With little fanfare Randidly invited everyone into his party and they all accepted his invites Then he raised his hand and pressed it against the edge of the Gate

Warning You are about to enter into a Raid Dungeon Only one team may attempt a Raid Dungeon at a time You will either pass the Raid Dungeon in the allotted time or die You cannot escape the Dungeon without defeating it

Warning You are under Level 10 It is recommended that you do not enter any Dungeons before obtaining Level 10 Do you wish to proceed

Randidly almost rolled his eyes and pressed yes There was a lurching sensation in his stomach one that was extremely familiar It was exactly the same feeling that he got when he had been teleported to Shal’s world After a split second of that feeling everything snapped back into focus and Randidly blinked and coughed

The people around him stumbled their faces green Apparently entering normal Dungeons weren’t quite so violent a switch and it had taken them by surprise To Randidly’s relief they were still all together all 10 of them and also Chrysanthemum had been able to enter with them putting their number at 11

It made Randidly’s heart tighten somewhat because he didn’t doubt that Neveah would have been a great boon in this journey

Stop whining ’ Lucretia whispered to him breaking her long silence since he had obtained a Class She’s powering up you know that right Did you even look at the Aether constructs around her Heavy stuff Much closer to some of the constructs left by the Creature than anything we had attempted before The girl’s a genius ’

Randidly thought nothing back in response but he agreed with Lucretia’s assessment The shapes in the Aether that had appeared near her it was honestly intimidating but the fact that they were so sophisticated was probably positive She would recover they just didn’t have time to wait for that to happen at the moment

Their group of 11 was standing in what appeared to have once been a great hall of a castle or a cathedral with an open space in the front and a line of absolutely huge skyscraper sized pillars leading away towards a door perhaps almost a half kilometer away For their size the pillars were incredibly ornate but it simply emphasized even further the mind boggling size of the building they were standing in Light streamed in through holes in the roof showing the time to be near dawn or dusk here

A sound caught Randidly’s attention about the same time that everyone else noticed and he turned to find several large black cats climbing down the pillars growling at the interlopers The cats as they came closer revealed themselves to be skinless things with glowing green eyes leaving bloody pawprints on the ground as they stalked closer A glowing 47 hung over their heads

Very soon seven had appeared stalking closer circling slowly

Better fight them now before more numbers show up Rose said glancing up at the huge pillars There was an upper level of walkways that connected the things and Randidly suspected that’s where the cats lived They are using a Skill called Summon Kin so let’s move quickly Alana Lucifer want to soften them up Ace and Thea move to support

Alana leveled her spear and stalked forward Lucifer drew his weapon without ceremony and starting trotting towards the enemy moving into position Although Ace sneered he moved to follow orders putting his helmet on

Randidly’s mouth quirked into a smile as another dozen dropped down behind the group much much closer Rose’s eyes widened but before she even spoke bolts of lightning from Clarissa smashed two backward causing one of the new arrivals to roar Which earned it an arrow through the roof of its mouth destroying its brain in a single go

It collapsed while its brothers began running toward the group Randidly’s eyes glowed emerald as his smile widened

Tch these fuckers are tough Clarissa remarked as she watched those she hit with her Lightning Bolts stagger to its feet Good experience though Gained a Skill Level already

Thea pull back and support us Rose ordered turning around and glancing at the new arrivals her expression calm Can you three handle those seven

None of the three answered All were too busy approaching the cats Several of Ptolemy’s Arcane Orbs crashed in that direction distracting the cats allowing Alana and Lucifer to close the distance without giving the opponents much time to surround them If these cats wanted a fucking fight they would get one

Chapter 410

Randidly’s fingers flexed and half the group behind them were speared with dozens of roots aiming for hamstrings and vital organs When several of the roots rebounded off the bloody resilient bodies of the cats Randidly frowned But it was a 50% thing so each cat was still speared at least partially lowering its mobility This wave of spellcasting seemed to finally hit home to the cats what sort of threat had arrived and the survivors launched themselves into a dead sprint toward the group

Annie’s arrows knocked down one and killed another while Randidly used Incendiary Bolts to similarly incapacitate another two Now that they were close enough Clarissa used ice spells and Chain Lightning lowering the health of the remainder a lot and then Chrysanthemum arrived knocking the shocked survivors aside so Thea could crush their skulls with her hammer

Satisfied here Randidly turned to watch the progress against the other 7 cats It seemed that Lucifer used a strange fighting style where he took advantage of the weight of his huge cleaver to throw himself around in great swinging strikes That left him full of holes to exploit but the damage he could deal with an attack was no joke And based on the fact that he had already bisected one cat and was cornering another the holes in his stance weren’t as large as advertised

Randidly had the confidence that he would have an advantage over the other man in a fight but he certainly didn’t want to mess with how much momentum Lucifer created with his wild swings He could likely slice a car in half without even slowing down

Unfortunately for him the cats seemed much more difficult an opponent than a car and after they had realized he was deceptively quick they kept back around him going in for attacks on his flank Immediately Lucifer switched his strategy no longer attempting to attack with his actual blade but

Some sort of wind addition to his attacks Rose said frowning down at her notes just as one of the cats lost a leg even though it had hopped lightly out of Lucifer’s striking radius A huge scar on the ground was evidence of the efficacy of the attack although when Randidly squinted he could see that it was only perhaps another sword length’s worth of damage

Still if you didn’t expect that extra length with a sword like that

Alana had calmly dispatched two cats and moved to assist Lucifer Together the clobbered the remainder while Ace hung back looking bored

Very quickly all the cats were dead Randidly was annoyed

He checked his experience bar and found that it was at 90% so that was something But still he had waited so long to receive levels and now and now he had the pleasure of grinding he supposed Even so this seemed like a ridiculously slow way to level since he had killed these high level cats Was it based on how much you contributed Because then

No ’ Lucretia whispered It’s based on your relative level in the party Basically all the experience flows to the party and then you get a share based on how many levels you add to the party So you got approximately 1/400th of the experience because you are only level 1 It keeps the high level people from helping out the low levelers too much in a party Plus ’

These cats were pretty weak for something that is Level 47 Ace said his face sour as he walked over towards one of the corpses Clarissa nodded

Experience isn’t bad for what they are Pretty quick kills Alana remarked cleaning blood off of her spear Lucifer grunted

Randidly shook his head What complicated matters was that when he tried to leave the party he received a notification stating that changing parties was impossible while in the Raid Dungeon So he was effectively stuck with the nerfed experience gain currently

Wonderful It made him wish he hadn’t disdained the thought of hunting a little before coming into the dungeon

As several people began to inspect the corpses more closely looking for anything worth harvesting Randidly turned to Rose So what now I’ve never been in a dungeon before Well not any normal dungeons What do we do

Rose shrugged Everyone look around a bit Normally there is just a single path forward but since this is a bit special And with all this space there is probably a clue

This alter says we need the Key of Death to clear the Dungeon Annie interrupted Most of the group looked up to gaze at her She was standing back towards the center of the large cathedral at a dilapidated silver alter But in the center of the altar there was a large hole a slot for a key

After tapping her lip Annie simply reached out and touched the altar and a notification popped up in front of them all

Welcome to the Zone 33 Raid Dungeon Current Clear Record N/A This Raid Dungeon is considered cleared when the Key of Death is brought to the Fallen Altar unlocking the Door of Life allowing you to return to your world Rewards will be given for exemplary clear times

How informative Annie remarked turning away and peering at some of the giant columns around them Randidly sighed Certainly he shared her reservations about their goal It was easy to understand which was nice but on the other hand any sort of hint about how to accomplish it would have been appreciated

But he supposed that’s why rewards were given for exemplary times Because getting a good time was difficult Randidly also wondered what exactly would qualify for exemplary

Hissing Randidly spun We’ve got company

Several groups of cats descended from the upper levels around 3 groups of 20 And then another dozen dropped right down to the area where Rose Ptolemy and Clarissa were standing in no discernable formation

Of course Randidly was there too

Plant Dominance Randidly whispered his eyes glowing a poisonous green color Thorny vines and gnarled roots erupted out of the ground before the cats could even catch their balance ripping into the weak undersides of them knocking those too close to the spellcasters away from them Then with a few Wall of Thorns Randidly isolated the cats and allowed his team to gather

Oh so they were the numerous type of enemies Ace said extremely unhelpfully cracking his knuckles against the shoulder of a cat and sending it sprawling into its compatriot Perfect warm up

Truthfully the team was ripping through the cats where they encountered them or at least Alana Lucifer Ace Thea Chrysanthemum and even Drwaswere However although Ptolemy had some basic hand to hand combat these cats were fast and had sharp enough claws to damage Donnyton quality armor after a few swipes It was best not expose them too much

Meanwhile Rose seemed to be effectively useless and Clarissa

Well if Clarissa was too directly threatened Mrs Hamilton had informed Randidly that Clarissa had a bad habit of forgetting her teammates and spraying large AOE spells like Frost Nova and Chain Lightning everywhere Receiving damage from teammates especially magic damage was not high on Randidly’s to do list

And Annie

Randidly looked around but couldn’t find her But arrows were rapidly sprouting from cats causing them to shudder and expire so she was probably fine

Time to experiment then Call Grove Defenders Strength

Even the frontline fighters paused in their slow reforming into a formation as a low dull sound seemed to emerge from Randidly’s chest like the deep bellow of an ancient ivory horn The cats even stopped confused giving everyone time to move into a tighters shape to protect the spellcaster Then the ground directly behind Randidly rumbled and a green hand pushed itself out of the ground

After a few seconds of struggle that hand managed to wriggle itself revealing a huge green black forearm with several small leaves growing out of the furr A meter away another similar hand poked up and then a third

It was about this time that the cats realized that whatever was coming wasn’t their friend and resumed there attack But for now the lines were separated allowing the spellcasters to do their work

Chain Lightning Blast Spark Chain Lightning Randidly made a mental note not to stand near a blast spark which appeared to simply be an electric grenade that Clarissa could through She paused in her casting and drank a blue potion

Arcane Orb Ptolemy yelled and Randidly assisted with a few Incinerating Bolts but then he heard an angry bellow behind him and turned to look at the source

Behind Randidly were standing three apes their chest shoulders and arms thick with muscle However they were only a meter tall but about that wide as well Their square bodies made them slightly amusing as they pounded their chest and pointed at the cats in fury Then at the same time the three seemed to see Randidly and instantly their eyes lit up

The one in the center which Randidly assumed was the leader swaggered forward and sniffed Randidly’s ass

Shaking his head Randidly turned away God save him from eccentric pets Hopefully the size was related to his low Skill level and not a permanent thing

Then he gave the order and those bundles of muscle threw themselves forward screeching with fury

Chapter 411

Congratulations You have reached Level 2 +5 Stats distributed between Vitality Perception Resist Intelligence and Control +3 Free Stats +1 Stat to a Mental Stat +1 to a Physical Defense Stat +1 to a Mental Support Stat +1 Control +20 Health +24 Mana +23 Stamina + 5 to all Regenerations +1 to Health and Stamina Regeneration +20 Progenitor’s Influence

Congratulations You have reached Level 3 +5 Stats distributed between Vitality Perception Resist Intelligence and Control +3 Free Stats +1 Stat to a Mental Stat +1 to a Physical Defense Stat +1 to a Mental Support Stat +1 Control +20 Health +24 Mana +23 Stamina + 5 to all Regenerations +1 to Health and Stamina Regeneration +20 Progenitor’s Influence

Luckily for Randidly the way the System worked meant that he received double as much experience for the deaths of the cats once he reached Level 2 and that was then enough to push him to Level 3 before the end of the battle earning him an almost intimidating amount of stats

No wonder so many people went for this Class thing It was incredibly useful

That wasn’t all the notifications he had received from the fight either

After being summoned the stats of the Strength Grove Defenders has slightly increased Punching power increased Health slightly increased They have learned the Skill Grappling Mastery It has increased to Level 20

The gorilla things might have looked rather silly but they were basically walking wrecking balls absolutely demolishing any enemies they came in contact with They might be relatively smaller than people but it wasn’t that much smaller and they were at least as tall on their legs as a cat was on all fours putting them in perfect position to pummel the resistance out of the cats

And they were a very necessary part of the reason that the group held out All told they probably were forced to kill a little over 200 of the fuckers before they became wary and retreated Which probably meant they would need to face a boss soon but Randidly was much more pleased that he had finally leveled up so he didn’t really get annoyed by the coming fight all that much

Perhaps this fight would even give them a clue with which they could look for the Key of Death which was unlikely but it would be nice

Under Rose’s direction the group moved forward in a much more discernable formation prepared for a second surprise attack None came and the group just explored the huge cathedral taking more than an hour to cross the distance to the front doors which had broken and fallen letting them out into the air

Randidly looked around The cathedral was located on a low hill surrounded by similar rolling hills if a bit smaller than the one they were currently on Below them a few miles away there was a river and flowed off towards the horizon It was night but in the sky Randidly could see several small tears probably made when he had lashed out at the Raid Dungeon using Aether Manipulation

Grimacing he turned away from those and looked at the other landmarks that dotted the horizon Randidly spun on his heel then leaped up and climbed the cathedral so he could get a better look

This turned out to be a lot harder than it had seemed simply because of how long it took to climb the enormous building but eventually Randidly sat on top of it scanning the horizon There were three of these strange things and honestly it was good enough of a clue for Randidly as to where to go next

They were strange towards but extremely almost lumpy at the top and haphazard It honestly looked like someone had speared a giant beehive and then driven the weapon into the ground holding the beehive aloft There was a strange monstrousness to the shape of it something that made Randidly sure that this was not created by people

One even appeared to be rather near them and Randidly made a mental note to head in that direction Clicking his tongue Randidly started the long climb back towards the ground

Drake slowly sipped at the bowl of soup that was given to him his eyes on the ring of stones just outside the fire ring To give the illusion that he was lost in thought but also not blinding himself for a few precious seconds by staring directly into it in case some other monster attacked

Due to him being close to a Level already Drake had gained two levels in the previous clash the cats which was pleasing He even gained about a dozen Skill Levels fighting for that time defending against the cats flanking tactics But his mind couldn’t dwell on these happy thoughts because it was focused on other matters his fellow team members

The Ghosthound was obviously the focus of most of Drake’s scrutiny because he looked with the purpose of knowing these fighters should they ever end up on opposite sides But contrary to what Drake expected the Ghosthound had stayed rather passive allowing other people to fight at the front while he had supported with his roots and also with those strange apes

Shivering Drake scooped another bite of soup into his mouth Those three pets that the Ghosthound had summoned had torn the cats apart limb from limb Although they weren’t particularly proficient at catching them or controlling their bodies once they had their hands on an enemy

The Ghosthound also seemed completely unconcerned while those three were fighting which meant that his Control stat was either extremely high perhaps even approaching 200 or that they were independent entities Which had pros and cons associated with it but the cons were that trying to fight the Ghosthound would clearly be like fighting multiple people at once

Couple that with the fact that his true strength was still hidden Drake could finally understand why Copernicus urged Sydney towards being peaceful especially now

Of course Sydney wasn’t so foolish as to start a real war or something But there were more and less aggressive ways to deal with Donnyton’s growing share of the armor market and in the folktales of the Zone For now Sydney had remained passive This man was a large part of that reason

Drake sighed burying the budding antagonism inside himself It was pointless and he was a professional But still examining these powerful individuals was a once in a lifetime chance He would make use of it

In terms of Ptolemy and Clarissa Drake basically just marked them down as immediate targets It remained to be seen whether either of them possessed any techniques that could devastate an expert but in terms of destructive mage power East End had nothing close Coppernicus specialized in curses which was useful but not as useful as striking a squad with lightning

Thea was a bit mystifying to Drake because sometimes she made him feel a thread of fear with her strikes and other times she appeared extremely clumsy It almost seemed as if she had recently experienced a growth spurt or something and her body was a little off in terms of fighting But if that improved

And also the bear was a freight train of power Thea didn’t need to do much to pull her own weight with that thing here

Lucifer was definitely powerful but unexciting Drake had the same evaluation for Ace But he couldn’t help but notice that neither of them was pushing themselves There were further depths there to plum to figure them out For now Drake simply waited

Alana was exactly what she was billed as the leader of Donnyton’s First Squad Whether it be in timing fighting power or Skill use she was almost flawless doing about double as much as any of the other frontline fighters Although that was partially due to the fact that aside from Drake the rest of them seemed to care little for defense and instead focused on out attacking the enemy

Which was fine against enemies at this level but when they faced something stronger

Finishing his bowl he stood and offered the empty thing to Rose who nodded and accepted it Rose was also what Drake had expected but what he hadn’t expected was that Rose and Dauntless would spend very little time together They almost seemed relieved to have this chance apart Perhaps a chance worth exploiting Or

Whatcha looking at

Drake pivoted hand going to his sword to find Annie standing there smiling at him innocently Of everyone even between her and the Ghosthound Annie was the one who truly made Drake feel the most fear

Because ultimately the Ghosthound was a young man with simple direct motivations He might have the most power and the most versatility but Drake was confident that he could avoid a conflict with the Ghosthound by staying behind certain dotted lines and keeping his head down

Meanwhile when Drake met Annie’s eyes he saw that she had picked apart what he was doing and even now was slowly flaying away the top layer of his thoughts so she could dig down into why She was capricious loyal but without any scrap of hesitation when it came to making hard decisions

This in addition to the fact that she moved so quickly that he almost immediately lost track of her location meant she was the opposite of what Clarissa was a being designed to take out a powerful Classer

The other squad members Drake said stiffly Honesty was best here She could probably sense his genuine attitude and perhaps that would throw her off a bit Everyone is very strong

Laughing Annie patted his back her eyes still examining him closely Examine away Mr Drake But try to keep it professional or my boyfriend will kill you when we get out of this

Then she sashayed away and Drake looked back to the ground closing his eyes

Chapter 412

Randidly yawned languidly He was actually quite pleased with the day’s hall and with this chance to grind up his Cooking Skill Even more positive was the performance of the Grove Defenders Skill After an hour the creatures he summoned faded back into the ground but for that hour they were in the thick of the fighting ripping through the cats that were foolish enough to come close to them

They even visibly improved in their fighting Some of the mistakes that they made earlier which had put some of the other squad members in danger were by the end almost impossible considering their increasing proficiency It was also nice to know that they could gain Skills and have those Skills leveling up So taking the time to train them might also be worth it

Unfortunately the Mana cost was a little debilitating even for Randidly who had such a large Mana pool He had no idea how anyone else would be able to manage it considering the cost Plus it appeared they lacked the ability to stack when he attempted to summon another batch of Grove Defenders while the first was active there was an error

Randidly grimaced looking at the bottle in his hands And after he finished grinding his Cooking it was time to spend a little time working on improving his Potion Making Skills because this

Effective Mana Potion Lvl 39 Restores 214 Mana over 30 seconds

Donnyton had produced someone who was more capable than Randidly at producing potions Now this was a good thing obviously but it still hurt Randidly’s pride somewhat He wanted to be self sufficient in some ways and having to rely on someone else for Potions

ESPECIALLY potions This was his thing first and foremost growing crops and refining them into potions That was how he had gotten his start how he had earned Shal’s trust

Unfortunately Randidly’s long stint in Shal’s world was a period of great growth in EVERYTHING but his Potion Skills Most of his downtime went to thinking about Mana Engraving rather than Potion making as the craft of choice

Not that Randidly would have done things differently but this was still aggravating that the potions were superior to his own Perhaps there was a process that he didn’t know of he consoled himself Maybe they just have superior ingredients But these all sounded like excuses to Randidly feeling bitter in his heart

Then he chuckled aloud somewhat amused Honestly he should feel blessed that he was even this talent in potion making considering how dominant he was in terms of both close and long range fighting He was a generalist although that was shifting somewhat and he couldn’t be bitter that he wasn’t the best at something when he spent so little time pursuing it

Letting out a breath Randidly stood stretching savoring the feeling of the morning sunlight on his skin Aside from the intimidatingly large cathedral behind them it seemed like a normal hill in the middle of the forest Small birds chirped Leaves rustled

There was a soft step behind him

“How’s it looking ” Randidly asked casually stretching his shoulders and neck

“How close did I get before you noticed me ” Annie asked pouting Randidly just gave her a look until she laughed and continued “Well enough The monsters out here are few and far between and lower level than the cats but they are vastly more powerful Almost Tier I Raid Bosses each one Some have families too and those are ALL that level of strength Not just like a Raid Boss with minions “

Randidly clicked his tongue “Well it’s not like that’s not something we can handle Did you really expect it to be as easy as those cats “

Shaking her head Annie said “Maybe I just hoped the Raid Dungeon would pussy out But anyway there’s something else A few miles South there is a village WIth people Like human ones just living there “

That gave Randidly pause “What Humans “

“Well they look more like fantasy elves ” Annie said dismissively waving her hand “Long and willowy limbs pretentious faces you know Think they know woodcraft “

It took a bit of effort but Randidly resisted the urge to roll his eyes Annie’s confidence was a curious thing in Randidly’s eyes but he supposed he shouldn’t confront her about it unless there is proof its simply bravado Her pregnancy had kept her coddled and swaddled for several long months so this was finally her chance to stretch her legs

Hopefully nothing was so tight that she pulled something

Randidly hummed mentally attracting Lucretia’s attention But he needn’t have worried she was always closely monitoring his thoughts Pulling her senses away from her study of his Class Lucretia said “Well I’ve never heard of people actually living in a dungeon but its fairly common to encounter neutral if not downright helpful monster tribes within a dungeon These are usually weaker groups so they aren’t much help but they might have information on weaknesses or something “

“Plus ” Lucretia added “Considering you are inside the Raid Dungeon that has a goal other than ‘kill the boss’ they might have more information in that regard “

Randidly nodded then realized that he had just stood silent for 20 seconds while Annie stared at him and focused his eyes “Alright let’s gather everyone up and talk it over Then we are probably going to visit some elves “

Sydney frowned at her sketch then brought up the eraser to clean up the portrait These lines were a bit

Coppernicus’ jaw clacked clearly amused even though his face was locked in its constant grimace Sydney clucked her tongue in annoyance “you’d think being a skeleton would give you a bit more self control “

“I must admit modeling is not one of my strong suits ” Coppernicus said scratching the bone of his jaw The rubbing of bone on bone made a strange grinding sound and Sydney couldn’t help but wonder if he even actually had itches or just did it based on habit or nerves It was pretty clear that it was the latter however considering how little he reacted to rain or wind

It wasn’t that he couldn’t feel it or he would be easily destroyed by enemy attacks simply failing to feel them It was just some of the information given to him through whatever senses he had vibrations Sydney suspected was considered superfluous by his mind Or by the governing soul that animated him because his brain had decomposed

“Why did you warn Drake about a coming war ” Coppernicus asked his voice soft

Sydney shifted trying to change the angle of her grip on the pencil so she could finish the drawing from this angle This then was the reason that he had agreed to pose for her He wanted to sound her out FIgure out where her mind was at

Which was fair Sydney supposed her lips pressing into a thin line The sketch still wasn’t satisfactory so she again produced the eraser and obliterated her previous work The problem was that Sydney always overdid it when it came to situations regarding Randidly When they were friends it was fine although she knew that it sometimes struck Ace as profoundly strange the way they treated each other

But now that they were ostensibly political leaders their relationship had effects far outside just their minor interactions and Ace’s peace of mind

Gritting her teeth Sydney opened the small box in her chest where she buried all of her rage and frustrations

“Imagine ” Sydney said slowly “That you were born into this world and one of the first things that you saw was an ugly duckling It was an unfortunate creature that could barely take care of itself Ultimately it is harmless but you are told by everyone around you that is your duckling “

Sydney would like to believe that if Coppernicus still possessed skin he would be arching his eyebrow at her for answering his question about speaking to Drake about a war with an abrupt story But as it was he simply tilted his head to the side Which was adorable in his own way

Regardless she ignored it and continued “That duckling seemed to become more incompetent rather than less the more that I watched him Or perhaps the deeper I looked the more mediocre he revealed himself to be Meanwhile I was widely praised In both physical competitions and in academic ones I was told I was a genius And I worked hard for it That was why I accomplished so much

“So imagine my confusion ” Sydney continued her mouth almost moving without her controlling it now just following the emotions in their twisted way to make Coppernicus trust her even if she was acting erratically “When I watched the duckling work just as hard if not harder and accomplish nothing He seemed to threaten my entire worldview For me hard work led to results But for him for some reason it just didn’t He was just a shy quiet boy who couldn’t stack blocks without god knocking them to the ground “

Now Coppernicus had stilled his attention fully grabbed Sydney guzzled down a mouthful of air and continued “So I went away from it and was glad of it Better to stay away from this boy who was cursed by the heavens My world settled back into place and there was a shape to everything that made sense Work hard succeed Slack off daydream and you will be left behind I think more than anything else what people seek in the world is a shape one that makes sense and they can accept

Isn’t that what we all do Coppernicus asked raising his hand and looking at his bony fingers Sydney’s smile was tight but her pencil continued to move tracing the lines of his jaw

Chapter 413

There were a few moments of silence between them as Coppernicus examined his own situation but physically and emotionally while Sydney attempted to capture his lines Eventually Sydney leaned back and if she wasn’t satisfied she was at least found her work grudgingly acceptable

“Until that duckling showed back up in my life But this wasn’t one of those stories where he had transformed into a swan after the intervening two years no if anything he had doubled down on his stubborn dumpiness It was confusing but I would have walked away too concerned with my world than to allow his to stain me but ” Sydney sighed remembering the sound of Randidly’s father hitting him in between those two SUVs “But he was accused of never attempting to fly Of never trying and that’s why he failed I could accept that the world didn’t respect his process but not that it questioned him for taking it He was on the right path He worked hard

“This time it was like the world seemed to say that we were meant to be We both tried our best even if the way our attempts were received was so different just by both struggling “

Coppernicus grinned at Sydney “It is a very heady thing to know a secret that no one else seems privy to “

Snorting Sydney waved her hand “Say what you will Circumstances conspired to encourage me to embrace the duckling once more So for all of high school I accepted the duckling Then I told him how I would leave him and go on alone Because I wanted to find the world where I belong where the calculus of life was simple “

“That place doesn’t exist ” Coppernicus said breathing a rare sigh out his eyes unfocusing to a place neither here nor there

“Perhaps but that was only because I hadn’t created it yet ” Sydney said eyes flashing Then she leaned back in her chair setting down the pencil The jawline was broader and more smooth than a skull’s should normally had been but to Sydney’s chagrin she had relied on memories of another jaw to settle on a profile she was satisfied with “Either way this time after I left the duckling behind he flew Not high and not high but he had done it through sheer stubbornness and ill will as far as what I can tell “

“And ” Sydney added her eyes blazing as she ripped the sketch in half “This time the duckling himself seemed to say that we belonged together And there is nothing that makes you hate something more than if you’ve been told your whole life you belong together Especially a teenage girl “

Coppernicus’ eyes were mild as he examined Sydney Really examined her not looking at the style and persona that she cultivated but the body underneath it looking at her eyes her bearing her age It was a very nostalgic look similar eyes to the way Mr Ghosthound used to appraise her not sexually but also not as a person Perhaps considering solely her value as a commodity “Yet I can’t help but ask what does this have to do with Drake “

Sydney froze the scraps of paper and then stood turning away from Coppernicus “I had assumed this was a discussion about my fitness to lead not an offhand comment to Drake “

Every smile of Coppernicus’ bared his teeth but Sydney could sense that this particular brand of smile had some extra venom to it “I’ve never been a big picture fellow I live in the details Please settle my perturbed heart “

Rolling her eyes Sydney said “No if you are wondering I do not plan on going to war with Donnyton Not only is it short sighted it’s also rather pointless In the future if Donnyton is allowed to develop in the way it has been it will become an industrial hub That will be more beneficial to us than you know Because we will offer services that they will desperately need once they reach that certain size “

“Ah the special projects are rounding out nicely Who knew that Vandal could be productive when not eating ” Copernicus said chortling Sydney smiled

“But I think that after this Raid Dungeon situation is resolved we will be connected to other Zones yes In that direction lies the war as the powerhouses begin staking claims on the last bastion of humanity And it is very hard now to doubt that the Ghosthound is heads and shoulders above everyone else “

Trailing off Sydney frowned for a long second then sighed “And I can’t deny that at this point to finally see that ugly duckling grow into the stubborn monster he always was moving towards I feel a certain amount of responsibility I do not want to fight him “

“As for Drake this can be considered a test ” Sydney said walking away towards her chambers “To see how much he will let his emotions cloud his judgement I don’t need liabilities for the coming war “

“I suppose that goes for me as well ” Coppernicus said with a smile standing “Please excuse me I’m off to carry my weight “

Sydney’s smile was sharp as she watched him go Then she turned and headed towards the personal dungeon that she kept in the back of her chambers Which had recently been bumped up from a Level 37 Dungeon to Level 44 by the accumulated contribution points of East End from slaughtering monsters and completing quests

“So am I “

The giant praying mantis lashed out its long scythes ripping through the air towards Chrysanthemum making Thea’s heart jump But it wasn’t with fear not anymore It was with the vicious fury that she had received when she had upgrade her new Skill that dyed her vision red and thrust her forward into the fray It was so hard to know when she had to hold in it resisting it and when she could lose herself to it

Now while the Ghosthound pinned down 4 others while Ace was forcibly beating another into submission Thea let the fury take her Bellowing in rage she let instinct guide her as she simply stepped in the way of the scythe that was about as long as a dinner table and swung her hammer to meet it activating every Skill she could

Luckily for her Lucifer in his strange way of intuiting allies moves was already there with her his huge jagged blade a hair ahead of her swing aiming to assist His blade smashed into the scythe with a screech slowing it

Thea’s hammer arrived the conduit to her savage fury and shattered the scythe

As the largest of the praying mantis’ screamed the others looked up Or the other praying manti would have looked up but one was reduced to mush by Ace one looked more like a porcupine made of arrows another had become a frozen block of ice and the final two were lost within a squirming mass of vines and roots Even the strange insect monster seemed to sense that the tide was turning and began to back away

“Finish it ” Rose’s voice came and in the heat of fury Thea was resentful Yes she got it kill the monster Don’t say superfluous things But perhaps because of her flash of irritation Thea wasn’t the first to respond Chrysanthemum was The past day of slaughtering cats and strange Raid Boss caliber opponents had given Chrysanthemum a huge boost in strength and when she stretched to her full height she was almost 3 meters tall coming in like a rockslide on the relatively fragile looking praying mantis

But the thing hadn’t played out its tricks and it spread its wings wide A blast wind smashed outward not stopping Chrysanthemum but stalling her giving Thea time to dash out from behind her bear companion who had took the brunt of the wind Skill and allowed they to move in for the kill in that moment

With its good scythe the praying mantis slashed sideways but Thea just grinned and leapt over it raising her hammer and smashing the praying mantis’ thorax With one last screech it collapsed spasming periodically Everyone shifted backwards letting it settle into death as peacefully as possible

When it finally ceased moving there was a flash of light and a small item appeared next to its body as an item condensed Instantly everyone focused Items appearing on their own were rather rare mostly they had to be manually refined form the bodies of the dead If an item appeared it usually meant that something powerful and unique had appeared that would boost someone’s combat powers immensely

Walking slowly so as not to scare anyone Thea who was the closest went over to it and picked the item up It appeared to be a small backpack with four tiny insect wings stick up out of the back Examining it Thea’s eyes widened

Wings of the Reaping Mantis Lvl 46 A natural treasure formed when a Reaping Mantis dies under special circumstances allowing its wings to be salvaged in their entirety Agility +15 Reaction +10 The Wings may be activated causing them to grow to their full size and granting the wearer the Skills Sonic Advance Lvl 46 and Air Shockwave Lvl 46

Chapter 414

Randidly scratched his chin Although it was a nice useful boost and he could wear it Randidly didn’t think it would work as an equipment for him For one if he had it on would he wear it under his Bone Cloak But then how would the wings extend

Plus the fact that both of the Skills were at Lvl 46 and had no way of growing Randidly wrinkled his nose Sure some of the Skills he had yet to train up were at that level and a few of his spells but that was due to lack of time His true bread and butter spells were far above that and had the ability to grow An item without the ability to grow would boost a person’s strength at the moment but it would slowly become a weight that held them back

For the first time in a long time Randidly remembered that group of people he had encountered with Shal who had generously given him the Mana Engraving Encyclopedias asking only for a promise of aid in return Truly they were in desperate straits to accept such a feeble thing but Randidly had benefitted immensely from their gift and now Donnyton could share that same benefits

Plus there was a promise of them being able to teach the runes to Randidly that got them smothered by their competition the Skill Rune that could grow with the user

Randidly shivered Having that ability would put Donnyton at the top of their Zone for sure but it was a distant thing one far from the issues they faced presently Randidly would need to return to Shal’s world to receive that knowledge and to do so he would need strength enough to suppress his enemies in the Engraving Guilds

And right now everyone in the Raid Dungeon was looking at him waiting for his decision in regards to the equipment Well wasn’t the easiest answer the best in this case

If no one denies that Thea and Chrysanthemum were the biggest contributors to killing that Reaping Mantis Randidly said slowly Let her decide whether she wants the equipment or not And then if she doesn’t who it should go to

Ace frowned immediately and Randidly rolled his eyes Sure it would be useful for all of the party but he could sense immediately that Ace fixated on the item It would give him what he was sorely lacking a way to close the distance between himself and his enemies It was intimidating how quickly Randidly could see Ace improving in terms of his hand to hand combat ability but as long as distance remained a barrier for him

Alana nodded and began hacking apart one of the other Reaping Manti extracting some of its carapace to take back to Donnyton Although it was brittle it was still rigid and powerful and would serve well as cookware if nothing else The best bodies for this were the ones Randidly himself killed squeezing their soft parts to mush with vines Although they had died in a bloody manner he had just ignored the hard parts of their bodies going for the vital points

There were some huge perks to having such a high level of Control One of them was that weaknesses were comically easy to target if the enemy wasn’t skilled at avoiding defending itself And the Reaping Manti hadn’t been very quick on the uptake when Randidly’s roots came boiling out of the ground

Lucifer seemed relatively uninterested although Randidly privately thought that he was the one who could use it the most with his huge wild weapon But instead he was chopping off the unbroken scythe from Thea’s kill seemingly very pleased with the size and weight of it After a few test swings he nodded satisfied and began to sharpen it further

Unlike his jagged cleaver this would only have a blade on one side but damage such a huge razor could inflict was slightly intimidating

Clarissa and Ptolemy would use it obviously but it was mostly academic They were however whispering to each other Most others wouldn’t have heard but they were wondering whether having the item and using it a bunch would unlock Air Manipulation as a Skill Which was interesting but it did reassure Randidly that they weren’t that concerned with obtaining it

Thea seemed somewhat frazzled She at first took several shy steps towards Lucifer but seeing him ignore her rather soundly caused her to falter Then she shot Randidly a glance and walked over towards Drake of all people

You you’re the lowest Level right Maybe you

Thank you for your kindness but I’ll be alright Drake said bowing slightly You are an ideal candidate for the item anyway The mobility combined with Chrysanthemum’s strength learning to combine both will increase your strength immensely

After one more quick scan by Thea it was decided Which made Randidly relieved because he had a few confusing notifications of his own to parse apart It was slightly annoying that there had been this much hesitation in regards to the distribution but it was easy to forget that Thea especially was extremely young and shy Her recent ferocity was almost blinding in its intensity so her milder side faded to the background

The milder side of everything was quickly overrun in the wake of the System

After giving word to make camp Randidly looked at his notifications specifically the second set At the beginning of the day Randidly had reached Level 4 as he pushed through the stronger enemies in the forest to arrive at the elf people village But after this most recent fight he had reached Level 5 and that wasn’t all

Congratulations You have reached Level 5 +5 Stats distributed between Vitality Perception Resist Intelligence and Control +3 Free Stats +1 Stat to a Mental Stat +1 to a Physical Defense Stat +1 to a Mental Support Stat +1 Control +20 Health +24 Mana +23 Stamina + 5 to all Regenerations +1 to Health and Stamina Regeneration +20 Progenitor’s Influence You have gained the Skill Phantom’s Lantern(Un) Lvl 1 You have gained the Skill Grasp of Lava ® Lvl 1 You have gained the Skill Erode Image Lvl 1

Phantom’s Lantern (Un) Create a small spirit that floats in a spot Acts as a relay for the creator’s senses The creator can consciously shift his focus to the Lantern and gather sensory information Lanterns have a small amount of mobility while the creator is using them Lanterns are easily dispersed Costs 400 Mana Lanterns do not disperse on their own Mobility increases with Skill Level Survivability increases with Skill level

Grasp of Lava ® Cause a hand of lava to erupt from the ground grabbing enemies and crushing them Extremely effective at dealing with single enemies The temperature in the nearby area will vastly increase Speed and size of effect will increase with Skill Level Temperature shift will increase with Skill level

Erode Image When dealing with an opponent who uses an image strike directly at the image weakening it Mana costs depends on strength of the image Repeated use causes permanent damage to the target’s image and might cause their Skill level to drop

Randidly whistled softly Not only did he receive 3 Skills out of the blue but two of them seemed extremely overpowered Having the Lanterns would give him the ability to scout the Raid Dungeon quickly and the Erode Image Skill it was a legendary Skill that could attack the other’s Skill levels directly

It would be something that he would want to experiment with but if it really caused damage to the recipient finding someone to agree might be a bit

So rather than getting all of his Skills from his Class at once It appeared that he got another set of Class Skills at 5 containing the other half of his additions to his Class Which was nice in a way because it meant that he wouldn’t need to use any of his non Class Skill slots when he kept acquired new Skills

But it also meant he had more Skills to train

Truly the grind was endless

Humming to himself Randidly tapped his teeth This Erode Image Skill who had given him the addition that had granted it to him Of all the additions it would appear that this was the most powerful because the SKill was the highest rarity but that might just be due to the rarity of the effect it provided rather than the magnitude Still if he could have it grow to the point where it was useful against enemies

Randidly smiled widely remembering how that Master level opponent had shattered his Skill in his attempt to kill Aethon Thai

They would pay for underestimating him

Chapter 415

Randidly approached the village warily

Not that he thought from his passing investigations with Phantom’s Lanterns that there was anyone in the village strong enough to be a threat But they did appear relatively prepared to fight which was to be expected considering the location

Also considering the location there had to be a group of people in the village that had enough strength to fight off the Raid Boss magnitude monsters on a daily basis Sure they weren’t super numerous but the few that Randidly’s expedition encountered were relatively aggressive once they laid eyes on the people Perhaps they associated people with weak targets

But then why was this village almost idyllic There were two elf children playing with a fucking wooden hoop by the gate for god’s sake

To try and seem as non intimidating as possible Lucifer Thea Chrysanthemum Annie and Clarissa elected to remain in the forest grinding more experience from the nearby monsters The remaining portions of the group Randidly Ptolemy Ace Drake and Rose would be relatively low key and un intimidating compared to the whole of the group Plus that aside from Ace most of the people had enough introversion to not cause any personality friction

Honestly the only reason that they brought Ace was that Randidly couldn’t deny that despite his abnormal behavior he was still charming

“So you’ve always wanted to be a doctor ” Ace asked walking easily next to Ptolemy

“Well know ” Ptolemy a man who hadn’t said more than 10 words to Randidly admitted with a blush ” I was honestly going to nursing school when the System hit I was willing to put in the hard work and I’ve more than enough bedside enthusiasm But the amount of memorization you needed for medical school “

Ace scratched his skin a small smile on his face “Hell rich kids pass medical school all the time And there is no way in hell that they have half of the gumption that you do Head Triage Specialist of Donnyton right “

“Doctor Northwind is the head but she prefers to leave most of the healing close to the battlefield to me “

It was almost maddening It’s not that Randidly couldn’t understand how that Ace had bridged the gap with Ptolemy with leading questions and low pressure curiosity Plus it was no doubt extremely beneficial for the group for them to grow closer together Even the thought of doing it however filled him with an unending sense of exhaustion

Which was why he was useful here

Finally Ace and Ptolemy’s talk caught the attention of the two children who hopped backward like scared rabbits and scurried back behind the walls Which was exactly the point that Randidly was abruptly thankful that Ace had been talking and then he narrowed his eyes as he realized that Ace was probably speaking on purpose for just that reason So there wasn’t just abruptly a group of people who silently appeared at the treeline Perhaps it would mean nothing because the children wouldn’t spread the details of what happened But if they did

Randidly revised his opinion of Ace as they approached the gate and stood before it It was open but he figured it would be more polite not to cross the threshold until they were invited

His senses were not really focused on it but Randidly easily caught the dozen or so departing figures from the village as he stood there with his group They crept out through flaws in the stone wall around the village which Randidly reflexively noted The group scrutinized Randidly and company but they stayed some distance away slowing surrounding them It seemed like these people wanted to have an ambush ready should Randidly’s group turn out not to be friendly

Randidly was delighted when one stopped underneath his spare lantern he had left hanging in the woods As Annie had indicated their skin was a dusky grey and they had extremely long limbs They simply seemed to be humans who were made of wax that had been slowly stretched a bit This one was a bit above two meters so it was possible that they were also a good deal taller than normal people

After around 10 minutes of shifting the ambushers were apparently in position because the gates to the village swung open and four people walked out The front person was a tall man with a thin white mustache Beside him was a woman who was more weapon than person Every inch of her was covered with a different sort of dagger or hatchet that was strapped to her In addition immediately when she appeared Randidly felt a strange wariness in his heart This was an opponent that he couldn’t take casually

He supposed it made sense These people were here at the edge of this forest that was absolutely lousy with Raid Boss strength enemies If they didn’t have their own experts they would be swiftly overwhelmed But it was just the first time since Randidly had left Shal’s world that Randidly wasn’t absolutely sure he would defeat an opponent It appeared there was more to this village than it initially appeared

A few feet behind those two there were two others The first was a young woman with caramel colored skin her eyes covered in a rough looking cough Next to her glaring at Randidly’s group was a young boy no older than 10

“What is your business here ” The central man said in an authoritative voice his eyes narrowed with suspicion “It appears you are a long way from home “

Randidly opened his mouth to speak then paused thinking better of it The presence of people here was profoundly interesting It was a curious thing that this Dungeon seemed to just be in an area of a world It made a certain amount of sense because it couldn’t be much more impressive than what the System had already done splitting their world into different Zones Perhaps there was such a split in this area There could even be a barrier at the edges that would stop the Dungeon Divers but let the normal citizens of this world through The ability of the System to create miracles was not something that Randidly wanted to underestimate

While the details of this fascinated Randidly they also filled him with a sense of foreboding If they DIDN’T know they were in a dungeon is it possible that other creatures would show up in their Zone at some point killing things looking for a way to obtain the Key of Death they needed

If they DID know was this perhaps an outcome for a world after the Calamity descended Could they simply become a dungeon for other people to use to grow stronger

After allowing the silence to stretch for around 10 seconds Ace jumped in “Yes we’ve traveled far to reach this place we were hoping that we might be able to take shelter in your village for the night “

Snorting the man said “Hmph does this level of opponents truly bother you If so you will be devoured before you can leave the area There is a blight upon this land and they likely already have word of your arrival “

“Well perhaps these are some brave souls seeking eternal life Taking a pilgrimage to the Holy Land of our Lady Zith ” The woman with the cloth over her eyes asked stepping forward “We cannot turn away souls seeking a salvation from this cursed land Plus since they have the strength to make it here “

The woman trailed off and the well armored woman spat to the side but said nothing

With an awkward smile on his face Ace continued ” Yes we have come here seeking a salvation Any port in a storm right “

Randidly wanted to facepalm at the Ace’s immediately dismissive attitude towards religion but to Randidly’s surprise although his face twisted in a grimace the mustached man also nodded

Meanwhile the woman with covered eyes was nodding as well “we do not begrudge anyone for their reasons for clinging to hope we are just happy that there are so many people here who are willing to fight to gain eternity with us “

Randidly paused tapping his jaw They were inviting the group to join a cult He supposed there were worse ways to obtain entrance to the village which would give them access to greater information

“That’s all well and good ” Finally the woman who was covered in weapons spoke her voice low and hoarse Randidly frowned It sounded as though she had been injured in the past and that had slowly healed leaving either her vocal cords or lungs with a flaw Yet to still have the air of danger about her just how powerful would she have been at the peak of her strength

“But how about you recall your guards to join you yes As Dalton said there are much more dangerous monsters in the surrounding area than the riff raff you have likely fought Better organized mean and looking to tear the world to shreds It would be a shame if an accident befell them “

A threat Or an accurate description of what could happen here It was a little difficult to parse apart everything but it was enough of a show of strength that they were aware of the other group for Randidly to agree to it

So they stood waiting while Ace made several awkward attempts at small talk that filled in a few of Randidly’s questions but not all of them Still this was enough to go on for now while they waited

Chapter 416

They did obtain SOME useful information while they waited

First were the names the man was Dalton while the armored woman who gave Randidly the dangerous feelings was Cyndra Behind them the blind woman because she did not cover her eyes for vanity was named Aratta The boy was Pendlive and served as the assistant to Aratta who seemed to be the highest ranking of the strange sort of Clergy in the area who followed Zith Ace avoided bringing up the Great Lady Zith any more than necessary because his face twitched every time it was brought up as he suppressed his urge to settle into his perpetual smirk

Around 10 minutes after Randidly sent a message through the party chat the rest of the group arrived walking calmly towards the village It seemed that they had been extremely productive in the meantime because Randidly had almost reached level 6 from their efforts

Randidly was curious to see that when the group walked up the sentry that Randidly was observing with his Lantern immediately went wide eyed Randidly couldn’t be sure whether it was Chrysanthemum’s intimidating swagger or Lucifer holding two huge blades over his shoulder the jagged saw and the deadly sharp scythe Either of these would add an air o oppression to the scenario but the both of them combined served to make the whole group seem larger than life and more intimidating

It almost made Randidly smile that this group was referred to as the guards as well Honestly it was just because they were a little erratic so having them deal with strangers wasn’t the best idea

When they had all gathered they were lead into the village It was a relatively small place and probably housed only 300 or so people

There were a lot of worn and tired looking men and women who followed the newcomers with a suspicious gaze eyeing them with a long practiced ease This made the corners’ of Randidly’s mouth turn down It was one thing to encounter a group of 300 people fighting to survive in the middle of the forest it was quite another to slowly realize that this group was mostly wary eyed veterans Although no one else possessed the oppressive aura that Cyndra did they all seemed more than capable of surviving in the forest Almost more concerning however was that aside from those two children they had spotted walking towards the village not a single child was let outdoors to watch the newcomers

“For now you can stay here ” Cindra said jerking her finger towards a worn down and churchy looking building “We will talk tomorrow try and figure out whether the help of Zih is truly what you see “

Then she left followed by the man twirling his mustache and looking at them with suspicion

With a beaming grin Aratta patted Pendlove’s back and said “You’ll be staying with us then the more the merrier Come in and let’s get you all situated Oh you too Mr Bear “

“It’s missus ” Thea muttered rubbing Chrysanthemum’s side but everyone still followed her into the interior

All in all their rooms were pretty good Thea decided There was a bed a water basin and a rocking chair and more than enough space for even Chrysanthemum to have her own private room The bed of course wasn’t big enough to fit her but it was still something

They were even served a simple meal of roast meat and a carrot y vegetable before being asked whether they would enjoy listening to the teachings of Zith Everyone aside from Clarissa declined and retired to their rooms

But now as Thea was finally finishing taking off all of her armor she frowned looking out the small window the air illuminated by a huge comet ripping across the night sky Then there was a dull explosion that shook the ground Immediately there were panicked shouts from the village Sighing Thea slowly began to encase herself once more and armor

After she finished she went out front of the church finding Drake the Ghosthound and Annie already there The next to arrive was Ptolemy straightening his clothes who was stopped by the Ghosthound

“Wait here gather everyone else Then follow Us four will go ahead and figure out the situation for now”

Then Thea found herself sitting in front of the Ghosthound and Annie as they rode Chrysanthemum the short distance to where most of the commotion was

Thinking about it Thea realized as they arrived at the muttering crowd that the reason that the Ghosthound had wanted to ride Chrysanthemum was not to increase the speed of their travel Honestly the Ghosthound could probably move at double the speed of Chrysanthemum and Annie for sure shared that ability No the reasoning that they would want to ride is

An entrance

Everyone turned when the giant bear arrived Calmly The Ghosthound stepped off of Chrysanthemum’s back and the crowd parted for him as he walked forward to meet Cyndra No one casually stopped someone who was fresh off a 3 meter tall bear Although these people were more tall and willowy than people which meant the height difference wasn’t so pronounced they were just as skinny as people and the weight that Chrysanthemum shook the ground with her passing Albeit less so than the crashed comet

“We heard the commotion Is something wrong ” The Ghosthound said calmly looking directly at Cindra ignoring the few other figures gathered around reporting to her

Her mouth thinned into a line but after several seconds she grudgingly admitted ” it has arrived early but this is a relatively known occurrence That stone that descended to the ground will incite the nearby monsters They won’t all attack us but they will be thrown into a rampage “

“It’s only a distraction ” A rather pudgy for this strange race of people man said “I wonder if “

“Yes ” Cyndra said cutting him off and giving him a glare ” we believe that the Death Cultists instigated the stone to fall as a distraction Since you are here we want to stop the Death Cultists from accomplishing their goals so there will only be a barebones crew staying here at the village If you could handle the monsters I would owe you a favor Mr Ghosthound “

Before the Ghosthound could answer a notification popped up in front of Thea

Defend the Village You have received a quest from the Village War Leader Cindra She has tasked you with defeating the monster horde forming to the East Prevent the monsters from breaching the village wall to succeed Reward A favor from Cindra to the Ghosthound as well as an addition quest Plus 30% of the experience towards your next level Failure You will be disdained and chased out of the Village

Thea blinked She hadn’t much experience with quests but she knew that more and more quests were being offered to people in Donnyton from the Adventurer’s Guild Building One reason that more and more people in Donnyton were being tempted to trying it was that quite a few of the Quests provided experience as rewards giving people incentive to look for harder quests It had never been a high enough amount for anyone over Level 35 to bother with it but they were very useful for getting to that point

On the other hand this 30% boost if this was offered back in Donnyton the upper tiered people would go mad Although some of them might wait until right after a level up to get the most efficiency 30% was a big deal for someone who struggled for every percent It meant less for low level people who might prefer receiving a flat amount of experience but for people like Alana

Sweetening the deal further was the fact that the reward section seemed to imply that succeeding here would lead to further quests Now that the antagonists in the dungeon seemed to have revealed themselves the Death Cultists the Ghosthound might prefer forgoing the village and simply crushing them directly but if he chose to instead stay and pursue a questline

Thea tried to put a damper on her excitement Who knew whether this was like a video game in that regard but if so the rewards on each progressive quest should get higher along with the difficulty

But to Thea’s surprise she found the Ghosthound frowning just looking at Cyndra As this drew out longer Cyndra’s smile grew superficial and thin Right before the moment where Thea expected Cindra to explode with fury the Ghosthound nodded accepting the quest Cyndra very quickly selected 10 of the villagers to assist their group before the bulk of the villages forces shifted off for somewhere Thea frowned Cindra hadn’t been very clear what they were doing when they went to deal with the Death Cultist’s main forces

In the group chat a notification flicked up as the Ghosthound posted something

Annie

On it Annie’s swift reply came and she slipped into the shadows while none of their helpers were looking

Careful there are at least 2 of them that are as strong as us the Ghosthound added No answer came

At that time the rest of the group arrived While the Ghosthound Clarissa and Rose would stay on the wall to make sure nothing got through the rest of them were to go out find the monsters and kill them

Thea tightened her grip on her hammers a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth She certainly appreciated simpler goals now that her Skill had evolved and the fury took her

Chapter 417

After determining what the main goal of the villagers was during the monster horde distraction Annie returned to help the rest of the group Thank god she did because by the time she had arrived Randidly had been forced to use spells to intervene multiple times mostly relying on his new spell that created a hand of lava that reached up out of the ground and physically grabbed a monster burning away its skin and keeping it still as the molten rock and metal cooled

It honestly intimidated the surrounding monsters too so it was the perfect Skill to use to buy time And in that time Annie arrived prepared to give the team some breathing room

Hissing she narrowed her left eye and loosed an arrow that ricocheted off the battered helmet of two stories tall ogre and then shot an azure tiger in the forehead dropping it Blood continued to drip from the cut she had received over her other eye blurring her vision Luckily it seemed she hadn’t lost all of her razzle dazzle

After bellowing in fury the ogre readjusted its helmet so its beady eyes could see out and then looked around his wrath scouring the area for a target But Annie was already was gone flipping away With the brief distraction Alana disengaged from a huge serpent smashed back a weird tentacled creature and then exploded in a burst of sunlight illuminating the darkened area Immediately the ogre seemed to remember its previous opponent that had covered its arms and legs with wounds But it was too late that moment of distraction had revealed an opening and Alana shoved her burning sunspear into its heart Then she shoved it forward blocking another monster’s advance and leaped several meters backward to gain a few seconds of respite

But by then Annie was moving her tongue flicking out tasting the air She could feel the scents of her companions and of the horde of monsters that was pressing forward causing their group immense pressure The air was thick with such scents the vibrancy of their emotions thickening the trails but Annie’s Skill was growing by leaps and bounds and she was able to keep them all straight if just barely Plus the emotions gave her a clue who she needed to assist next

For good measure Annie put 4 arrows into the back of a giant toad’s head and then headed towards the left flank which contained the most panic of all the scents That was Ptolemy but he would only feel fear if someone else was injured so

Just like the rest of the group Annie had been initially very interested in the quest given the flat percentage it would grant at the end Plus this was a great bunch of free experience Instead of seeking out they simply had to wait by the village and the monsters would come towards them But although they had casually been referring to these monsters as Raid Boss class that was ultimately inaccurate The fearsome power of the Raid Boss partially lay in its ability to procreate and create an army that would come and wipe out a village

These monsters came ready made to wreck the village they were just much easier kill than the army because there was only one of them But that didn’t mean that they were any less dangerous than an entire army

Still considering the level of their party taking them out was child’s play Unless you were alone facing 6 of them at once with 10 more waiting behind to strike at your weaknesses Although they were powerful their group was giving ground there were simply too many high caliber monsters at once

Annie leaped to the next tree wiped the blood out of her eye and then drew her bow Ptolemy was standing some distance away healing a large gash on Thea’s shoulder From her Annie could only feel fury and hatred as she watched her bear standing up to a centipede and two headed goat bellowing its defiance Then animals hesitated intimidated by what was in all likelihood a Skill and a well leveled one at that It gave Ptolemy the precious few seconds he needed to heal Thea and then unleash a fireball on a hawk that was circling above sending it squawking to the ground harmlessly to dodge

Annie loosed an arrow pinning its wing to the tree then knocked another arrow turning towards the other looming monsters

Give some ground the message from Rose arrived and huffing Annie use her Split Shot Skill to send an arrow the split and smashed into both the centipede and goat’s faces stunning them Chrysanthemum turned and retreated allowing Ptolemy to land a precious few healing spells on her and after Chrysanthemum was clear Annie’s mouth curled into a wicked smile

“The Cold Sleet before Stillness ” Annie whispered shooting an arrow into the sky and watching as her Mana dropped to almost nothing Instantly she turned away and lopped off pulling out a Mana potion to drink not even bothering to watch as the dozens of magical arrows descended from the sky crashing into the monsters standing in the area ripping holes in their flesh and spreading a deadly creeping numbness through the area around the wounds It wasn’t a super destructive move but it was the Skill of hers that had the most debilitating effects The coldness acted like a poison that would slowly consume the body of the monsters making the entirety of them numb

The left flank then would have a few minutes but

THere was a trumpet like call as a six tusked elephant charged forward rushing forward in the wake of her Skill Grimacing Annie spun around and raised her hands to her lips Slowly evenly without any rush she drew out a long thin wisp of breath she extracted from herself feeling her Stamina drop to almost zero as well Then she snapped it in a practiced manner straightening it then flexed it turning it rigid Then she put the breath arrow on her bow and shot it towards the elephant which was only a dozen or so meters from her now rampaging

“The Last Gasp “

The smokey arrow shot forward smashing into the face of the elephant blinding it briefly before it swirled up and rushed into the elephant’s nose and mouth There it would slither like a serpent until it reached the lungs and then

Pop

The elephant’s eyes went wide and it stumbled as the blades of air sharpened abruptly and exploded in its chest ripping apart its lungs and most of the surrounding internal organs After a brief stumble the creature collapsed

Annie sniffed wrinkling her nose then continued her retreat her breathing heavy It had been quite a while since she had felt this close to danger felt this tickle of danger so constantly Her Hunter’s Instincts Skill had gained 10 Levels in the past hour which was a ridiculous amount of growth

Which she supposed was the point of the Raid Dungeon There wasn’t anywhere else where you would encounter so many dangerous monsters let alone 200 or so at once Under this immense pressure

Annie had never felt so alive

The original plan had been to split their close range forces into three pieces one acting as a vanguard splitting the monsters that were rushing forward the two flanks mopping up the remnants To no one’s surprise Alana would be alone acting as the tip of their spear Aside from the Ghosthound himself she was the most dependable and would only break when she died And Annie had fought against Alana before that woman was a bitch to scratch let alone kill

Meanwhile the choice of the flanks was much more surprising The right was Ace Lucifer and Drake while the left would be Thea Chrysanthemum and Ptolemy Rose Clarissa and the Ghosthound would stay back and support from afar while they had largely let Annie move as she pleased Annie knew the arrangement annoyed Rose but the other woman grudgingly admitted that Annie could handle herself unpredictable as her assistance was

Ace had been the only one to speak out against this plan pointing out that the left was much weaker than the right but Rose had been adamant and after bringing up the issue Ace had let it drop

Annie knew why the left was made that way Thea was slowly becoming a force of nature As she developed slowly growing used to her advanced combat Skill she was rounding out to be a berserker style warrior Meanwhile Chrysanthemum might as well be an infinite chasm for all the success the monsters had against her She was just as strong as every one of these monsters if not a bit stronger and twice as strong Plus from Annie’s observations Chrysanthemum possessed just as many impressive Skills as her bounded companion

Tasting the air once more Annie swerved and headed back towards Alana’s position Not three seconds as she sensed Alana’s frustration there was a message in the Party Chat

Close to my limit

Help is on the way Hold out 7 more minutes The Ghosthound’s reply immediately came

Acknowledged Annie imagined Alana’s stuffy face as she sent that reply hand salute included and all and stifled a giggle

As Annie tasted again there was a new scent in the air a new prey It was a variation on a familiar scent

Annie pursed her lips The Ghosthound made minions again This one was larger than the previous ones and much less while More solid He had explained briefly to her how they were based on stats so this one would be Endurance

As she thought that a turtle the size of a car trundled forward moving at a quick clip for a turtle There were a few vines curling up out of its shell around its neck Its shell was a deep black green and its skin was the color of old peas Its golden eyes scrutinized Annie briefly but then it nodded in acknowledgment and hurried passed Chuckling Annie leaped up onto its back catching a ride

It only took 30 seconds to arrive at Alana and it was clear what the problem was There was a large demon in front of the sun touched woman covered in red scales and with long clawed hands It laughed again and belched out a ball of black fire Alana spun to the side grabbing a bronze wolf by the scruff of its neck like it was a puppy and throwing it in the way of the strange fire

When the flames touched the monster it began to howl which lasted all of 3 seconds before its body was consumed and it was naught but ash Annie whistled

Talk about fast acting

Chapter 418

Although the demon monster was the largest threat it was also only part of the problem Annie’s role was not one of glory but one of intelligence Which was somewhat disappointing for now but Annie assured herself that SOME sort of rogue opponent would rear its ugly head and she would have a 1 v 1 duel with it

Probably they would think she had lost and the opponent would ambush Randidly leaving him helpless And then at the last moment Annie would reveal herself monologuing about how this was her plan all along and that due to the monster’s foolishness she had been able to turn the tables and now their side would be victorious solely due to her actions That was just how amazing she was

Annie nodded sagely then acknowledged the practical part of herself that was screaming that they were currently in battle and the daydreaming could wait until later Better address the problem in front of them before it became serious

Her fingers danced across her bow arrows sprouting from the surrounding monsters that were waiting to ambush giving Alana some space to deal freely with the demon thing Which of course the woman immediately did leaping forward and bringing her spear down in a brutal smash that shattered the thing’s shin bone Its cackles turned into screeches and it fell to the ground lashing out with its claws Lightning fast Alana drew out two spare spears and pierced the wildly swiping claws pinning them to the ground

Then she was upon its chest and slit its throat A stomp crushed the front of its skull in and then she was off gathering the spears back to herself and storing them in her ring while the demon continued to spasm wildly

In that space the turtle barreled forward its head snapping out chomping down with fearsome power shattering bones and liquefying flesh The surrounding monsters reeled back attempting to reform now that the demon was dead but those intelligent enough to motivate their comrades were immediately assassinated by Annie and those bold enough to stand their ground were smashed backward by Alana

Very soon they had a bit of space before the next wave of monsters arrived and Alana removed a bottle of water from it and solemnly drank half She offered Annie the rest who declined it She had her own water and had more downtime in the battle than most of the others rushing to and fro Alana finished the bottle

Then the next wave arrived and Annie was beginning to worry about how many arrows she had remaining After this she would have to go around and collect some of her spent ones

Withdraw Alana first

The order came suddenly much more quickly than Annie had been expecting Under the cover of the turtle’s huge durable shell the group fell back slowly allowing the middle of their formation to collapse As they did so monsters stopped attacking the flanks and piled into the middle chasing down Annie Alana and the turtle’s retreating forms

Annie smiled as they came back within sight of their reinforcements and a dozen Chain Lightnings sailed over their heads and hit the pursuers

“I suppose it’s my turn ” A voice said full of tightly controlled brutality Annie’s tongue instinctively flicked out and she shivered based upon what she tasted The Ghosthound had a switch deep inside himself and she hadn’t seen him turn it on like this since he had disappeared for several months Annie had suspected that he had undergone some sort of transformation especially when she had felt the energies moving in the sky to the Northeast as the Ghosthound had obtained a Class But now

As she watched him she could feel the energies swirling around him gathering to his will Distantly she could almost feel the image of a tree hovering above him the canopy of branches twining together to form a crown But when Annie blinked that image was gone leaving just a man holding a spear

“With the center collapsed here they come charging down the middle ” Rose said then she trailed off turning to look at Randidly “If you can’t handle this many there is no shame “

“I know ” The Ghosthound cut her off his emerald eyes looking at the assembled host of monsters “But I honestly don’t know I need to see how far I’ve come “

Then the Ghosthound stepped forward then leaped crossing 10 meters to arrive far from the group Then he shifted A wave of pressure smashed outward so that Annie and Alana grimaced and Rose was sent staggering The image that Annie had seen before came back stronger the branches twisting and weaving to form a barren and pointed crown

Annie narrowed her eyes This was similar to the move that the Ghosthound possessed before the pain aura that he used to great effect to stun the warriors of Donnyton But this this was more than pain It was distorting senses it was mental strain it was creeping wariness It was the weight of carrying a world’s portion of responsibility on your shoulders and it crushed down everyone in the surrounding area The monsters chittered amongst each other stumbling to a stop They were unwilling to rush into his area but the momentum of those behind them pushed them forward shoving some of them deeper where the weaker ones writhed and shrieked

Then something else ignited a fire a burning bride that hung above the crown of branches and roots It seemed to be composed entirely of pride and nobility a representation of the immortal will and honorable code that one could use as a source of strength to overcome the weight of responsibility It was a demonstration of his superior mental power Something indomitable And after it was activated the Ghosthound’s emerald eyes were burning like a chemical bonfire

Then another wave of force wrapped its way outward a softer wave but still as insidious It was a four colored domain that spread out and Annie felt oddly restricted by it although she couldn’t determine in what ways it affected her at the moment at least not easily

After a small breath the Ghosthound grinned and raised his spear ready to test himself

“Congratulations warriors ” Dalton said rubbing his mustache as he looked at the ragged band Drake rubbed his nose subdued He had gained two full Levels from that fight sure but also

The image of the Ghosthound at the end

Shaking his head Drake dislodged that thought then considered the notification in front of him

Congratulations You have successfully defended the village while the main force dealt with the Death Cultist threat Your relationship with the village has increased If you talk with Cyndra within the next 24 hours it is very likely you will receive a related quest You have gained 30% experience to your next Level

A satisfied grin plastered itself on Alana’s face giving away that she had finally reached Level 48 and probably got a significant percentage forward towards 49 For his part Drake finally reached 40 receiving a new Skill Captain’s Cross a powerful offensive move that was relatively cheap and would likely become the mainstay of his fighting style in the future It consisted of two super quick slashes with an exponentially increased amount of damage at the intersection of the slashes

But what Drake really regretted was that everything happened so quickly His Bone Exoskeleton Skill that he obtained from his Soul Skill would have been a perfect assist for this situation the only problem was that it took around 10 minutes to form and for that time he was completely exposed and immobile But once it had formed he would have been able to hold a flank all on his own

“Thank you ” The Ghosthound said nodding his head “I hope your side of things went well “

“Ha don’t worry we have it handled Anyways it is late Please rest In the morning we will explain more about this village’s circumstances “

And with that Dalton departed taking with him the 10 villagers who had basically just watched the Raid Dungeon Party defend their walls After exchanging a glance with Rose and Annie the group walked slowly back towards the church It appeared that Arrata was busy with other things because the doors hung open and the rooms abandoned After they were alone Annie scouted the surroundings and the Ghosthound moved his strange lanterns Then finally they spoke

Rose went first “They were definitely watching us rather than the monsters They used Skills but they were just common sight and sound enhancing Skills nothing as incisive as what I have Just common observation “

The Ghosthound grunted flexing his fingers Drake watched the man carefully What no one said and that everyone was thinking was that even the most basic child had the observational Skills to witness the absolutely dominant display that the Ghosthound exhibited ripping through around 50 monsters within 5 minutes leaving their bodies crushed their spirits broken and scattered It was the sort of thing that was beyond understanding When Drake compared his own performance with the Ghosthound’s it was hard to believe that they were even the same species and had started using the System at the same time The Ghosthound seemed to have been born like this Although he knew that the Ghosthound used to be human too a friend to Sydney when he displayed prowess like this

With a sidelong glance Drake examined Lucifer and Ace Truthfully Drake’s performance fell slightly shy of either of these two men even though Drake had probably gained 30 or so Skill Levels and 4 Levels in the past 4 days And in terms of utilization there was no better way of forcing your potential to the surface than fighting with your life on the line It was a difference in tenacity that meant that he was much much more powerful than he had been before the expedition began And it had only been a short amount of time

Drake felt a certain amount of excitement towards how powerful he would be by the end of this and a fair amount of fear towards Lucifer and Ace Lucifer was tireless now dual wielding his huge swords using brute force and momentum to wreck opponents Ace meanwhile was much more difficult to understand but almost more sinister

At first Ace just seemed like a grappler with superior reaction time and an intuitive understanding of fighting But then an opponent used a similar move again and Ace suddenly had the perfect counter prepared for the opponent He was one of the instinctive types of fighters that mid fight would make minute adjustments that would slowly tilt advantages his way

And both of them compared to the Ghosthound were just

“Annie What were we used for ” The Ghosthound said breaking the silence and turning to Annie

She frowned “Raiding a strange warren filled with bat creatures They are certainly ugly and monstrous enough to be Death Cultists but I didn’t really see much black magic Mostly the strange bat things have stupidly powerful bodies Aside from Cyndra it seemed like the common bat thing was more than a match for villagers “

Rose tutted “Aren’t we happy if the villagers are honest If we can finish this Raid Dungeon while getting these quests isn’t it for the best “

Drake privately agreed but he was wary of it too So far these had been brutal fights sure but the Ghosthound’s grim face as they entered the Dungeon had filled him with a sense of foreboding Why then was everything lining up for them to finish it without any real effort

Chapter 419

Drake shook his head This really wasn’t the sort of thing that HE needed to think about Better just stick to the grunt work The Dungeon would work out or it wouldn’t All he needed to do was stay alive and be the best Captain of the Guard he could be for Sydney when he made it out

“There was something strange about the bat creatures ” Annie interjected her face still twisted like she had tasted something nasty “Something was wrong there “

Ace dug some wax out of his ear and flicked it onto the ground “Doesn’t it make sense that the Death Cultists feel weird They worship death “

Annie just gave Ace a look He rolled his eyes and threw up his hands

Shaking her head Rose looked around “Let’s leave that for now then Anyone get any items “

“Saw a few condense in a flash of light ” Alana grunted “But there was no space to gather them and I figured we could sweep it after I saw two “

“Six ” Lucifer added softly even while still looking at the ground continuing to polish his sword

Annie will you do a sweep see what we have The Ghosthound asked Annie nodded then slipped out the door instantly blending into the predawn light Then the Ghosthound raised his hands to his head and rubbed his temples

It helped a bit Drake reflected that the Ghosthound seemed to be completely exhausted after his display earlier It was a small comfort to him that there was a bit of weakness to the man after his earlier fight But it was only a small comfort after he had witnessed the enemies melt before him Even the strange turtle creature that the Ghosthound had summoned had eventually been overcome by the Ghosthound’s own spell that seemed to warp the air and destroy the earth leaving only destruction

At the same time several of the people in the party looked up sniffing their eyes sharpening

Is that Ptolemy said slowly Ace licked his lips Even Lucifer who was usually so stoic focusing solely on his sword well swords now looked up his eyes flashing

Aratta popped up out of one of the side doors carrying a tray Oh you are all here Goodmorning I was just doing my baking Would anyone want some cupcakes

Randidly chewed his cupcake very slowly It was he had to admit very good But the news he was receiving along with it was anything but

It seemed like the battlefield had been picked clean Annie said doing a handstand while she gave her report After a brief tremor she straightened until she was only supported by a single arm and then flexed upwards But it only lasted for a moment and she tumbled forward Not just the items the bodies of the monsters too it was all gone

So we should have a talk with our hosts huh Randidly whispered narrowing his eyes

There’s more They brought back captives from their run to the Death Cultists’ lair yea But they were dumping the bodies in the forest by the time I came back out They can’t have had them for more than two hours I suppose the questioning went poorly

Finishing his cupcake Randidly wiped his hands on his reddish leather armor That was an interesting fact but Randidly couldn’t find anything suspicious about it on the surface The Death Cultists were a foreign power that apparently worshipped the end of all life Taking prisoners and executing them heavy handed but understandable But still Randidly felt that he was missing something

Adding the fact that they had swept the battlefield clean without even so much as a word to their group Randidly supposed it was their own fault for leaving it that way But after the end of the battle

Randidly shivered closing his eyes He could feel it even now the reverberations that he felt when his Cruel Indignation of Yggdrasil was turned up to 10 As he walked towards a monster and ripped through its consciousness with his very presence leaving it writhing and screaming on the ground in front of him

Besides that Aratta struck Randidly as a bit

Grimacing he turned away It would take time to track down that scent of Aether on her and it was debatable whether they did have time This was a Dungeon so the outside world would keep for a bit but he didn’t like hesitating If the Death Cultists were the enemy he wanted to hit them hard and hit them fast getting the Key of Death and then getting out of here

There were some lingering doubts in regards to that plan The Creature was in here Randidly knew and also the Regalia of the Champions And yet he had heard hide nor hair of it That was worrisome And the Dungeon was taking on a perfectly acceptable shape guiding them towards an enemy with no hiccups Were the Death Cultists the servants of the Creature In addition where the fuck were Jemma and Rhaidon And the Wild Rider They had been pulled into the Raid Dungeon with the group and yet

One last thing Annie muttered straightening Then she shrugged and said I’m not sure if it means anything but there is a different flavor around the village now Or rather it was subtle before and now they are doing some sort of magic that is very peculiar It changes the air Just thought you should know

Then Annie departed scrambling out the window rather than walking out of the door to his small room Randidly shook his head a small smile on his face That was completely unnecessary but he couldn’t find it in himself to say anything Annie was finally liberated from her baby and she was fucking savoring every second of vacation

Sighing Randidly rubbed his forehead There simply wasn’t enough information Tomorrow he would talk with Cyndra and Dalton then ask Rose and Clarissa their perspectives Then they would something

Fuck this Randidly muttered settling down crosslegged He didn’t get paid enough for this Instead of working himself in circles over problems that he didn’t quite know the shape of he instead opened up his status screen

Fighting here had been good to Randidly just as it had been to everyone else He had reached Level 9 with the boost that he had obtained from completing the quest In addition to that he had gained quite a few Skill Levels He had gained 11 Levels in Phantom’s Lantern 3 in Grasp of Lava and Sharpness 19 in Call Grove Defenders 4 in Plant Dominance and Invigorating Call 3 in Touch from Beyond 1 in Sap Spray 2 in Spear Mastery and Wall of Thorns 7 in Four Shaded Domain 3 in Phantom’s Embrace and the Indomitable Spirit of Yggdrasil 2 in the Yyrwood Flesh of Yggdrasil and the Cruel Indignation of Yggdrasil and 1 in the Glittering Leaves of Yggdrasil and the Emerald Sap of Yggdrasil

Then Randidly’s mouth twisted because he did gain one more Skill Level which was the reason that his head throbbed with pain since the earlier fight When he had met the final monster that was standing and used this Skill curious And he had felt its vicious resistance before being reduced to a husk of what it once was stripped of Skills and identity

He had gained 1 Level in Erode Image

It was a Skill that Randidly would think long and hard about before using again It was certainly effective but

Then Randidly shook his head He would consider it later For now time to advance his Path His 72 PP wasn’t enough to finish off his Path of Control but it took another huge chunk out of it and prepared him to move into the finishing stages

In addition again the Blessing he obtained from his Soul Skill was much different than previous iterations

Congratulations You have received the Blessing of Murderous Cold as your Soul Skill revolves +8 to Agility Perception and Reaction As you become increasingly in tune with your surroundings sensitivity to other’s attention and attitudes vastly increases

The free Stats were completely gone and there wasn’t even the added benefit of a Skill this time Grunting Randidly sat back and then finally laying himself out on the bed allowing himself some rest It would just be for an hour or so but

He needed it

Before he fell asleep he looked at his Status Screen and smiled He certainly had been growing well now that he had a Class

Level 9 (90%)

Health(/R per hour) 2920/2395 (+730) (876 (+165

Mana(/R per hour) 2149/2466 (392 (+9

Stam(/R per min) 2350/2495 (+60) (305 (+45

Vit 213 (+15)

End 127 (+20)

Str 207 (+52)

Agi 269 (+24)

Perception 228 (+20)

Reaction 219 (+15)

Resistance 172 (+45)

Willpower 286 (+10)

Intelligence 207

Wisdom 135 (+9)

Control 327

Focus 262 (+4)

Progenitor’s Influence 691

Skills (Soul Skill) Four Shaded Clockwork World Lvl 1924

Combat Spear Mastery Lvl 153 White Phantom’s Half Step (Un) Lvl 52 Heavy Blow Lvl 74 Dagger Mastery Lvl 10 Iron Skin Lvl 47 Dodge Lvl 80 Fighting Proficiency Lvl 120 Block Lvl 54 Phantom Onslaught Lvl 42 Sweep Lvl 54 Spear Deflect Lvl 10 Calculated Blow Lvl 78 Roundhouse Kick Lvl 41 Idiosyncratic Cut (Un) Lvl 70 Pierce the Skies Shatter the Earth Lvl 39 Body Control Freeze Lvl 27 Stalemate Breaker Lvl 29 Talon Strike Lvl 38 Counter Lvl 1

PoFE Class Skills Plant Dominance ® Lvl 78 Spray Holy Sap (Un) Lvl 2 Sharpness Lvl 9 Call Grove Defenders ® Lvl 20 Earthquake (Un) Lvl 1 Invigorating Call (Humanity)(Un) Lvl 7 Four Shaded Domain Lvl 9 Phantom’s Lantern (Un) Lvl 12 Grasp of Lava ® Lvl 4 Erode Image Lvl 2

The 6 Signs of the Spear Phantom ® The First Sign The Inevitable Phantom Arrives Lvl 85 (Un) The Fifth Sign The Spear Phantom’s Embrace ® Lvl 163 The Sixth Sign The Breath of the Spear Phantom ® Lvl 26

Aether Skills Aether Detection Lvl 73 Aether Manipulation Lvl 79 Living Aether ® Lvl 85 System Interference Lvl 8

Spells Spearing Roots Lvl 70 Mana Bolt Lvl 28 Mana Shield Lvl 32 Arcane Orb Lvl 22 Fireball Lvl 30 Magic Missile Lvl 4 Healing Palm Lvl 12 Pollen of the Rafflesia Lvl 20 Summon Pestilence Lvl 54 Wall of Thorns Lvl 22 Soul Seed ® Inspiration ® Incinerating Bolt Lvl 79 Circle of Flame Lvl 53 Plantomancy Lvl 35 Hammer of the Dawn Lvl 37 Burning Footsteps Lvl 23 Ashes to Ashes Lvl 24 Touch from Beyond ® Lvl 16

Yggdrasil Glittering Leaves of Yggdrasil Lvl 102 The Golden Roots of Yggdrasil Lvl 101 the Emerald Sap of Yggdrasil Lvl 99 the Yyrwood Flesh of Yggdrasil Lvl 107 the Indomitable Spirit of Yggdrasil Lvl 101 the Cruel Indignation of Yggdrasil Lvl 101

Auxiliary Sneak Lvl 46 Acid Resistance Lvl 22 Poison Resistance Lvl 21 Pain Resistance Lvl 61 First Aid Lvl 16 Pathfinding Lvl 18 Fire Resistance Lvl 23 Sewing Lvl 11 Cutting Vegetables Lvl 2 Manual Labor Lvl 6 Digging Lvl 5 Cooking Lvl 53 Clockwork Mastery Lvl 16 Aether Connection Lvl 3 Soul Bond Lvl 80 Chef’s Palette Lvl 24 Nether Resistance Lvl 3 Child of the Rain (Un) Lvl 1

Chapter 420

Would you like some help washing The voice said drifting through the steamy sauna The priestess Arrata sauntered through the mist hinting at her feminine curves and all the more delicious curve of a smile on her mouth

Ptolemy’s reaction was so violent that instead of just jumping to his feet in the dream he did so in real life waking him up from the dream and destroying the wooden bed that was beneath him As he exhaled slowly the splinters of the wooden furniture skidded to a stop Then slowly he began to pick up the pieces

Ptolemy never considered himself a sexual person But hell he was a 29 year old man Sometimes sometimes you had urges right Even if they were for weird blind alien women It was normal

right

After doing his best to clean up the mess of the shattered bed and folding his sheets Ptolemy kneeled said a small prayer and prepared for his day He started today like every other day starting with 1 hour of focused Meditation Ptolemy would then use his Skills one by one trying to apply some of the knowledge that the Ghosthound had brought back with him from the other world See if a powerful image was combined with a Skill it would grow faster and the effect would be more powerful

Basically all of Donnyton upon hearing this had spent a week learning the Battle Intent Skill and it was already paying dividends However once people had it a lot of them were content to simply let it grow passively But Ptolemy struggled so much with it that he quickly got into the habit of practicing daily

He wasn’t currently the one with the highest Level but Ptolemy was determined to turn this weakness into a strength That was the trait that defined him most the stubborn insistence on working on his weak points rather than polishing up his strengths It was why he had chosen to follow his father’s wish of him becoming a doctor before compromising to a nurse If he hadn’t done that then

It wasn’t as though he was secretly an artist No Ptolemy thought with a sigh he didn’t even have that cliche going for him Ptolemy always wanted to be a wildlife conservation officer To protect animal habitats to preserve the natural beauty of the country that was Ptolemy’s dream

Which was why when he cast his Healing Circle Ptolemy imagined an ecosystem Perhaps a forest or a small valley with a stream quite like Donnyton And what his Healing Circle did was take the damage to that ecosystem and repair it funneling clean energy into that world

Whether it was by removing pests planting new trees or by reinforcing creeks Ptolemy saw the body not as one organism but a complex mix of many and his healing was just one small way to attack a problem that was much larger than the wound itself More than healing Ptolemy hoped that with his Skills he could improve a patient

Ptolemy allowed himself a small smile as he finished his Healing Circle image focus and prepared to move onto another Skill This System was truly wondrous for all its evils

Hah

You little shit I’ll knock your face in

Hmph well it’s good to see that at least your mouth works Keep your guard up She may be smaller than you but she hits harder

Sighing Ptolemy stood Unluckily for him he had been placed right next to the outer wall and it seemed that sparring practice was going on right outside of his room After making a mental note to finish his practice in the evening Ptolemy murmured another prayer and went outside to see what was going on

It was a mistake Ptolemy knew but they were a team for however long this journey lasted and he could forgo the comfort of his rituals for a short span of time in order to become closer with his teammates Plus yesterday was the first time anyone had really asked him about what he did before the System

Ptolemy knew it was a considered move made by Ace to get closer to him but he didn’t mind For all the strength the System gave people it seemed to cloud their memory making it impossible to remember the before Now that the world was so changed many people thought that nothing could be learned from the past and were dismissive of those who put a high value on it

Luckily for Donnyton it seemed neither Sam Daniel nor Mrs Hamilton were those people They were shrewd in their governance practices moving slowly towards a true republic system of government although most people hadn’t noticed it yet It was a calculated risk Ptolemy knew but he was never one who was blinded by the virtues of democracy Sure in the future when the different factions became entrenched politically against each other the 10 person council idea might seem foolish but

When Ptolemy arrived at the training ground he saw Thea thoroughly break Ace’s jaw with her hammer her eyes burning

Stop Give him a bit of space ah Ptolemy good timing Heal him up will you Alana said standing on the sidelines with her hands on her hips Comically Chrysanthemum stood next to her trying her best to mimic the human woman behind her back

Ace blew a bubble of blood out of his nose as he snorted with laughter Then he winced With a wave of his hand Ptolemy cast Healing Circle Then for good measure he cast Invigorate on both Ace and Thea restoring some portion of their Stamina It wasn’t much now but it was a recent Skill acquisition his Level 40 and hopefully it would grow to be an invaluable asset

Very quickly the bones of Ace’s jaw snapped back into place and after a thankful smile towards Ptolemy his gaze turned surly and towards Thea

After ascertaining his patient was fine Ptolemy began to move away but was waved back by Alana Things will be easier if you are here Stay a bit will you

Ptolemy nodded and wandered over Although staying here wasn’t ideal it was much much better than being caught alone by Clarissa That woman

Shivering Ptolemy closed his eyes and did his best to let the grunts and hisses of the spar flow past him Every few minutes he would be shaken awake by Alana and Ptolemy healed the participants mostly Ace Almost primarily Ace and Ace was becoming increasingly incensed due to his repeated losses

What the fuck He finally bellowed after the 5th such healing How can you how come I’m not

You rely on that Skill of yours too much Alana said coolly giving him a cold look And you insist on this pointless use of your hands

My knuckles grow strong on the blood of my enemies Ace said simply as if he had practiced saying just that 1000 times in front of the mirror Ptolemy barely resisted the urge to roll his eyes It was easy to see why Alana would become frustrated with the guy

But also it was easy to see why she would do nothing about it Because although he was an idiot it was just part of his code of conduct There was something to respect about adhering to that So instead of continuing to harp on him Alana switched tactics The reason she continues to suppress you is that her Skill is better at fighting than yours And she started at a lower Level to begin with It is easier for her to grow and catch up with you because you have a higher Level

BUT Alana said her eyes narrowing now You are also extremely foolish about what battles you pick In your hands you hold a wooden rod which can be used in thousands of ways to great effect She has a meat cleaver Stop trying to overpower the meat cleaver

I’m not here for a philosophy lesson Ace complained and turned away heading over towards the water barrel As he did so Rose and Drake arrived speaking quietly to each other Seeing the bloodied face of Ace Rose wrinkled her nose and shook her head but said nothing

Good you are here Alana said walking into the circle of dirt they used as an arena Let’s talk about form Drake get over here Thea call the match if he can’t concede

Ptolemy snuck away not really annoyed by the fighting but also not interested in it And besides if everyone else was here he might have a chance

a body only hinted at through the steam alluring and ripe

Ptolemy gulped and began to trot around the side of the church towards the front entrance From the corner of his eyes Ptolemy saw a few of the strange locals loitering around nearby buildings peeking out of windows to look at the training individuals and at Ptolemy At first Ptolemy felt an urge to go back and urge the training people to stop but then he realized they were probably visibly training on purpose

But why Was it to show the locals they were strong or that they were weak enough to be underestimated Not even Ace was going at full speed in the spar Perhaps

Ptolemy rounded the corner and ran into someone knocking them over And as he realized who it was all of the blood drained from his face

A a ar Ar He mumbled

The dusky skinned alien woman brushed herself off and smiled up at him Aratta haha Are you alright Your name was Ptolemy

It was like an invisible magical noose tightened around his lungs and he couldn’t breathe looking at her But he didn’t want to either lest the moment pass

Chapter 421

Ptolemy seemed to be in a daze as he was led back towards the baking area by Aratta until the moment that a hand fell on his shoulder

Wait a moment The Ghosthound bodily spun Ptolemy around his emerald eyes locking onto Ptolemy’s gaze then holding it Ptolemy felt something connected to his soul seem to tremble and then still Then it was like a bucket of ice water was poured over him and Ptolemy doubled over gasping

After several seconds of panting Ptolemy struggled to straighten That took a few more seconds until he finally stood his eyes squinting at the Ghosthound Sometimes it was easy to forget that he was a normal man especially recently when he had been wearing his bone cloak It was a cascading sheet of white around his body most of the time that hid his form and caused his passage to be marked by the soft and dangerous clicks of bone on bone

But without the cloak he was just a tall athletic man At least physically But around him there was always this air of mystery was the wrong word but rather certainty But what the Ghosthound was certain about it was hard to tell

Still it was there in the green of his eyes in the sharpness of his gaze in the hardness of his jaw

What were you just doing The Ghosthound asked still staring at Ptolemy intently

I Ptolemy gestured helplessly forward towards the door to the basement which was slightly ajar I was just following Aratta She invited me to help her bake so

The Ghosthound’s smile was razor sharp Well then let’s go help shall we

With the Ghosthound in the lead the two of them descended into the basement The staircase was surprisingly long and the deeper they descended the more the chill in the air grew until Ptolemy wanted to shiver even though outside when he had been standing by the training area the sun had been so warm that he had sweat a little without even moving

At the bottom there was another door which was locked The Ghosthound jiggled with the handle and then frowned Well I suppose you were invited so

With a dull cracking sound the Ghosthound pulled the door off of its hinges the stone portion of the wall around the deadbolt cracking and shattering Then in a surprising show of restraint the Ghosthound set the door down gently to the side of the opening and walked through Hesitant Ptolemy followed

Aratta looked up from her mixing bowl and smiled at the new arrivals Oh you are just in time Will you help me pour these muffins

Freezing Ptolemy remained stuck there standing halfway between apologizing and agreeing to help This this was unusual correct They had just broken down the door and entered into the kitchens Without permission just forcing themselves into the situation In addition what was that strange stupor that had brought Ptolemy here and how had Aratta been leading him one moment then deep down a staircase behind a locked door the next

Largely ignoring these questions the Ghosthound nodded and walked over to Aratta’s side As she turned away reaching for a bowl to hand him the Ghosthound aimed a glare at her back full of a something There was a palpable weight to his gaze as if he was scouring her figure for something He was searching for a target

Ptolemy gulped at the boldness of his gaze Then from the back of Ptolemy’s mind arose the possibility that he and the Ghosthound weren’t so different after all Perhaps what the Ghosthound was looking for right now was her

her smile curving upwards her body bending forwards in the sauna reaching for his

Then Aratta turned back handing the Ghosthound the bowl and immediately his expression was mild As the Ghosthound turned around he caught sight of Ptolemy and did a double take Huffing with annoyance the Ghosthound shook his head and began to carry the bowl over towards the baking containers to prep the mixture to be thrown into the ovens

Had the Ghosthound been able to read his mind

Ptolemy’s face went white Had he been imagining himself with Aratta while the Ghosthound read his mind or the Ghosthound himself

Trembling Ptolemy stared at the floor while being handed a bowl by Aratta Then the group continued to move in silence just going about the task largely ignoring each other Each time they would run out of batter Aratta seemed to produce more so they were endlessly working moving from one tray to the next filling up more and more trays Ptolemy couldn’t help but wonder how many people really lived in the village if they had this many muffin trays

The Ghosthound coughed lightly and Ptolemy froze Looking down he realized that there was nothing in his hands and he was just miming pouring batter into the trays He must have set his bowl down without noticing that was how intently he was going about the task

Or was there something sinister about this

There was a thick fog over Ptolemy’s mind he abruptly realized covering his thoughts guiding them But the more he thought about it

The air seemed to be filled with an emerald pulse at that moment a breeze of pure air that blew through that deep dungeon but instead of shivering Ptolemy clung to it his eyes narrowing What was going on Was Aratta

Aratta shrugged apologetically her robes rustling the ripped cloth over her eyes pointing towards the Ghosthound It is not even a conscious thing it is simply in my nature

And what sort of nature is that The Ghosthound hissed in response his hands tightening into fists Aratta’s smile widened

Ptolemy believed it would have come to blows there had not a notification popped up through the group chat

Rose GH we need you up here The villagers are leaving All of them

The Ghosthound stilled Then he turned and looked at Aratta his eyes once more measuring her burning into her seeking But whatever he saw there was not what he expected and not what he wanted Sighing the Ghosthound closed his eyes The room turned silent and in that silence Aratta gestured at Ptolemy and he reflexively began moving the 10 trays they had made into the ovens on the far wall

This time he had counted the tasks before he began and so when he finished the 10th tray and he saw dozens more arranged on the tables he paused some silent part of him insisting that he shouldn’t bother with them He struggled against it but the current him had the will of a wet noodle and the other part was like iron

Just that thought alone was enough to cause Ptolemy to frown When was the last time that he had thought of his will as a wet noodle Not since the System arrived that was for sure

Fine But I can find you The Ghosthound said opening his eyes his voice calm

Aratta smiled back at him That’s all part of the plan love

Still panting from the sparring session Ace watched the departing villagers with narrowed eyes There was something strange about this And it wasn’t his normal instincts screaming this but his villainous instincts This was too quick the progression erratic They should have either been lured into a false sense of security or there should have been a growing sense of dread as they stayed at the village

Aside from the always practical explosive bang those were the two slow ways that villainy revealed itself to the world And yet

Ace’s instincts insisted there was a villain here But this abrupt departure stunk of an amateur villain with no training or class His hands tightening into fists Ace swore to himself that he would find this half baked plot and crush it Perhaps from the remnants he could cobble together a scheme of his own that will let him have the cake of being here in the Dungeon and eat his Randidly too

Making no moves to hide his malevolent grin Ace turned and glanced at Rose She was distancing herself from him purposefully of course speaking with the rather intense Clarissa discussing the application of Skills to induce the creation of Resistance Skills It was heavy violent stuff and did nothing to dispel Ace’s good mood They were both more intelligent than most everyone around them knew and both almost compulsively interested in magic and Skills

From this a friendship developed Perhaps even a relationship that was so close that in the future when Ace gave a fiendish order Rose would waiver feeling conflicted based on her feelings for Clarissa Everything according to plan

Humming softly Ace waltzed over to the rest of the group as Randidly glowering and stormy arrived to witness the strange movements of the villagers

Chapter 422

Ace considered Randidly He felt stupid for not noticing the changes in him immediately when he had accosted him in that bar in the Refuge But perhaps he had locked so quickly onto the familiar things that he had overlooked the differences

Although it was impossible Randidly seemed subtlety larger like an inch or two in height and wildly more masculine and aggressive It was in the way he carried himself how open his chest was how direct his eye contact was He would make a fine villain Ace decided if the fucker would just make the extra effort to cultivate a persona

The problem with villains that Ace quickly discovered was that you could not be yourself while remaining a villain That was a shortcut to madness Rather what you needed to do was bind together several traits of yours true traits to keep the authenticity and dial them upafter a certain switch’ has been flipped allowing your own personality to warp By keeping them as true portions of your personality the warping did no lasting damage For Ace the switch was putting on his helmet and it helped him keep his two modes separate from each other

Randidly’s persona Ace considered this problem Stubbornness as a trait was an obvious choice but gave no drive It would strengthen his spine however and get him into a lot of trouble when he clashed with the forces of justice when he wouldn’t admit he was wrong or back down from a challenge No the driving forces behind Randidly’s villain persona should be

Hatred born of loneliness and paranoia born of anxiety A slow building villain but one that would savor every second of slowly ripping his victim’s world apart

The real Randidly who had tragically missed his perfect moment to transform into a villain and Ace hoped was currently waiting for his next chance narrowed his eyes and leaped forward moving quickly towards the winding train of villagers Dalton the pedophile who appeared to lead the weird group of beings here noticed Randidly’s approach and split off to intercept him

Feeling frisky Ace wandered forward to join the parlay

You are leaving Randidly asked his annoyance showing through on his face Ace sighed inwardly One of the many great advantages of being a villain and basically a caricature of yourself was that things affected you much less strongly Although a villain would be suitably annoyed at this unexpected development the expression on a villains face would be more sneering disdain and less frustrated

The Death Cultist resistance in this area is becoming too much for us to reasonably handle Dalton said shortly his expression curt There are other settlements nearer to the Great Passage that we can relocate to Although there was resistance for a long time we have waited Here Dalton paused and Ace’s eyes sharpened A lie would come next

we have wanted to do this for a long time Dalton explained some of his dismissiveness falling away and revealing wariness We apologize but the journey will be difficult enough without protecting you and your people If you come with us you will die If you have it in your heart please remain here for a time and protect Aratta She doesn’t have it in her to leave the area

Randidly didn’t speak likely because a notification popped up in front of them at that moment

Protect Aratta As the rest of the village departs seeking refuge in the Great Passage the Holy Land of Zith Dalton in a rare moment of weakness requests that you stay in the area and protect Aratta She refuses to leave the area If you protect her for 10 days you can consider your debt to the small hospitality of Dalton and his village paid back Reward Further increase your relationship with Dalton’s village and receive 40% experience towards your next Level

Ace bared his teeth That was an increase of 10% which was not small The people in this party who were past Level 45 would look at this prize with red eyes Alana especially If she obtained this she might be over halfway to achieving Level 50 a boundary that everyone was eyeing with interest Based on the way the System was treating it something special happened then but

What it was remained to be seen And the cost of reaching there was to protect Aratta for 10 days Based on the difficulty of the prior mission and the reward increasing now it would not be a simple thing Plus it would mean that they were letting the villagers slip away

The sudden movement meant that something else was happening here and Ace wanted to sniff it out He cast his gaze over the departing adults more and more appearing every moment about 200 so far with their numbers dwindling as everyone who was leaving the village had already shown up

I accept On the condition that Cyndra speaks to us before she leaves Randidly said slowly

Ace’s eyebrows rose What was Randidly thinking falling for this obvious bait Sure the reward was great but the secret they were using the reward to hide was undoubtedly the sweeter prize

Perhaps we should Ace said turning his charm all the way up to 10 but Randidly gave him a look that was very familiar yet somehow strange Because it was a look that Ace recognized it was a look that meant I’ve got this’ Ace had given Randidly that look hundreds of times in the past when they were out at bars when they were caught trespassing when a cashier told them they were out of something Ace had just never been on the receiving end of that look

Dauntless stirred one eye opening to coolly examine this threat but Ace didn’t have his helmet on so he laughed goodnaturedly and didn’t continue the sentence Ace for his part was pleased with Randidly’s transformation Sure no one would ever mistake Randidly for someone with charm but he certainly had enough social skills to interact with strangers now Before he even knew it his little Ghostpuppy had grown up and become a real hound

That I can arrange Dalton said glancing between Ace and Randidly When neither seemed inclined to say anything else Dalton put his fingers to his mouth and whistled After a few seconds there was a return whistle and after another minute Cyndra appeared still armed to the teeth

Ace admired her intimidating costume But she too wasn’t a true villain she performed evil acts very clearly but her face was creased with the wrinkles of regret For all that though her gaze was firm She had chosen her path and she would not hesitate on it now

What is it She asked

The travelers wanted to speak with you Since you owed them a favor Dalton said his face going slightly red It was a peculiar exchange in Ace’s eyes and his gaze flicked back and forth between them There were advantages of being the sidekick in a discussion Your gaze is much easier for the other side to ignore It let Ace freely assess these strange creatures

Although Dalton had always taken on a dominant position in their brief previous interactions he was now much more hesitant and subservient Could perhaps the decision to move be one he opposed for a long time before now until now And that would make Cyndra head of the faction that wanted to move Or perhaps Cyndra had always been the true power in the village

Or Ace was just extrapolating from an extremely small sample which was bound to lead to inaccuracies His mouth scrunched into a thin line He certainly could identify with Randidly’s frustration here They weren’t giving the group time to figure out what was going on in this Dungeon things were just moving too peculiarly in too many half shapes

Oh for fuck’s sake don’t bother with them Cyndra said dismissively turning away preparing to trot back to the convoy

You owe us We did as you asked Randidly said quietly his serious eyes locked onto the other woman narrowed with a subtle threat Ace was honestly surprised at this From his behavior it was clear that Randidly considered this woman a threat

Ace gave her another focused glance Sure she looked tough but

Dauntless still bored cracked an eye open to examine her too And within a second both eyes were open and narrowed Something baleful billowed out of Cyndra a harrowing aura of bitterness guilt and determination that made the air taste like rust It wasn’t with any particular sense but it was through the strange image technique of Donnyton that Ace could just barely get the shape of the spirit surrounding this woman

Then he lost it and Dauntless growled inwardly annoyed that he wasn’t allowed to wake up fully to deal with this threat But Ace kept the affable smile on his face his switch hadn’t been flicked Randidly’s skill in this particular area was undoubtedly higher than Ace’s better to let him handle it

And you received your reward Cyndra said dismissively

Abruptly Randidly changed tactics We noticed you swept the battlefield clean What items dropped

His voice was casual but Randidly clearly smiled when Cyndra stopped dead

So he was bluffing Ace mused He hadn’t known whether that would be an important bit of information but had guessed it might be based on how quickly the village had acted But if whatever they found was also the impetus for moving

What sort of powerful equipment had dropped

Very slowly Cyndra turned around and glared at Randidly But at this point Randidly bless his soul knew he had the advantage and just stood still his hands at his sides the picture of cool confidence Perhaps Ace had underestimated his talent for villainy This display of calm control was exactly the sort of execution that a true villain needed

Ace nodded approvingly rubbing his chin

Are you going to make this into an issue Cyndra spat out her eyes blazing Randidly’s eyes narrowed somewhat but he did not fold

Not if we have our quest He said simply

Again Ace thought this was an odd choice But what was annoying him was that as time went on it seemed increasingly like this was the correct choice How had this fucker so quickly identified what was going on here His weakness targeting was at Rose level

Fine Cyndra hissed before spinning around and departing But another notification popped up in front of them

Decimate the Death Cultist’s Headquarters Cyndra has told you the tragic story of her brother captured and tortured by the Death Cultists and after begrudgingly acknowledging your strength she had told you his remains lay within their Northern Eyrie Plunge into the heights and slay the High Cultist and then bury Cyndra’s brother’s remains to succeed Reward The Treasure Trove of the Death Cultists and 20% towards your next Level

Chapter 423

Randidly’s eyes slowly opened His gaze narrowed as he looked out the window and towards the sky of the Raid Dungeon Something was brewing Something rather familiar although if it was occuring now

But after checking his status screen Randidly was left rather nonplussed His Path hadn’t advanced all that much so why was this happening now In addition those times that it had occurred in the past there was some warning or at least a sign Randidly had crossed a line and in exchange the System judged him to be something dirty

A Heretic

And from the sky descended Judgement

It was currently the evening of the 8th day since Cyndra and Dalton had departed with the people of the village Ultimately Randidly had decided to accept both quests to get the experience boost for Alana and the rest When they had returned from their short meeting they found Aratta gardening patting down freshly turned dirt with her shovel

She had thanked them for staying and offered to bake for them Upon seeing Ptolemy once more going gooey eyed Randidly had sighed and then told her that while that sounded nice they needed to have a meeting for their group Aratta hadn’t seemed disappointed which confused Randidly It was clear that there was some sort of trick of Aether around the woman that drew Ptolemy and others in towards her But she hardly seemed phazed when he snipped those connections with his Aether Manipulation

Perhaps she was waiting for whatever was going to bother them during these 10 days to use the distraction and make use of the connection It was hard to say And no matter how hard Randidly looked he couldn’t figure out the trick of her Aether It seemed to be something originating from under the cloth covering her eyes but in case it was a track Randidly wasn’t willing to just rip it off her

Instead he waited checking up on Neveah working on his images practicing his new Skills At night during those 5 days small waves of monsters arrived striking at night seeming to aim for Aratta But with their group they rather easily overcame the enemies Ace and Drake were finally in the low 40s in Level and finally rounding out into powerful frontline warriors that could hold their own

Meanwhile Thea was elevating herself to another level becoming a force of nature much more in line with the incredible acumen of Alana than the rest That’s not even speaking of Clarissa whose Chain Lightning had improved so much over the course of the Dungeon dive that the color of the spell was slowly changing

Perhaps other people wouldn’t notice it as the normal yellow slowly mellowed into a green/blue but Randidly’s high Perception caught it after the 4th day and immediately he wondered how he had missed it before It might just be a change in the image that she was using but it was undoubtedly a good sign that it was shifting

They were growing in here for better or for worse And at the rate they were growing especially with the flat experience rewards it was clear that very few on the outside would be a rival for this group when they returned

But perhaps the scariest of them all was

Do you feel that Annie asked her head poking up from outside and blocking his window

Randidly ignored her bid for attention and just nodded Let’s meet outside If I’m not mistaken the thing that’s going to come out of that will be tough

She nodded in response and then disappeared Randidly put a message in the Party chat and moved quickly through the building to outside Reflexively he felt out with Aether Detection and found Aratta It’s not that it was hard to find her it was just delicate In terms of Aether she was like a very distinctive but faint smell It took a while to catch her but once you did she was all you could feel The Aether around her was just strange in a way that neither Randidly nor Lucretia could figure out

To his surprise she was out in front of the church looking up at the swirling clouds

When he arrived everyone was already there and Rose was talking quietly to Annie as the group looked up at the sky The rest seemed tense but not really nervous After a while you sorta became used to the possibility of death and the reality that you would be facing a monster out of a pre System fantasy novel everyday

Annie’s sharp laugh cut through the tension as she slapped her knee in response to something that Rose said Rose smiled awkwardly back at her continuing to whisper between them

That perhaps is why Annie was so fearsome Although she was growing stronger in terms of battle potential what was most frightening about her was how powerful her psyche was becoming how sharp her mentality Life and death were just more facts of life in her eyes That unassuming acceptance made her calm but it also made her images powerful So powerful that even Randidly felt a small tingling of warning when she used her more powerful Skills

She was a powerful ally for sure And an asset to Donnyton

Randidly stopped his train of thought at that before he became too leery of her strength Rose you see anything up there

Rose glanced over her shoulder at him then shook her head It’s just nonsense I sense something but it’s like it’s in another language Like the System isn’t decrypting it like it normally would

Oh that’s for me A calm voice said

Frowning Randidly turned and looked at Aratta You is that Judgement for you You are a Heretic

Well technically Aratta admitted pushing some of her wild hair behind her ear Or I was I stopped But there is something about your group arriving here I couldn’t help myself and

Aratta gestured helplessly towards her garden Randidly took a very long breath through his nose She couldn’t help herself

Then he used his Plant Dominance to explore the area underneath the garden and Randidly’s breath hitched in his chest His eyes burned emerald as he considered whether it was worth it to forgo the quest just to kill Aratta in that moment screw the strange Aether consequences But reason quickly won out cooling that hot impulse

She was the only person that he had found with a trace of Aether so far The Creature was a live element in this Raid Dungeon unaccounted for possessing both of the Regalia of their Zone’s Champions Even if Aratta was somehow a trap left by the Creature it still meant that Randidly could get some information based on her presence Killing her hastily wasted that

But what he found in the garden was

Thunder cracked the sky and a light misting of rain began to fall There was a low rumble in the distance that was not thunder but the loud sound of an approaching horde of monsters Dozens of questions flitted across Randidly’s lips and he struggled to pick out the one that was most helpful at the moment

Is this why the other villagers left Did they know this was coming Randidly said slowly

No Well they knew this was coming and were being careful not to cause it yet but they believe in Zith very deeply I may be her priestess but Aratta flashed a helpless smile I’m not so confident that her method would work I mean you guys came and proved the concept but

You’re the priestess Annie said gaping at Aratta in faux horror And you are the one person in the village who doesn’t believe in the religion

It’s not that I don’t believe Aratta said her voice finally edging from genial to sharp But I don’t believe that survival is possible We’ve lived for generations slowly dying off Although I don’t believe the Death Cultists are going about it in the right way sometimes it’s easy to see why they

There are a lot of incoming monsters boss Clarissa reported cheerily floating down from her perch on a nearby tree Randidly grimaced and looked up at the sky It was quickly darkening but it wasn’t yet to the point that the Judgement seemed to be descending What was it waiting for

they are cowards but honest ones Aratta was saying and Randidly abruptly realized that he had tuned her out They had other priorities at the moment

Before Annie could retort Randidly quickly asked Do you know why the Judgement hasn’t descended What is it waiting for

With a shrug Aratta gestured to the surrounding area Well I don’t really know the why but it’s because they laid down the array around the settlement It’s just a small one but it would mask you from the System as long as you kept your Heretic Path below XIII But with everyone leaving I just couldn’t

Two familiar bodies lay in shallow graves in the garden Two children sucked dry all withered skin and bones their eyes gone their organs turned to dust Two familiar children that had been so calmly playing before their group arrived in the village

Stop fucking saying you couldn’t help it Randidly growled and from the way that Aratta stumbled backwards and everyone else flinched he realized that he must have released a bit of the Cruel Indignation of Yggdrasil With an effort of will he reigned that in Better to act with tact here Besides hurting his teammates did no good

What Randidly couldn’t fucking figure out was why this was allowed to happen Now that Randidly was aware of it it was abundantly clear that there were no children in the group leaving the town The children’s parents must have known they were missing So why did no one raise a fuss

Everything was too fucked up to parse apart and they didn’t have time

We’ve got about a minute Rose said quickly glancing at Randidly

It only took 10 seconds but Randidly knew there was no point in throwing away the benefits now He looked at the sky where the clouds continued to swirl At the very least it seemed like this was buying them time And if it stayed up there until she left the village

Let’s finish the quest Randidly said his voice wooden But afterwards well that was for another day Prepare to cut down the monsters

Chapter 424

Drake relished the chance to fight with his Bone Armor active The preparation time was debilitative but while he was within the exoskeleton of bone he felt invincible smashing and cutting his way through the Raid Bosses with relative ease

Relative because he had seen how Alana and the Ghosthound moved through the monsters and they truly did part their enemies with ease It wasn’t even fair It seemed as though they were playing another game entirely their physicality and spear Skills rendering their opponents fatally wounded before Drake would have even recognized what monster he was supposed to fight next

Which Drake supposed was why he was merely guarding one of the larger entrances to the village standing tall in his bone armor swinging a huge sword of bone to decapitate a two headed centipede Then he decapitated the other head because the body continued to squirm in a threatening way

That bought Drake precisely enough time to reach up and do his best to rub away sweat from his brow but of course both his head and arms were covered in bone armor So it basically did nothing Then a strange cougar with violet fur attacked him trying to push past the door that Drake guarded and he was forced to get back to work

After deciding to defend the Ghosthound had surrounded the entire village in a huge Wall of Thorns Then he created a second wall immediately behind the first Then he had used roots and vines to bind those two walls together and gave them a stable core to lean against so they could withstand impacts from the monsters However it wasn’t a complete wall and there were three holes in it that monsters could use to get into the town

Really the wall behind them wasn’t so important as long as it slowed any sneaky monsters down They didn’t really have any particular point that they needed to hold just needed to protect Aratta who apparently caused storms

Drake looked up at the sky and frowned Then he finished cutting off the leg of a monster and moved to the side so Ptolemy could smash it with an Arcane Orb They were in charge of the leftmost entrance which was one of the two smaller ones But the two smaller entrances were just basically a distraction the main entrance was about 10x the size of the side ones allowing as many monsters as they wanted to charge forward

Which of course meant that the Ghosthound Alana Clarissa Ace and Lucifer were there welcoming all comers Yea it made sense why monsters would come over to Drake even if it was a bit out of the way

Inwardly Drake couldn’t help but admire how much he had grown in the two weeks they had been inside of the Raid Dungeon It had made him grow at an absolutely monstrous rate The combination of vicious monsters and spars with highly skilled individuals made it seem trivial to improve at a rapid pace He supposed he could understand why so many people chose to go to Donnyton if this level of competition was available there

A raptor made of bone screeched at him bringing Drake back to the present He saluted this fellow bone creature in a show of respect but it used that time to dash towards him Sneering he swung his huge sword activating his Dreadful Strike Shattering its body The direct confrontation monsters were the easiest If they didn’t bother to dodge Drake could crush them

It was strange to realize when considering how powerful each of them was but aside from Lucifer Drake abruptly found himself as the one with the highest striking power Thea was strong too but she relied on aggressiveness and savagery to smash an opponent not raw Strength

Well the Ghosthound finally trumped him too but he didn’t really count on the same scale

Another monster came and then another then another

After the 20th Ptolemy switched in for Drake giving him a breather

After 5 monsters Ptolemy needed to switch out looking ragged There was a moment that Drake almost was amused by how hapless the man was but then he realized that Drake himself had been like that if not even more so when they entered the Raid Dungeon And Drake had the nerve to call himself a close combat specialist

This was their healer who also just happened to have high enough physical Stats to kill 5 Raid Bosses in a row It was honestly intimidating

With repaired armor Drake stepped forward and continued to fight falling into a sort of rhythm However

The rhythm didn’t end The only difference was what monster he was fighting and what noises there was from the central area Sometimes there were screams from monsters sometimes there were bolts of lightning sometimes there was the sound of roaring flames devouring the screams

But the monsters didn’t end They continued to come So much so that by the time dawn arrived almost 10 hours later with Drake still unable to wipe the sweat from his forehead he put something in chat

Um guys Drake said Is there no end

No there isn’t But would running help Annie’s reply came

Drake grimaced feeling very much the burn of fighting at his tip top condition for 10 hours The System was amazing but even it could only do so much to cover up exhaustion Their bodies recovered quickly with their boosted Vitality but there still needed to be some downtime where they weren’t struggling so that could happen They couldn’t just recover mid fight

Well The Ghosthound might be able to but

We should disengage open up some distance They aren’t as fast as us Ace added

You don’t understand the Ghosthound said If we leave that Judgement descends They are a bitch to deal with And it scales in strength based on the strength of your Level and the Level of people helping you The only reason I defeated one before is because I was Level 0 at the time

Then we should leave now before you get to Level 10 Better intervene before you Level up anymore Ace retorted

There was a pause in which Drake got into a wrestling match with a giant ape before grabbing one of the decapitated heads of the centipede he had killed earlier in the night stabbing it into the ape’s neck The creature screamed and flailed but ultimately bled out with relieving quickness giving way to a bellowing alligator

That actually makes a lot of sense The Ghosthound admitted Alright fine Everyone we’re are gonna fall back and burn everything to the ground behind us Rose

On it Flanks pull in Randidly get up to full Mana as quickly as possible Clarissa chug Mana potions Let’s salt the fucking earth Rose’s orders came and Drake could just picture the woman’s sharp little smile

He didn’t trust her at all It didn’t help that she basically ran all of the Refuge but she was entirely too self satisfied in her position But she knew her business well enough he supposed

Drake’s expression brightened Perhaps they didn’t think of this

Has anyone talked with Aratta We will have to take her away with us right Drake said in chat

Again there were several moments of silence During that time Ptolemy had to intervene finishing off the alligator because Drake was running severely low on Stamina barely able to continue fighting Gasping but inwardly pleased for pointing something out that no one else had thought about Drake dismissed the bone exoskeleton

Most of it was almost too damaged to continue anyway which was why he was expending Stamina so fast The damage to the joints made it take extra effort to move And now that he was free Drake relished the feel of wiping away his sweat Truly there was nothing better than the simple pleasures of

Thanks for volunteering The Ghosthound said

Drake blinked Then he realized what that actually meant

Chapter 425

Randidly waved his hand burning all his Mana and all of the Mana stored in his rings sending a dozen Grasps of Lava shooting upwards igniting his Wall of Roots This wouldn’t buy them much time but it would have to be enough

Glancing upwards Randidly grimaced The sky was definitely darkening now that they left the village What pissed Randidly off most about the whole situation is that he didn’t get a chance to figure out what sort of array’ Aratta was talking about that surrounded the village Now as the monsters trampled forward burning and wrecking the houses for their mad dash for Some goal it might be obliterated

He turned and looked at Aratta who was riding on Chrysanthemum’s back Perhaps asking her would yield some answers but

Almost on cue Aratta turned around and caught Randidly’s eyes and smiled at him as if this was just a walk in the park

Annoyed Randidly turned away downing a few Mana Potions He could feel the Golden Roots of Yggdrasil working at full swing huge cords of energy flowing up through the ground and into his feet strengthening him giving him increased Mana Regeneration To buy them a little bit more time

Alana you’ve got the back I’ll catch up Randidly grunted drawing his huge spear

Alana gave him a look like she wanted to say something but she kept her mouth shut It wasn’t that she thought better of it but that she knew better to try and stop him Sometimes when an enemy was frustrating there wasn’t anything to do but physically work out that stress Alright We will take the long way around and back towards the cathedral we started at in case we get separated

Randidly just looked up at the darkening clouds and then leaped forward The raindrops hit his skin a cooling addition to the moment Plus because his Child of Rain it gave him some sort of passive bonus He could only slightly feel it but it was a source of PP so Randidly wasn’t going to complain

It wasn’t that these monsters were weak per se but they were definitely weak to him

After he had opened up a distance of about 200 meters with the rest of the group he released that tightness in his chest and let both the Indomitable Will of Yggdrasil and the Cruel Indignation of Yggdrasil spread outwards like a blanket muffling everything else around him

Because that is truly what happened Randidly could feel himself becoming almost brighter more intense a burning fire so that everything else around him became dimmer The monsters shrunk back in fear and pain and the last thing they heard before they died was the tiny clinks of his Bone Cloak

It was pride that filled Randidly when he allowed himself to be like this And he could feel in it the beginnings of something There was a weaving of emotions of all the Yggdrasil Skills activated at the same time as they softly resonated with each other It was a minor thing but Randidly delighted in the strange freedom it gave him It seemed to him that his Aether was singing

And while he savored the sensation his spear moved back and forth and the monsters fell like wheat

Until a notification popped up

Snarling Randidly spun around dismissing the Cruel Indignation of Yggdrasil and shooting forward following after where the rest of the party had gone

The Judgement was coming He could see over the hill falling out of the sky a strange twisting mass of green and deep purple Gritting his teeth Randidly pushed himself faster activating his Yyrwood Body of Yggdrasil pushing his physique as far as it would go Every one of his steps cracked the ground beneath him with its force

It was almost comical how powerful he had gotten How easy it was for him to destroy things at this point

There was a shout of alarm and he could hear Alana’s words but Randidly tried not to let himself be distracted Deftly he used Plant Dominance to incapacitate several monsters that they passed that were likely wounded earlier by the party but not finished off

Then he was cresting the hill looking down at the scene below Standing in the middle of the slope was a giant ogre creature wrapped in two snakes one purple one green As Randidly watched Alana dropped her shield as a green acid ate through it Meanwhile the purple snake lashed out catching Ace by surprise smashing him into a boulder

Fury bloomed like a crimson spider lily Activating his Invigorating Shout Randidly called Just fuck you

The ogre and the two snakes turned and looked up at him somewhat taken aback but the Skill spread out in a wave increasing the Stats and Regeneration of those humans who heard it Like two ghosts Lucifer and Annie moved in behind the Judgement Several arrows lodged itself in the upper body of the ogre pinning the green snake’s head down

Hissing it spat acid upwards in a fountain which fell harmlessly to the ground

The purple snake seemed to learn from its brother’s misfortune and twisted out of the way of the arrows its tail lashing out only to be slashed by Lucifer cutting a good 4 meters of its body off

But this left the ogre annoyed but free It spoke in a strange language its hands moving through dozens of gestures and the ground rumbled Only due to his connection to nearby plant roots could Randidly sense the hundreds and thousands of snakes slithering up through the ground emerging from the ground

With a manic gleam in his eye Randidly threw back a Mana Potion Want to compete in numbers Try me

His consciousness pressed to its limits Randidly started using Spearing Roots as many times as he could at once The roots shot upwards spearing the snakes from below burrowing through their softer bellies before driving up through their brains Some struggled feeling their compatriots dying but Randidly’s eyes were glowing emerald and in them was only the promise of murder

As many as the Judgement tried to summon that’s how many he would kill

Clarissa smashed the Judgement with some sort of ice spell causing the snakes to whimper the green snake especially becoming very feeble in its struggles As he noticed this the Judgement raised his arms his gestures becoming emphatic Lucifer and Thea moved in rapidly covering the distance to the Judgement

The snakes’ bodies pulsed Then they began to grow Annie’s arrows snapping off their wounds healing Randidly’s eyes narrowed Perhaps the smaller snakes wouldn’t end up being the issue here Because these two snakes were becoming big

The Spear Advances Ash Trails Randidly whispered Ignition Flame Desolation

As he activated the Skill he could feel some part of himself some part of his Skill recognizing this encouraging him strengthening him The top of the hill was annihilated as Randidly shot down as if he was launched out of a cannon arriving and driving his spear through the head of the green snake

It had a mouthful of acid so some of it splashed out onto his arm as he killed it which burned but Randidly simply hissed in annoyance Pulling his weapon out he turned and faced the purple snake which seemed infuriated that its brother had been killed It lashed out biting towards him moving so fast that even Randidly’s senses only had the faintest idea of when the attack would arrive

Ash to Ash Randidly said closing his eyes

He didn’t close his eyes so he wouldn’t see the world going grey although that was perhaps part of it No he closed his eyes because at that moment he felt supremely connected to everything There was a base of energy between all things the commonality of existence Weirdly that feeling stood out to Randidly then as the snake bit into him and his body disintegrated into ash and reformed a few meters above bringing his spear down like a guillotine on the purple snake

The purple head fell to the group dead just as Thea and Lucifer arrived reaping into the ogre’s legs It leapt to the side but couldn’t dodge Lucifer’s long weapons and it lost its right leg at the knee When it landed it stumbled and Alana was there burning as she activated her Solar Flare Skill her spear taking the Ogre in the neck It struggled opening its mouth but nothing came out

Then its expression unwilling it expired turning into energy and disintegrating

Randidly looked around Ptolemy had healed Ace who was standing and now hurried towards Alana to check her left arm which hung useless at her side Just the two injuries then That wasn’t bad for pushing back the Judgement It seemed like they struck at the right time Had the snakes been allowed to grow or the army of snakes from below to attack the group before Randidly had got there

It was cutting it close but it seemed like overwhelming the Judgments quickly was a viable strategy

Rose’s voice drew his attention back the current situation How much distance do we have

Sighing Randidly shook his head About half a kilometer And I’m almost out of everything right now

Us too Alana said stoically while Ptolemy healed her arm

Randidly grinned He could keep fighting with his spear but even he was beginning to feel a bit tired and there was no point in forcing things Then let’s look for someplace to hole up for the last two days Well one day now

Chapter 426

Even through the mass of roots and Wall of Thorns that the Ghosthound erected it was still possible to hear the constant roar of the monster horde that was hounding them relentlessly Alana grimaced honestly she would much rather be out there than stuck in here waiting for the time to pass

And just as she was going to allow herself to slip down a spiraling negative hole of missed experience a notification popped up in front of her

Congratulations You have successfully protected Aratta for 10 days Your intimacy with the villagers has increased to the maximum amount You have received 40% experience towards your next Level

Welcome you have reached Level 50 Processing

Alana’s glee at finally reaching 50 was swiftly cut by the strange end to the announcement She didn’t receive her normal Level Up gains but instead was simply told processing Before she could think about it further a tremor ran through her causing her to gasp

The group was in a small cave discovered by Annie and further hollowed out by the Ghosthound Upon entering the Ghosthound had erected a veritable fortress of living roots and vines blocking off all entry They couldn’t kill as many monsters this way but everyone would get a chance to rest Well everyone but the Ghosthound who sat with his usual stoic expression eyes closed likely focusing on repelling the monsters

So when Alana gasped and leaned forward almost everyone turned to look at her in the dimly lit cave Her face flushing Alana made to straighten but again her body seized keeping her bent over and in fact forcing her further downward until she was curled up in a ball What she experienced wasn’t exactly pain per se but just

It was an instinctual fear

You have become a Level 50 Sunspear of the Broken Ridge The Reckoning of your Class has begun Good Luck

Alana was very clear of her inner world She wasn’t sure what other people saw but in her inner zone it was a warm red desert completely barren And when she had earned a Class a spear had emerged from the ground thrusting upwards Slowly as she had gained Levels the spear had pushed itself skyward aiming to split the world

At the same time a sandstorm was slowly building around the spear The higher the spear got the stronger the winds around it became swirling and spiraling drawing more and more sand into its spin By 49 the air around the spear was thick with the sand completely destroying any chance of seeing the spear within It was wreathed in the strange radiation

And there was power in that sand Alana wasn’t sure how to describe it but she felt stronger more willful the thicker the air around the spear became It was like that strange thickness allowed her to work her will on the world In her heart she suspected that this was an addition due to her constant connection with the Ghosthound but the two didn’t seem directly connected in any way that she could see

Now as she reached Level 50 the sandstorm had ballooned outward growing higher and higher Whereas before it had been a powerful but complimentary force now it was dangerous that was what her instincts told her It lashed outward back and forth striking the spear that was the representative of her Class Those reverberations were what she was feeling causing her to double over in agony

Distantly she could sense the rest of the group coming to her side Especially she felt the Ghosthound’s concerned gaze as she couldn’t even get her mouth to open and speak Every time she did the sandstorm upped in ferocity striking her Class The strength of the strikes was so much that

A thin chip of her spear was knocked aside by the sandstorm which instantly set the sandstorm into a frenzy It swirled even faster the winds spinning down to a point which drilled towards her spear aiming for the small weakness in it With widening eyes Alana could only watch helpless as this strange strength she previously had turned against her aiming to destroy the Class

Then a voice whispered in her ear Deep and male

Girl Accept me and I will save you

Alana’s fear was instantly doused by this foreign influence and her suspicions rose

If you do not choose to follow my shape you will die Do you accept

Maybe it wasn’t smart but

Fuck you Alana hissed

CRACK

As her Class split down the middle Alana felt her consciousness rip and then darkness swirled in buoying her away

Randidly grinned as he saw his Level 10 notification but before he could even read it Lucretia’s voice distracted him

I’m sorry but I couldn’t warn you The System prevented me from speaking At Level 50

Before she even finished Randidly detected an increasingly violent Aether fluctuation and spun around Alana was doubled over in the corner of the cave wheezing Setting aside his notifications Randidly crossed the distance in a split second putting his hand on her forehead Immediately he could sense this wasn’t a physical ailment so he waved Ptolemy away who was pressing forward with a worried expression on his face

Randidly’s visage darkened as he looked inside of Alana with his Aether Detection Skill No this was

A lot of our warriors died before they realized what happens There is something that builds up around a Class the stronger it gets It makes creating images much easier so it is useful but at a certain point it becomes pressurized and like a bomb and explodes For this reason a lot of people will remain at Level 49 until they have developed their personal Skillset because after 50 it becomes much more difficult

Fuck the details Randidly said his heart rate rapidly increasing What do I do

Nothing Lucretia said softly If she rejects God’s offer

Randidly’s eyes widened

Her Class will shatter Lucretia finished

Randidly looked down at Alana laying on the floor of the cave convulsing now the blood flowing out of her face Without her typical scowl Randidly couldn’t help but notice how young she was A 20 something young woman faced with the apocalypse picking up a spear She was one of the first people that he had Blessed and now

His core began to resonate all of his Yggdrasil Skills beginning to glow in his chest Strength flowed into him making his physical body tense with the strain of containing so much force Unwillingness rose up from his chest thick and bitter

He remembered traveling with her down to Franksburg How she had fought through and gotten a golden coin for the town destroying the Ant Boss Then she had escorted him back accepting his Blessing

She had been one of the strongest in Donnyton She had protected the town in his absence She was the Captain of the First Squad of Donnyton the most prestigious martial position in Donnyton’s hierarchy When Randidly had returned she had asked no questions and simply accepted his invitation to spar

Even though he was years ahead of her at adapting to the apocalypse she had thrown herself at him time and time again She was direct and she was stubborn and

And she was a friend In small moments in shared dedication in if not shyness introversion They were both people of few words Randidly abruptly realized he had never thanked her for everything she had done for the town never told her how without her strength they would never have made it

Part of that was that Randidly had never paid attention He had just taken it for granted

His body burning his eyes glowing emerald like neon signs in the small cave Randidly looked upwards towards the sky towards the System to the fucking Creature that forced them to come in here and rejected it

Reaching into her soul space Randidly grasped her Class right as it shattered

And he bound it back together

Chapter 427

Binding her Class together Randidly quickly discovered was easier said than done Even if he held the shape of the Class together that strange thick energy around the Class still was smashing against it seeking a way in Randidly had moved before it had ground everything to pieces but he couldn’t block every flaw

As he struggled the strange energy pushed through eviscerating portions of the Class destroying 50 Levels worth of work And it made Randidly furious Partially because this had come out of nowhere and because there didn’t seem to be any point to it but mostly because Randidly felt like he couldn’t do anything

Briefly he considered using Inspiration but then rejected that idea Inspiration was good for broad powerful strokes Likely if he used Inspiration on Aether Manipulation he would just crush the already fragile Class as he tried to defend it In addition the strange thick energy around the Class wasn’t tiring if anything it was getting stronger as time passed

At that moment moving his will around fending off the sandstorm from eating into the Class and disintegrating it Randidly missed Neveah more than anything Strangely he had faith that if she was here she would be able to tell him what was going on and how to handle it Her intuition for Aether was uncanny

Lucretia remained near his consciousness shaking her head sadly believing this a lost cause

Strangely a quote Randidly remembered Mrs Hamilton saying to Donny came to mind If you cannot use power don’t just try more power win with intelligence and empathy

Intelligence and empathy was it So what was happening here exactly This strange energy that was built up the entire time she moved towards Level 50 suddenly attacked the Class But why

So Randidly looked even as he struggled to restrain that energy holding the quickly fracturing Class together Now it was in 5 pieces which made the defense a little easier but the increasingly faint whimpers from Alana revealed that there were dire consequences for allowing the damage to progress this far

The strange energy It wasn’t attacking per se but it was throwing itself at it smashing into it

which helped not at all The energy was basically battering it down grinding away at the Class slowly Once it shattered the energy preferred to aim for the vulnerable insides rather than striking the relatively structured outside Then

Then Randidly froze Because as he gazed closer he realized that some of the energy was dispersing And in the space where the cracks were something was growing

In Randidly’s view Alana’s Class was a giant construct of amber rigid and solid emulating her style and strength But throughout the amber as Randidly looked closer there were thin veins running through it Thin emerald veins glowing brightly with life wiggling through the cracks stretching outwards

And when the energy came in contact with those thin emerald vines

The energy seemed ecstatic and was siphoned into them But that suction caused more energy than the tiny emerald vine could absorb to come and the strange thick energy just smashed the Class shattering it further But in that space three more emerald vines could slither out

It was a losing battle however More vines were still hundreds of times too little And with so few vines that was just more surface area that would suck the thick energy inwards bringing a hammer blow against the Class fracturing it further

Not like this Randidly hissed closing his eyes racking his brain trying to figure out what to do And when he turned his attention inward if he didn’t find an answer to the question he was asking he found an answer to dozens of other questions and it gave him an idea

Because when he turned his attention inward he felt profoundly not himself He was Swimming in soft images of Donnyton at night of polishing a spear of the burning heat of the sun hanging over a desert images that were not his own flowing steadily through the connection that he and Alana shared through the Blessing

Instantly Randidly pressed downward with his will and a tidal wave of Aether shot forward slamming through their connection into Alana’s body Instantly those small green offshoots ballooned outwards growing more and more little tendrils absorbing the violent energies faster and faster Images flooded into Randidly

Distantly Randidly had known that the way his Aether worked was different than the System’s After all his Aether Crossroads would exchange both life and images whereas the System provided life and images but only took life in exchange

Where then would the images go

They would build up around the soul space with nowhere to go until Well it seemed like it would build up until there was enough pressure on them to explode outward Naturally however they would seek to return to joining the life energy perhaps flowing in the opposite direction but never separated Because they were not created without the context of life and craved it still to the point that they would shatter a rigid Class that wouldn’t accept them

Randidly bared his teeth Perhaps he wasn’t clear on the details but it seemed very true that the System had laid another trap for the people here one that the best and brightest would fall to if they were not forewarned From what Lucretia said there was a way to avoid this but

Undoubtedly it was another way that the System binds people to it A life devoid of your own images subsisting on half hearted regurgitated ones

Again Randidly howled mentally sending a tsunami of Aether flowing towards Alana Aether that could help absorb the images before they destroyed the carefully created Class but there was only so much that Randidly could do He realized it several precious seconds too late Already Alana’s Class was in 13 pieces and handfuls of small shards that were being slowly disintegrated

Still he would not stop now

More and more offshoots of his Aether grew up through her Class wrapping around the remaining 13 pieces guarding them shielding them from the violently exploding images And slowly the pandemonium began to clear

Tighter and tighter the vines spun twining together pressing the remaining shards of Alana Class into a semblance of what once was Annoyed at his slow progress he sent a mental prod at Lucretia even as about half of the violent energy was subdued

If you think it will help hum Let’s weave it like this Lucretia said slowly still disbelieving but her eyes flashed with curiosity She too realized that there was something peculiar here and even if it wasn’t enough to save Alana

No Randidly thought grinding his teeth It had to be enough

Now with Lucretia’s assistance his vines twined together in specific patterns fueled by his flood of Aether It was becoming difficult for Randidly to concentrate as images flooded him in exchange giving him a headache Hopefully this was a short term thing because otherwise

But Lucretia was there touching and prodding using his Skills keeping things under control while he was distracted They had built a Class before or at least tried to so Lucretia moved with a deft assurance that was absent the first time One of the key lessons that they had learned was that Aether was not nearly as fragile as they had first believed and also that it could not be kept separate from itself Strands of it would inevitably mix

So instead of aiming for accuracy what was better was to focus on the general shape and let the Aether itself and the life and images that constituted it fill in the difference

Slowly the Class came back together forming once more into a five tiered construct representing the five 10s of Levels that Alana had gathered It was a strange thing made mostly of vines and large shards of amber but as Randidly focused he could feel something else happening deep in his chest Living Aether activated

Slowly the form of the vines faded away leaving only the spiraling emerald crystal in stark contrast to the amber It shrunk back too so that it seemed that the emerald portions were just highlighting and outlining the amber like a frame for a painting And the amber seemed to even out a bit too as some of that emerald energy was absorbed by it the two varieties of Aether mixing together

By the end of it it had become a spear made of amber and emerald pointing towards the sky a large intact shard of amber at the apex pointing upwards

After coughing up what felt like a lung Alana sat up her head throbbing People were gathered around her and she pushed them away desiring space They seemed to sense this and they got up and took several steps back

One of them passed her a water

She felt a flash of irritation Did they think her incapable of getting a drink just because of a little headache Jesus fuck

Well she was thirsty

After a long drink Alana finally opened her eyes and blinked at the notification she saw

Congratulations You have passed your Reckoning Your Class has changed You have now become a Level 50 Valkyrie of the Red Dust Your Level up gains have changed +15 Health and Mana per Level +18 Stamina per Level +2 Strength per Level +5 Stats divided amongst Endurance Agility Wisdom and Focus You have gained the Skill Crimson Ire ® Lvl 1 You have gained the Skill Avatar Form Lvl 1

Chapter 428

In the aftermath of Randidly assisting Alana he had to take a pause before he dealt with his own notifications the images were flooding through his actions Every movement reminded him of something else from a life that wasn’t his Every second he was struck by a sense that he didn’t know himself and he had to close his eyes and breathe very slowly to calm down

Neveah again would have been super useful for this part Randidly reflected wincing at the headache inducing mass of images that rushed to the forefront But in a way Randidly understood that this wasn’t a permanent thing These images were just acting according to their nature They had been suppressed for so long that they were seeking a use an outlet

If they were people Randidly would have slapped them over the head but for now he could only wait

Still as his instincts indicated they slowly faded away filling him in a very unobtrusive way fading into his Grasp of Lava Circle of Flame and Incendiary Bolt Skills Some other images floated towards his spear Skills For the remainder they drifted downwards in Randidly’s chest eventually finding and settling in the Aether Crossroads in his chest forming a very light rune floating in his chest

Little motes of light continued to flow through their connection strengthening the rune but for now it was so dim that it was illegible But Randidly could already feel Lucretia’s burning desire to take it apart and figure out what was going on

Ruefully Randidly sighed Although it was nice to have some tentative measure of confidence that Lucretia wasn’t currently trying to screw him over there were some drawbacks The main one was that she had turned from a fate manipulating witch to a scientist on the autism spectrum who couldn’t help her compulsion to experiment on things that shouldn’t be messed with There were worse things however

With his headache slowly fading away as the images filtered through his body Randidly turned his attention to the notification waiting unobtrusively in the corner of his vision

Congratulations You have reached Level 10 +5 Stats distributed between Vitality Perception Resist Intelligence and Control +3 Free Stats +1 Stat to a Mental Stat +1 to a Physical Defense Stat +1 to a Mental Support Stat +1 Control +20 Health +24 Mana +23 Stamina + 5 to all Regenerations +1 to Health and Stamina Regeneration +20 Progenitor’s Influence You have gained the Skill Vengeful Bloom (Un) Lvl 1 You have gained the Skill Galant Intervention (Human) Lvl 1 You have gained the Skill Spriggit’s Tinkering ® Lvl 1

Vengeful Bloom (Un) In your body resides the baleful unwillingness of the Forest of Enmity When struck by physical attacks a very small amount of damaging energy is released proportional to the opposing strike Your resistance to cutting and bludgeoning slightly increases Effects increase with Skill Level

Galant Intervention (Human) By the grace of your power move at a speed beyond your capabilities to throw yourself in the way of an oncoming blow Only works on human victims Effect of speed boost and maximum distance from the target increase with Skill Level

Spriggit’s Tinkering ® Through your inner world you have gained a portion of the Spriggit’s knack for creating technologies and systems Your speed and success rate creating various systems and apparati has increased Your ability to understand complex processes is slightly boosted Effect increases with Skill Level

Randidly made a tsk’ing sound with his mouth A small physical damage reflect boost an increased ability to save people nearby and increased engineering proficiency Fine but definitely not quite as exciting as the previous batch of Skills that he earned

Still it was another source of PP for him And speaking of PP

During his time in the Raid Dungeon Randidly had earned 7 Levels in Wall of Thorns 3 in Aether Detection and Child of Rain 8 in Aether Manipulation and Grasp of Lava 5 in Cruel Indignation of Yggdrasil and Yyrwood Flesh of Yggdrasil 4 Levels in the Emerald Sap of Yggdrasil and the Golden Roots of Yggdrasil 2 in the Indomitable Spirit of Yggdrasil and Circle of Fire 4 in Invigorating Shout and Sharpness 1 in Incinerating Bolt and Nether Resistance and 6 in Touch from Beyond and 3 in Spearing Roots and Spear Mastery

That ended up at just over 70 PP More than enough to pour into Path of Control finishing off the Path very quickly

Congratulations You have completed the Path of Control This was perhaps not the Path that you ended up choosing and it has taken you a long time to run its gamut but it was a familiar and safe path and at the end of it you turn back and look how far you’ve come and wonder why it took you so long to embark in this direction But the Path leads ever onward don’t stop now Gain an additional +1 Control per Level +10 Wisdom You have gained the Skill Gravity Affinity Lvl 1

Gravity Affinity You have a small affinity for gravity It is possible to make minor variations to the gravitational forces on your body lessening the gravity to increase speed and increasing gravity to deal increased damage Effect is weak Effect weakens drastically outside of your body Effects increase with Skill Level

This was more of what Randidly was talking about even if the Path was getting a little sassy about him taking a while to finish it Although it wasn’t strong at all right now in the future if he could increase its effects changing gravity’s effects on himself would enable him to do a lot of cool movie style things

Well thinking in that manner would probably get himself killed But it would definitely be a Skill worth pursuing even if just for the Path that likely lay somewhere between Lvl 1 and Lvl 100 of that Skill Perhaps it would be like Grasping Roots and enable him to increase his power by evolving the Skill into something greater Hopefully something that would let him influence other things more directly

But controlling himself was his Path after all because he had just finished the path of Control

Chuckling at his own poor humor Randidly looked at the Paths available to him

Heretic XVII 0/ Nexus Traveler Cohort 5 0/50 Experimenter I 0/50 The Phantom’s Embrace 0/150 Fighting Proficiency III 0/ System Transgressor 0/1 Steps of the Godling II Path 0/200 Intermediate Soul Bond 0/125 the First Legend 0/ the Road to Mastery 0/500 Seed of Yggdrasil 0/150 Growth of Yggdrasil I 0/250 Crown of Yggdrasil 0/500 Friend to Humanity 0/100 Lavamancer 0/300

Randidly immediately felt another headache coming on as he looked at the Paths Rather than making his decisions more simple it seemed that during the time it took him to finish Path of Control all he had done was unlock more interesting Paths

Well first he should eliminate some options Nexus Traveler Experimenter System Transgressor Steps of the Godling and Intermediate Soul Bond were immediately eliminated Of all of those the only one that gave Randidly pause was the final one Intermediate Soul Bond He still worried about what was going on with Nevaeh but it was clear to him that part of the reason for the little change was that he was within the Dungeon and basically a day had passed since she had gone into this state

Randidly needed to have patience Besides rewards were something that Randidly needed to think deeply about now Especially because the limit on how many Skills he could have in addition to his Class Skills were capped at 10 He received so many Class Skills it seemed so that wasn’t a big issue but Gravity Affinity was the 3rd free Skill that he had learned since earning a Class

That was one third of his Skills he could learn gone Of course there were Skills he had that he would gladly drop but that would cost valuable PP In some cases worth it but not a solution to wanting to learn a Skill and being unable to

But at the same time he was hesitant to disqualify a Path just based on the Skill he might get from it After all he knew very little about Skills especially Skills relating to the Soulbond

For now however eliminating those was fine In addition to the pesky Heretic that eliminated a good deal but still several viable options Ultimately Randidly relied on the logic he had used previously and eliminated Fighting Proficiency III because the Phantom’s Embrace Path was probably just better Plus it was easy to cut away Friend to Humanity

Honestly he WAS likely that but to have that as a Path not only was it cheesy but Randidly had been completely unimpressed with his human centric Skills so far They were mostly support Skills in a way that was valuable but niche They all had their roles but they weren’t the sort of thing that could completely turn around a battle

And maybe Randidly was spoiled but if it wasn’t a little bit broken it felt rather dull to him

Which left a much more manageable list of Paths

The Phantom’s Embrace 0/150 the First Legend 0/ the Road to Mastery 0/500 Seed of Yggdrasil 0/150 Growth of Yggdrasil I 0/250 Crown of Yggdrasil 0/500 Lavamancer 0/300

Randidly also wanted to condense the different Yggdrasil based Paths but he couldn’t really figure out how to Not only were there 3 of them and he had never seen two similar Paths like this at the same time before but they all seemed to concern different portions or different directions he could take his Skills

Perhaps

Randidly Lucretia’s whisper came interrupting his thoughts I would like to apologize For what happened And also for how slow I was to assist you

Chapter 429

I’m from a different world Lucretia began taking a second to savor her words as she spoke them At her initial apology Randidly’s rage spiked upwards but as she spoke in such a measured tone it enabled him to suppress it and keep listening to her You of all people don’t need to be told this but it means things are different

Specifically in our world the Level 50 is a very important dividing line amongst warriors I referenced it earlier but it is rather well known that Skills can more easily be created immediately prior to Level 50 Not that there is any problem with people accidentally reaching Level 50 without the percent experience that you’ve received in the Raid Dungeon crossing that hurdle would have taken quite a bit of time As long as you don’t purposefully seek out battles with monsters or quests you can sit at Level 49 for quite a few years sharpening your images

To make things easier Randidly sunk into himself and slipped into his Soul Skill There he could face her directly She was still beautiful but now more than ever Randidly could see how she was the mother of Shal The shape of their faces was extremely similar The sharpness of their nose and the hard cast of their jaw spoke of their shared stubbornness But of course Lucretia’s soft lavender hair was all hers She had chosen the location and he had just moved through his Soul Skill to find it arriving at the top of a snow covered mountain The ice and snow swirled harmlessly around Randidly as he eyed her

Sighing she continued to speak “All of that is just a preface Now I’d like to talk about what I was always told happens at Level 50 For that is the time that a warrior condenses their Fate “

“Fate ” Randidly asked quirking up an eyebrow Lucretia shot him an annoyed glance for the interruption but it only made Randidly more pleased he had done so She likely had thought very carefully about how this would happen and arranged every line anytime Randidly spoke it completely threw her off track

Then Lucretia gestured and as Randidly watched his eyes widened Because out of nowhere Lucretia created a glass staff Created because it wasn’t as though she had produced it from an interspatial ring No Randidly had watched it grow

From her hand the crystal had rapidly spread up to a larger crystal top and straight down to become a staff of glass Bemused Lucretia did a little curtsy

“A Fate ” Lucretia said brandishing her glass staff ” to understand my confusion we need to take a couple steps back Because based on what just happened what is really occurring is very much different than what I had always been told “

“We were always told that a Fate was a person’s own personal style and Skills condensed to physical form because they had reached a certain level of strength ” Lucretia said with a frown “This was why so many people train right before reaching Level 50 so their condensed Fate is larger or denser due to a higher quality Skill and image In retrospect this seems incredibly foolish why would a Level suddenly mean their strength should crystallize It shouldn’t the strength should be dependent on the image if the image is the real impetus for it happening

“Normally a person who reaches Level 50 without any understanding of what was going on would acquiesce to the voice of God or more accurately the System and they will condense their Fate But because they had no warning or understanding it would be sloppy ” Shaking her head Lucretia slowly walked across the top of the mountain to a snow covered boulder She gestured to it

” often the person would be the rock and their Fate the snow Without a shape to guide it the Fate grows like a fungus on the head arms and hands It is powerful as a weapon but it is still a crystal And although the amount of the exposed Fate can be shrunk with training there is something about the touch of the Fate that permanently scars flesh Before they control it the first owners of a Fate are like golems and afterward they are shunned for their disfigurement by wider society It usually requires a show of the Fate’s power to establish oneself in society That’s why we are trained to establish a start point on our bodies then control the rest of the Fate to grow away “

To demonstrate Lucretia stretched out her hand Slowly her “Fate” shrunk back until she was just left with a bare palm And in the middle of that palm was a small patch of crystal still affixed to her skin about a penny in size

“How powerful is a Fate Does Alana have a Fate ” Randidly asked some of his hostility ebbing away

Again Lucretia seemed annoyed but she humored him ” well it is strong It is condensed images yes Your personal images So your own Skills that use those images receive a boost As I stated earlier the power of the images affect it but usually the boost is around 20% In addition there is a cumulative effect As you grow with your Fate oftentimes you earn slight increases in Health or Mana boosts per Level Some people even obtain an additional Stat point As to whether Alana has one “

Lucretia shrugged and then frowned “Based on what we know to have actually happened she should Or at least she should have something that is even superior to a Fate Or on the other hand perhaps what happens is you maintain a higher potential for growth Perhaps the Fate is just a short term power grab It is hard to stay we will have to study “

Randidly rolled his eyes

Lucretia eyed him as she continued to speak ” in order to gain any more information you know that Now that was what I have always been told As to what actually happened The System was forcefully excluding the person’s images and they were compressed until they exploded Without your interference because she rejected the System the images would have exploded likely following her own imperative that the System’s influence be destroyed Of course the closest thing to it was her own Class which as a target “

“Not ideal ” Randidly grunted rubbing his chin “So why does it happen then And happen at Level 50 Why doesn’t the System let people use images “

Randidly expected Lucretia to give him one of her exasperated looks he had asked this question on purpose to annoy her After all they had spent the past month trying to create a Class Sure it was based on a very intricate and profound System but there were also some very strange and seemingly arbitrary decisions made by the System in how things should function Everything was very artificial and controlled

He had listened to enough thought arguments between Lucretia and Neveah to know that this would annoy the shit out of her But to Randidly’s surprise Lucretia actually smiled

In fact I have a theory Not as to why but Lucretia tapped her chin Not a why to this question but to a larger why Why certain things happen Why the System speaks in such delighted ways even when it pushes us towards paths to kill us Why someone like you continues to be labeled as a Heretic yet are allowed to exist

Randidly raised an eyebrow He really had always been curious as to why a Path was put in place for Heretics And what it did So you can explain what being a Heretic means

No nothing that grand Lucretia said shaking her head her lavender hair swaying However I believe after careful study that there are really two Systems one on top of the other A System that actually governs everything through a set of strict rules and a more flexible System on top of it that is a glorified translator It moves everything from forces to understandable phenomenon It creates the Stats and the Statuses and the quests and the items

Randidly pondered this for a second Then he shook his head helplessly That could make sense but that really doesn’t help us at all does it

Oh but it does Lucretia said her eyes bright now You wouldn’t know but when you reach Level 50 a voice speaks to you demands that you give in to them and in exchange they save you from your images If this was the voice of the System it certainly would be unsettling because it is a powerful voice A malevolent one

Noticing that Randidly was just looking at her Lucretia shrugged again you haven’t heard it so you wouldn’t understand BUT If this was the other System and notthe translator the raw usually silent one that governs all of the actual happenings then some things click together

Lucretia pondered for a bit then gritted her teeth and said I cannot say much about the System but only those who have condensed a Fate have qualifications to appear before the Calamity Fates are frozen images Level 50 might be arbitrary but that is a line drawn by the System for the Calamity dealing with the Calamity

Humming softly Randidly fell silent It always seemed to come back to the Calamity didn’t it Or rather Randidly’s worries always spun around in a circle until they landed on the biggest baddest guy that he knew of heading straight for Earth Even now Randidly wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do or why

Based on every clue there was a battle aspect involved in it but it seemed like there were more parts to it than just that It was the final transformation of the world Randidly surmised just like the Villages the Raid Bosses and the Champions were ones But the final one was special somehow

The Calamity would change everything it seemed

So we need to find out whether Alana counts as condensing a Fate Randidly finally said frowning Although he had definitely saved her life or at least her ability to utilize the System the fact that there might be some side effects annoyed him

Lucretia nodded Plus investigate whether there is any lingering ill will from the System from being rejected I suspect that it is too large a behemoth to notice tiny actions like this which is why things like the Heretic System exist but

Basically Randidly summed up they still knew very little But at least now they were starting to see the shape of things What he still wondered though was why the System demanded that they submit to be saved

What changes occurred in those who agreed to it

Chapter 430

Now with dozens of ancillary thoughts swimming around in his head Randidly found it something of a relief to return to the relatively simple issue of what Path to choose Not only did he have complete control over this portion but he also would benefit basically no matter what

Although the effects would be different all Paths led forward giving him more power It was a heady feeling Randidly once more skimmed over a list of his most likely choices

Frustration was all Randidly felt as he looked at all the Yggdrasil Skills though Ultimately Randidly decided that if he was going to do one of the three he would begin with the one that took the least amount of PP at least then he could get an idea of what the purpose was relatively quickly Perhaps his decisions would be much simpler afterward

Lavamancer was another new addition and it sounded very cool Perhaps even walking down that path would lead to Lava Mastery and he would be able to spew lava out of the ground a lot like he was able to do with his Roots and now basically all plants now

As cool as it was it wasn’t something that would be able to increase his current strength very much The potential damage there was much higher than anything else that he had but it would take a long time to get the Skill Level to the point where Randidly was willing to use it as one of his bread and butter Skills Right now he had so much invested in other things it was better to rely on those and look for avenues that would increase his strength overall quickly

After all he had a duel with the Creature soon

Just thinking about it made Randidly bare his teeth but then Randidly snorted and shook his head Better save that aggression for later Road to Mastery was long likely too long Especially for now Which left Phantom’s Embrace the First Legend and the Seed of Yggdrasil

The First Legend could possibly be long as well but it was a guaranteed reward Path Although it might be an inefficient use of PP it would still bring back a large return

Randidly’s eyes flashed And that was exactly what he wanted right now a large return He dumped his remaining PP into the First Legend Path and was rather lukewarm when he found out it was 300 PP It would still take quite a while to reach the end of it and receive a final reward that would likely be the real kicker but it wasn’t 500

And he received 2 free Stats every 5 PP so there were benefits to going this route

On the way he also received another Blessing and this one was altered too it was the Blessing of the Fetid Growth but he received +10 in Control and Resistance and then a huge +50 in Health Regeneration Randidly didn’t recall the details of his previous gains but they were slightly different than this It made him worry but there really wasn’t much he could do

Randidly idly wondered if he should take this time to intervene more directly in his Soul Skill world After all he was approaching another rotation soon so he should be ready to upgrade it a bit However there just wasn’t time Now that he was in the Raid Dungeon and there were so many moving pieces around him

Helplessly Randidly shook his head His attention couldn’t be anywhere Randidly wasn’t sure what it was but if he figured out which Stat would give the biggest bonus to multitasking he would dump a shit ton of points into it so he could handle situations like this much more easily For safety’s sake he resolved to bump his Intelligence and Wisdom up a bit with these extra bonus Stats

After emptying his PP pool Randidly looked at his Status screen

Level 10 (39%)

Health(/R per hour) 3001/2420 (+730) (928 (+165

Mana(/R per hour) 1960/2545 (415 (+9

Stam(/R per min) 2499/2522 (+60) (306 (+45

End 128 (+20)

Agi 272 (+24)

Perception 233 (+20)

Resistance 182 (+45)

Intelligence 216

Wisdom 154 (+9)

Control 343

Progenitor’s Influence 730

Skills (Soul Skill) Four Shaded Clockwork World Lvl 1997

Combat Spear Mastery Lvl 156 White Phantom’s Half Step (Un) Lvl 52 Heavy Blow Lvl 74 Dagger Mastery Lvl 10 Iron Skin Lvl 47 Dodge Lvl 80 Fighting Proficiency Lvl 120 Block Lvl 54 Phantom Onslaught Lvl 42 Sweep Lvl 54 Spear Deflect Lvl 10 Calculated Blow Lvl 78 Roundhouse Kick Lvl 41 Idiosyncratic Cut (Un) Lvl 70 Pierce the Skies Shatter the Earth Lvl 39 Body Control Freeze Lvl 27 Stalemate Breaker Lvl 29 Talon Strike Lvl 38 Counter Lvl 1

PoFE Class Skills Plant Dominance ® Lvl 78 Spray Holy Sap (Un) Lvl 2 Sharpness Lvl 13 Call Grove Defenders ® Lvl 20 Earthquake (Un) Lvl 1 Invigorating Call (Humanity)(Un) Lvl 11 Four Shaded Domain Lvl 9 Phantom’s Lantern (Un) Lvl 12 Grasp of Lava ® Lvl 12 Erode Image Lvl 2 Vengeful Bloom (Un) Lvl 1 Galant Intervention (Human) Lvl 1 Spriggit’s Tinkering ® Lvl 1

The 6 Signs of the Spear Phantom ® The First Sign The Inevitable Phantom Arrives Lvl 85 (Un) The Fifth Sign The Spear Phantom’s Embrace ® Lvl 163 The Breath of the Spear Phantom ® Lvl 26

Aether Skills Aether Detection Lvl 76 Aether Manipulation Lvl 87 Living Aether ® Lvl 85 System Interference Lvl 8

Spells Spearing Roots Lvl 73 Mana Bolt Lvl 28 Mana Shield Lvl 32 Arcane Orb Lvl 22 Fireball Lvl 30 Magic Missile Lvl 4 Healing Palm Lvl 12 Pollen of the Rafflesia Lvl 20 Summon Pestilence Lvl 54 Wall of Thorns Lvl 29 Soul Seed ® Inspiration ® Incinerating Bolt Lvl 80 Circle of Flame Lvl 55 Plantomancy Lvl 35 Hammer of the Dawn Lvl 37 Burning Footsteps Lvl 23 Ashes to Ashes Lvl 24 Touch from Beyond ® Lvl 22 Gravity Affinity Lvl 1

Yggdrasil Glittering Leaves of Yggdrasil Lvl 102 The Golden Roots of Yggdrasil Lvl 105 the Emerald Sap of Yggdrasil Lvl 103 the Yyrwood Flesh of Yggdrasil Lvl 112 the Indomitable Spirit of Yggdrasil Lvl 103 the Cruel Indignation of Yggdrasil Lvl 106

Auxiliary Sneak Lvl 46 Acid Resistance Lvl 22 Poison Resistance Lvl 21 Pain Resistance Lvl 61 First Aid Lvl 16 Pathfinding Lvl 18 Fire Resistance Lvl 23 Sewing Lvl 11 Cutting Vegetables Lvl 2 Manual Labor Lvl 6 Digging Lvl 5 Cooking Lvl 53 Clockwork Mastery Lvl 16 Aether Connection Lvl 3 Soul Bond Lvl 80 Chef’s Palette Lvl 24 Nether Resistance Lvl 4 Child of the Rain (Un) Lvl 3

Randidly appreciated his Status screen truly it was much easier to gain strength after you received a Class Especially his attributes were shooting right up giving him increased growth in the short amount of time they had spent in the Raid Dungeon Well it was bordering on two weeks now so not necessarily short but

Then Randidly’s expression hardened and he left the cave where he had been working on his Paths There was one last activity that he had to accomplish today It was one that was somehow both very much looking forward to and very much dreading

His mouth in a firm line he walked over to the fire the rest of the team had made while he was recovering to speak to Aratta Only Aratta Rose and Lucifer were there the rest of the team must have gone off with Alana to test how she was in the wake of reaching Level 50 If he hadn’t been in hardass mode Randidly would have winced He hoped there were no lingering side effects of his interference

As if they were waiting for him all three of the others looked up as he approached Randidly coughed lightly and then said Now that we have saved you I’d like an explanation

Sure what did you have in mind Aratta replied her smile bright

Randidly glowered at her You murdered children and stole their Aether Why

Almost unconsciously he released the Indomitable Spirit of Yggdrasil Those suspicious wisps of Aether that floated out from behind the cloth on her eyes were blown away by the blast of pressure from it and Aratta shivered Both Lucifer and Rose reflexively stood taking a step away from him

Randidly burned with his fury seething with it With Indomitable Spirit active it was much easier to feel the effects of the other Yggdrasil Skills They were connected resonating even if it was a small combination right now

As Aratta soldiered onward doing her best to keep her smile in place Randidly upped the pressure It took about 30 seconds for her body to sag defeated and she said We had no choice There was no other way to survive If we hadn’t the other monsters

How could killing children increase your strength Randidly began feeling the flow of rage but Rose gestured at him and he forcefully suppressed his wrath

The other monsters Rose asked her eyes narrowing

Aratta nodded Yes I didn’t mean to hide it but we we’re all monsters We cannot receive a Class We grow with Level too but it’s slow Mostly we naturally Level as we age There are myths of the time our people came from a land where we had Classes but

And if you cannot Level You need Skill Levels Or more powerful Skills Randidly said slowly hating himself for understanding the basics of the thought process even though he couldn’t see how this was the only option But why did you

You have to understand it wasn’t like this always Back then Zith was just the gem of our people a normal woman leading us But then the monsters

Start from the beginning Rose interrupted pulling out a notepad The entire history of your people Don’t leave anything out

Chapter 431

“Legend has it that in the past we were part of a wider world But because of a great sin of our people the Dintan we were exiled from our home and sent here to this purgatory Although the area we are allotted is quite large and the climate here is mild ” Aratta shook her head her hair swishing back and forth ” it is known amongst us that this is a lesser life But with our options restricted we focused on the only real thing we could control Skill Levels “

“Although we Level naturally as we age honing our Skill Levels does give us some measure of control over our strength and our own pride For generations we existed in harmony split amongst 20 or so villages in our area and if we were not content we were at least surviving But then a change came

“Originally our main opponents were those creatures we call the Death Cultists They are much less focused on Skill Levels than we are but their bodies are almost impossibly powerful They were our perfect foil But then the monsters came The monster hordes that you have fought with great success I might add If our warriors were at the level of your group or even close to it ” Aratta sighed and looked at the ground Randidly couldn’t see her eyes due to the cloth but he assumed she was lost in her strange melancholy

“One on one or two on one or even five on one we would be fine But against 100 per each villager In a blink we had lost half of our villages Originally the Dintan leaders suspected this was a plot of the Death Cultists some strange ritual of theirs unleashed upon us but No they were just as surprised and devastated pushed back by the waves and waves of monsters “

“After a month of being pushed farther and farther back consolidating our people into fewer and fewer villages a young woman with golden hair and a wicked smile appeared at the edges of our village Clearly an alien but also an enigma She offered us a secret method that would boost our power giving us the ability to fight back against the monsters All we had to do was to sign an oath that we as a people would owe her a great favor to be called in at any time It would be bound to each individual through our bloodlines Once we agreed the woman warned we could never escape that debt until it was paid

“It did not feel as though she meant to be threatening with how she delivered her offer but many people did not trust this strange golden haired woman She came out of nowhere in our hour of need and coincidentally offered a solution No this had to be a scam For three days and nights the debate raged before the King and Queen of the Dintan By the end the Queen was swayed yet the King remained firm

“‘What about our children ‘ the Queen famously asked tears pouring down her face “

“‘Exactly ‘ the King said his face firm “

There Aratta stopped speaking for several seconds just looking at the ground The fire crackled Or at least Randidly assumed she was looking at the ground the more time he spent with Aratta the more he learned to annoyed by the presence of the cloth over her eyes But with the strange Aether fluctuations that were coming from it

Randidly was almost positive laying beyond that innocuous looking piece of cloth was a trap laid by the Creature although he couldn’t figure of what kind or why So for now it was fine to just leave it there untouched

Based on the modus operandi of the Creature the choice would be taken from him eventually and he would be forced to face her influence From Aratta’s story it was clear the Creature had a heavy hand in moving the dungeon towards the current state of affairs She had shown up probably using the form of Lyra and offered these people a method to power

The Path of the Heretic

And Randidly didn’t want to spoil anything but the ending of this story The images of those twisted frail bodies buried haphazardly in the dirt were at the forefront of his mind

Aratta looked up The King sent the golden haired woman away What followed were the hardest in the Dintan history at least the history we have of this place But after two years of struggle of shrinking down to only 6 villages there was an equilibrium The Dintan’s champions had grown so strong that they could push back the monsters In addition to that

Now a shadow crossed Aratta’s face In addition the Death Cultists were taking the brunt of the monster’s assault Because they had accepted the gift of the golden haired woman They had become Heretics Luckily it seemed that there was a tacit agreement that we would not go back to a war between the Death Cultists and Dintan not as long as the monster hordes kept appearing

Time and time again our best and brightest would investigate the origins of these monsters to no avail they sprung up from random places in random amounts filled with violence and bloodlust The first villages that the horde would encounter would struggle for the first several hours before assistance from nearby could arrive lessening the pressure It was a stressful system but one that worked

Then about 3 years after the monster horde’s appearance there was a change Aratta looked up her eye cloth pointing towards Randidly Mixed in within the mix of monsters that generally had Levels between 40 and 46 there started being higher Leveled monsters 48s and 49s For monsters too it takes a great deal to get above 45 And each Level is a qualitative change By the time they reach Level 50 they will have completely evolved

With the higher Levels appearing the pressure increased Of course with increased pressure there was an increased danger but also increased gains Our warriors our warriors were forces of nature almost unstoppable when they appeared Even against the higher Leveled opponents until they began to grow sick the great hunger gnawing away at their insides

Aether Sickness Rose supplied her eyes narrowing

Aratta nodded There are many names for it But such was the weight of their strength that their physical bodies could no longer sustain them however that was just the surface level of the problem Within our small world here life works in a cycle There is but one pool of energy and everyone takes a pinch of it when they are born When they die that pinch returns to the pool When these warriors became exceptionally strong not only were they taking larger pinches but the pool itself was being depleted Some of our children

Aratta fell silent Randidly was frowning Although he had never seen that in person or heard of it it wasn’t hard to imagine how twisted and weak a being born without any Aether at all would be It would be more husk than person

It’s fascinating however Lucretia commented This Creature the more I learn of it the warier of it I become It is effectively manipulating the Aether ecosystem in the Raid Dungeon to push the people towards the Path of the Heretic Those floods of monsters based on what this girl is saying they are not from inside the Dungeon right So as she increases their strength the Dintan have no choice but to get stronger or die

But why ’ Randidly wondered back

Lucretia seemed to shrug and started thought whispering to herself Shaking his head Randidly refocused on Aratta

Of course the golden haired woman wasn’t unaware of this she once more approached our people In the equilibrium era we had once more expanded to 12 or so villages But to suddenly find out that we had effectively lost the ability to bear children She was aware of this problem and could not solve it but if we agreed to her terms at least she could beat back the great hunger from our warriors and ensure the safety of the living In a show of good faith she even explained the process the consumption of other life to fuel your own Aratta trailed off

And if the children were dying anyway Lucretia said softly Again the vivid shape of those twisted bodies in Aratta’s flower garden appeared in Randidly’s mind Instantly his expression hardened It was difficult to recall but she was just like them For her own existence she was willing to sacrifice the lives of others It was almost as if she didn’t notice the contradiction in her current regretful stance

It was almost like she had become so numb to the act of consuming another’s life that she didn’t even notice

Still the King stood firm refusing The Queen begged and begged but was unable to sway her husband Even when their only child the Dintan’s greatest warrior fell to the great sickness becoming completely bedridden he did not falter Following his lead the head warriors agreed

However one among them the holy Zith felt a deep sense of responsibility and resolved herself to approach the King in private to ask him to reconsider While they were speaking there was a noise from the Queen’s chambers the two rushed into the room fearing a monster attack but only found the Queen Her lifeblood was draining out of the slit in her neck

She had taken her own life Aratta stood slowly standing Then she turned her face upward and looked towards the overcast sky In the wake of that the King crumpled He was a shell of who he was Zith took word to the golden haired woman and agreed that the Dintan be bound to a single favor in return for the method

So you took it and became Heretics You started stealing life so you could live longer Rose said

Selfish Lucifer simply said shaking his head

Aratta just sighed and smiled at them her expression so brittle the hairline cracks from age were visible on her skin How easy it is for the young to imagine ways around old problems Let me give you a hard truth it is the new problems that you will need to deal with not ours not the ones that have grown clearer in retrospect And when that day comes who knows how deeply you would be willing to sell yourself to the devil for his hand

Chapter 432

Aratta’s story ended very soon after that In a much more muted tone she explained how the methods were spread out and the Dintan were able to grow in strength and beat back both the monsters and the great hunger

Under Zith’s leadership a great central village was made and 6 satellite villages around it like spokes of a wheel Population controls were put in place and immediately after birth children would be taken away from parents and fostered in another village so too much sentiment wouldn’t develop Every 2 years the youth would rotate around the outside of the wheel

In the final rotation they would be taken to the central area And on their 15th birthday they would be judged the powerful would be assigned to the village As for the weak

For almost 400 years this had continued until the current day When Randidly pressed for why things had changed now why the village was heading back towards the central region and why she didn’t accompany them Aratta could only shake her head She refused to answer Or she didn’t know Either way Randidly was left frustrated

The group fell silent and remained that way until the rest of the group returned with food and the lay of the land When she returned Annie signaled to Randidly with her eyes and the two of them walked off leaving the others to watch Aratta

So are we taking her with us Annie asked gesturing back towards the blind woman I don’t trust her She enjoys playing the damsel too much

Randidly gave Annie a look She laughed flapping her hand at him They both knew that Annie herself had played the damsel for weeks luring and wooing Dozer It was only after he was well and truly loyal to her that she had started being more open about her own physical capabilities which were not minor

After her laughter subsided Annie’s face got much more serious The rest can tell you more about the Eyrie to the North if we choose to go after that quest I went and followed the villagers South What you put into the group chat is true it’s not just this village it looks like all 6 of the satellite villages are returning to the center About the same number from each so it looks like the population control thing checks out Not a single teenager or child

They both were silent at that Randidly thinking of those bodies Annie probably considering the fate of her own newly born baby had she been born into this Raid Dungeon Probably also she felt the pang of absence of being away so long from this creature she had grown within herself Randidly didn’t know much about parents and his own were lousy but anecdotally he had heard about healthy affection and Annie and Dozer seemed like the protective type

Anyways Annie coughed then continued The central village is basically a giant hole in the ground I couldn’t get too close because the guards there know their shit but they have a much grander amount of carvings around the hole Maybe to keep out their Judgements

Maybe Randidly said rubbing his chin Where was the Creature’s hand in this It pushed for the strength of monsters forcing the people to turn to the Path of the Heretic And then it just sat back It allowed the world to run its course

Randidly doubted it

So Annie asked What do we do now

Alana eyed Aratta After hearing the second hand version of her story of this Raid Dungeon Alana was filled with distaste She did not condone the actions of these past warriors because life forced hard decisions on the weak But inwardly Alana resolved herself to focus on growing stronger so that she would never be forced to make such decisions

Strangely Aratta had decided to go with them after the group had decided to ignore the problem of the villages for now and seek out the Eyrie Not only were they able to receive experience there but there remained the problem of finding the Key of Death Although there was the possibility that they would be forced to go to the central village and search for the key it was better to test the easier nuts to crack first

When Alana wasn’t scanning the horizon for monsters she was either glancing at the Ghosthound or consumed in her own thoughts Immediately after the Ghosthound had intervened preventing her Class from exploding or whatever was occurring within her Alana had been profoundly weak But once she woke up her Vitality and Endurance did its usual job of increasing the speed of her recovery and very soon she was able to walk without assistance and then move easily

And then of course she wanted to fight

She was delighted with the changes she discovered On the one hand the amount of experience she needed to Level hadn’t increased but simply stayed at the absurd amount required to move from 49 to 50 On the other hand the performance of her two new Skills was above expectations

Crimson Ire surrounded Alana with a crackling crimson energy that provided smaller boosts to strength and speed But what it did do was massively boost her reactions and also gave all of her attacks a splash effect So after she rushed forward and stabbed with her spear the energy was stuck to her on an elastic band and followed her to attack and explode nearby in the area she struck

The damage couldn’t be considered too much at the moment and the Skill only lasted for 5 seconds with a 10 second cooldown and a 500 Mana cost but Alana knew these things would improve in time Plus in a tough situation surrounded by monsters the Reaction boost more than made up for it

Earlier when she had been testing it she had made 6 giant tarantulas looked like statues as she weaved between their many bristling legs Without even much effort her spear had flicked outward and impaled four of their brains leaving her panting but with only two opponent’s remaining after a single usage And those two had been knocked off balance from the remnant energy of her attacks on the others as it splashed outward

The rest were rather simple to mop up As the effectiveness improved Alana shivered God she would be almost untouchable in a larger melee The effect of the splash would be much more muted in a 1 v 1 situation but the Reaction would make up for that for sure Inwardly Alana had a very strong impulse to challenge the Ghosthound with her new Skills but she was somewhat shy about it

After all he had been the reason that she had obtained them It would be somewhat rude to immediately use them to bully him

Hiding a smile Alana remembered the even more intimidating effect of her Avatar Form Skill When it was activated a crimson energy similar to that of the Ire Skill exploded outward However this time the energy spread and shaped itself into an Alana shaped golem Her real body remained in its core at the center but the energy body formed around her It was about 150% of the size of Alana and had the strength and top speed to match

Of course her short term quickness was proportionally reduced but often monsters are much larger than people anyways The Avatar Form would give Alana the strength to go toe to toe with these larger monsters without putting her own body in danger

It only took her a few attempts to figure out how to leave her real body somewhere while she controlled the Avatar Form from afar Of course her body had to remain completely still to keep her control over the Avatar Form sharp if she didn’t stay still both bodies were at half strength and basically useless

Unlike the Ghosthound she didn’t have the effortless ability to control 100 roots at the same time she was a real human woman But if it could be arranged for someone to watch her body while she moved it would be easy to scout dangerous areas without any risk to the team The increased size however was an issue for that

And based on the reading of the Skill the size/strength/speed boost would increase with Skill Level Alana tried to image reaching Lvl 100 in Avatar Form and being able to control a form the size of a building walking casually next to a mountain range stepping over small rivers with a single stride Alana could only shake her head helpless

It was strange but the Ghosthound’s presence made it very easy to forget how her own baseline for normal’ was probably miles and miles away from most of the other people that lived in Donnyton He had always acted as a rock even to their sense of reality

But reaching Level 50 seeing how her growth rates jumped receiving these new Skills

These were not the moves of an average person Alana had always known she was stronger than most but right now it truly hit her how far she had come How being near the Ghosthound had transformed her from a hardworking track and field star into one of the most powerful people in the Zone if not the World

Even still Alana had been initially disappointed in her Class based on the name but Lucifer of all people had comforted her when she had spoken aloud of it in front of him

Valkyrie of the Red Dust Lucifer had asked in that deep rumbling voice of his Alana had nodded not thinking much of it There was no real reason to hide it from him

He had considered it for several seconds tucking some of his long red hair behind his ears Then he had simply said That’s almost religious

Then he had walked off Curious Alana had followed him to ask why but he had just shrugged Ace of all people had commented seeing her confused expression Heya don’t you know where people come from

oo a biology lesson from Ace Rose said snidely rolling her eyes

Ace just laughed and continued Like in Christianity what are people From dust to dust’ and all that It’s the base form of all The Mesopotamians believed that humans were made of clay mixed with blood red clay That’s what you are the Valkyrie of the dried blood

Or more poetically Rose said frowning at Ace The Valkyrie of Birth Or Humanity’s Genesis Don’t let him tease you

Ha Alana said breathing slowly looking up at the sky No worries That sounds much better than what I was thinking

Chapter 433

Randidly frowned looking at the Levels provided to him by the rest of the group In particular he had to decide whether to take action in regards to two specific individuals Clarissa Lvl 47 Lucifer Lvl 46

In regards to this there were two things he could do Based upon Lucretia’s expertise which Randidly was dubious of but had no choice but to trust he could inform those two how to receive a Fate in the typical way where their meaning would be forcefully expelled from their body and somehow transformed into a crystal in the wider world Based on what Lucretia said they still received a good boost of strength from it and also possibly some Stat gains

But had Lucretia had a physical body her jaw would have hit the floor when Alana explained her increased Level up gains Even Randidly whistled softly although it couldn’t be denied that his Level ups were higher still although most of that came from his Path rewards

The other option of course was to create an Aether connection between them or to try and use Aether Donation to simply give their bodies the Aether Randidly would need to help them reforge the Class Which Lucretia pointed out might not be possible

The reason you managed it so quickly was because strands of your Aether ran through the entirety of her Class Lucretia reminded him She had access to your Aether from the beginning Because of that there was a scaffolding for you to work from There is the chance that if you attempt to do the same thing with someone who hasn’t had your Aether connection for a long time there will be a negative reaction You remember how badly the Aether we took from the Creature’s construct reacted at first when they were mixed

Randidly frowned but he couldn’t deny that Lucretia was probably correct in this instance And there wasn’t an immediately clear route for him to take to avoid this He really didn’t want to have them condense their Fate in a typical way as an outward crystal It would be much better to keep the images inside so they could continue to strengthen them If nothing else this was clear from the Alana example

Perhaps in Clarissa’s case Randidly would try and force the issue She belonged to Donnyton and understood the risks associated Randidly would be able to handle it if things went wrong and her Class was completely shattered into pieces

Although maybe his second attempt would up the efficiency of dealing with the images while it was raging There were also shapes of Classes and strength of images that would likely affect the outcome

There were too many moving parts to plan well for Randidly could only make a decision that he thought was best and live with it

At the moment the group was walking farther North heading to the Eyrie of the Death Cultists There were a few monsters that they had encountered but largely it seemed that this area was devoid of all life Aratta assured them that this was work of the Death Cultists who seek death for all things including themselves Apparently their name was not a misnomer or a misguided attempt to classify them as Heretics they truly worshipped death

But they hadn’t yet seen any of the fearsome Death Cultists Instead all they had for company was the rather constant drizzle At the very least Randidly reflected sardonically He had gained 2 Levels in Child of Rain from the walking

They weren’t going fast but that was largely out of caution It might even be unnecessary Both Randidly and Annie had high Perception enabling them to spot other forces a fair distance away and Rose could sense the use of Skills within 100 meters Even when Randidly activated the twilight ability of his Bone Cloak she had still sensed him and the Skill regardless of the fact she couldn’t feel where he was in relation to her

Which was interesting because it meant Rose really needed no physical evidence in order to notice a Skill being used Just the proximity was enough to reveal them Randidly filed this information away for later Although it might not become relevant if Donnyton was forced to attack the Refuge

So these Death Cultists Ace said lazily sparing Aratta a look How strong are they

Randidly’s gaze immediately focused on Ace and he reflexively reached out with Aether Manipulation to snip the few thin strands of Aether that had formed between Aratta and Ace Although it was annoying as long as the problem of these connections was simply solved Randidly was unwilling to force the issue

Besides the more he had an opportunity to see the strands form between Aratta and another eventually forming the strange illusion filled fascination that afflicted Ptolemy the more it seemed familiar It was almost like this Skill was one that he had seen before Something extremely familiar

But Randidly thought himself in circles and couldn’t figure out what it was So he doubled down on his surveillance hoping for another clue that would reveal it for what it is Perhaps something like what Raina had But no that didn’t feel right

Strong Aratta replied wiping some of the raindrops off her forehead before they fell down into her eyes Not so strong as the Dintan not now But that is mostly a matter of numbers and because we allow strong youths to grow up while those that age without pulling their weight are fed to fuel their growth As far as we know everything in the Death Cultist clan is based on seniority

Ah So it’s the rheumy eyed ones that you need to look out for Ace quipped and Aratta turned and frowned at him

Of all people Randidly wasn’t sure why he bothered to sever the threads to Ace From experience Randidly knew that the more that Ace liked someone the more he would tease someone And it was very clear that his teasing caused Aratta to withdraw within herself Although she had been more talkative and kind since telling them the story of the Raid Dungeon she had withdrawn inwards more as if she were profoundly tired

It was as if

Trouble Rose announced Annie calmly knocked an arrow

A screech tore across the sky and Randidly looked up sharply Floating above them zooming down towards the group were 3 bats There were giant leathery bats with larger more powerful legs that ended in sharp claws

As Annie raised her bow to point it at the sky Lucretia gasped and Randidly half turned to see what the issue was Alana had reached up towards her face her expression grim and her hand had flexed almost instinctively And when she did so a helmet grew out of her hand a black/red beaten and dented thing

There were two long squares for eyes and a nose guard But the most eye catching detail was that two wings wrought of the red iron stretched backward from Alana’s head giving her the typical valkyrie helm In a clean movement she settled it over her face and drew her spear

Frowning Randidly stared intently at the helmet Had Alana had this before Was it an equipment that he hadn’t noticed in the past Because although his System assisted memory was sharp he would miss things that he wasn’t looking for Could she have just had a secret helmet locked away that conveniently matched the Class that she had recently received

What convenient luck

But what really gave it away was that immediately after putting it on Alana started and then patted the helmet several times It was like it was more reflex than anything else and she had done it completely instinctively without even understanding what was going on

Well not that Randidly really could understand what was going on either

Is this the true form of a Fate Then I Lucretia whispered her attention swiftly moving inward

Randidly ignored her there were more pressing issues He drew his spear moving to stand next to Alana His presence brought her attention back around and she stopped feeling the helmet But Randidly did notice that she didn’t remove it

In a smooth motion Annie whipped her bow upwards and loosed an arrow It streaked across the sky but one of the bat monsters spun out of the way dropping lower And as it did so its speed seemed to increase as it sped on its low flight path towards the party

Unfortunately for this creature Annie was not the type to file only a single arrow And she had back up

Three more arrows darted forward two dodged again by the low flying bat but the third struck it in the shoulder eliciting a roar of fury Meanwhile Clarissa sent bolts of Chain Lightning upwards making the two remaining high flyers swerve back and forth as they attempted to close in on the group

Randidly waited calmly until one of the higher bats did a barrel roll to dodge a lightning bolt and shot an Incinerating Bolt upwards towards its blindspot In addition to traveling in a straight line at a much higher speed and being highly concentrated the Incinerating Bolt contained none of the crackling noise of the lightning bolt It soundlessly sped forward slamming into the monster’s gut knocking the wind out of it

Randidly frowned Yes only the wind was knocked out of it because its leathery skin was able to withstand the force from the Incinerating Bolt

With a crash it fell to the ground around the same time that the low flying bat attempted to dodge one of Annie’s arrows and simply hit the ground beginning to skid over towards the group The third circled once calling down to its compatriots then turned and glided away

Randidly considered firing more Incinerating Bolts but even if he could take it by surprise there didn’t seem to be any point in killing the escaping enemy If it went and warned the nest so much the better if these would gather up more of themselves for the group to slaughter

Careful these Death Cultists are thick skinned Usually we rely on binding them or poisons to subdue large groups Aratta announced In a 1 v 1 match none of you are its match

Chapter 434

Thea showed her teeth the fury of battle already riding through her veins driving her forward towards the Death Cultist that the Ghosthound’s Incinerating Bolt knocked to the ground She would be the one who had the honor of proving this pointlessly gloomy blind woman wrong

The Death Cultists’ wings and arms were one and the same which gave them a very strange body shape They had tiny wastes although their legs appeared very strong and ended in sharp talons But their arms were long and had an extra joint growing thicker as the appendage approached the torso Near its broad shoulders the arms were almost as thick as a dinner plate but they narrowed to as skinny as a teenage girl’s arm near the end

The thing staggered to its feet somewhat disoriented from the fall right as Thea arrived Without giving it a chance to catch its bearings Thea slammed her hammer down towards its head But to her surprise the thing brought one of its tiny 4 finger hands up and caught the hammerhead with its long fingers

It grunted and sagged to the side thrown off balance but otherwise ignored the damage

The other arm windmilled upward and slammed downwards towards Thea and she was forced to roll forward out of the way Luckily this was one of her favorite new moves and as she straightened she whipped her hammer around striking it in its ribs But her hammer rebounded off of its strangely elastic bones

Gritting her teeth Thea hopped backward but wasn’t able to dodge the creature’s arm which came around like a whip smashing her sideways with enough force to knock the air out of her lungs

It opened its mouth and spoke some gibberish waving its arms hatefully and an arrow slipped into its open mouth and sunk into the soft flesh at the back of its throat This certainly got the Death Cultist’s attention and it began to frantically claw at the arrow trying to pull the shaft out freeing up its airways

This was not an opportunity that Thea was willing to let pass

Now that she had been hit in the battle she could feel the heat pumping through her making her faster stronger angrier But she didn’t even care she simply growled and threw herself forward her hammer smashing back and forth aiming for its more vulnerable leg joints They were thick but not as unnaturally overdeveloped as its upper torso

The first strike hit the side of its left knee and made it stumble somewhat but then it quickly identified the threat and brought the other arm down to block the strike against its other knee Again her blow rebounded off its arm almost as if she had struck rubber sending her back a step and she looked up to see the monster staring hatefully down at her tears of hatred in its eyes as it forcibly chomped down on the arrow shaft

She spat in its face for good measure then thrust her hammer into its face hearing a satisfying crunch as she broke it pointed nose

It reeled back in pain and two arrows shot forward ripping through the muscles of its leg making it topple over Thea raised her hammer but it was a fraction of a second too late

Chrysanthemum barreled past her and within a second it had grabbed the monster’s head in her jaws There was an audible crunch

Almost annoyed Thea huffed and let her hammer drop to her sides Then she walked forward and rubbed Chrysanthemum’s head As her bear began to feast on the body using her paw to hold it down as she ripped off large chunks of flesh Thea turned and looked towards the other Death Cultist Alana was standing over it cleaning blood off of her spear

I can see why you fear them Alana said casually as she inspected the blade of her spear It’s skin is thick It takes a great deal of force to penetrate its skin Thea how well did blunt force work

Thea just grunted trying to act casual as she picked a bit of imaginary hair off of her own hammer It wouldn’t sound very cool to admit that her damage had been rather minor until Chrysanthemum moved in and crushed its skull

Poorly Annie answered for her with an annoying bout of cheering Penetrating sensitive areas is still better But these would be annoying in larger groups Anything Rose

A Rare Rarity physical constitution boost high Level too Rose mused walking over to one of the bodies the one Chrysanthemum wasn’t determined to rip into thin rags Basic Fighting Proficiency but no other Skills it’s hard to believe that this is all they have Oh and a pretty powerful general Magic Resistance Skill

I noticed Clarissa said sourly folding her arms

Ace leaned over towards Lucifer tapping the other man’s large sword Would be nice if we had something to talk about eh

Lucifer just snorted and folded his arms But it was in such a way that it looked very similar to Clarissa’s pouty stance Ace burst out laughing Thea wasn’t sure if Lucifer had done it on purpose so she only smiled slightly watching his response He barely even seemed to notice however

Ghousthound’s mouth twisted and then he looked at Aratta How many of them are there

Aratta was sitting down shaking her head Thea grinned Apparently the shock of seeing them so easily deal with them had shaken her a little Which she supposed was fine but it was a little insulting After all their party was 10 people 11 including Aratta If two of them could suppress them then what was the point of even going to their Eyrie

If that were true the level of difficulty

There are about a thousand per Eyrie Aratta looked up but her voice sounded determined now These are just the foot soldiers there are powerful Red Death Cultists and then above them the Shadow Cultists It’s rumored that each Eyrie has a White Death Cultist leading it surveying the area gathering all the treasures within its purview

Everyone even Thea perked up at the mention of treasures After all they still needed to find the Death Key before they could depart from this place It was easy to forget but outside of the Raid Dungeon the rest of the Zone was slowly starving the very Aether seeping out into the void If they didn’t move quickly

But Thea anxiously hoped they still had time Considering the time difference it shouldn’t have been that long since they came in here right And during that time there would first be Aether Sickness so even if it was uncomfortable

Idly she wondered what Simon was doing Whether he was laying somewhere curled up worriedly watching the rest of the Zone Even though there was very little he could do and watching only would make him more upset he was the type of boy that would look anyway

Shaking her head Thea tuned back into the conversation occuring in front of her

So we just break down the door and charge right in How unique and inspired Ace was saying chuckling slightly Still you know I don’t mind I love a good entrance

You must be extremely careful Aratta warned The Cultists most of their physical strength comes from the forbidden rituals that they perform If they realize an attack is coming their leader will begin a very powerful ritual Once you are within the Eyrie you must rush to the central chamber If they are allowed to complete it

The blind woman looked down her fingers flexing a hundred times No Two hundred times the strength of the basic warrior Their bodies will be like a god’s

Thea wanted to roll her eyes and was pleased to catch the Ghosthound smiling like a wolf So it wasn’t just her then that felt the presence of a challenge as something incredible The chance to feel the burning heat of battle to lose yourself in that pure ecstacy

Thea shivered

Let’s cross that bridge when we come to it Rose said looking around at the group then up at the sky with a frown We’ve still got a fair bit of ground to cover before night then let’s camp there Tomorrow

If you do not rush they will come to you Aratta said urgently

Rose just smiled helplessly Lucifer chuckled and began walking forward Ace walked over to Aratta and patted her back a sinister smile on his face

That’s what we are counting on Ace said And then he stood and walked forward heading North towards the Eyrie Thea clicked her tongue and Chrysanthemum walked over towards her She patted her partner’s side and hopped onto her back following the rest of the group

Chapter 435

Ace cursed twisting out of the way of the bat monster’s swipe For all that their bodies were effectively made from bits of plastic and titanium they were also unnaturally quick Not nearly as quick as Alana or Randidly themselves bless their hearts They had raised the standard for quickness in battle

No they were a good few hairs slower than that but that didn’t mean it was easy to avoid their strikes Especially when

The second Death Cultist gargled in its strange language and stepped forward slashing at Ace from the side Catching the arm Ace pivoted and used its own momentum to throw the monster sending it sprawling across the ground From his previous experience his normal strikes basically did nothing to the beast and its joints were stronger than he was

It’s a blessing and a curse to have hands that are deadly weapons ’ Ace thought looking down at his hands because that means you have no use for other weapons ’

Still Ace hoped that people would eventually spread rumors about his strength and his intrepid nature using only his fists as a weapon There was something profoundly chivalrous about it Ace thought and although he didn’t generally like knights there were enough evil knights in the human zeitgeist that Ace didn’t mind the associations

So he was in a stalling pattern while the others fought against their own opponents Around Ace there were yells and flashes in the darkness as the 10 person Raid Party fought against the 30 person squad of Death Cultists Even now Ace could hear the dull rumbles as the Red Death Cultist fought against Randidly both of them moving at a speed that was hard for the others to handle

Well Ace amended Most others After a few minutes of sparring Ace’s Adapt would kick in giving him the boost he needed to keep up It was just a matter of surviving long enough to catch up with them But he could understand why the rest of the vision less schmucks who were part of the group were intimidated and also leery of what the two higher tiered versions of the Raid Bosses would be like

As the enemy Ace didn’t throw charged at him Ace surprised it by stepping forward and smashing his knee into its face Thea had discovered that the most vulnerable spot on the monster was its nose which could be rather directly broken inflicting a high amount of pain in a short amount of time

And as that Death Cultist was stumbling away Ace tripped it adding insult to injury and spun around to face the other one which was standing

And there Ace paused because two Death Cultists were just finishing helping Ace’s thrown Death Cultist to his feet

Ace’s eyes blazed and his mouth widened into a grin A pinch And only in a pinch would his true power show through

Heedless to the opponents Ace threw himself forward laughing aloud If it was a life or death struggle they wanted it was a struggle they would get

Lucifer’s large sword smashed downwards out of the darkness cutting halfway through the thick arm of the Death Cultist Noticing its arm was cut off it began to scream flailing to knock Lucifer away The other two rushed forward to assist it but Ace almost regretfully interposed himself striking them in their less well defended stomachs giving the other man a few seconds to finish his business

Which was more than enough The second sword descended severing the head of the monster This seemed to spook the remaining two who started howling towards the sky A few moments later several howls came back but much much fewer than had howled immediately prior to the attack on the group

The Death Cultist’s face twisted into something that was recognizably similar to despair Ace cracked his knuckles feeling the dark emotions swirling around him almost flowing into his body filling him with strength

He was almost there he was so close He had cultivated this persona for so long and finally the System was beginning to feel it If he could push the envelope a bit more if that dark negative energy could become a tool for him

Let the rest go Randidly said in chat

Ace snorted meaning to personally walk forward and break the neck of the two frightened monsters but Lucifer removed his swords and stepped aside calmly walking back towards the group’s fire Although Ace could overpower one two of them at once both trying to flee

Depressed and annoyed Ace slumped his way back to the fire Honestly Ace knew logically that he should be pleased that he was doing this well against the monsters They were basically designed to counter him The durable long lasting types were always the most difficult for a well rounded fighter like himself To be able to easily hold his own against opponent’s that were physically superior It was clear that his Skill Level had improved

And it definitely had but he hadn’t been able to connect to that negative energy although each day he could feel it more strongly with the Dauntless helmet on In his heart Ace knew it was so close and once he did he would finally transform

He would no longer need to follow Randidly’s orders Ace’s mouth twisted wryly at the thought

Apparently Ace wasn’t the only one annoyed with the order because when he returned to the fire Thea was stomping towards the Ghosthound Instantly Ace’s mood lifted It wasn’t often that Thea was willing to stand up to anyone let alone the Ghosthound due to her inherent kindness and the fact that she was still basically a child It was hard to overcome that belief that your elders were your betters

So now to see her moving so directly to challenge Randidly

Show me your certainty Randidly ’ Ace thought eyes gleaming Show me if you are prepared to bear responsibility ’

Why did we pull back Thea asked her voice sharp as she pointed at Randidly

Randidly bless his heart seemed confused and tilted his head to the side as the girl approached him

Why didn’t we kill them all Thea repeated They they sacrifice their young for strength They are despicable and we are stronger So why

I guess you are right about the Heretic part I wasn’t even thinking about the possibility they could rush back and have children to sacrifice for their own strength Maybe I didn’t want to believe it That’s my mistake Randidly’s eyes were large and green like a freshly mowed lawn But isn’t this too easy These opponents They are weak Why bother with them They do not seem like the type to flee so if they return to base they will probably gather up more of their kind to fight

If we are going to wipe them away isn’t doing it once that much simpler

Thea opened her mouth then closed it Then she flushed turned on her heel and rushed away going over to rub her giant bear mount

Ace grinned Very nicely played Randidly although you probably don’t think of it as playing The these opponents are too weak for me to even bother’ card But when it comes to you perhaps

Within a few seconds Rose had returned to the circle of firelight looking extremely calm Ace immediately felt a sense of relief then stifled that feeling Emotions weren’t part of the plan With his easy grin on his face he walked over towards Rose

When he arrived very casually the two chatted about nothing and walked over to the side and erected a tent Ace knew that everyone especially Randidly wondered whether the two of them were involved So Rose had suggested that they use this method when they wanted some time to talk alone without suspicions Because they would be too busy considering the social implications of their meeting rather than any other ulterior motives

Did you watch the fight Ace asked immediately after they had set up the tent and entered it

Rose shot him a disapproving look then laid down her Sound Ward Skill Only then did she speak I did It is as you suspect Across the board he probably has a dozen Runic or Ancient Skills and at least one that is Legendary Because of their substance it’s hard for me to figure out what each one does but they all are general boosts towards combat abilities Just in different manners

Perfect Ace said his eyes gleaming This is perfect Only with a true monster can a hero arise

Pursing her lips Rose gave him a look Now you are going the hero route I suspect it’s too late for that

It’s just a narrative arc shape I don’t actually intend to be a hero In fact I might be the traitor in this case Ace said grinning

There was a pause and then Rose said timidly Do you truly intend to do something before we finish the Raid Dungeon If something goes wrong

It won’t Ace said simply looking up at the sky He could see it now feel the dripping blood from his wounds feel the broken ground since the shock Randidly felt to be beaten by him even now he was savoring it although Ace didn’t know how long it would take I don’t mind waiting I’m not endangering our whole Zone for the sake of a point of pride But sometimes you can’t even control yourself

Rose’s frown darkened and Ace chuckled softly leaning back on the sleeping bag he brought Instead of correcting her mistaken impression that he simply had weak willpower he said nothing But Dauntless opened his eyes and stared intently at those strange threads of binding that Aratta had been working on him

Then amused Dauntless closed his eyes After all tomorrow would be a long day

Chapter 436

Randidly cracked his neck and then looked behind him The constant drizzle had kept up through the night and the Raid Party looked especially bedraggled this morning Well specifically Chrysanthemum looked like a much less fluffy version of herself with her fur soaked to her skin

Which in a way made her more terrifying Because without the fur there it was easy to see just what a monstrous creature she had begun evolving into Her size was on par with a small SUV at this point although she wasn’t as tall as one on four legs But when she stood straight up she positively towered over most normal enemies The monsters that were foolish enough to attack them were annihilated by her extra long reach and powerful muscles

We have our groups Randidly asked looking at Rose

She nodded Thea Clarissa and Annie Then Ace Lucifer and Ptolemy Finally myself Alana and Drake And I assume you will go on your own

Randidly snorted lightly Then he turned to gaze up at the Eyrie in front of them

Truly it was a wonder It looked a little like an impaled blackened lung slowly growing and then shrinking depending on what direction the wind blew Apparently there had once been a giant tree here all across the area a leftover from before But after this land had been transported here all that had been left was a husk

Over time the Death Cultists had climbed to the top torn off all of the branches and covered it in leather and canvas creating a strange almost living seeming building It was also gargantuan the tree must stretch at least 20 stories high and some framework had been erected for the main part of the dwelling creating more width to it Quite a bit of width in fact so that it looked like an entire football field could fit comfortably on one of the levels while the wind was blowing the Eyrie open

A fragile hideout perhaps but it would be just as fragile as footing for any attackers And it seemed relatively low value Aratta had warned them that many times the Eyrie had been burned down but the trunk of the ancient tree was extremely hard to damage so the Death Cultists had simply waited until the attackers left and then rebuilt the thing

It made Randidly wonder how the village had so easily gone and captured Death Cultists earlier especially in the numbers that Annie reported Was their strength that much higher than he expected Although about 40 people went to fight against the Death Cultists they had returned with just as many prisoners that meant that they defeated at least that many more likely double that to capture so many

The only person Randidly had seen among them that even seemed like they were capable was Cyndra Yet

Randidly’s battle last night against the Red Death Cultist had been illuminating Fighting against it was similar in Randidly’s mind to his battles against some of the finalists in the tournament in Shal’s world Their strength was incredibly impressive but they didn’t have the skill to make true use of it And the difference in strength wasn’t so much that they could use it to oppress Randidly giving him free reign to harry them and slowly drag out the fights

Of course at this point Randidly didn’t even need to take such roundabout methods he had improved by leaps and bounds since the tournament Especially in his support and spells The damage that he could produce with his Plant Dominance was about five times as much as he could have done with his previous Root Manipulation

Alana especially with the edge given to her by her Fate could pretty safely defeat it in a 1 v 1 situation Hell even if it had some support she would take it down with a bit of effort and the use of her new Skills

Then Randidly winced Thinking about Fates made him remember that he was swayed by Lucretia’s argument and just basically told Lucifer and Clarissa the process for condensing a Fate in the manner the System wanted But he would be flooding both of them with Aether as best he could prior to their Level up

Yes I will be going alone But it seems that we won’t have to barge right in Randidly said his mouth curling upwards at the edges Because above them the Eyrie stilled Then all of a sudden dozens and dozens of black shadows flew outwards filling the surrounding air with the sharp flap of wings

Randidly’s eyes narrowed as he looked up at the slowly increasing number of bats There was one issue a familiar one but one that made him profoundly wary of the Death Cultists like with Aratta he caught faint whiffs of Aether around them At first when he felt it on them as well he had assumed that it was the influence of the method the Creature had taught them to be Heretics but the more he had studied the Red Death Cultist in the fight

That wasn’t correct it wasn’t there constantly It seemed only to activate when the Cultist was using Skills which was even more foreboding Could she have somehow boosted the strength or Rarity of their Skills Something to look into to be sure If it was possible to replicate what had happened to Thea

Finally the bat horde seemed to reach critical mass and they began to swirl around flying in a spiral Everyone drew their weapons Randidly just tightened his hands into fists and grinned It was time to let loose

Instantly he activated the active version of Yyrwood Flesh of Yggdrasil and launched himself upward heading directly into the throng of bodies gliding around in the air screeching at each other By the time Randidly produced his large spear he had arrived in front of the first Death Cultist who was stupidly turning to face him

It hissed at him in fury and his spear slid cleanly into its skull spraying blood in the air He had taken it easy last night testing out the boundaries of the Death Cultists’ strength both for his own benefit and to make sure nothing would happen to his companions if he would go ahead After all if the Red Death Cultists were too powerful for the others to defend

An explosion partially of fire but mostly of concussive force shattered the air in a dozen or so meters around him sending quite a few Death Cultists spiraling downward The effectiveness was partially based on the surprise factor but Randidly’s Intelligence had also increased to the point where an average enemy wasn’t even worth his time

With a screech that was taken up by a thousand bats they descended most aiming for him some going for their fallen companions but a good chunk gnashing their teeth and rushing towards the rest of the group They would be fine Randidly reassured himself

The force of his jump carried him forward arcing towards the mid levels of the Eyrie his Bone Cloak clinking madly from the rush of wind A Death Cultist rushed towards him aiming to smash him to the ground with its powerful legs but Randidly swung his spear activating Idiosyncratic Cut to lop off its head

But luckily or unluckily one of the passives of the well forged spear activated and an explosion of solar energy blasted outward burning away half of the victim’s body Howling in pain it fell downwards eventually crashing to the ground But the force of the solar explosion also altered his aim and Randidly barely crashed into the bottom quarter of the Eyrie’s levels

The canvas and leather that made up the outside were surprisingly hard to manage as he ripped through it and crashed into the wooden ground He felt the material beneath him crack but the floor held Huffing Randidly stood and ripped everything off of him And when that didn’t suffice for getting rid of all of the materials he bared his teeth

Again fire smashed outward immolating the canvas that bound him but also setting the Eyrie floor ablaze Randidly considered the flames for several seconds before he shrugged Burning it down would accomplish his goals and probably faster than him moving on his own Easier to just burn out the final boss than stomp all the way up to the top of the Eyrie and drag him out

Randidly was standing in a strange low roofed area that seemed to be a messy nest of some sort As he peered around he realized that there were no walls only floors and ceilings and everything else was just hanging fabric most of it ripped and rotten So there was a profoundly creepy vibe as the cloths fluttered around him fire beginning to creep in all directions

There was a crash and Randidly leaped forward dodging out of the way of the being that came downwards through the ceilings It hit the ground with a growl lashing out with a claw that was a full second too slow to catch Randidly

It did not stand but stalked forward bent over like a beetle its red fur especially bright with the color reflected from the fire Randidly found it somewhat amusing that they had built the ceilings so low that the larger Death Cultists couldn’t stand up to their full height but perhaps crawling like this was more comfortable The Red Death Cultist certainly seemed confident in its victory as it growled and crawled towards him

Although Randidly preferred this immensely because it couldn’t make use of its rather intimidating reach while it was on the ground

Two more Red Death Cultists hopped down through the hole adding their growls to the symphony that assaulted him Randidly just grinned and pointed his spear at them

Sorry guys I don’t have much time to play with you this time He whispered beginning to move His first slash was dodged but it was mostly a feint so that the leftmost cultist would back off and the rightmost would leap forward aiming to strike while Randidly was off balance

Of course he wasn’t and the spear ripped backward in a huge strike destroying the skull of that foolish rightmost cultist The middle one recognizing both the danger and what was happening threw itself forward desperate for an advantage

Randidly let go of the spear with his left hand and activated Touch from Beyond Instantly the temperature cooled somewhat and the nearby fires flickered uncertainly Then he used Talon Strike to crack the cultist’s skull sending it reeling Already Randidly could feel the slow damage the Skill did to his body so he stepped forward striking again piercing the monster’s torso and ripping out its heart

Then he deactivated the Skill and shook his hand frowning Strong Skill just uncomfortable The center cultist slumped to the ground joining the right cultist The left cultist was bound to the ground by vines and roots and its organs were ground into nothing from pressure

Satisfied Randidly clicked his tongue and leaped up through the hole they had created in the floor

Chapter 437

The second time the Red Death Cultists decided to challenge Randidly they brought numbers 12 of the fuckers swarmed out of holes that emerged from both above and below Randidly sneaking through his blind spots created by the cloth walls to strike at him But honestly Randidly wasn’t sure why they even bothered

The fire once again smashed outwards causing the attackers to screech in agony In addition the ground around Randidly ignited adding to the slowly growing conflagration of the Eyrie around him In the wake of the explosion Randidly moved swiftly approaching the downed enemies and striking them ripping huge chunks of their bodies off with his swings

Even though he could penetrate their leathery natural armor it wasn’t easy And slashes were quite a bit less effective than simply stabbing them They jabbered and waved their arms in anger glaring at him but Randidly just looked back at them impassively cleanly dispatching them

A notification that he reached Level 13 popped up and Randidly grinned The one good thing about fighting these Death Cultists was that they gave a pretty huge amount of experience per kill Which made sense because they were far and above the most powerful enemies that Randidly had faced in the Raid Dungeon thus far Of course hopefully the difficulty had another tier above that

It’s been a while since I have felt some real struggle Randidly whispered to the ash filled air his eyes glowing Can you satisfy me White Death Cultist

Waving his spear Randidly ripped a hole in the roof and went upwards moving onto the next level He was taking his time moving upwards for the express purpose of finding all of the lurking enemies and milking them for experience Mostly because Randidly was slightly frustrated by how long it was taking for him to Level

He had quietly asked around and found out that his Class appeared to take almost 4 times as much experience to Level as the other Classes on record Mrs Hamilton had warned him that there were slight variations in experience requirements for each Class but the highest they had noticed was 1 2 times Randidly hadn’t thought to really check his when he obtained it but now it was becoming frustratingly clear that his path to 50 would be extremely difficult

More than that he had such a smaller share of the experience than everything else that they gained Levels basically at a speed only half as fast as he did And because there were 9 of them that meant that 4 of them would Level every time he did Their Levels would count towards the Level total of the group and four of them would get a slightly larger sharewhich meant that his increase in proportion was effectively wiped out An exercise in futility if he had ever encountered one

What was so frustrating was how easily this could have been avoided if he had taken the time to Level a bit in one of Donnyton’s kept Dungeons which both Donny and Sam had advised him but Randidly had been too focused on the task at hand to heed their words

As such

When a Red Death Cultist lashed out with its arm towards his chest Randidly swayed to the side letting it rip past Then Randidly stepped forward and activated the Inevitable Phantom Arrives a ghastly apparition appearing behind him Although Randidly hadn’t used the Skill in a while its application and image were still very familiar to him like the embrace of a mother

Randidly’s lip curled upward and he felt the skeletal image of his mother mirror his smile

The attack ripped directly through the shoulder of the bat its flesh forcefully smashed backward by the power of the attack By the time it opened its mouth to scream its hate and rage Randidly’s second attack had slashed downwards through its neck Blood spattered down Randidly’s front and onto the ground

Shaking his head Randidly stepped over the body and continued on his footsteps echoing on the wooden floors It was so strange how easily Randidly could kill now at least in terms of unintelligent monsters It came naturally to him It was almost tragic how the System had changed him But

It’s not like there was anything he could do about it And Randidly would choose becoming a monster over letting his friends and family die a thousand times Although this path was littered with carnage he did not regret stepping onto it

The heat in the Eyrie was rapidly rising as more and more of the bottom levels were engulfed in flame Plus the heat was rising and very rapidly the fire was catching up to Randidly in his advance Grinning Randidly leaped up another level punching through the wood of the floor and lifting himself up into a large room

Jackpot

Rather than the strange flat areas with cloth walls this was a large egg shaped room with a spiral staircase at the center At the base of the staircase about 40 Death Cultists were standing whispering to each other

Or at least they had been before Randidly had punched up through the floor His eyes sharpened as they all turned to face him looking at the two figures in the center There were two Death Cultists standing there One was a deep rich grey and the other was a much lighter grey but still obviously grey

Randidly tsk’d audibly Not yet huh

Upon seeing Randidly the lighter bat turned and began climbing the spiral stairs with its long arms choosing to just reach up and pull himself to the next level rather than walking around in a circle Randidly didn’t blame it he would likely do something similar when he ascended the stairs

The other 39 Death Cultists 10 normal foot soldiers 28 Red Death Cultists and the Grey Death Cultist began rushing towards him Their arms were raised and these even had a strange metal shoulder pads on that stretched the length of their arms Eyeing it Randidly realized that this was likely their version of weapons Luckily he hadn’t seen any of those who had flown out of the Eyrie already with them or else his companions might be in trouble

Watching the Grey Death Cultist climbing up towards an upper chamber he growled Out of my way and activated Cruel Indignation of Yggdrasil and Indomitable Will of Yggdrasil It was a dangerous combination at the best of times but when there was such a structure underneath him

The spatial distortions rippled around him curving the way light moved towards him Although he hadn’t gained very many Skill Levels in the Skill since he had learned it his usage had sharpened to a large degree Not in a useful sense not in a way that would actually improve the Skill But his familiarity made it increasingly fatal for those around him to be near him

His head throbbed with a mirrored pain but his eyes gleamed with a verdant mania There were few foes that had the Willpower to go toe to toe with him

From the back he saw the Grey Death Cultist make a gesture and Randidly suddenly felt weighed down immensely Blinking he very easily felt how he was slowed The Death Cultists seemed to speed up in equal measure to the slow which made sense because it was only his perspective that was shifted

Roaring Randidly stepped forward and he sensed the strange limiter on his speed shudder under his raw physical strength The pain and the slow together merged and spiraled upwards driving Randidly’s rage to new heights but as he opened his mouth to end the dozen or so Death Cultists that had arrived in front of him the Grey Death Cultist’s second spell arrived and nothing came out of his mouth

A chill went through Randidly as he realized his Yggdrasil actives had disappeared A silence

The passive side of Yyrwood Flesh of Yggdrasil Emerald Sap of Yggdrasil and Golden Roots of Yggdrasil combined for an explosion of physical force that easily ripped apart the remnants of the slow that had stayed after the Grey Death Cultist had shifted his focus The world’s speed snapped back to normal and Randidly could see through the press of bodies that the Grey Death Cultist was manipulating a rune standing very still in a circle of energy

Randidly’s eyes glowed as he smashed his Willpower against the prohibition against using active Skills feeling it shake But the Grey Death Cultist had set the base for this Skill much more carefully and it resisted him

By that time the Death Cultists had arrived and Randidly’s fury was palpable as his spear swept sideways bisecting 10 of them at the waist their bodies falling to the ground with a clatter The other two continued onward heedless of their comrades’ death their hands stabbing towards Randidly’s torso

Snorting Randidly’s spear came back a glinting messenger of death destroying both of their skulls annihilating their brains in flashes of solar power By that time the Red Death Cultists had positioned themselves around Randidly and rushed him all at once

Randidly narrowed his eyes Although he didn’t like to admit it this would be much more challenging The Red Death Cultists’ skin was thick enough that it wasn’t an easy thing to cut through multiple at once And in their eyes Randidly saw that they would not stop from fear or persuasion Only death would still their wild hatred

Grinning at their guttural cries Randidly raised his spear and prepared to receive them

Chapter 438

The first Red Death Cultist to reach him was smashed sideways by the butt of Randidly’s spear sending it careening into its buddy both of them stumbling at the sudden force With a quick spin of the spear Randidly positioned himself to stab twice very quickly right into the rib cages of two other Red Death Cultists ending their lives

But as the second thrust was withdrawn one of the swiftly dying monsters desperately reached out and latched onto the spear using its body weight to delay Randidly’s move by just a split second Five more Red Death Cultists approached in that space rapidly closing the distance between them and Randidly

Randidly’s hands tightened on the spear shaft These fuckers

But at the same time Randidly’s pride burned bright and hot keeping him standing in the same position holding his ground before their assault If they wanted to bet it all on this moment of weakness he would show them their folly Even though his spear was delayed it still had plenty of time to make it back into a serviceable position and begin to lash outward

Once twice three times almost 9 times his spear slashed in front of him causing a spray of hot blood over the wooden floorboards And each time the Red Death Cultists would scramble to grab his spear holding it still or would just jostle the weapon but each time they came just a bit short

Until Randidly thrust at a particularly large and ugly member of the race aiming for its heart and a smaller Red Death Cultist leaped not towards Randidly but in the way of the spear allowing it to impale him gripping tightly on the shaft Taking advantage of the small opening the ugly fucker ducked around and swung its huge arms to crush Randidly

A swift twist and shake weren’t enough to dislodge the small Death Cultist that had sacrificed itself to buy time which caused Randidly to grimace There were still too many of the surrounding Red Death CUltists for him to waste time on this Again he smashed his Willpower against the strange prohibition he felt against using Skills and felt it crack just a little

But then the big fucker was before him and Randidly expertly flipped the spear to put his smaller bodied fellow bat in the path of his attack This didn’t even phase the big fucker and if anything he howled and attacked faster a murderous gleam in his eye

It didn’t help Randidly that four other Red Death Cultists were coming at his sides seeking to strike while this apparent crisis consumed Randidly’s attention Hotter and hotter Randidly’s rage rose consuming all other emotions that were in his chest until that heat was the only remaining sensation that he could feel The base emotion of Wrath made him blaze intensely and his passives all activated pushing his strength to its current limit

Do you think this is enough ’ Randidly thought every syllable cast in molten metal and fire

The big fucker’s strike descended ripping through the body of the impaled Death Cultist killing him It continued downwards and Randidly shifted his weight forwards then shrugged his shoulder knocking the blow harmlessly aside Although he couldn’t use the Skill he smashed the slightly off balance Red Death Cultist with a roundhouse kick throwing his body aside

Then the spear blurred flicking back and forth reducing the four other attackers to ribbons The final 10 or so Red Death Cultists bellowed and all of them rushed towards Randidly at once their eyes making it clear that they were betting it all on this final attack Randidly’s wild grin curled upwards Perfect

For the third time Randidly smashed his Willpower against the silence and this time he felt it shudder and shake knocked from its moorings But just as quickly the Grey Death Cultist forced it back down keeping him from unleashing any of his Skills The bodies had thinned out immensely and Randidly could now clearly see the Grey Death Cultist standing there about 30 meters away

Around his feet a magic circle glowed Mana revolving rapidly around where he was standing keeping the Skill active and in place even as Randidly struggled against it But apparently the struggle was not without cost to the Grey Death Cultist It swayed on its feet and a thin very visible trail of crimson fell from its mouth dripping on the fur of its chest and stomach

Randidly’s smile stretched reaching as wide as was physically possible his intent clear I will break you

The Grey Death Cultist seemed profoundly weary and closed its eyes We already knew we two couldn’t both leave this room alive Why speak of it now

Swinging his spear Randidly killed the first 5 Red Death Cultists attacking instantly reducing their numbers by half The fiery warmth of violence had Randidly quite pleased with himself but then his senses screamed at him and he twisted to face the ugly fucker who had stood back up from the kick and was now spear tackling Randidly

Roaring soundlessly Randidly brought his spear down like a hammer The big fucker was faster than he looked and had gotten within the range of Randidly’s spear but Randidly didn’t pull back Instead he just slammed the weapon down more viciously hitting him with the pole The strike took the big fucker in the collarbone which cracked with a satisfying snap

Still the monster’s eyes were animated by hatred and the weight and momentum kept the body moving slamming into Randidly Such was the force that even Randidly grunted and swayed on his feet his eyes narrowing As he went to raise his spear the big fucker flailed grabbing the shaft holding it still

Randidly’s face fell One of the attacking Red Death Cultists reached him and stabbed him with their sharp claws Emerald blood spurted outward

There was a dull recognition of pain numbed somewhat by Randidly’s repeated exposure to the Cruel Indignation of Yggdrasil but it plunged Randidly’s burning rage into frigid waters It was an extremely surreal experience To realize that even here a single mistake meant death Yet he had challenged the Death Cultists on their terms

It was only a flesh wound to his shoulder but

More than that the strangeness of the situation was compounded by the fact that emerald blood burst from his shoulder spraying the attacker Instantly the attacker withdrew its claw and howled in pain as every spot where Randidly’s blood had touched him began to smoke the ichor of the Tree of Enmity ate its flesh

Randidly’s Willpower slammed for the final time and the Skill holding him silent shattered The Grey Death Cultist swayed and collapsed falling on its knees before finally letting its face hit the ground with a dull thunk

I’m done playing

Cruel Indignation of Yggdrasil expanded rapidly reducing the survivors into a screaming mass Very quickly the attackers were dispatched until everything around Randidly was still except for the slowly expanding pools of blood on the ground around him In the time it took for him to slaughter the remnants of the Death Cultists the flow of his emerald blood dried to a trickle and the wound began to scab

He smiled bitterly at the ground where a few drops of emerald sizzled disintegrating the red blood around it I’m really no longer human am I

Randidly had never really thought much about what it meant to be human nor what the recent changes to him meant Even now faced with this reality he couldn’t’ really find it in himself to feel one way or another about it He just felt tired

But he still had a job to do

After walking slowly over the Grey Death Cultist he flipped the creature over with his foot checking it To his surprise it was still alive and it actually smiled at him after he flipped it over It began muttering in its strange language and thin wisps of Aether floated upwards Randidly took a step backward fearing another spell but the creature just continued to look up at him and murmur

Then something occurred to Randidly and his face twisted with something much colder and more vicious than fury Gently Randidly reached out and followed the thin wisps of Aether cautious but with a growing sense of foolishness As he followed them they led upwards and outwards outside of their current dimensions settling on something just around their dimension that seemed to govern the world

There it was very clear that those wisps connected to something that had been added to an incredibly complex system of Aether Calmly Randidly smashed it to pieces freeing up the original Aether device that was there

Instantly the monster’s words shifted and Randidly could understand it

it was truly an honor to be slain by you Messiah It has brought great honor to my family Please free us

What do you mean Randidly snapped some of his inner hatred and helplessness spilling over into his voice but the Grey Death Cultist simply sighed and then died leaving Randidly in silence There was no sound around him save for the sizzling of his emerald blood

Chapter 439

Contrary to what Randidly had thought earlier when he went to the staircase he walked up to them in silence letting the quiet sound of his footsteps on the wood echo The bodies remained where they were laying hacked to pieces by Randidly’s monstrous spear As he was ascending the fire below just around gathering up a howling momentum that would soon consume the bodies to feed its bottomless need

So filled with violence that he was completely still Randidly walked up to the next floor his face twisted He had been tricked But he couldn’t understand the nature of the trick at all The Creature had clearly created that bit of Aether on the System translator function keeping them from being able to communicate with the Death Cultists But why What secret were they keeping

And if the same sort of traces were on Aratta

The Aratta who had told him to kill all of the Death Cultists as soon as possible

Randidly’s expression became grave He sent a message to the group telling them to disengage and fall back making sure to capture Aratta After all it was possible that someone else specifically the Creature was using Aratta as a mouthpiece The Aether wisps were just the Creature using the translation function of the System to translate the language into whatever it wanted to say

Which meant that it clearly wanted Randidly to come here and kill the Death Cultists Which it turned out was exactly what they wanted as well That Grey Death Cultist had even called him Messiah Randidly’s lips tightened into a firm line

When he reached the top of the staircase Randidly looked around He was in a small wooden chapel and at the far end the light grey Death Cultist was standing in front of an altar IT was muttering and moving its hands and Mana was thick in the air Slowly that Mana was condensing and it seemed that Randidly had already missed quite a bit of the ritual because the condensation was almost complete

Resigning himself to wait Randidly simply watched the rhythmic deep movements of the Death Cultist as he controlled the energy If nothing else Randidly could learn much about the manipulation of Mana from him based on the proficiency that Randidly was seeing this Death Cultist would be able to Engrave the Shadow III rune without much difficulty at all

The difference was in the treatment whereas Randidly has always considered Mana a liquid the Death Cultist’s ritual was making it clear that it shared quite a few similarities with gas too except instead of expanding to fill a space it expanded to fill a meaning

Which made sense because everything in this world responded to life and meaning why would Mana be any different But it wasn’t a perspective that Randidly had encountered before He filed away that information content to wait until he had a proper opportunity to experiment with the consequences of this realization

Within 10 minutes the Mana had concentrated in a point and with a pop formed into a solid black item Reverently the Death Cultist took it Then equally reverently it turned falling to his knees and holding it up towards Randidly

I believe this is what you seek Messiah

Randidly frowned His steps were once again the only noise as he walked across the ground of the wooden chapel his bare feet slapping to stand before the Death Cultist Gingerly still somewhat suspicious he took the item from the creature’s hand which was shaped like a plus sign with a circle around it

Key of Death Lvl 50 A special key condensed from the secret methods of the Death Cultists rather than forming naturally after an individual slays enough monsters Inserting this Key of Death into the lock will result in a successful completion of the Raid Dungeon Afterward the energies of the Key of Death will sweep outwards ending all life in the Raid Dungeon transforming it into a regular Lvl 50 Dungeon

What the fuck Randidly hissed This Was the creature pointing him towards the end of the Raid Dungeon But why

And afterward the energies would run wild and kill everything in the Raid Dungeon Randidly wasn’t sure what the Creature was up to but he sure as hell didn’t think it would waste its time in here warping the Aether ecosystem in such specific ways if it was just going to let everything die at the end of it Was it trying to create something specific then That it would take with it when it escaped

Randidly didn’t doubt that the Creature itself would have ways around the death energies but

Could it perhaps be even now laying a trap back at the giant cathedral they had spawned in That didn’t seem right however because the Creature was not a being that ever gave up the initiative It always moved only at the end when its plan had completely come to fruition That was why Randidly had struggled against it so much in the past He hadn’t known that anything strange was going on at all until the very end

Perhaps then the Creature’s plan was to have him kill the Death Cultists before they could condense a key thereby trapping Randidly and the group here But that was just stalling and flukey at best Besides according to the tooltip it would condense naturally after a certain number of enemies had been killed

Which was a bullshit way for a dungeon to function but was largely a moot point in this case

Randidly shook his head frowning even as the Grey Death Cultist remained kneeling in front of him This was Not right It didn’t feel like the Creature at all Better to shift backward and reset his outlook he was missing something

The Creature’s goal was to hide from the System and secondarily to strike blows against it Earth and Randidly were both just tools to it which it had found convenient but were becoming increasingly less convenient the more Randidly succeeded in growing in strength and foiling the Creature’s plans So it made sense if this plan wasn’t about them

But it was somehow using Randidly because he was a convenient tool the Initiating Action as Lyra had said Randidly narrowed his eyes And it seemed the Creature wanted to push him towards using this Key which meant it didn’t care about the Death Energies So did that mean the Creature wasn’t alive or

Randidly’s eyes widened Or or did it have Aether constructs that would prevent the energy from affecting certain areas Like there were around the different villages Annie had mentioned there were larger formations there So if the Creature could protect a Village

Then it needed them for a way to use the fact that a certain area would be unaffected to its advantage in a way that subverts the System The tools at its disposal

The Item

Laughing aloud Randidly slapped his leg In that instant it occurred to Randidly what the item could be that it would both given the Creature an unexpected benefit and also also convince the people in the villages to assist it That still left out several large whys but

The fire was eating up through the ground into the chapel but even as he was burned the Death Cultist remained differentially at Randidly’s feet Death Cultist huh did that mean that all this time this race of monster knew what was in store for it

Get up we are leaving Randidly grunted his eyes sparkling Let’s gather the rest of your people and then let’s go see what the Creature is up to

Ace was surrounded by 6 Death Cultists and they screamed at him in their harsh tongue Outwardly he grimaced sporting a small wound on his side that would hamper his mobility but inwardly he was rubbing his hands together Scheming was difficult against monsters without intelligence so Ace was delighted to find that although these weren’t particularly bright they did generally respond to feints and baits

It seems whatever fighting they did was a direct thing that relied more directly on brawn that any level of cunning Which was a pity because the villain was a player who knew that every battle was one determined by wits

When they came at him it was all at once their arms slashing towards him After leaning left and right to avoid the most accurate attacks Ace leaped up doing a backflip to avoid the charge from the Death Cultist behind him At the apex of his jump he brought his legs down around the neck of the hapless charger and then twisted torquing the Death Cultist’s neck with enough force to bend steel

Unfortunately it didn’t snap the beast simply gagged and was flung sideways by his leg through arcing beautifully into the air Ace sighed pleased with the display The other Death CUltists looked at him warily

Alana arrived on the scene rapidly dispatching two as she cut her way into the dance uninvited She gave him a look Stop playing with your food

Earlier Ace had elected to leave Dauntless out of this so Alana saw when he winked at her She had no response to that and adopted a workmanlike efficiency as she began killing the others Shaking his head Ace joined her It was for this reason that for all her power Alana would always be a henchmen She just had no vision

A notification flitted across Ace’s vision

Randidly Ghosthound Disengage and regroup Also keep a close eye on Aratta

Ace felt a tug at the edges of his soul

Chapter 440

Ptolemy felt his vision go black and suddenly he was somewhere else away from the battlefield

The blood seemed to drip right off his hands and into the ground the Death Cultist he was facing gone Now he was standing on a dirt road at the edge of a field of flowers

Do you like it here ’ A voice asked and Ptolemy turned to find Aratta standing and wearing a blue and yellow sundress He felt a strange tenderness towards her but Ptolemy’s eyes narrowed

You’ve done this before Ptolemy informed her cursing how polite he was even now My instincts tell me you are a liar I will not remain here I have enemies to fight

Her laugh was soft like the rustling of papers in a library her long dark hair a rich contrast to her caramel skin Even now Ptolemy waivered thinking about the curves of her wondering when the last time he had laid with a woman was But he silenced that

Ptolemy couldn’t deny his kindness made him vulnerable in some ways to this sort of illusion and trickery But he had not forged himself a position in Donnyton for nothing Shaking his head sadly he used the Skill Dispel Unfortunately nothing seemed to happen Ptolemy frowned

Ha this this is not an illusion per se It’s more of a provided location for the performance of a ritual Dispelling the location is useless you need to stop the ritual Aratta said matter of factly stepping towards Ptolemy You see I did not choose to be here but sometimes my orders aline with my baser needs I had something very precious taken away from me and now I use men to fill that gap Aren’t I a cliche And now that I have you alone you will break for me and

Am I too early I’d hate for my entrance to be an inconvenience

Both Ptolemy and Aratta turned to find a man standing there with a motorcycle helmet over his face

Aratta smirked Dauntless that’s what you call yourself yes How nice of you to join us I’d hoped you wouldn’t be able to resist It’s almost cute isn’t it how Ace thinks his insanity will protect him Why don’t you also

Break something yes And I have just the target in mind Dauntless said in his almost monotone voice stepping forward and cracking his knuckles

Aratta frowned her nose crinkling I’ll make you regret that

Instantly something in the air changed and Ptolemy gasped It was like 1000 hooks that he wasn’t aware of in his skin started pulling in either direction slowly ripping small chunks of him off Not only was the pain almost unbearable but it also spread this thick grey apathy through him causing his eyelids to drop steadily downward

Aratta beckoned them Come on then I need this to be quick That cunt Alana is chasing me very rapidly Tsk tsk she really hid her strength

A pity I’d hoped you would say that about me

The strong almost blasting voice gave Ptolemy a bit of edge and he forced his eyes back open Dauntless walked towards Aratta jauntily seemingly unaffected by the strange force that she had placed upon Ptolemy Was he not under the influence of the same thing or

Hissing at Dauntless Aratta raised her hand and pointed at him Instantly the vision of the dirt road by the field shuddered as the force of her ritual smashed through the transient mental location Ptolemy groaned his will buffeted by the collateral forces and even that was enough to bring him to the brink of unconsciousness Dauntless simply slowed for a second then continued walking as if nothing had happened

Aratta’s frown deepened This is impossible

Only the insane would argue with reality Dauntless retorted stalking closer

Aratta pursed her lips then forced out a laugh Fine I underestimated you so what What are you going to do about it

Ptolemy heard and felt it more than saw it because his eyes were slowly unfocusing under the influence of whatever Aratta was doing But Dauntless’ hand blurred and suddenly Aratta’s head was knocked backward her jaw slightly askew

You Aratta said soundly surprisingly shocked as she held her hand up to touch her bleeding mouth You would just hit a woman just like that Oh or are you one of the types that likes beating woman is that it Give in to me you broken freak and I’ll let you assault and rape ’

A gurgling noise came from Aratta’s mouth as she fell to the ground after Dauntless punched her in the throat And his next move surprised Ptolemy the man reached up and removed his helmet

There was an expression of pure disgust on Ace’s face as he sat on his haunches next to Aratta I’ve never understood the taboo around hitting a woman I suppose it’s an implicit cultural assumption that force is the most base and morally reprehensible of the methods to resolve conflict Combined with the admittance that generally men have greater strength especially in the upper body as compared to women Therefore to hit a woman is to flaunt you are superior in an ugly and immoral way

But you know Ace reached down and put his hand on Aratta’s throat Then began to squeeze Since the System arrived I realized that I care very little about what society deems morally reprehensible Because society collapsed from the strain of encountering something stronger than it Because to be strong is to make what you want possible And to be weak well

Ace stood keeping his grip on Aratta’s throat lifting her off the ground Setting aside your dubious right to claim the benefits of being a woman in Earth culture I would say that your more glaring sin was to forget that what you are trying to current do is brainwash us using the force of your need to overwhelm us Is that any less vicious

Ace Ptolemy said finally regaining his tongue but Ace was well monologuing now

Is it the brutality Or the obvious anguish that sets it apart Ace said his eyes glowing If this were a movie the audience wouldn’t be able to feel the visceral agony you were going through being brainwashed But look at you now I don’t think even the stoniest heart could resist feeling pity for you no matter how insidious your petty villainy is

Aratta’s face was turning red and her legs were kicking wildly as she struggled her hands scrabbling at Ace’s seeking a purchase to free herself Ptolemy felt his heart drop

You shouldn’t He began but Ace kept talking

True I’m taking other frustrations out on you but I just find you so mundane A short lived villain such as you give us a twist why don’t you Ace said shaking his head Then he turned back to Aratta his mouth firm You made two mistakes First was thinking Dauntless made me weak I hope you learned that was a gross underestimation of what the System can do with a powerful image The second was believing that your agony is greater than all others I have felt it scrabbling for purchase on my soul and found it wanting

Now as her face was turning purple her arms falling to her sides Ptolemy found his voice and bellowed at the other man Ace You are going to kill her

So what And when Ace turned and looked at Ptolemy Ptolemy saw nothing in his eyes Just a dead thick silence like the crawl space in an attic filled with corpses and bugs

A new voice cut through and the dirt road fell away If you kill her she can’t answer what’s going on here Which is a big issue Put her down Ace

They were back on the battlefield and the Ghosthound was there with his arms crossed staring daggers at Ace The rest of the group was gathered around Thea looked fearful Rose was pale Alana’s lips were pressed together in a thin line

Shrugging Ace dropped Aratta to the ground Just trying to educate an unwilling student You’ll forgive me if my methods were extreme

Alana snorted No one else made a sound as Aratta curled up on the ground coughing Ptolemy made to go assist her but the Ghosthound stopped him with a sharp gesture Then the Ghosthound himself went to stand by her side carefully reaching down towards the cloth that was tied over her eyes

When she moved it was with a speed that Ptolemy couldn’t follow All he heard was Alana’s hiss and Rose’s Watch out

And of course Ace’s I told you she was unwilling

When the blur of bodies had settled the Ghosthound had both of Aratta’s hands pinned behind her back and she struggled and gnashed her teeth at them Carefully he held her down and reached up and removed the cloth covering her eyes Instantly the cloth caught fire a strange emerald fire and burnt up

The Ghosthound frowned and spun her around Her hands remained at her sides and she largely just stood there looking extremely tired And extremely attractive Ptolemy admitted to himself After scrutinizing her for several seconds Randidly’s eyes widened You are

Ten’Malla the once Wild Rider yes Aratta said warily reaching up and rubbing her eyes Then she spat out a mouthful of blood and shook her head After a few seconds of stunned silence from the Ghosthound she turned to Ace and spat out How’s that for a twist

Chapter 441

Randidly lightly tapped the edge of the hastily erected cot where the Wild Rider was currently resting The rest of the Raid Party was sweeping the area cleaning up the monsters that were constantly spawning due to the Creature’s strange and almost ingenious plan for the Raid Dungeon itself

Next to Randidly the Grey Death Cultist stood deferentially simply waiting for his word During the time that Randidly had been impatiently waiting for the Wild RIder to awake he had spoken some with the Death Cultists and their version of history was illuminating

They received an offer from the Creature the same as the other race of people here but they refused Instead they relied on their powerful shamanistic magic that could utilize death as a source of strength Many brave warriors’ lives were lost but in exchange their race was able to rapidly grow to address the threat of the monster hordes With their high reproductive speed they were actually able to reach an equilibrium much more easily

Then unbeknownst to the elders of the Death Cultist someone snuck in among their people and spread a strange forbidden ritual that granted power It was of course the Creature and it spread through the lower younger ranks like wildfire When you routinely saw your friends and family sacrificed you would do anything for power

However the White Death Cultist who was their leader quickly sniffed out this plot and came down with fire and brimstone to eradicate these betrayers Through torture and interrogation they managed to extract the method without promising a favor to the Creature and the White Death Cultist thought it prudent to start utilizing it regardless

Unfortunately very soon after that there was a series of powerful attacks by a strange beast During one of those attacks the White Death Cultist was captured but the beast too was gravely wounded

After that the Death Cultist society almost collapsed as fear of more attacks such as that spread through the population In a twist of fate that Randidly found profoundly disconcerting they turned to religion and the words of the White Death Cultist who left numerous musings before he was captured In a diary he speculated at the nature of the location they were currently trapped and had investigated the whole area of the Raid Dungeon

What he found was the lock for the Key of Death and devised a way to create one Tragically it could only be used by an interloper from a distant land so the White Death Cultist spoke of the heroism and responsibility possessed by these saviors who would come to free them for their eternal torment Whether or not the White Death Cultist actually wanted to found a religion based on the forthcoming Raid Party was unclear but since that individual was no longer around to say anything

Should I wake her The Grey Death Cultist asked in its husky voice as it did everytime the Wild Rider’s eyelids fluttered As always Randidly shook his head impatiently

Inwardly Lucretia was hastily developing their first real Aether construct one that would handle the strange tentacles of Aether that kept shooting outwards from the Wild Rider If anything the cloth that had covered her eyes had regulated it somewhat making it much more subtle and much more useful In the wake of unmasking Ten’Malla she was throwing hundreds of illusion filled tendrils where she used to only use a handful

Of everyone only Clarissa and Ace had high enough Willpower to be near it without being phased The Grey Death Cultist as well which was somewhat of a surprise but he provided Randidly the company he needed for his unending vigil

Only seemingly unending Randidly hoped

But what was puzzling about the Ten’Malla situation was that it appeared that the action of extending tendrils was almost entirely instinctual More than that it was motivated out of fear and pain It was not the action of a chess piece but more likely a messy leftover that the Creature repurposed

Which shifted Randidly’s attention to how exactly the Creature been influencing Ten’Malla and what had been the Creature and what had been the now grown up rider What was clear was that the Creature could have used her fix on the translation software of the System to have Ten’Malla say almost anything to them But what was more worrying was that the cloth over Ten’Malla’s eyes were also thick with Aether constructs

Rather than investigating closely Randidly had thought it prudent to simply annihilate all of that delicate work with raw force Of course now he regretted that immensely He was wracking his brain to think of anything that the Wild Rider could have said to mislead them or set them up for a failure later but he couldn’t think of anything

But that didn’t make it any easier to stop dwelling on it

Besides this was just a way to kill time It had been about 8 hours since they had burned down the Northern Eyrie and after making contact with the Grey Death Cultist it had offered to contact the rest of their people and gather them to greet the great messiah Randidly grudgingly agreed only because he knew what came next might be complicated

If his assumptions about what the Creature was doing were correct it would be buckling down and fortifying Although its true goals weren’t clear Randidly began to wonder whether it was doing experiments with its Aether trying to bless some of the Dintan granting them Classes in the way Randidly was able to influence some members of Donnyton

The prospect was very intimidating The Creature had already made it clear that it was much more skilled than Randidly at using its Aether resources and an army of powerful Classes at its back would make it a much different kind of threat than it was currently One that Randidly likely wouldn’t be able to contain on his own

Randidly heard the soft rustle of grass and looked up Chrysanthemum lumbered over to them Thea on her back The duo quickly arrived and Thea hopped off

Randidly’s eyebrow quirked upwards Trouble

Thea looked directly at Randidly and shook her head Not trouble just there is a huge monster horde South of us Except it doesn’t seem like its heading for us But towards mm well Annie said you should know

Breathing through his nose Randidly leaned backward First of note was how directly Thea had been able to address him That was new and likely a good thing Perhaps the two weeks in here had done a lot to soften the blow his fury had done when she had chosen to upgrade her Skill rather than her Class or a Statistic

The second thing was the presence of the monster horde It seemed the Creature was moving more quickly than he had expected while not necessarily a bad thing if they didn’t move quickly it might become overly complicated to attack the Creature’s base Not that it was simply to attack it now while there was a huge monster horde around it but

Thirdly Annie also had intuited what was going on Or was it just a safe move to refer the information back to her How far could she see when scouting Honestly that was the most perturbing thing he had learned while in the Raid Dungeon that she had a very accurate gauge of a very large amount of land and she didn’t seem to travel at all or have any limit on the direction or timing of her knowledge

There was a Skill at work here and a powerful one Perhaps he should ask Rose if he could look at the copious notes she was taking on each of them to see what type of Skill Annie was using

Thea’s eyes slid sideways to the Grey Death Cultist then back to Randidly So we don’t need to fight them anymore

Randidly shook his head slowly It was unfortunate but fighting them seemed just to be beneficial as an experience grind and now that they were communicating it didn’t help that they seemed to worship him it reminded Randidly somewhat of the Cult of Arbor and he didn’t just want to put these people to the sword

Of course another part of him whispered that’s exactly what he would be doing by using their assistance to assault the Creature’s base and those that survived would be wiped out when he used the Death Key and cleared the Raid Dungeon

Then what are we still doing here Thea asked her expression puzzled Back home the people are without Aether right I heard all the stuff the governments were saying that short term deprivation of Aether won’t have any lasting side effects but it makes me wonder what short term side effects

Randidly raised a hand stopping her before she built up a full head of steam When Thea said that all Randidly could see were Simon’s soft brown eyes and the fear that other people would be hurt It was profoundly strange to realize that the person you are speaking to has more of a conscience than you did It was not an agreeable feeling

I know what you are thinking I won’t deny it we have the Key of Death and we could clear the Raid Dungeon immediately if that was all there was in here But there is more to do

Is there Thea asked her voice insistent her eyes glowing coldly Randidly almost smiled but controlled himself

Truly her upgraded Skill was paying dividends in her life Standing before him was a powerful young woman full of confidence in her own methods It was leagues away from the armored pincushion he had first encountered in Star Crossing But that didn’t mean she was right

Chapter 442

Randidly had thought long and hard about the issue of whether to just cut their losses in the Raid Dungeon and run But there were a few issues that Randidly wanted to resolve before they departed

First and most importantly the issue of their Champion When the Creature had fled into the Raid Dungeon it had taken the two Regalias of the Champions of their Zone Apparently whenever a person would hold both they would transform into the Champion for the Zone and gain

Power Skills A learnable ability

Randidly wasn’t sure of the specifics but it couldn’t be denied that this was a gift of free power from the System and they had the means to bring it under their control You couldn’t always count on a genius like Lyra usurping control of the Village Spirit enabling them to had a glimpse behind the curtain of the System

Then Randidly grimaced because they hadn’t really obtained that at all All that really changed was that Lyra asked him to trust her more

Shaking his head Randidly dismissed that thought It would distract him from the issue at hand

The second issue was simply put to fuck up whatever the Creature was attempting to do in the Raid Dungeon currently Randidly wasn’t exactly sure what was going on but he wanted to put a stop to it as soon as possible before that sick being could twist it to suit its own needs and destroy countless lives in the process

It wasn’t a well formulated reason because Randidly couldn’t really quantify the future threat of the Creature if it could accomplish what it wanted Because it was primarily looking to hide from the System letting it live in the Dungeon had seemed like a deceptively attractive option but Randidly stubbornly refused to accept it

When it came to the Creature Randidly’s eyes narrowed

Which led very easily to the third and final reason Randidly wanted very much so to make that piece of shit pay for what it had done to him and also to others Just the fact that it warped the Raid Dungeon scenario like it had in order to drive the Dintan to being indebted to it was diabolical on a level that Randidly felt driven to salt the very earth it walked on to spite it

However those destructive tendencies needed to stay cautioned The Creature should never be approached in a fit of rage It would be prepared for that

But it would be hard to say all of the points and counterpoints in Randidly’s head to Thea so he simply nodded to her quest Yes There is more to do

To his surprise she accepted that nodding and turning away And so with one less thing to worry about for now Randidly turned back to the Wild Rider only to find that she was awake smiling weakly up at him

Still Randidly didn’t relax because her eyes were completely pitch black without a hint of light

You make for an interesting nurse Ten’Malla said a shallow imitation of the playful and callous monster that she used to be masquerading as a young girl When she spoke her voice quavered as if her strength failed her halfway through a sentence Randidly could only frown

What Nothing to say No questions No missions Ten’Malla raised a hand as if to brush her hair out her eyes but her hand just pressed against her forehead her fingers twitching slightly She grimaced and reached with her more functional left hand to cradle her almost useless right I might look like this right now but I’m still very powerful you know I could devour you all

Just because Randidly hoped that it was cut off these jokes Randidly snorted humorlessly Then he crouched down next to her his eyes scanning her as best as he could He would have preferred Rose to be here for this but he wasn’t afraid of Ten’Malla per se because her powers as Wild Rider appeared to be gone but she was a mysterious entity to begin with Even now her loyalties remained unclear at best

Which was why Randidly decided to make a show of good faith asking nothing in return

Reaching out Randidly held his hand over her head and dug his fingernails into his palm When the skin stubbornly refused to give he pressed harder And then harder again until several drops of emerald blood welled upwards He flipped his hand so his palm was facing upwards and allowed the blood to pool between his cupped fingers All the while Randidly focused on that blood emphasizing healing

It would be rather silly if his blood melted her to nothing but bones at this juncture after he had spent all this time waiting for her to wake up

Randidly offered her his hand Drink

She eyed him suspiciously her eyes flitting from his hand to his face and then back to his hand Then her eyes scanned around taking in the smoky battlefield around them the Grey Death Cultist standing at attention behind Randidly to the distant sounds of battle and movement

Randidly wasn’t sure at all what she was looking for then and whether she founded But she nodded and tried to sit up and lean forward

Instantly her body rebelled against her small spasms running through her and Randidly leaned forward quickly his arm pulling her body upwards towards his other hand so she could drink his blood Belatedly he realized that if she was going to ambush him in some way there would be no better time than when he was trying to help her

His eyes became emerald fire watching her like a hawk But as the spasms slowly ceased and fell away she simply sipped at his blood taking it inside of her Gently Randidly laid her back down backing a few steps away from her both for his safety and for hers

For several seconds nothing happened Ten’Malla opened her mouth then likely to make a comment about how nothing happened and then her eyes widened

Holy fuck that feels good Ten’Malla said her eyes wide Then she shivered Her chapped and crusty lips healed The small wounds on her body disappeared Her twitching right hand had one last desperate spasm and then settled somewhat in her lap Even the strange tendrils of Aether raised themselves to the heavens then curled back inwards on themselves slowing their expansion to about double pre removal of the blind

Sighing Ten’Malla leaned back and just let Randidly’s blood run its course Randidly watched immensely curious He had never really attempted to heal anything with his blood He wondered if there were any lasting side effects or short term stat boosts and whether giving it to her was a mistake How would the healing function Did the System invalidate blood types

Where had the Wild Rider come from anyway Was she a stronger being than him Had she been before

It was about 5 minutes of amusing himself with similar questions to these before the Wild Rider sat up again on her own this time Her eyes were bright and she considered Randidly directly no longer couching it in jest

You didn’t need to do that

Randidly’s smile was sardonic do you think I don’t know that

Ten’Malla shook her head slowly If you knew what I knew you would not help me This is partially my fault And your blood will only hold me together for a while Very soon the pain will rise again My body might be failing but

Randidly nodded slowly He had sensed as much One thing that was obvious now was that the cloth around her eyes both had the effect of controlling those tendrils and keeping her body working Because although she was not basically a shambling corpse there was nothing actually wrong with her body These were all effects of a much deeper much more personal ailment

As if she could see the suspicions in his eyes Ten’Malla pressed her face into her tight fists and said My companion was taken from me Ripped from my grasp

Which was what Randidly had suspected but was not a good thing to hear Especially with Neveah being in that strange stasis To see how powerfully it would hit him should she die But he supposed that was to be expected Their souls were bound together seemingly by Aether IF that was ripped away

A light went on behind Randidly eyes Those tendrils then were the ripped ends of that spiritual connection Then what was happening was she was instinctively reaching out for a bond But since it had already been destroyed the current attempts only accomplished perverting her soul further

Before I lose the will to admit this Ten’Malla said slowly then she stopped for several long seconds I that girl is still alive That girl I used as a body double so long ago but she’s made a name for herself now That’s why I don’t think you can forgive me for what I put her through Here she is known as Zith Jemma is Zith

Chapter 443

It was only several hours later in the pre dawn twilight that Randidly began to slowly unpack what it would mean for Gemma to be Zith an iconic figure in Dintan history The rest of the group were slowly gathering and Ace was currently doing his best short of violence to get the Death Cultists to admit that he was not their savior

First and least important that meant that Gemma had lived for at least 500 years perhaps more Randidly hadn’t ever been exactly clear on the effect that Vitality and Endurance would have on the human lifespan and if this wasn’t some Dungeon or Creature shenanigans this meant that they would live for a very long time He had some inklings in Shal’s world but largely Randidly had only dealt with those at his level It was only at the end when they came for him that the older generation revealed their fangs

Randidly blinked then looked down at his palm It was one thing to know you might live for 100 years and perhaps the System would keep you young looking for longer After all Sam had experienced an increase in youthfulness in the wake of the System and there were many other recorded cases Mrs Hamilton had been watching this issue very closely and kept him abreast of it

But now to know you might live for 500 more years

Randidly shivered He wondered how a person would change over 500 years time

Also this meant that there was no doubt any longer in Randidly’s heart that he had to go assault the Creature’s base Although that was where its strength was gathered if Gemma was there still under her influence Randidly refused to allow that to happen The only question would be how much of that he would reveal to the rest of his party

Finally it likely meant that Gemma was working together with the Creature or had worked together with her Zith had led the Dintan in owing a favor to the Creature They worshipped Zith as the great deliverer only for her relationship to the mysterious blonde haired woman of old

Randidly’s hands tightened into fists and his eyes flashed Just fucking fuck

Power That’s what he needed now So Randidly opened up his Path Screen

Through the course of the last few battles Randidly had gained 4 Levels in Yyrwood Flesh of Yggdrasil 6 Levels in Circle of Flame 2 in Plant Dominance and Spear Mastery 5 in Aether Manipulation and Aether Detection 3 in Phantom’s Embrace 2 in Idiosyncratic Cut 1 in Golden Roots of Yggdrasil and Cruel Indignation of Yggdrasil 3 in Emerald Sap of Yggdrasil and Indomitable Spirit of Yggdrasil 4 in Child of Rain and Nether Resistance 2 in Touch from Beyond and 3 in Living Aether

It was a fair amount of PP in one go especially in a relatively short time period but he had let himself loose in the fight against the Death Cultists And he would again when he moved against the Creature Randidly grinned at the thought his smile all tooth and predation This time although he was going to the location she had prepared Randidly knew she would be there

That at least was different from every time they had previously fought In addition his Aether Skills had grown greatly over the course of the last two months both out of the Rain Dungeon and inside of it With it he was that much closer to clawing her down off of her condescending fucking pedestal

The other more mundane thing Randidly noticed was that he hadn’t really had time to level his Gravity Manipulation and Spriggit’s Tinkering At low levels both would be easy ways to increase his PP pool so he could burn through the First Legend Path faster Randidly made a mental note to do just that and then turned to his path screen

It only took a single PP moving his Soul Skill from Level 1999 to 2000 before everything began to go to shit

Congratulations You have received the Blessing of Devouring Ash Willpower +10 Resistance +10 You have learned the Skill Chosen of Fire ® Lvl 1

The world of your soul skill turns The denizens of your inner world evolve Although peace has lasted for a generation it grows increasingly strained The emergence of more and more Energy Wells across the surface of the planet has caught the eye of all of the political players But no sooner do the countries shift their resources to move when a great evil comes to the land

They rise out of the Energy Wells wounded and broken but as they slowly absorb the lives of others they grow stronger stealing their skills and even faces By the time rumors of the Skinshifts is known by the public it is almost too late for these clever monstrosities have penetrated into the highest level of government in every race

A great darkness came out of the center of this world and more are following it

Calculating

Randidly blinked looking at the notification There was again a shift in the Blessing this one giving him a Skill He quickly focused on it and received a basic description Grimacing Randidly considered whether he would keep it It only passively boosted his resistance and damage from and with fire Although a straight fire user build would love it it still took up one of his very valuable slots

Plus these notifications about his Soul Skill

Randidly left his Status screen and went to look at his Soul Skill But when he reached for it there was a dull sense of impact and he was rejected It was so strange that Randidly had to blink a few times to make sense of what was happening

He couldn’t intervene Then what was the point of having his Progenitor’s influence

Accelerating time within Soul Skill Calculating extent of degeneration approaching critical failure

This is not Randidly hissed his eyes blazing the fucking time to self destruct

But perhaps this was the plan all along another part of Randidly whispered He had after all created the Soul Skill based on the Creature’s strange weapon Was it strange that now as he moved against it problems were cropping up

The only problem was that it was triggered by PP and not by anything else he could see This would make it the 8th full rotation through his blessings since he had acquired the Soul Skill and to be fair his previous ones had lasted quite a bit shorter than this one Perhaps Soul Skills had a version of aging and his was approaching the end of its life

Randidly’s eyes narrowed And just like his previous Soul Skills there was a propensity towards volatility as it approached the end His cycle of Rot and Ash had begun to swirl so quickly that it was almost enough to tear itself apart At the time Randidly had to create a whole new Soul Skill so the thing wouldn’t fall apart taking a huge portion of his strength with it It made sense then that the core of his world would shift towards dangerous levels Awakening these Skinshifters to loose on his Soulskill

Likely a metaphor for the Creature moving into and through him aiming to absorb him and his Soul Skill Not a metaphor that Randidly appreciated

Lucretia trouble Randidly said taking a deep breath then focusing on the task at hand

It took him several seconds of silence to realize something was wrong Only two seconds after that was Randidly swearing viciously

Fucking cunt He began then stopped himself clenching his teeth You’re in the fucking Soul Skill aren’t you

Which was both intimidating and reassuring Reassuring that she was there and probably wouldn’t let the volatile forces run wild intimidating because she was out of his control and could do things outside of his ability to discover while the time acceleration process was going on

Growling Randidly formed his Willpower into a spear and slammed it into the side of the force that repelled him previously Unfortunately there was no real feedback just a strange ripple of dispersed force through his Soul Space Immediately Randidly realized what the problem was

There wasn’t truly a barrier he just wasn’t able to push through the difference in time It was academically interesting to think about what happened at the border between two separate speed flows of time but at the moment it wasn’t very amusing at all

Briefly Randidly considered using Inspire to brute force the issue but he didn’t like the prospect of leaving himself without Mana Skills not when he was waiting to go assault the Creature’s base It likely wouldn’t know about his weakness but Randidly also didn’t fully trust the Grey Death Cultist and he was currently gathering more of his people to form a host of which the Raid Dungeon had never seen

Basically his hands were tied on that front

Strangely however when he reached out to his Progenitor’s Influence it responded to him flowing across the time barrier and into the world He had 901 Progenitor’s Influence at this point from the levels and from his times investigating the state of the Soul Skill but that seemed pitifully small Minor Blessing was available to him at 875 Progenitor’s Influence but Randidly had no way of targeting it or

But his abilities instantly told him that was wrong He could target the races that he had created and the monsters too and even the Skinshifts as they were considered a part of his Soul Skill and it was still relatively stable He could even sense them great masses of lights signifying them Each light a life stretching before him

They were he couldn’t help but think beautiful

Chapter 444

There were relatively few Skinshifters but they grew ever brighter and the other lights around them were quickly snuffed out Instantly his fury blazing Randidly began blessing It was a minor thing a small increase in perhaps strength perhaps intelligence perhaps even intuition Randidly was not sure But it was all he could do Each Minor Blessing wasn’t difficult but it did take a small amount of mental strength to execute and Randidly had to focus on a single light

In a fit of fury he began to bless over and over and over again

It was draining and not in a way that he was prepared for About 100 Blessings in he blacked out losing focus on what he was doing He only regained consciousness a split second later as the Glittering Leaves of Yggdrasil kicked in getting rid of some of the mental strain that Randidly had so brazenly undertaken

Gritting his teeth he pushed that Skill to the max and brought his Perception back into the Progenitor’s Influence screen There carefully he began to bless once more doing his best to ignore the fact that more and more lights were fading away Even taking his time going slowly one by one the strain began to creep back up on him

Sometimes his vision would swim for a second or two before his mental healing could catch back up with it But still he continued focusing There was a point that time stopped mattering and there was only the act and the deep righteous rage against whatever was moving within his Soul Skill

And the fear and frustration knowing that he was locked out of this struggle

It was almost a relief when he ran out of lights to bless and a notification popped up

Your Grace has descended upon the world and it has not gone unnoticed Calculating effects

The Weavers suffered heavy losses in the war against the Skinshifts likely because they were identified as the race that would be the easiest to subvert once its ranks were infiltrated It is anathema to move against the interests of the Weave and it took the Weavers a long time to discover the traitors in their midst The war to purge them was a bloody one and although the Weavers succeeded in purifying themselves they were unable to assist in the greater war

Aside from the Weavers the monsters were the most decimated The Skinshifts originally used the monsters as scapegoats for what was happening placing the blame on the monsters’ violent nature when the deaths became too numerous to hide Perhaps they would have become completely under the thumb of the foreign invaders if not for the Monster King Hearing of his people’s plight the King moved annihilating all traces he could find of their evil But his court was a gutted suspicious wreck of what it had been

The White Hunters were well off and had warned the Golems leaving both races relatively untouched They then turned their attention to the Spriggit crisis as the Skinshifts discovered and unleashed the mechanical war machines that were created at the end of the war against the monsters but never used

Working together with the Spriggit Thief one of the Chosen of the Progenitor two young Earth Golem women with martial talent not seen since the Emperor defeated the great mechs ending the internal threats

For a great prophet has arrived to the world a woman with lilac hair speaking of the crisis coming towards their world Only by banding together underneath the banner of the Progenitor can they survive Although most were originally skeptical the Blessing of the Progenitor descended upon them both giving them strength and by absence revealing the last few holdouts of the Skinshifts

When the first Blessings came the Monster King clenched his hands into fists and his halls echoed with his rage When the Blessing took him he began to weep silently and softly

But the invaders have not been idle The Skinshifts were the most insidious of their weapons but they were not the most dangerous Aether Thralls march by the thousands moving towards the remnants of civilization mobilized by the Two Headed Reavers And leading the host is a Decimator a hulking monstrosity that aims to devour the world

Time Slowing stabilizing

It has been eight cycles since this world’s creation Would you like to add anything to the world (Warning the added qualities will be taken from a Skill A single Skill Level will be consumed in the taking Other side effects are unknown)

All at once the bubble around his Soul Skill was gone and he descended The sky was thick with Progenitor’s Influence to be harvested and Randidly wasted no time gobbling most of it up as he streaked across the sky searching Very quickly he could see the armies moving and couldn’t help but notice how even things were

It really could go either way And he didn’t want to know what would happen if his side lost the battle for his Soul Skill

He had 1200 Progenitor’s Influence by the time he located Lucretia and instantly he descended more like a comet than a person spearing his way through the ceiling of the building she was in ignoring the physical constraints of this place It was after all his world

Lucretia was speaking when he moved through the ceiling and continued for a bit because it took her some time to notice his arrival Although the forces are split we don’t have a choice They can move through the river and strike at too many soft spots we need to leave at least a ? of our forces

Don’t bother Randidly said interrupting glancing around the room There was a man in the corner with 6 orange horns the Spriggit Thief two Earth Golems one rather small Weaver and a White Hunter that was missing its arm The main part of the army is double timing it across those big plains towards the Weaver swamps

Lucretia whirled around The other people in the tent came to their feet pulling out their weapons looking uncertainly at him Randidly resisted the urge to awkwardly scratch his head Mrs Hamilton had reprimanded him on falling back on nervous tics especially in front of people he was supposed to be leading And these appeared to be the leaders of the army of his soul so

Where the fuck Lucretia said sagging with relief have you been I’ve been stuck in here managing this shit storm Then she cut herself off and took a calming breath

Randidly grinned I never thought you would be glad to see me

Consider it a one time thing It’s been almost a year what happened At first I thought you had A cloud passed over Lucretia’s face and Randidly abruptly realized she had thought him dead But she continued speaking so Randidly didn’t press the issue But then your Blessings at the right time god ha literally god Hopefully you can tip the scales in our favor eh

It was System shenanigans Not directly but they accelerated time here And I thought Then Randidly paused because everyone else was staring at him with so much intensity that he couldn’t let it continue without acknowledging it And as he shifted to look at them he felt them all somewhat falter looking away from him

His head ached The mental strain hadn’t had much time to heal he was just so flooded with adrenaline that he hadn’t noticed it And now the weight of their expectations it made him want to turn away run and hide But they would be the ones on the ground fighting for the control of his Soul Skill Although he had passed 1000 Progenitor’s Influence letting him appear before them it wasn’t enough to directly influence much

So he activated Indomitable Will of Yggdrasil and stepped forward

Tziech Exodus the Monster King lost himself in a memory as he stared at the Progenitor

This was before the strange Skinshifts before the great war before he was grown Originally Tziech was a baby that was abandoned due to the strange horns poking out of his head Contaminated by the Energy Wells people assumed and they were likely right But one haphazard bachelor had walked past the abandoned Tziech and picked him up on whim changing the fate of the world forever

Very few people even in his monster inner circle knew it but Tziech was raised by a Spriggit and a rather pious one at that Growing up Tziech wore hats to blend in keeping his head down trying not to draw attention to the way he was different But that didn’t work all of the time

After a particularly brutal incident where other kids had discovered his horns and wanted to use his head to carve their initials into the back wall of the school Tziech had come home crying Vallun his adoptive father was doing what he did most days sleeping off all the liquor he had drunk the previous night

Although generally Tziech avoided waking his father during these times he had so much fear and rage and slowly hate hate for the Spriggits doing this to him

Do they think they are better than me Tziech yelled glaring at Vallun I could

But his threats were cut off before they could even take form They don’t think they are better than you Why would you think that Vallun had asked scratching his stomach

Well Tziech paused Then he thought about it for several seconds and followed the fear to his deep inner core stemming from Vallun himself Tziech looked at the ground and said because the Progenitor made them But I’m just a mutation

And of all reactions Vallun had laughed Why does being a mutation mean the Progenitor didn’t make you Zeke The Progenitor made all things Some on purpose some not but always by giving of himself Don’t take away your own worth

Those words had stuck with Tziech for a long time making him stall in his violent vengeance for dozens of years

Those words had softly floated to the surface of his mind when the blessings from the Progenitor came down from heaven and one had descended upon him Something had shifted in Tziech then and he began to weep

And now standing before the Progenitor taking in his emerald eyes his strange ivory cloak and his conspicuously bare feet Tziech opened his mouth to say something But he could find nothing to say This was the being that he had spent years agonizing over Did he exist Was he out there Had he created the monsters

Some on purpose some not

Tears formed in Tziech’s eyes Then slowly and deliberately letting the strange almost palpable aura of the Progenitor wash over him Tziech got down on his knees The rest of the council followed him genuflecting before the Progenitor

After several seconds the Progenitor sighed and the presence was withdrawn as easily as it had arrived Get up There is work to do We will work together but I don’t have much time tospare for this issue Tell me what you need

Chapter 445

The monster in front of her was a bear of all things Before even Chrysanthemum could roar a challenge Thea leaped forward raising her hammer It was easier now falling into the melodic dance of violence It came almost naturally to her Although it had taken almost three weeks of intensive fighting she felt that her Skill was finally her own

It was almost anticlimactic when Thea moved so quickly that her hammer caved in the head of the monster in front of her ending the brief farce of a battle Chrysanthemum snorted expressing her pleasure and meandered over to rip away the choice pieces of meat from the body

Thea grimaced apparently cannibalism wasn’t a thing for bears

Looking around it was clear that everyone else was similarly bored by these opponents Say what you will about the Death Cultists they were a real challenge especially in numbers These monsters on the other hand

And these weren’t even the previous high Leveled monster horde although these were relatively high Level They were a monster horde of a much lower quality that emerged recently in the last week They were numerous sure but when they were only at this level of strength it was hard to imagine any serious fighter falling to them

Thea corrected herself to any serious fighter in their current group Because she supposed that being here for the three weeks had completely warped her ability to understand strength Compared to how she was back in Star Crossing the current Thea

She stopped herself before she could follow that thought process very far

Plus the monsters were moving in a direction away from the Raid Party group which was a welcome change of pace It was slightly like a vacation to not be at the center of the monster assault

Glancing behind her Thea shivered when she saw the strange apparatus the Ghosthound was riding Apparently something of great importance had happened in his Soul Skill last night and the Ghosthound was currently rushing to deal with it To that end so he wouldn’t be distracted he had created a strange spider like creature of roots that he was sitting cross legged on top of The creature had no real consciousness or senses but it would follow Rose who volunteered to stay in relatively safe places so the Ghosthound’s body wouldn’t be in danger of being attacked

Of course he didn’t completely shut the world out but he simply put a shade up dampening the noise from it Thea wondered what the problem was and why solving it was taking so long They had already traveled South for around 10 hours moving as fast as they dared But there were no ambushes just the weak flank of the monster horde And their huge group cut into it like a hot knife through butter

Thea gulped as she looked behind the Ghosthound Their group was huge because almost five thousand Death Cultists had turned up when they sent the call out 300 Red Death Cultists that were a match for the weaker members of their party and around a dozen Grey Death Cultists the strange casters that only the Ghosthound had fought

It certainly was a strange feeling riding at the front of a host of monsters the sound of their claws and growls echoing around you until there was just a constant rumble Thea herself believed that combined with Chrysanthemum they could handily defeat 3 or 4 Red Death Cultists But all of these at once even with the support of the group

And those Grey Death Cultists with their rheumy eyes and their broken fanged smiles those were opponents that only the Ghosthound could handle It even seemed that he respected them because when they had all arrived he had broken out of his trance and spoke briefly to them before they headed down a veritable host

More than external threats Thea would have worried about betrayal from the Death Cultists for all that they had provided the Death Key they needed to escape But it seemed that the Ghostound was determined to retrieve the Regalia from this place before they left Better to do it now than leave it to the lookie loos who would come next

Plus nobody said anything explicitly but it was clear from the tightness around the Ghosthound’s eyes that whatever was occurring within him was tied into the strange happenings of this Raid Dungeon

Penny for your thoughts Ptolemy said walking to stand beside Thea looking back at the Death Cultists

of all the people who would say that you would have been the last person I would have suspected Thea blurted out ignoring his question and responding from her gut The fact that he was trying to strike up a conversation in such an Ace like way Thea had seen them chatting a lot but to think it rubbed off to this degree

Ptolemy had the wherewithal to blush Yes well I just you seem to get almost taut to the point of breaking during a fight Like a guitar string So I just thought I don’t know

After scratching his head Ptolemy said Of all of the Ghosthound’s strong points his dedication to a task at the expense of his mental health isn’t one of them Just be careful yea Never forget that all it takes is one critical error for it all to come crashing down

Then he walked away

Randidly was slightly confused at the details but it seemed like some of the time acceleration in his inner world was maintained even while he was in it So even though he spent three days in his Soul Skill speaking individually with the different leaders of the races only a few hours had passed in the outside world

Initially he was quite excited about this until he realized that he didn’t truly have a body and was unable to grind any Skills while he was there All he could do was speak basically There was no substance or Aether to him which didn’t make ANY sense to Randidly as he was what composed the whole of the world

But there had to be balance somewhere so he could only sigh as he was stuck with this wasted time It wasn’t like there were many things to do except grind low Leveled Skills outside of his inner world but he felt slightly stressed about the fact he was just a puppet out there right now Still he had some confidence that the Creature wouldn’t make a move until it had to

So he stayed in the inner world and for the first time was a teacher in different ways to different people It was decided that he would dedicate 8 hours to each of the leaders to be used as they wished to improve their strength either their individual strength or the strength of their army It was strange especially because everything he had learned from his father or from Shal about teaching seemed inappropriate

Instead he adopted the attitude he cultivated around Alana that of an intimate superior offering pointers

The Golem twins were the easiest they simply wanted to learn his spear moves And although it was slightly selfish Randidly gave them his first self created spear move the Spear Advances Ash Trails It was a very basic brutal unrefined thing but that suited their powerful raw bodies much more than the Spear Phantom Style

They were delighted with it and within the first hour they had both mastered it For another hour they basically jousted with each other while testing their Skills and then they demanded to use it against him so he could feel it

Which seemed slightly pointless to Randidly but it was their 8 hours so

So he stood and was skewered over and over again the spears passing harmlessly through his stomach as they passed While it was initially very amusing by the end of the 8 hours they had absorbed his advice and were slowly warping the move to be their own To the point that their movements were so fast that Randidly had difficulty following it with the eyes of his strange projected body

Even if he were really here they might still be overwhelmingly strong

The White Hunter Champion Melody and the Spriggit Thief were both much more orthodox simply wanting his opinion on their fighting style The White Hunter was perhaps the easier of the two because she wanted to understand where his powerful Control came from He couldn’t just say high Stats so they started talking more nitty gritty over what it was to maintain awareness constantly to feel that constant tension

Then to separate yourself into 1000 component parts that simply had one action ingrained with muscle memory for simplicity and then have a central consciousness that reached out and touched each movement as it was needed It was a trick that Randidly had learned to make use of his monstrous Willpower and Control and the White Hunter was fascinated

By the end of the 8 hours Randidly didn’t know if it had helped her but she had bowed deeply to him before departing

To the Spriggit Thief he taught her as well as he could the Spear Phantom’s Embrace She was perhaps the most short tempered pupil very quickly becoming frustrated when she didn’t understand something but she was also oddly stoic about it turning her anger and annoyance inward

It was strange to Randidly too that of all the people here the Spriggit Thief was the oldest almost 60 according to her even if she looked only in her late 30s Not that Randidly knew much about how Spriggits aged but

He had watched her as a teenager almost die And this whole time while Randidly had been gaining a Class and moving into the Raid Dungeon she was living her life almost into the twilight of her years wearing his blessed weapons She even still had that special spear that absorbed meaning to produce energy or vice versa although that was given to the Monster King to use as he was the best in close combat

Chapter 446

The Weaver request was the weirdest The small spider brought Randidly to a cave filled with hundreds of its kin and gave an extremely strange request Please give us the history of this world so it won’t be lost

Are you sure that’s what you want me to help you with Randidly asked uncertainly looking around All of the Weavers were looping the thread around their arms as if they were ready to leap into action at the drop of a hat There are some Skills

It is true that our current predicament is a dire one The Weaver admitted But win or loss a people need a history to know themselves If we give up our truth to win the battle have we truly won

Randidly had some very choice things to say about whether the choice the Weaver presented to him was a fair one whether it was really that black and white but he acknowledged there was a lesson there one that he shouldn’t forget Knowledge was power If anything one thing Randidly should do to prepare for his battle with the Creature was to review their previous encounters

Just like that Randidly’s eyes brightened and he smiled

let me tell you my story then He said slowly So you can see my hand in the world every step of the way

The Weavers were fascinated to hear as he described his world broadly before launching into the System This took a bit more explaining not because they didn’t understand the System as they lived with some version of it (Randidly made a mental note to investigate the details of this at a later day) but because they didn’t understand life without it

But after that rocky start he took them on his journey His start in the Dungeon then the meeting with Shal and the escape The founding of Donnyton Turtletown then Franksburg Lyra and the Tribulation Moving from Green Spear Mastery to the Cycle of Rot and Ash The challenge against the renewed strength of Donnyton

The Creature and its insidious plots

The creation of his current Soul Skill the Four Shaded Clockwork World

Then there was his time in Shal’s world which spanned most of his experience with the System Tournament after tournament ad nauseum although Randidly didn’t bother to explain how tiresome their culture was and their focus on spears

Here he took some time to explain what he remembered of the rotation of the inner world and the changes and political upheavals that occurred Especially he mentioned the different times the Weave was lost in the past and for what reason

His great battle and his broken return Recovering with Simon Meeting the Wild Rider understanding Champions and Regalias The battle with the Skeleton Knight and the interference of the Creature The threat of the Raid Dungeon

The interlocking web that the Creature had made in the Raid Dungeon its twisted paradise The approaching battle both inward and outward against its marshaled forces

The Weavers moved furiously only a few listening intently the rest moving in a complicated dance that Randidly would have sworn was coordinated but he knew it wasn’t By the end of it almost 10 hours had passed and before him covering the wall was a glittering tapestry There was no clear discernible meaning that Randidly could see but it was condensed and filled with filaments from every shade of the rainbow

At the end the Weavers bowed as one thanking him

If the Weaver request was the weirdest the Monster King’s was the most awkward The man monster with orange horns introduced himself as Zeke or something similar sounding and then proceeded to demonstrate his forms with the spear

Honestly Randidly was impressed It wasn’t anything close to his own Style and he could still see some areas of improvement but it was well rounded and had very clear tradeoffs that appeared to emphasize Zeke’s strengths and minimize his weaknesses That part was fine and Randidly gave his advice as succinctly as he could manage

It only became weird when Zeke finished and looked at Randidly with hollowed eyes full of expectation

perhaps it shows my foolishness that I must ask but Zeke said slowly Why are you helping me

This question seemed loaded but Randidly would prefer to ignore the issue rather than digging into it It would just keep things moving in a much more productive manner To defeat the remnants of the Creature Now

No I mean The two and a half meter form all of rippling muscle hesitated then asked Why me

Randidly opened his mouth then closed it He couldn’t think of an answer that didn’t sound dumb It was tiresome but he should keep his role as Progenitor in the front of his mind at all times He didn’t plan on appearing like this very often at all because of how many people wanted to interact with him but while he was doing it

Because you are the strongest warrior we have Because you are one of the leaders of the allied army Because you need to be ready for what you don’t expect in this fight Because I can’t afford for you to lose

But while Randidly was pondering Zeke spoke filling the silence speaking increasingly quickly I’ve killed so many of your people Of the things you’ve created here I created the greatest war this world has ever known If I hadn’t caused such destruction we might have been ready for this attack

Zeke was working up a head of steam at this point and Randidly was content to hear it all before he weighed in The monster race that racial tension was the space the Skinshifts used to infiltrate initially The whole time as my race took the blame I just assumed it was the arrogance of the other people and ignored it locking myself away searching for my own meaning It was an abdication of responsibility For all my strength my people needed me then and I let them down Which is why which is why I can’t understand Why are you helping me Why are you making me stronger I I am a broken thing I shouldn’t be here

This time Randidly didn’t open his mouth but solemnly looked at Zeke There was a lot there False attribution guilt a vicious self of injustice and the hatred that spawned from it and also a deep deep loneliness One that was intimately familiar to Randidly

Sighing Randidly shook his head and then smiled You know someone close to me once told me that I was special not because of my strength but due to my very existence Because I was the Inciting Action’ But you know to me I could understand why she said that but it just felt like

Randidly reached out his fingers passing harmlessly through the wall He smiled ruefully pulling his head back It felt like everything I became involved in broke It fell to pieces or was warped by if not me events that I instigated Now let me ask you this Do you blame me for this war Knowing I created this world out of a very dangerous material

No Zeke said his eyes wary

Nodding Randidly said I don’t know much about what religion there is here or what you have been exposed to but I grew up learning about purposeful sins and sins by your nature I did not mean for this to happen yet my sin was possessing a nature that led inevitably to this point And that is not a sin I feel the need to burden my conscious with

In my struggles I have done many terrible things to accomplish my goals because I believed I had no other choice Perhaps I was wrong in that but never had I set out to take a life for the pleasure of it Randidly’s eyes went out of focus then remembering that one time immediately after they escaped the prison but then his gaze sharpened locking on Zeke Perhaps it is strange to say this but of you all I truly feel you are the most similar to me The most lonely the most tragically determined

After a brief hesitation Randidly reached out and touched both of Zeke’s hands Although this perhaps would have some dangerous fallout in the wake of the war against the Creature’s minions Randidly always believed that it was safest to concentrate power in one place in this case in the Monster King In his right hand Randidly placed the influence of his Skill Touch from Beyond In the Monster King’s left hand Randidly put a point of Gravity Manipulation that he had gained earlier while playing with the Skill

The Monster King shuddered his arms shaking as the power descended into him Especially his right hand with the Touch from Beyond began to spasm But Randidly weirdly suddenly had a physical body at least while touching the place of his Skills and gripped Zeke’s fingers with his own

Do not fear your own nature Your greatest strength is yourself there is no need to hide that Some might disagree but I believe that there is a definite line between victory and defeat If you had infinite time to repeat and experiment you could find the exact force it took to shatter a stone Any less and nothing would happen Any more and the extra power is wasted

Randidly’s grip tightened I feel like you are the person who will be closest to that line Zeke with these gifts take us past it

Releasing his hands Randidly took a step back looking up at the Monster King’s wide open eyes There was still hesitation there so Randidly spoke again If you stopped wearing the definitions that everyone else gave you what would you be It might be hard to see now but in my eyes I’m not a Progenitor I’m just trying my best And I need your help

Then Randidly turned and departed But not before he heard a soft whisper

Some on purpose Some not But always giving of himself

Chapter 447

Randidly content that all that could be done had been done was preparing to leave the Soul Skill and check the progress in the real world when Lucretia burst into the room She looked him up and down then sighed with relief

I was worried I wouldn’t catch you She said plopping down on an ornate wooden chair as she was used to such lavish riches We need to talk

She leaned back seemingly in no hurry to begin their discussion Instea d she sighed and rubbed her temples Even though she had clearly been taking advantage of the awe of the denizens of Randidly’s Soul Skill he couldn’t deny that he sympathized with her exhaustion For all that they were enjoying the most deferential treatment possible they still were scheduled to inspect and give opinions on every small detail that could possibly affect the final confrontation with the army of abominations moving towards them

Being effectively a Godling was hard His voice in the world even more so

Wrinkling his nose at the thought of Lucretia being known as his voice Randidly said What

We haven’t spoken of it directly but I’m sure you can sense it the same as me the Creature is effectively broadcasting energy to your Soul Skill to create this army Lucretia said her eyes still closed Unless that’s destroyed this is a problem that will keep cropping up But more than that I think we should talk about the possibility that we use this connection to strike back at the Creature

That had Randidly’s attention But it only took 10 seconds for Randidly to snort dismissively based on what we understand from the situation that is possible But it would require us somehow manipulating Aether better than it or sending a delegation back through the connection to strike at what is likely her Soul Skill A Soul Skill that is probably thousands of years old Although the people here are strong I doubt

True they would likely die Lucretia shrugged But this would occur after the battle is won at that point what do a few more deaths matter The success rate is very low but if they manage to succeed or even to communicate some of the details of its Soul Skill back to us

Standing abruptly Randidly released a little of his aura The longer that he spent in his Soul Skill the more he realized that Progenitor’s Influence wasn’t the only weapon that he had to use while he was present here The very air loved him as it was his As more and more time passed as he was here there was a strange almost magnetic effect of energy where more and more concentrated on his body giving him an aura that could be used to strike out

Of course it accumulated relatively slowly and once it was used it dispersed quickly But Randidly didn’t mind blowing through a bit of it in order to intimidate Lucretia And from the way her eyes widened immediately upon his usage it worked

How She began sounding completely bewildered but that’s when it hit her knocking her backwards off of her chair and onto the ground Although he wanted to convey his anger Randidly didn’t want to offend her overmuch even if his anger called for a much greater retribution so he kept it as a slight amount of force

Let me make myself very clear Randidly said dropping the pitiable amount of aura he had used Even though it was small it was still fully one half of his stored up power so he didn’t mind blowing it here rather than saving it to interfere in the upcoming fight They are not on our same plane of existence as us that is true But they have lives and they should not be treated casually They listen to you I have no doubt that you would be able to convince them it was in the interest of the greater good for them to sacrifice themselves but that is not what I want They are admittedly a large source of power for me

As Lucretia straightened her smile was all teeth Do you think I don’t know that Hmph you are trying to play softly with them when it is convenient for you but you have no problem forcing them to fight against this invasion

Because it’s necessary Randidly hissed frowning at Lucretia If it could be any other way

It’s this way because you built their homes on top of a bomb you don’t understand Lucretia countered her eyes red And while you were blocked shall we say I was holding down the house And yet now you throw tantrums and have the nerve to lecture me

An energy began to condense around her then faintly lilac with thin shimmers of gold within its depths Now it’s become obvious that there is something strange about that world of Shal’s there is a subtle influence that pushes one towards violence and extremes Out of its influence I have lost much of the more sinister aspects to my nature But do not for a moment forget what I am what I have been what I could be

When she spoke hundreds of thin filaments of gold spread out the lines of fate she had drawn between herself and another And honestly 80% led directly to Randidly She flashed a cheeky smile but that faltered when Randidly’s face stayed impassive

Because while she was here he had a strange ability to utilize her Skills too and tugged back on those threads demonstrating that these things didn’t just go one way For a full minute they both stood silently looking at each other sizing the other up

To his surprise Randidly relented first sighing think long and hard before you send a force through the conduit It won’t be a token resistance they encounter there The Creature is not me

Tight lipped Lucretia nodded To Randidly’s surprise he was abruptly reminded of Sydney And in a flash he understood her deep frustration towards him Because no matter how difficult it was to accept at this point Randidly and Lucretia seemed bound so tightly that he knew of no easy way to extricate them Although there were probably Skills that could accomplish it Randidly didn’t even know where he should start looking for such a thing or what Paths he would need to go down to accomplish it

He had always wondered why Sydney was so infuriated yet strangely weary by his presence but now

And to his surprise he laughed aloud This time Lucretia was even more bewildered but he didn’t say anything just vanishing from existence inside the Soul Skill and returning to awareness in his body After all the Soul Skill was just one of many moving pieces to this fight with the Creature There were other portions that needed his attention

So Randidly came to back in his body and opened his eyes To his surprise they had stopped And what he saw in front of them was not the final base of the Creature as he had expected but instead it was a sea

A sea of monsters Screeching and roaring growling and grumbling And more than anything else just milling around as if lost

Seeming to sense that he had awoken Annie stepped from behind him to stand shoulder to shoulder with him We were wondering how long we should let you sleep before we woke you up We’ve got a problem I’ve run the circuit of the thing it’s 5 miles wide just filled with monsters Mostly pretty weak barely Level 30 but with many

Randidly grimaced They were relatively well behaved right now but that was because the monsters’ attention was facing inward towards whatever was drawing them towards the center and they hadn’t noticed the Raid Dungeon group or the creeping army of Death Cultists behind them Which meant that whatever was pulling them inwards was unbelievably strong taking almost all of the monsters’ attention

But what Randidly couldn’t figure out was why they were here 7 days should have passed And yet there were so many monsters here As if the monster hordes they had seen hadn’t been able to get near the Creature’s base and were instead stuck out here just standing around in a circle

Randidly cursed quietly It wasn’t really that powerful of a barrier against him but it was annoying and he could just imagine the Creature’s smug expression

So Prompted Rose moving to join the other two on top of Randidly’s root monster mount Closing his eyes Randidly took several seconds to breath in and then out through his nose Then he turned looking behind him The Grey Death Cultist that had created the Death Key who apparently had no real name but only a long series of unintelligible clicks was standing there Randidly beckoned

Chosen Messenger of Death The Grey Death Cultist said with a bow How may we accomplish your goals

Upon hearing Randidly’s rather abbreviated explanation of his determination to eliminate the Creature this is what the Death Cultists had begun calling him They seemed rather stoically ambivalent at the thought of launching a crusade to destroy the other main race of the Raid Dungeon but the prospect had a likelihood of their deaths so they assented easily After all they believed that only through their fated natural death could their souls find release from the cycle of torment in the Dungeon granting them freedom And Randidly was the Messenger of that final death

These monsters are in the way Randidly said warily I would like you to clear a path But give me a moment prepare your men in the meantime

Nodding the Grey Death Cultist withdrew and after a short whispered conversation with the other Grey Death Cultists they returned to the larger army hooting with glee

Doing his best to ignore the strange sounds of their language Randidly pointed and activated a Skill that he had never really had the occasion to experiment with yet

Earthquake

Instantly the ground beneath Randidly’s feat began to rumble ominously When the Skill was used Randidly had a brief sensation of feeling the shape of the earth beneath them and projected the Skill as much as possible in front of him towards the bulk of the monsters Those monsters as the shaking started seemed to still something instinctual taking over in the face of a force of nature

Then the ground began to shudder Then the first crack appeared and the group buckled rising in some places as the forces of the ground smashed together sinking in others The monsters responded by fleeing in every direction their eyes filled with fear Randidly frowned Sure it was an impressive Skill and as it Leveled it would be powerful but it was currently only Level 3 well 7 now that had gained a few Skill Levels and its destructive force was rather underwhelming

Messenger by your word The Grey Death Cultist said rubbing its claws together excitedly

Go

The Grey Death Cultist smiled as best as its strange bat face could and then barked out an order Behind Randidly the Red Death Cultists began using their superior strength to throw the regular rank and file soldiers in the air where they began to glide forward ominously heading towards the panicking monsters By the time the Earthquake ceased the Death Cultists had arrived and they gave their fellow monsters no quarter

Chapter 448

It was a bloody fight not because it was difficult or even that they struggled but because the sheer number of monsters they killed meant that the ground was soaked with blood by the time they had arrived at the central location Plus when they started antagonizing the monsters the whole 5 mile block of monsters had surged into motion running desperately to strike at the targets they finally found

It took almost 12 hours which made Randidly grit his teeth but there was no other choice The Creature had the support of an entire race and if he wanted to be able to penetrate towards it he needed to do the same

When they arrived at the central area it became clear why the monsters had been milling around There was a stone wall about 5 meters tall but the whole thing was covered in sparkling runes the violet glow of Aether clear A small glowing barrier was erected around the wall and when they took a monster body and threw it at the barrier the thing disintegrated

Sniffing Randidly said nothing But Lucretia who was oddly even more chatty after their previous argument waxed poetic on the effectiveness of such a barrier

So Randidly knocked on it once feeling the hostile energies sizzle and burn his skin His frown deepened He knocked again harder

After trembling for a brief moment the barrier dissipated and the runic engravings that had controlled the Aether into a barrier cracked Randidly shook his head sorrowfully Truly he had lost all concept of his own strength to so easily destroy a sophisticated barrier like that

Lucretia snorted Stop patting yourself on the back If this was all the Creature were capable of you wouldn’t have had so much trouble with her in the past ’

His expression turning seriously Randidly motioned for the Raid Party to circle around him

Before we go in I want to explain a bit about what I think we will find Randidly began wondering how much to reveal to the group gathered around him He looked slowly around making eye contact with each one of them until Randidly’s eyes finally settled on Ace who was contorting his face into a gruesome grin displaying his gums and flaring his nostrils

To Randidly’s surprise the ploy worked and he snorted with laughter breaking some of the tension that he had been carrying with him The group around him was curious at first then turned to Ace and rolled their eyes By this time after almost a month inside the Raid Dungeon together Ace’s antics had involved everyone as a victim at least once

It was that willingness to involve himself in other people’s lives even as an annoyance that helped Ace make friends back before the System arrived Randidly reflected And also what let him cover up for the monster that he had become now

Some of you may know this but there is a powerful being that has been interfering with our Zone that I call the Creature Randidly began Although it is hard to admit part of the reason I had the chance to become as powerful as I am is because of its interference But before it could complete its plan I broke away from its control

There Randidly hesitated remembering being left alone in the darkness and how it was only due to his connections through the Blessings that he was able to escape Then he shook his head and continued But it hasn’t stopped its operations Its main goal is isolating itself from the wider System which I expect is what it is trying to accomplish here By hiding inside a Dungeon I expect it’s trying to avoid detection

I have a question Rose said frowning at the ground Randidly winced inwardly The more questions they asked the more trouble he would get into Because a lot of what he was about to say was mostly speculation If it truly wanted to isolate itself why pick this Dungeon We need to beat this Dungeon to survive If it had hidden in another Dungeon

Also the Regalia Alana interjected folding her arms across her chest The advancement of our Zone was stalled because of its interference it must have known that we would move against it

Randidly felt a flash of relief At least for these questions he had an answer There are a few reasons the first is that I think the Creature needed us to help it although I’ll get to that later Second it wanted to force us into a position to attack it that’s part of its plan Third to go along with that this is the highest Level Dungeon there is harder to manipulate these forces but once it does they will be better weapons against us

Ah Annie said pounding her fist against her open palm It wants us to fail

It seriously wants us to just be depleted of Aether and fade into nothing That would certainly isolate it Ace said rubbing his jaw

Rose shook her head frowning at Ace But that doesn’t make sense It would suffer then too right The life energy is leaving the Zone Can it survive without that life energy

We know that Dungeons are like a lake of that energy and you steal some of it when you clear the boss Alana said shrugging Maybe it will live off that

With the difference in time between the two the amount of time it could survive is likely negligible Rose argued

Randidly raised his hands You are both right and it’s a little more complicated than that Based on what we have seen Classers felt the lack of energy in the air much later than the NCCs which means that it wasn’t that the Villages had stopped producing energy just that it was getting sucked out of the atmosphere making people expend their energy faster But the Dungeon is like a little bubble sealed up because of the time dilation

Still Randidly continued Eventually the Creature would run out of Aether Unless it had a Village created and founded inside the Raid Dungeon which would provide a source of Aether

Everyone looked at Randidly shock clear on their faces He flourished his hand creating a small golden coin one of those used to create Villages He hadn’t discovered it here but it was from a long time ago right when Donnyton was started and he helped clear monsters for Donnyton It was also a time that the Creature’s influence over him was at its strongest

I discovered some things when I talked to Lyra about Golden Coins just in passing Randidly said remembering a passing conversation they had had back before he was pulled into Shal’s world I asked why we stopped finding them Lyra told me that it takes two things for a coin to spawn a Leader type monster needs to be killed one that possesses minions And the killer needs to be under Level 10

Randidly’s hands clenched into fists and although the coin was System strengthened he had moved past the point that a cursory level strengthening could resist him Besides the strengthening was designed to resist a normal person under Level 10 Against Randidly that stopped being sufficient long before he had even acquired a Class

Which is why we’ve basically seen nothing but horde type monsters Rose said her eyes flashing And if our Zone is discarded from the new Earth for failing to pass the Raid Dungeon and just descended into oblivion

The Creature would just sit here in its bubble having a backdoor to Aether Randidly confirmed

Still wouldn’t they notice Ace asked scratching his head That Aether is just flowing to what should be a dead Zone

After a brief hesitation Randidly said I think that the System functions largely independently with only a minimal level of oversight Also isolating itself is just a short term goal for the Creature I believe its ultimate goal is to hurt the System somehow Buying itself time as our Zone is forgotten about and multiply that by whatever dilation is in place here

Still seems foolish to have taken the Regalia Alana said again shaking her head She hefted her spear and gazed at its sharp metal tip How could it not know that would make us send our strongest against it

To that Randidly said nothing for two reasons The first being that the Creature didn’t consider them a threat at all and it might be bad to tell the rest of the group that now And the second was because it was likely at the stealing of the Regalia was likely bait for him specifically After all if Randidly stayed outside in the Zone unwilling to go into it he could likely find ways to use his Aether Crossroads to support the entire Zone

His experience expelling all that Aether from inside of himself had taught him the dangers of losing himself in that sensation but it was theoretically possible Randidly just hadn’t dedicated any energy to discovering more because it hadn’t seemed necessary when he could just go into the Raid Dungeon and kill the Creature

That now struck him as slightly arrogant but there was no point in worrying about it now

For the first time Clarissa spoke up so it just had all these carefully laid plans and gambled that you would come in here under Level 10 and kill the right sort of monster and it would drop That seems like a pointless gamble

Randidly grimaced He was hoping that no one would comment on that I believe it knew that I still had a leftover gold coin from earlier If I hadn’t caused one to drop it would just try and kill me and take it

Ah so you are the reason it antagonized us Alana said chuckling Randidly flushed

Thea tapped her hammer to her breastplate And it must have dropped while we did that quest to defend those people while they attacked the Death Cultists That’s why they left so quickly

Everyone else nodded at that and as it seemed there were no more questions Randidly spoke again That’s about it I also just want to stress that if you can avoid it don’t fight the Creature it will not fight fair and without my abilities

Randidly said the last part very slowly looking around at everyone but they all nodded seriously accepting this Randidly breathed a sigh of relief That was one thing that he didn’t want to worry about others being corrupted by the Creature

So we go in then Ace said with an easy grin

So we go in Randidly replied his eyes flashing as he turned towards the cracked wall in front of them

Chapter 449

Randidly wasn’t sure what he was expecting but when the air warped and shifted in front of him his face immediately turned grim On the other side of the wall they had only seen a small grassland and a house looking building at the center Which was curious but the Creature’s antics had already done enough to convince Randidly that it was on another level so he didn’t think much of it

But as soon as the air started to ripple blood rushed from his face and he thought of 100 ways that this might have been a trap and it would have been better to prepare longer or to plan more elegantly than just breaking down the front door Then again Randidly’s success rate with such plans wasn’t very high

After a second of worry Randidly’s frown deepened because the air in front of him resolved itself to the same sloping grassland except now there was one of those giant cathedrals they started in at the center His eyes scanned the surrounding ground but nothing seemed to stick out Even when he extended his Aether senses he couldn’t feel anything strange aside from the normal currents of Aether When they had broken the wall there was a large formation that had stuttered to a stop and collapsed but Randidly wasn’t sure of what effects it might have

If anything Randidly hoped it would make their advance somewhat easier

Lucretia as if she had overheard his thought snorted He mentally poked her to express his annoyance which transformed her amusement into a full laugh

Easy there she thought back at him It’s hard to maintain myself both helping your little soul spirits and looking through what her formation did Give me a few minutes

Feeling that caution was perhaps the better part of valor Randidly contented himself with sitting while the rest of the army behind him filed through the visual glamour that hid the cathedral The Raid Party seemed rather bored but when the Grey Death Cultist came through it hissed in distaste

Anathema A monument to the Eternal Coward It said shaking its head The rest of its people seemed to agree looking at the giant cathedral with obvious hate

Lucretia finished her examinations even before the entire group had crossed the barrier Hmm complicated but I think that’s just because this Raid Dungeon is complicated It served as an Aether divide isolating this area from what was going on in the larger Dungeon for example if you had used the Death Key it would have been stopped by that barrier But

But relatively fragile I think I get it’ Randidly said grinning It was based upon the principle that these two sides weren’t meant to meet repelling Aether Aether flowed rather naturally around people and basically no one but Lyra seemed able to manipulate it at will while not being special

I E Randidly

So the group continued heading across the grassland to the cathedral This too mostly to make himself feel better had its door busted down in a powerful kick empowered with the active of Yyrwood Flesh of Yggdrasil The boost was enough that the 10 meter tall doors were blasted off their hinges crashing into the huge empty space beyond Although it was built on a grand scale the cathedral itself was only made out of mundane materials which took some of the satisfaction out of the strike but only some

But what Randidly saw beyond the doors destroyed the rest of it

Rubble Piles and piles of rubble The Cathedral was laid out differently than the other that the Raid Party had been to before this one being much more circular with the large pillars at the outside and a wide open space in the middle There was enough space there to fit a football stadium but it was filled with broken wood and metal in strange misshapen piles

His annoyance mounting Randidly walked over to a nearby pile while Ace and Annie flitted out content to explore Eyes narrowing Randidly picked up a steel girder and bent it into the shape of a small bird This fucking rubble was fresh Someone had destroyed something here

Burning through his Mana without a care Randidly reached out and dug up thousands of roots with his Plant Dominance The plants wound their way up and through the debris and began dragging it off to the side His eyes burning emerald he pumped all of the stress and nerves into the spell fueling it all The rest of the Raid Party watched wide eyed as the entire screen of rubble that had been in front of them was visibly moving seeming to shift to the sides before their very eyes

Randidly didn’t mind the eyes on him he understood how it must look But at this point it wasn’t important to him for the others not to know the depths of his abilities He had subconsciously and sometimes consciously refrained from going all out in front of the others mostly because this group was the closest thing Randidly had in terms of peers with a similar amount of power But after watching them it very rapidly became clear to Randidly that there was a marked difference between the top ends of their strength

Perhaps given time and Randidly fucking taking a huge nap they would catch up But for now

The process was over in minutes and Randidly stalked forward prepared to find out what other curveballs the Creature had prepared to mislead and disguise her goals Still even if this was exactly what the Creature wanted Randidly couldn’t afford to allow it to have a place of safety where it could grow stronger and develop its own minions

His hands tightened into fists The type of minions that the Creature was using to invade his Soul Skill If it could create those in the actual world and not just through the Soul connection

Fuck Ace swore leaning back and stepping to the side allowing Randidly to move past him When Randidly realized what it was and what it probably meant he shook his head wordless How much fuckery did the Creature have time to make in this Raid Dungeon More than ever he was committed to hunting it down now while they were at the same time speed

In front of Randidly was a hole There were about 25 meters of stone rocks and dirt but then below that there was a light As Randidly focused his eyes he could see that there were clouds down there even if thin ones and below that a forest probably a kilometer straight down

Almost as if the Creature had made a hole to a land before time

I bet there are fucking dinosaurs down there Clarissa said echoing Randidly’s thoughts and sounding a dozen times more cheery about the prospect than Randidly felt

Tziech folded his arms in front of his chest considering the 6 persons in front of him Speak what are your worries

The predawn filtered down through the banners towards their group standing alone in their main camp Today was the day of the battle against the spirit invaders which is what they began calling the other army so no matter how much Tziech wanted to send his minions away and continue practicing with the gifts given to him by the Progenitor he needed to assuage their worries Without them managing the army would be difficult

Not just in terms of numbers but because they each had a legion of children behind them which formed some of the core units of the Monster Army

Maltaius a fleshy blob like creature stood passively to the side nearer to Tziech than the rest His allegiance at least was clear likely due to the fact the only reason he had risen to power was he was friends with Tziech before he had changed and remade himself A dozen years ago Maltaius would have called him Zeke with a smile

No longer but that didn’t mean old loyalties had faded

Rifman the Lizardkin Elder and Tillian the Darkspawn were also rather neutral their arms folded Their continued support Tziech really couldn’t do without The Lizard corp was perhaps not the most powerful but it was definitely the largest and they were the most steady in the face of injuries With their remarkable healing abilities they could be cut in half in the morning and both sides would be ready to fight the enemy by the evening

The other three were standing in a line and at their center was Varga the Wargmaster Her eyes were soft golden crescents right now as one of her supporters went to speak on her behalf Immediately Tziech’s eyes narrowed He raised a hand

Let’s not play Varga state your piece

Although her two lackeys Tziech’s so called generals frowned Varga smiled

Thiss is why I always liked you And supported your bid for Monster King She said sweetly

Tziech was tired of the games tired of the intrigue of the subtle hints and the power plays at inopportune times That was part of the reason that he had withdrawn Which had given the Skinshifters the opening they needed

His hands clenched into fists They didn’t have time for this

We wonder if the Progenitor that you viewed was legitimate Varga ultimately said her eyes locked on him It just seems so opportune First they blame the abominations’ crimes on us making us pay now they want to use our armies to drive the enemies away What responsibility do we have to protect their realms The monster kingdom’s

Tziech couldn’t help it He laughed

Everyone gave him a surprised look even Maltaius a flash of warning in his eyes Tziech knew what his old friend was thinking that the Wargs were their heavies and the most powerful of the Monster armies in a direct confrontation Without them it would be very hard to assault the strange Soul Conduit that Lucretia indicated

But Tziech couldn’t be bothered to play with kid gloves anymore He had been king too long he suddenly realized He needed to remember how it was to be young and self righteous All at once energy rushed through his body to his left arm concentrating on that strange dark power the Progenitor had given him

A cold purple blue light began to shine from Tziech’s hand It grew and grew until Varga gasped and took a step back and Tziech could feel the frost forming up his arm to his shoulder the insidious numbness growing slowly

Then all at once he dispersed it letting the power fall away Grinning at Varga Tziech said We ride in an hour Varga You’ll take the vanguard Or after this is over I will hunt you down and remind you of the real reason that I was chosen to be the King of Monsters

Then he turned and walked away

Chapter 450

This isn’t a great idea Rose said for the 7th time

Ace just sighed shaking his finger at her What do you know Let me ask you what’s the most important thing about a battle

Strategy Rose said her voice low and strained almost pleading

Power Lucifer said looking up from his three swords Since they had taken a break Lucifer had rummaged through some of the rubble until he found an absolutely enormous slab of red iron and had pounded it into something resembling a sword Which Randidly reflected seemed good enough for him But did he really need a third sword

Preparation Thea said piping up Alana looked at Thea and nodded approvingly which caused the younger woman to blush

Randidly continued mixing potions his eyes carefully on the mixtures Although they had prepared a lot he would prefer not to burn through all of their supply of Mana Potions before they even began the assault Although it had taken about a half hour it would more than be made up for their preparation later in the face of a possibly extended battle

Ace threw his hands to the sky No The most important thing in any confrontation individual or group is momentum Therefore you want to be in control of the momentum at all times Which is why the most important step is

Alright I’m finished Randidly said standing and rubbing his hands on his pants He flashed a smile at Ace Although their relationship had changed so much and they were so far from where they had begun he couldn’t deny that it was good to work together like this to be on the same page Let’s show these fools how to make an entrance

Ace beamed at him

Most of the detailed calculations had been figured out by Lucretia who was much better than him at these things but the idea was pretty simple It’s execution was just a little difficult due to Mana concerns

Closing his eyes Randidly felt outward familiarizing himself with the feel of the land underneath them Now that he focused he could feel dozens of meters deep where the ground ended leading to the huge cave that the Creature had apparently dug up and hidden underneath the Cathedral He wondered whether every Cathedral connected to this thing It would explain why the monster hordes could spring up from nowhere and why the Cathedrals were made on such a grand scale

Upon investigation it had become clear that the rubble was from a series of pulleys and infrastructure that had allowed things to be transported up and down into the underground world Of course the Creature wasn’t kind enough to leave that sort of thing up for convenient use

Not that most of them needed it Perhaps that was why Rose was in such a panic Randidly thought reflecting She was the one who likely couldn’t really survive a fall from this height

Which made him stop and ponder whether any of them could really survive a fall from this high He almost wanted to test it out but they already had very sturdy rides arranged so no need to tempt fate

Randidly gave the signal and Death Cultists began spiraling down into the hole gliding out of their way A few would stay to fly the rest of them down but first the common soldiers would go and open up a path if necessary

As they were moving quickly through their lines Randidly began making the final adjustments Then when he felt that most of the Death Cultists had moved out of the way and began flying down he began

First he started with two both with the Cathedral at the far edges of the area of effect He grimaced casting two Earthquakes at once was not only a huge drain on his Mana but it also took a strange amount of concentration to localize the tectonic damage in the right areas

Which didn’t even make sense they knew this was the roof of the cave below them they were standing on so Earthquake couldn’t be moving tectonic plates But that also made sense in a way because that amount of power was far beyond what they were capable of or should be capable of

After downing two Mana Potions and checking to make sure the ground underneath them was rumbling Randidly reached out again And turning 90 degrees from the initial spots he made two more in front and behind forming a square of Earthquakes with them in the center

The effect now was much more apparent with the ground seeming to buzz long and thin cracks forming around them

Fuck this fly me down Rose said crossing herself Her Death Cultist obliged leaning forward and speeding down past some of the slower bats disappearing quickly beyond the scope of their vision

As if on cue most of the rest of the group went led by Alana Of them all the only two that remained were of course Ace but to Randidly’s surprise Ptolemy also stayed with them peering down into the hole below them but in no hurry to jump down into it As Randidly watched the other man the shakes got so bad that a large chunk at the edge of the hole cracked and slid down falling into the abyss

Ptolemy looked up at him and seemed to instantly understand the question He half shrugged in answer and then said I know it’s hasty what we are doing and destructive but it seems like it’s kinda fun Like we get to play in a sandbox crushing tiny castles

Kukuku Ace fake chuckled beaming at Ptolemy You truly are a secret villain The type who everyone thinks is a friend but then pulls a great betrayal at the end Not my particular taste but I respect

Randidly closed his eyes and reached again continuing to down Mana potions Only after he had filled his Mana to maximum was he even close and even then he was short by a bit By now the first round of Earthquakes was reaching its pitch and the Cathedral was beginning to fall to pieces around them plaster and brick tumbling down

In quick succession Randidly shifted 45 degrees more casting two Earthquakes drank 3 Mana Potions and then twisted another 90 to loose 2 more

All in all there were now 8 Earthquakes going rearing up to full gear the ground beneath them shattering and crumbling away In spite of himself Randidly smiled and beckoned his Grey Death Cultist even while he drank more Mana Potions It was likely best that they not be here when everything began to boil over

He hopped lightly even before the Death Cultist had grabbed him and the creature had to scramble to catch up looping its claws around his shoulders Cackling madly Ace followed with Ptolemy bringing up the rear peering up and around trying to get the best view of the collapsing Cathedral

Randidly could still sense that above those huge pillars toppled and smashed into the ground causing the thin cracks to grow even longer and wider More and more ground at the edge of the hole cracked off and fell As they descended their Death Cultists were forced to weave their way through the debris into the strange world below

When they popped out of the tunnel down there into the area below Randidly grimaced There was a great crystal to their left in the roof of the cavern that burned like a sun and cast warm light on the underground area Randidly could also see a half dozen more spaced out in the distance

Because around there were huge stone pillars that blocked his vision in some places but otherwise it literally seemed like the entire dungeon had another world beneath it controlled by the Creature

His grin stretching wider and wider Randidly turned to the nearest sun crystal and was delighted to see that it was within the zone of his Earthquakes Above the vibrations cracked the dense ground and there was finally some serious damage done But then the vibrations began to ebb and although the ground below had slid down a few inches in some places it wasn’t the big effect Randidly was going

So before the Earthquakes had run their course Randidly reached up and found all the roots in a certain area between the entrance hole and the sun crystal Within a split second he expanded them to 10 times their normal size whipped them around and then let them wither to nothing

Uh oh Ace said looking upwards

A relatively small piece of ground in the grand scheme of things around the size of a small building fell above them from the spot where Randidly had expanded the roots Very quickly the Earthquake’s continued vibration caused cracks to spin outward In a flash the nearby area around that circle disintegrated and several car sized pieces of rock began to fall

It only took a second but a huge gaping crack formed between Randidly’s small hole and the entrance hole as the two weaknesses compounded upon each other There was a shuddering moment of stillness then but Randidly felt what was coming and he smiled looking upwards even as the Earthquakes began to taper off

Due to the collapsing pillars the cathedral had lost its structural integrity and tipped over sideways In one huge piece the side of the roof slid down a veritable landslide of tile and brick crashing onto the ground with enough force to break the fragile equilibrium The ground around the entrance hole exploded downwards all of that weight forcing itself through And as that section fell more and more cascaded downwards in a huge cloud of debris and dust

Chapter 451

There was a part of Randidly that was extremely disappointed at the extent of the destruction and that side of him dominated for 10 seconds Right up until the thin hairline crack extending from the area weakened root to the sun crystal also began collapsing groaning from the weight of the shaking land

Randidly was lucky in his placement there were no giant pillars of stone nearby likely so the sun crystal could cast its light over the underground space without shadows They were purposefully designed that way But when the line of collapsing ceiling reached the crystal it shuddered for a bit twitching

Then the light went out and the huge thing fell to the ground

Right as the sun crystal fell the original rubble from the cathedral collapsing hit the ground sending a wave of force in every direction that leveled a good stretch of trees

As his Death Cultist became to swerve around and through falling debris Randidly looked around checking the lay of the land The giant pillars marred some of the wider views but they were relatively far apart likely spaced as far as feasibly possible without destroying the structural integrity of the zone Between them was a thick rainforest like area spreading in every direction There were some clear areas that ran along rivers and when Randidly squinted at those he could see trails interspersed everywhere but largely it was just the dull flush of trees that met his vision

But as he raised his head and glanced around his eyes alighted on a building and his eyes narrowed

What the fuck is that Lucretia asked the wonder clear in her voice

It was a strange construct on top of a raised plateau above a city It looked like a dozen spiral seashells were pressed together and then melted into one strange curling curving monstrosity It was about the size of an apartment building and as Randidly stared at it he abruptly realized that it was somehow shredding the Aether in the air that came near it Although Randidly couldn’t figure out what the purpose of such a building was it wasn’t hard to realize that this was definitely the work of the Creature

Now that the nearest sun crystal thing had gone dark and fallen it was relatively shadowy in their area so Randidly reached up and tapped his Death Cultist’s leg to get its attention Then he pointed

Nodding the Grey Death Cultist screeched something out that apparently its kin understood because all of the Death Cultists began gliding towards each other entering into a formation Randidly could still hear Ace’s whoops of glee and he craned his neck around to get a look at the wound he had made in this underground world As he did so the sun crystal hit the ground sounding like an entire glass factory exploded

The fissure in the earth was still up there and more and more debris was slowly cracking and falling as the tremors from his Earthquakes tapered off It appeared this would be all of the destruction for now which served Randidly’s purposes just fine Although the idea had some appeal Randidly had a hard time believing that the Creature could be killed just by collapsing a roof on it

As they approached the city Randidly’s mouth tightened because the city and the strange monstrous seashell above it loomed ever larger Which meant that they might still have a ways to it and it was much much larger than Randidly would have originally believed It was a metropolitan area in its own right

At least when his sharp eyes scanned the city he didn’t see many people But it was clear that this city had been constructed with the eye towards the future and a population in the hundreds of thousands

The Creature had apparently taken inspiration from Earth too because he doubted that the high rise apartment buildings and skyways were common practice on most planets

Then again Randidly reflected they might very well be After all at a certain level of materials engineering this sort of feat was relatively simple It was just a matter of how advanced technologically the race was before the System arrived and if most races had magic or strange abilities beyond the humans they might be more otherwise occupied that to turn their attention to the study of the world around them

Of course they would have their own area of advantages But it likely wouldn’t be this

Alana steered her Death Cultist over towards Randidly and then spoke Are we going in to kill

Randidly dearly wanted to say yes but he bit his lip The rest of the Raid Party came over towards him until they were all zipping over the treeline the canopy beneath them a blur of green Although a smash and grab approach had some advantages the usual method was surprise and he expected that he had already shot that horse in the foot

No better try and have a modicum of caution

Let’s land outside and knock on the front door If they stop us however Everyone else nodded at his words

Randidly was cursing inwardly Because he suddenly wondered whether this would be as easy as he wanted Was the Creature really here Because if this was another strange diversion built by the Creature and he just came in and killed the people here on his hunch

But his eyes wandered up to the strange seashell thing and it was hard for Randidly to believe that this was just a simple decoration Of course it could be a trap because the closer they got to it the clearer it was that this thing was extremely dangerous Around its apex Aether spiraled in a whirlpool sucked into one of the upper openings of it At the opening they was a sharp protuberance spanning almost the entirety of the diameter towards the other side of the opening perhaps going 85% of the distance It almost looked like a shark’s fin

As the Aether was sucked past this the oddly serrated shark’s fin caused it to almost scream There was a dull noise in the air that Randidly could now sense like the shadow of a cloud on the ground or the prickle of an oncoming headache It was slightly beyond both his and Lucretia’s understand of Aether what was happening here but it set both of them on high alert

They alighted on the ground the 10 of them then the couple thousand Death Cultists landed behind them chittering excitedly to each other looking around The city was surrounded by a low wall only about 3 meters high nothing that would pose any real threat to even Rose

Expecting the worst Randidly walked towards the tall wooden door that had a road drapped from it like a beard leading into the maw of the beast To his surprise when they approached the door opened and Randidly stopped short his eyes narrowing

Eight men in robes hurried out unrolling a carpet and then bowing to the black carpet they produced Then a man in a grey jumpsuit walked out and surveyed their group with keen eyes He seemed to take them all in with only a second long glance but Randidly was relatively amused to see the man glance back at them specifically at Randidly’s bare feet as if shocked

For good measure he wiggled his toes and grinned The man sneered at him raising his chin until he seemed to be staring almost directly upwards

You have the honor to be addressed by the immaculate Zith greatest and most giving among us having led her chosen people promisedpromise land

A woman then walked out from the doors in a brilliant white dress that seemed to drip pearls from its hems and sleeves She was not beautiful but she was pretty with a sharp pointed face and high arching brows Randidly didn’t fail to notice that as she appeared guards up on a small rampart above the wall holding bows and javelins stood gazing down over them all with a disapproving air Almost 300 and just those they could see

As the woman exited the door slowly closed behind her until it was only open a crack but through that gap Randidly had seen heavier troops with weapons in had that were made to hack and break His lips twitched farther upward his nose flaring as he sensed the approaching battle

But first

He considered the woman again and then began clenching his fists so hard that the bones of his fingers popped They had been warned about this they had been told about her identity btu that was from Aratta the broken and ripped apart Wild Rider so Randidly hadn’t thought too deeply about what it would mean that she was here the villain in the story of the Death Cultists

Or what that meant for his culpability for what she had to go through to get here Her eyes were bright and somewhat yellow which Randidly didn’t remember and her hair had darkened to a warm and refined chestnut She wasn’t smiling but she was inspecting Randidly with the same intensity that he was looking at her

Coward The head Grey Death Cultist hissed

Her face twitched and she shook her head slowly sadly

Before they could get off track any further Randidly spoke his voice raw Is such an entrance really necessary

Her smile was bitter and when Gemma replied her voice was just as raw If I hadn’t found small ways to amuse myself I expect I would be slightly mad living to the ripe old age of 408 Far far beyond what a human should be forced to suffer through Don’t you agree

Chapter 452

Tziech looked down at his hands his eyes red

It’s time to go the Thief said softly She was worried about him Tziech knew because of how much of the burden had been put on him this time The Progenitor’s trust weighed heavily on his shoulders

But perhaps she didn’t understand how liberating that could be at the same time to finally have a direction to have an escape from the Byzantine plethora of choices that had plagued him for years To see 100 bad answers and know that each one would have you blamed in a unique and tortuous way

Now that was gone

Tziech stood leaving his weapons on the ground Outside he could hear the strange almost musical almost mechanical call and replies of the invading army as they marched on their position The Thief looked at him in askance glancing again down at his weapons

Some things Tziech said flexing his muscles slowly testing every muscle and tendon Just feel better when you do them with your hands Let’s go

She nodded drawing her cloak farther around her taking back the Progenitor’s strange spear Together the two of them walked forward heading towards the frontlines What orders were needed were already given and now they just had the hint given to them by Lucretia the voice of the Progenitor here

They needed to make it to the strange Spirit Conduit Tziech didn’t plan to stop moving until he got there

Whatever it is doing to bind you here Randidly began but Gemma held up a hand

Please it’s much too late for that I’ve made my decisions I’ve thought about this moment a lot you know Her eyes stayed locked on Randidly I could never shake the feeling of how powerful you seemed to me all those years ago It was like you and only yo were the memory that was immune to the passage of time My friends my life before the System the people who helped me when I first arrived here all those have faded to grey despair But not you

She raised a hand and seemed to reach out towards him But after a second she let her hand drop And yet now I see you are strong but I see it as a peer Not invulnerable at all and so foolish to walk here towards a trap Yestyx will have her way

Randidly pursed his lips at the unfamiliar name but after a pause Lucretia said slowly I suspect that is the Creature’s name The fact that they have had enough interactions that she feels comfortable calling it by name does not bode well If what she said about a trap is true

But Randidly shushed her mentally his eyes hard because he had his own ideas about how the Creature functioned and what he needed to do to strike at her So he took a step forward looking at Gemma wondering where Rhaidon was So we fight

Gemma laughed a tinkling vindictive laugh of a mature woman who was supremely confident of herself well I guard this door Whether you will force my hand is your own decision Yestyx awaits beyond in the Exofact She will not be disturbed by the likes of you She has promised that after this task she will allow me to die

There was a deep softness thatRandidly had carried for Gemma every since she had been used by the Wild Rider as a decoy and had suffered dearly for it time and time again And yet faced with this matured version of her feeling the very air she breathed lightly laced with a strange bitterness Randidly felt something inside of himself numbing towards his empathy for her So he took another step and then another slowly walking towards her

The announcer man still looked upwards towards the sky while the 8 carpet men remained kneeling while Gemma talked almost to herself her eyes slightly unfocused The irony of existence it’s almost beautiful That this is my motivation to fight now and that you the man I thought could rescue me were the great nemesis Must we do this We can pass this time softly

Randidly continued to walk and abruptly Gemma’s mood switched her face contorting into a hideous snarl She snapped her fingers and a giant body leapt over the short wall crashing down between them It of course was Rhaidon every bit as big as a truck his legs spread wide his eyes curiously mild as he regarded Randidly It’s fur was still metallic steel and copper and just a little bit of gold mixed in around his ears and eyes a beautiful life form

Nothing it seemed remained of the honorable beast that Randidly had pushed towards Gemma so the two could find support and succor in each other Randidly tried not to dwell on how perfectly these two had been poisoned and likely due to his interference although it wasn’t intentional

It was still a weight As he took another step Randidly closed his eyes and accept her malignant crazed anger into the swirl of ill will that he carried for each life he took or destroyed or warped Then he opened his eyes and took another step his gait steady

Rhaidon roared seeming liters of spittle flying forward out of his mouth towards Randidly who just narrowed his eyes Roots spray up out of the ground to catch it and knock it away When Randidly took another step three fingers shot passed him from behind interposing themselves between him and the beast

Alana arrived first pulling down her Valkyrie’s Helmet condensing sliding naturally into place on her head Without any hesitation her spear slid forward aiming for Rhaidon’s throat

Roaring it hopped slightly to the left moving its bulk with a surprising amount of grace and snapped its teeth at her

Snorting Alana spun away from the play bite and smashed her shield into the side of Rhaidon’s jaw with a sharp blow Although it was graceful it was not nearly graceful enough and there was a jarring crack as one of its teeth shattered

Instantly its eyes sharpened and a great fury arose in the air around it as if it was previously sleeping and only now did it realize that it was about to fight but at that point Chrysanthemum arrived spearing into its chest bowling the larger monster over Chrysanthemum was probably only half the size of Rhaidon but when it came to strength and momentum Randidly hadn’t encountered anyone more powerful

Even now he sweat slightly thinking about how he had used to play with Chrysanthemum casually Of course that bear had probably gained 400 pounds of pure muscle since they had done that last so Randidly tried to remind himself that his talents extended beyond simply being physically strong

Fucking all of you just let me have this just this Gemma hissed her eyes going wide a great deal of blackness gathering up towards her hands condensing into giant gauntlets covered in spikes But Thea was there whirling in front of her and Gemma had to raise a gauntlet to bat the attack away

Thea’s attack turned out to be a feint and she spun further her leg flashing out in a low kick striking Gemma at the knee causing her to stumble Randidly took two more steps and another body rushed passed him

Taking advantage of her moment of weakness Thea just thrust forward with her hammer a brutal blow that aimed to break Gemma’s nose Inwardly Randidly was relatively impressed that Thea could fight so calmly espeically against this girl who had been an age of her and so nervous and weak in their previous meeting

Unfortunately not only had Gemma become bitter she had also become much better at fighting and as the thrust rushed towards her nose she actually lowered her forehead and headbutted the hammer that was rushing towards her The strike was with enough force to send Thea stumbling backward

Randidly took another step walking calmly through the battle Gemma blinked and shook her head regaining her focus somewhat dazed Thea straightened lowering her center of gravity to try again Randidly took another step

Gemma slammed her gauntlets into the ground and there was a wave of blackness knocking Thea backward Then she pressed her hands together forming a ball of black energy pointing at Randidly At the corner of his vision he saw the details of the Skills ticking across his screen entered into party chat by Rose Heedless he took another step

In the instant before she fired the Dark Blast Ace was there smashing Gemma’s gauntleted hands off target causing the attack to whiz past and smashed into the wall about 400 meters down from where they were standing cracking and shattering it

As Rhaidon struggled to his feet fending off Chrysanthemum while Alana circled around him striking at his weaknesses Thea righted herself and charged forward towards Gemma but Randidly noticed there were tears running down her face He took another step then another

Ace brought his elbow down against Gemma’s chin sending her stumbling but only for a second because his follow up missed and Gemma weaved her way forward her crazed eyes on Randidly as he approached the gate

This wasn’t this wasn’t supposed to be what you did you were supposed to save me Gemma yelled with her voice torn between rage and betrayal Randidly ignored her and leaped covering the last few steps to the top of the walls There he activated Indomitable Will of Yggdrasil and Cruel Indignation of Yggdrasil causing the warriors on the wall to stumble away Then he leaped again heading deeper into the city

After Randidly was gone Gemma grinned and sidestepped a blow from Thea slamming her palms together A black shockwave came outwards knocking Ace and Thea backward Rhaidon leaped over Alana and landed next to his master gazing balefully at the remaining people

Heh do you think he bought it Gemma asked cheerfully a wide smile on her face The Raid Party said nothing

Che you are no fun Gemma said kicking at the dirt At that moment the warriors on the wall stood and began knocking and aiming arrows Behind the intruders the monster horde burst out of the treeline running towards their flank

To Gemma’s surprise the woman at the back with lightning crackling between her hands laughed

About damn time dungeons are such a drag without boss encounters The woman said cheerfully Then everyone began to move at once

Chapter 453

This is a trap Lucretia whispered as Randidly smashed another one of the guards to the side with roots He said nothing in response his attention focused on the delicate task of incapacitating the man without killing him Although it probably wasn’t super important to be gentle with these enemies Randidly still didn’t have an easy time killing them

He had a few those that surprised him with their physical capabilities leaping out in ambushes and the hard harsh part of Randidly took over in those frantic seconds He eviscerated them with roots the damage turning their bodies to swiss cheese But then he could almost feel their spirits float up to him sinking into his soul becoming a part of the bitter weight of his responsibility

The ire of the dead was a hard thing to handle but Randidly bore it stoically

It made sense that their strength would be that of his fellow Raid Party members In terms of straight physical capabilities they might even be superior It was only in the variety and rarity of Classes that Randidly felt confident in his compatriots And also in the tenacious ability to stay alive

Although these individuals were freshly Classed there was something profoundly dead about them Their eyes were dull and as their live drained out they said nothing as if everything that needed to be conveyed was already there

In one instance a man shot an arrow at Randidly which was deftly dodge in an offhand sidestep Frowning Randidly directed his attention causing Spearing Roots to rip upwards through the foundation of a house heading up towards a female archer on the 6th floor

The arrival of his skill was extremely loud and the female archer looked calmly down at the floor before continuing to knock an arrow and aim even though it was clear to her that death was rushing upwards towards her from below Her aim was true in the sense that the arrow sped rapidly towards Randidly only to have him dodge again This time there was a bright glow about the arrow and when it crashed into the building behind it there was a loud clap of thunder and the whole thing was ignited in a second

But a second later as she was aiming her third arrow the roots arrived lashing her apart

Her gaze was cold and not unfriendly but somewhat resentful in a way that set Randidly’s teeth on edge Her expression one of eyes brows knit together over a tight lipped mouth remained with him as he continued deeper into the strange city towards the seashell construct

Randidly wasn’t bothering for stealth at this point bursting through ambushes crushing resistance boring holes right through buildings to arrive at his destination in the quickest possible manner Because although the Creature had hundreds of years to prepare it only had 9 days since the Village was founded to leverage its advantage

In Randidly’s opinion the important steps had already been taken must necessarily have been taken by this point But there would be a refining process one that would be expedited by hundreds of years of preparation but not skipped over entirely

In a nice surprise Randidly lopped the head off a particularly rapid assassin with his spear and received a notification

Congratulations You have reached Level 15 +5 Stats distributed between Vitality Perception Resist Intelligence and Control +3 Free Stats +1 Stat to a Mental Stat +1 to a Physical Defense Stat +1 to a Mental Support Stat +1 Control +20 Health +24 Mana +23 Stamina + 5 to all Regenerations +1 to Health and Stamina Regeneration +20 Progenitor’s Influence You have gained the Skill Aether Understanding Lvl 1 The Path of the Patron 0/500 is now open to you

Aether Understanding Aids in the understanding of Aether Will be able to identify and understand Aether constructs created by others Effects increase and become more varied as Skill Level increases

In a very straightforward manner the other reward for this Level was a Path one that Randidly had some intriguing possibilities surrounding it but one that was likely something he would put off for a while Although with the way he kept obtaining interesting paths who knew when he would finally have the time and Skill leveling available to work through them all

But the more eye catching reward was the Aether Understanding Skill both because of its use and because it confirmed a deep dark fear that Randidly had held in his heart for a long time that the Creature had been involved in the creation of his Class Randidly could think of no other natural way for him to have access to Aether related Skills He had done his best to ignore that possibility focusing on the tasks at hand but the process of moving through this city was oddly mindless giving his mind the chance to dig as these insecurities

Because what did it mean if the Creature was the one who gave him these Skills If it was responsible for even this then

Abruptly Randidly thought of something and asked Lucretia Did you give Tziech the package I asked you to

Yes came her response and Randidly nodded sagely It was a gamble because now he was banking on his Soul Skills success against the invaders but it was probably worth the risk if it paid off It might finally get him the answers that had been so desperately eluding him

If the Creature had pushed his Class towards having the ability to interact with Aether it wanted him to get more powerful and to develop ways to fight against the System That generally made sense as the Creature was clearly very anti System and his Zone 33 appeared to just be a casualty of its quest to avoid the System’s eyes

After all the Creature had empowered him Sure to its own ends but those ends did involve the concentration of Aether on Earth Simply the methods that the Creature had employed would have too many casualties for Randidly to be satisfied with it Which was why the thought of leaving the Creature here with another 500 years or so was unthinkable what if she decided to just burst out of the dungeon enacting another plan that Randidly wasn’t ready for that would sacrifice Earth

At the same time the Creature needed a source of Aether which was likely why it had taken the Regalia bringing Randidly into its base Only then would it either obtain the coin he had from the early days or cause him to create a new one giving it the Aether it truly needed

Randidly’s thoughts were interrupted as he arrived in front of the giant Aether manipulation sculpture At the base there was a wide ramp that led up into the strange building’s insides The entire thing was lined with golden busts of Gemma In spite of himself and the situation Randidly snorted then he began to climb the ramp

The closer he got the more he realized that the scale of the thing was far beyond his imagining The inner sculpture was so large that a smaller city could fit within its space The other notable feature of it was that the closer he drew the more the air began to howl Although it was primarily designed to manipulate the Aether in the air in some way it also drew the air along with it causing strange wind currents in the air above him

Randidly took several terse minutes to study the Aether part of him impatient to continue on but Randidly recognized that was his stress and not that a few extra minutes would have much meaning He gained several Levels in Aether Understanding but he was still unable to figure out what the thing was supposed to do It seemed to be skimming just the top bit of Aether from everything around but then it rejected that skimmed portion and only allowed the bottom portion into space

However when it came to understanding the purpose Randidly was still a fair bit off from that

The inner hall was done in obsidian and Randidly crossed a walkway that appeared to be made from cast iron only to look down Below him was a deep deep hole leading down into darkness Across from him on the opposite side of the circle was a ramp one that spiraled downwards slowly rotating around the outside of the middle circle also disappearing into the darkness

Randidly felt a pang in his heart this would have likely been much easier if he had brought the Grey Death Cultist into this thing to help with this nonsense But it’s not like Randidly didn’t have his own tools

Focusing his will Randidly pulled on the nearby plant life bringing out something in the shape of a Root Spiderling only much larger Then he enlarged it further double strengthening the legs so that they were thick with vines and roots springy and tough so thick that they dwarfed most trees

Then while he sat on his back Randidly focused again and a small cage of roots surrounded him with just enough room to see through Then just for good measure he strengthened the legs once more pumping more and more Mana into them

With emerald eyes Randidly grinned and had his small contraption leap off of the walkway and begin its descent

Although he probably could have just dead stopped at the bottom Randidly didn’t really see the purpose of finding out whether or not his body was strong enough to survive a drop that had him reaching terminal velocity and instead had the spider thing leap towards the wall its legs latching briefly onto the solid patches of wall and propelling itself towards the other time so that it fell but its speed was continually checked

There was the awkward moment that Randidly leaped towards a spot where the outside was spiraling downward and he had to elongate the legs pressing and launching again in quick succession carefully controlling the exertions of strength so that the spider thing wouldn’t be set to spinning

Not that dizziness was a real issue but it would be incredibly annoying to stop once it had started

For the first time in a long time while maintaining an accounting for so many different variables during the fall Randidly felt the limit of his current Control Recently it had been so high that he hadn’t even need to question whether he could manage certain tasks But now doing this

To his surprise it took almost 3 minutes of falling to reach the bottom Randidly said a very thankful prayer that he hadn’t decided to try and walk down here Just imagining how long that would take made him realize how long it must have taken to dig this hole this deep

At the bottom there was a wide bronze door and beyond that there was a room shaped like the bottom of the Roman arena there was a dirt floor and the walls were lined with dropped portcullises behind which monsters undoubtedly waited The walls around those opening were intricately carved depicting strange monsters and the sharp angular form that was somewhat similar to angels Pictured front and center was some sort of slender dog with bat wings

Two figures stood in the center of the arena waiting One of the figures smiled at his arrival Ah so we can finally begin

Chapter 454

No need to wait on my account Randidly said dryly walking into the room not bothering to get off of his giant Root Spider Instead he focused on Glittering Leaves of Yggdrasil as much as possible Mana rushing into him to fill up his pools

Well I only thought it polite The Creature said its mouth twisted into a smirk After all you are an inspiration for most of this In your feeble and foolish struggles I saw possibilities I hadn’t considered before In that at least you may hold a bit of pride

The Creature was still wearing Lyra’s face but it had been stretched and wrinkled into the form Lyra would most likely have at 40 years of age It was still a distinguished and lovely visage for all that the Creature’s control warped it In addition the Creature for whatever reason had kept her eyes closed so Randidly had the displeasure of talking to a person who wouldn’t look at him

Next to it there was another familiar face Cyndra She stood calmly her arms at her sides but what disturbed Randidly the most was that her gaze was curiously mild and she regarded him with none of her previous disgust but now with a mild curiosity as one would a new and relatively strange bug

It seemed that for her at least the Creature had called in the favor that these people owed it taking some manner of control of her Likely in exchange for her people’s freedom And based on the Aether he could sense coming from her

Slightly furious Randidly said to the Creature You made her do the same thing that I did You had her kill the Tribulation without getting a Class Inside of her she holds an Aether Spring

The Creature laughed and every tinkling edge of Lyra’s cultured laugh set Randidly’s teeth on edge Well of course You demonstrated how easily it could be utilized as a path to power Of course I wasn’t able to take advantage of the Blessings you have had so evolving it into a proper Aether Crossroads will take some time But I almost wonder if perhaps the Founder of the System was right in this regard a true Aether Crossroads is pointlessly dangerous to those in power An Aether Spring is much more palatable

Randidly gave Cyndra a look that was filled with pity Then he turned his attention back to the Creature What is this then Why did you give me an aspect of my Class You are pushing me and polishing me even while you try to sacrifice this Zone for your own ends What do you truly intend Is this all a training plan with real consequences Or do you truly

But Randidly stopped speaking because the Creature began to laugh in a completely different way than Lyra would normally laugh This was a deep sinister giggling thing It made him shiver almost involuntarily

Hahaha You are such a self centered race It’s true I’ve been testing you pushing you increasingly far but that is only because I was being honest earlier the way you have grown connecting with the Aether Crossroads It is unexpected But truly it’s like how would you Earthlings say it it as though you were watching a snail develop the ability to play music Well perhaps that accurately captures your weakness but it loses some accuracy as to why I indulge you it is like having a pet dog teach itself to steal apples from your neighbor’s yard Although I truly could care less about the petty trick it is fascinating that the neighbors don’t have a system in place to notice the thievery It makes me wonder what else is left unguarded

It trailed off for a second the Lyra’ body tapping the Lyra jaw and then abruptly she continued Which is why I don’t mind continually giving you outs so I could see how adaptable and useful such a trick is And now I am content with having learned all that is possible from you to be able to create a Class haphazard and almost contradictory as it is is a coop against the founder of the System for me

You wish to strengthen your little puppet Randidly asked with a curled lip

The Creature seemed petulant as it looked at him I know you listen better than that I have no desire for my dog to have a full Aether Crossroads I will be taking yours for myself As you have seen I have been experimenting with that weak willed Champion the Wild Rider to understand how to safely cleft apart a soul extracting what I want I am confident that I will be able to accomplish it with minimal damage to the valuable pieces

I suppose it’s needless to say that I won’t allow that to happen Randidly said solemnly His face still Inwardly be marshaled everything he could manage Aether began to howl in a circle around him as he drew more and more Aether forward forming it into a torrential maelstrom surrounding him

On it She replied and Randidly began to feel the Aether crashing around him resolving itself into a more respectable form taking on simple repeatable constructs of Aether designed to repel the Creature’s advances and slow it down allowing their other plans to work Though Randidly wasn’t nearly as skilled as Lucretia in manipulating Aether the boost from Aether Understanding gave him a surprising amount of insights even now as he watched her work his neck tense

The Creature’s mouth twisted into a smile Is the parlay portion of the evening over Excellent onto the fun part

Like a sharp swimming among minnows Randidly sensed the two probes sent by Lucretia ripping through his spinning wall of Aether like it was nothing Very quickly it had penetrated through ? of his defenses heading straight for his Soul Space aiming to establish a direct connection to him Randidly didn’t doubt that at the same time the assault in his Soul Skill grew more desperate

He wished he had a few more seconds to check in on them to determine if there were any forms of assistance that he could give But instead he remained in the moment his eyes narrowed From his spatial ring Randidly produced a pistol and raised it to aim at the Creature

It clicked its tongue at him amused A firearm yes You must be aware that such things would do little but destroy this pretty little body So why bother Do you have a plan

The probes had slowed somewhat wary but they still had gone through 60% of the outside of the maelstrom of Aether constructs even as Randidly and Lucretia combined to churn out more and more As he had expected he was still far from the ability to repel her by simply relying on his Aether Skills In that he was a distant second to her

Randidly fired the bullet When it hit the Creature’s body the capsule inside of it collapsed and the Tellumurite continued with it ignited in the air As Mrs Hamilton had discovered and showed him all that time ago upon being released there was a slow burn in an average person’s Aether thick and impure and constrained as it was But in pure Aether it ignited in a second burning it out of the air

Even though he had prepared for it the immediate conflagration and disappearance of his Aether seemed to knock the wind out of him Immediately he felt extremely weak But his emerald eyes flashed in a pleased gleam the Creature’s two probes had been annihilated in the explosion of his Aether

If Randidly was somewhat knocked off his balance the Creature was completely floored It stood stock still its face twisted and hideous almost double as much as usual Immediately it recovered and sent three probes rushing towards him All the while Randidly had been flooding the air with more Aether that Lucretia shaped in those same simple concepts to slow the Creature down Calmly Randidly raised his pistol again taking aim once more

The Creature’s probes paused hesitating before it sank into the thick cloud of Aether around him Grinning Randidly produced more and more thickening the air with energy trying his best not to get carried away by the expanding energy

After a time at which he was more confident in holding against her for a few seconds Randidly said you were interested in my ability to create a Class because you have no way of obtaining more Aether than you already have right So you wanted to isolate yourself with a VIllage and do experiments finding a way to obtain your own Aether through the System Failing that you would take mine

Which is less than desirable at this point because you are marked by the System The Creature finished its face healing back to immaculate But the Creature’s voice seemed tired now and extremely acidic

It must have hurt you a lot to have lost those probes Randidly said slowly unsure of how true that statement was It was a loss for it yes but as to the extent of the damage the Creature said nothing nothing bothering to humor his fishing attempt Undeterred Randidly said I have to ask though seeing my strength why are you so intent on causing our Zone to fail and fall off from the Earth Did you ever consider combining forces to fight the System

Honestly one of the worst case scenarios was that the Creature would immediately agree it was a good idea and ask to be allies against the System together He already had to deal with Lucretia as a possible traitor constantly and although that stress had become a constant the Creature was an existence on an order of magnitude higher Maintaining constant readiness against it

Luckily it shook its head the blonde hair swaying You do not understand There is even together although how that would not just be myself with you as cheerleaders I an unable to fathom we cannot escape at this point If the Calamity comes it will take us all

You cannot know that Randidly retorted frowning

Ha how foolish you are If your puny planet passes the first three tests of the Calamity and the final test descends well that fourth test might as well be an executioner’s blade All of us will die

Chapter 455

There were several sharp shocks about this statement The first and most pressing of which Randidly blurted out without even thinking You can speak about the Calamity

He had for so long dealt with forces unable to speak because of the watch of the System where it would warp the language they were speaking even between two individuals that spoke the same original language Although Randidly was aware that the Creature had made changes to the speaking software somehow he figured that was only able to overwrite what a person said delivering a different message not somehow bypassing the System’s block on information regarding the Calamity

But then Randidly’s eyes widened because he considered another possibility

The Creature adopted one of her usual smirks You have undoubtedly noticed that there are perhaps two Systems in place Your antics actually made me realize it was done in such a sloppy manner that it can be bypassed so easily Yes we can speak of the Calamity it is the way by which the true System determines what to do with those planets that it absorbs into its greedy maw

Even though Randidly was excited to hear news of the Calamity he was careful about how much of the information she was giving he would hold as true Even so he put down all of it to memory so that he could ascertain the veracity later But what was interesting and slightly disturbing was that Randidly wasn’t able to bring up his menus currently

The Raid Party chat had been silent for a while and Randidly had been worried It turned out it had just been unable to penetrate through this Exofact Which reassured him in a way but also made his heart sink The Creature would have known that this radio silence would initiate and if it planned to make a move it would have gone immediately after he had gone out of range

Too late to worry about that now however What Randidly did wonder was how you could go on Paths without the menus Would you just gravitate towards one instinctually That made a certain amount of sense in one way but on the other hand how much PP would you put into a Path A point every time you got one Would it take a while sometimes to determine what was next if you didn’t take any significant actions

It was fine for now as his Soul Skill turmoil had stopped him dead in terms of upgrading his paths Could PP get through right now

Randidly didn’t plan on remaining here long enough to find out

What are you so afraid of Randidly asked curious but also more interested in keeping the Creature talking than letting it think of a way to blindside him Randidly too was moving to have an advantage over the monster but that was now in the hands of his little minions Stalling was his current game

Heh a long coming fate that it would be difficult to understand There can be compromises between us you know But you must fail the 3rd test It would be even better if you would be willing to fail the second but I can understand why that would be a point of contention for you

As I said the Calamity is the System’s way of judging what stage a planet should be placed at If you fail the first test the planet is deemed trash and the System pulls away leaving a planet as it was before as if the System had never arrived

What about all the people who died Randidly asked something rising in his heart It was half hope and if he was being honest with himself half worry

The Creature seemed amused coming back into her positive humor as she rubbed his face in his lack of knowledge They remain dead And before you become too enamored in a prospect know that this comes with a rather bloody cleanse of all those touched by the System’s taint I suspect you would end up being the only remaining human afterward if such a thing interests you

Randidly’s blood turned cold The Creature continued speaking that and newborns I suppose Those without a Class If the first test is passed then your planet becomes eligible to have its people populate dungeons If the 2nd test is passed you become a Strife’ planet That is what your teacher’s Shal’s planet is These planets form the main base of energy for the System to expand The hatred the twisted images all those fuel the System in growing larger

And the third test Randidly spared Cyndra another glance The entire discussion and then in the brief Aether confrontation she had stood completely still The longer such a frozen state lasted the more Randidly felt nervous about what it meant about her

If you pass the 3rd you earn the dubious honor of having your planet judged for anything of use to the System proper Specifically armor Classes Skills or Paths It is constantly searching for something better than itself to face the great monstrous bogeyman that the System sees as standing beyond its borders the problem is that the contents of the report Octavius Shrike will release should you pass the 3rd test of the Calamity You have created your own Class with a well documented process That will intrigue the System

You speak as though the System is a person Randidly said slowly

The Creature just smiled and ignored the question Instead she said There is a larger problem as well that anyone higher than Octavius will notice should they see the report generated on you You possess at least a dozen Skills that you should not Some of them can be explained away by your unique circumstances but there are two glaring red flags on you that will earn you the highest scrutiny The first Your initial time in a dungeon

Randidly had expected to hear this for a long time but still his mouth twitched almost unwilling to admit it That was because of you

Ha again you seem to take it so personally The Creature said wrinkling its nose I did this for about 10 000 people on 10 000 planets sending them into dungeons beyond their level usually those that possessed other dungeon divers The goal was to bring in Skills beyond a normal person’s means to the early System and have normal strife result in my empowered warriors attacking and taking over a Village I have long exhausted other avenues and I was curious how the System would react As you can expect tens of millions died without any results to speak of You were one of the more interesting iterations I must admit

And the second red flag Randidly asked frustrated how tired his voice sounded To think so many people had been thrown in beyond their depth to only die on a whim of this being Without a significant amount of luck spawning next to a safe zone Randidly would be the same dead in a random dungeon on another world

Also my work The Skill Touch from Beyond The Creature said sounding annoyed I thought I would be clever and slip it in but now I could have covered for the first but not the second Touch from Beyond that is the touch of Nether It is the breath of the boogeymen the System fears I am not sure if they will assume it is me or whether or whether the imaginary enemies have finally reared their ugly heads but

The Creature looked up sharply Perhaps you are right I have kept you in the dark for far too long Although we are not peers you are beyond my understanding in certain ways A man cannot fathom the dimensions available to an ant Take this information on the Calamity as a show of good faith If you leave now I give you my word that I will help you pass the first two tests of the Calamity But we must fail the third

We Randidly thought wonderingly surprised how quickly the Creature changed its tune In addition this pleading this strange compromise so suddenly

If the Creature was telling the truth Randidly could see how he would be tempted by the offer They would find themselves at constant war based on what Randidly knew of Shal’s world but how was that much different than they had been before the System arrived The tension the constant war at least in this instance their enemies would be those from other worlds Humanity as a whole would be working together for the greater good

Randidly slowly and deliberately shook his head All of this was based upon information the Creature provided It painted a pretty picture but he had no proof it was telling the truth If it had lied or omitted something and humanity became doomed because of this

In addition he would need to leave now and let the Creature continue whatever activities it was conducting here By now he was thoroughly spooked by Cyndra’s stillness He would not let this develop further not when he had the hopes of crushing this before it became a persistent problem

Randidly produced his spear from his spatial ring and adopted a stance spreading his bare feet on the dirt floor The three Aether probs surged forward aiming for his Soul Space with malicious intent In addition Cyndra’s feet struck the floor and her body hurtled forward towards him

Lovely

Chapter 456

As Cyndra rushed forward towards him he put the pistol back into his spatial ring hoping that he would have a few clashes to get the measure of her before he would be forced to shoot it in order to repel the Creature’s Aether probes This time the Creature was sending them staggered so one pierced in quickly one medium speed and the final one just revolved around ripping the edges off of his Aether flood managing it

When his body hit the far wall rebounding off of its cracked surface Randidly spat out a mouthful of blood He was barely able to keep his footing and Cyndra was already ripping towards him holding her two long knives high her eyes glowing a bright and vivid violet

How Randidly asked shocked but he didn’t have time because she was already there in front of him His body wasn’t cooperating so in spite of his thoughts on wasting so much Mana so early he activated Ash to Ash for a brief second letting the attack reduce his body to ash condensing quickly several meters away

Cyndra had to skip a few times this time slightly stunned by swinging so powerfully without hitting anything She twisted and glared at Randidly the fury clear even while her expression remained strangely distant

Pursing his lips Randidly opened up more distance Already his powerful regeneration was kicking in mending his shattered ribs and the deep bruises in his hands that had barely maintained a grip on his spear Cyndra began to rush towards him again quickly gaining a huge amount of momentum

Although in terms of instant acceleration she wasn’t impressive her top speed and her strength

At the last second Randidly hopped to the side dancing past her and Cyndra’s eyes flashed her hands blurring Throwing knives shot outward cracking against the bones of his cloak cracking and breaking some In addition she stopped not immediately but with two short hops dispersing her momentum and rushed at him again It was a slower turn than Randidly had but the speed was more than he could manage

Grimacing Randidly tried to use roots and vines springing up to slow her but he couldn’t get a handle on her ankles and his attempts to trip her didn’t phase her in the least she simply ripped through them with brute force

Gun Lucretia’s whisper drew him back to the other threat and Randidly had to make a difficult decision Honestly it wasn’t so difficult but Randidly hesitated for a split second before making it almost shocked he had been pushed so far so quickly But he did it gritting his teeth taking one hand off of his spear raising and shooting the pistol

The Creature had gotten too greedy after Randidly was struck earlier and once more lost two of its probes The third one was far enough back that it was able to snatch it backward at the last minute avoiding the sharp burning of Aether and it rushed out immediately

Looking at the two sharp knife blows coming towards him from Cyndra Randidly gritted his teeth He expelled Aether from himself like a rolling back of fog and shot the pistol again With all the strength he could muster weakened from overextending his Aether he swung his spear to meet Cyndra’s blow activating Yyrwood Flesh of Yggdrasil

The Aether ignited once more and the Creature’s probe was annihilated It screeched in hatred but then Cyndra’s blows reached Randidly knocking aside his weakened strike and ripping two large gashes in his bone cloak cutting deeply into his right shoulder and midsection

There was enough force to throw him across the arena once more and Randidly knew in a cold flash that if the Bone Cloak hadn’t been there those blows would have cut him into three pieces and no amount of high regeneration would have saved him Already he was at 60% life just from two trades

But Cyndra had stopped to finish her attack and behind her was a Grasp of Lava the fingers so hot they still glowed yellow The thing closed on her with a satisfying thwap and Cyndra grunted and fell to the ground

Grinning Randidly forced himself to stand leveraging his body to his feet with his spear Then Cyndra also stood wiping away the lava from her back her skin red and sizzling but seeming to be in no real danger

Village Dungeons Randidly spat out like a curse

The Creature licked its teeth Exactly And I trained her with a bit more of a specific target in mind Capped her other stats at 250 and all the rest into Strength and Resistance Be proud she was designed to make you irrelevant She even has about 700 fewer stats than you But with a little focus

Randidly grimaced doing some quick calculations in his head based on his memory of his stats Then he cursed quietly If he had basically ignored all the Mental stats and pushed it all into physical he would likely have something like 500 Strength and Resistance Which explained why when they crossed swords he was smashed backward

Based on what he had seen later points in stats did less But that was still a difference of about 300 at the very least Which was higher than his Strength actually was Effectively treating her as though she was double as strong as him seemed to be the way to handle this Which meant that a single knife could deal with him while the other knife struck

Gritting his teeth Randidly focused on healing as much as possible as Cyndra rushed towards him again He threw up a Wall of Thorns blocking off vision and a second later she burst through But as she did so she paused briefly on her next step scanning around

Randidly who had activated Twilight Manipulation to hide in the shadows of the arena grinned and instantly used about 30% of his Mana to fill the underground with Wall of Thorns Although this build of Cyndra’s was powerful it had some glaring weakness It couldn’t have been Reaction to deal with that high speed and it turned out that the Creature had skimped on Perception

Careful

Lucretia’s warning came just in time and Randidly doubled up on releasing Aether because 4 of the Creature’s probes scythed through the air homing towards him They didn’t need any sort of perception and shot unerringly towards him A split second later Cyndra ripped her way through a wall of thorns and spotted him Bellowing she launched herself towards him

Randidly rolled out of the way hoping that he would be able to stall with both of them aiming for him

Tziech felt like a god of war walking through the monstrous invaders a wedge of wargs following behind him His right hand was a hammer covered in that strange darkness that insidious numbing frost crushing the foes in front of it Everything it touched was broken and destroyed warped and shattered

Meanwhile his left hand was a gentler touch pushing a blocking weapon a little to the side pulling an ally just a half inch in the right direction to avoid a killing blow Tziech felt like an orchestra host moving through a choreographed waltz controlling it all As if in response a few of the Two Headed Reavers appeared breathing that violet fumes as if their very souls were aflame

Tziech almost believed that they were and would have felt pity for them had they met under different circumstances As it was

Energy flared from his left hand and the greatsword the one swung missed Tziech and slashed sideways overbalancing the creature The tip of the sword sank into its partner’s toes setting it to howling in pain Taking a step forward Tziech met the third directly with a blow from his right arm cracking its body its vital fluids draining away to join the mush of flesh and bodies that now formed the ground upon which they stood

Sighing Tziech raised a hand to his forehead and peered forward while the wargs around him finished off the off balance and ill prepared Reavers

They had pierced very deeply into enemy lines It was clear to Tziech that they had penetrated much farther much faster than they had expected But to each side seas of Aether Thralls and Reavers screamed their hatred preparing to give their lives to take the bright precious energy from this world

He turned to the wargs behind him Head west cutting through the forces and reinforcing the Spriggit lines Once those midgets build up some momentum for their mechs they will be able to cut through these little bugs like wheat

The captain nodded his face stoic Tziech almost wondered if he was supposed to slip a knife into his ribs on order on Varga aiming for when he was most ill prepared for it paving her way to ascension as the Monster Queen That would be the sort of move that she considered to be almost polite to demonstrate that she considered him a real threat

Nothing showed in the man’s face however and when he scanned the horizon he saw what could only be Varga’s main force absolutely mopping the floor with several hundred of the enemy driving them into the drive to snipe and drown them

And you sir The Captain finally asked snapping Tziech back to focus

Grinning he turned and looked towards the pulsing glow of energy on the horizon Between him and that conduit the huge four armed Devastator stood its powerful lower jaw moving as its gaze covered the battlefield On its legs it stood at about 10 meters towering over him In a strange coincidence with about a half mile separating them their eyes met

Tziech grin was wolfish I have a challenger to my seat as king of the monsters You’ll excuse me to settle this in private

With that he strode forward carving a path to his opponent

Chapter 457

Fuck everyone pull back together NOW Someone’s using a Skill on the Death Cultists all of them at once

Thea grunted more to herself than anyone else because no one could hear the noise over the sound of her hammer crushing in the skull of one of the weird pseudo humans that populated the Dungeon Had it been a few weeks ago before she had really grown into this Skill her Dance of the Ghostbear Thea didn’t think she could manage it

Not in terms of pure combat skills although it was true that she was so much stronger than she had been before coming here But in terms of mentality There was a certain numbness in the heat that infused her when she used the Skill and it was easy to lose herself in that letting the fury take care of moral quandaries Mostly it dealt with them by flat out annihilating them leaving nothing but a strange addictive passion in its wake

Still if something was going wrong in such a way that Rose was losing her cool

Thea whistled and began sprinting back towards the main group which were about 30 meters behind her Some of their group stayed towards the center to keep track of the huge clash of bodies going on around them While the Death Cultists were protecting their back the Raid Dungeon crew had been rapidly ripping through the Dintan people burning their Stamina and Mana to do it

Even though they hadn’t held anything back it had been hard These were tough strong opponents with high level Skills and a Class But that Class was recently obtained so after focusing concentrated fire on them they would swiftly crack and break falling away

But that took time and with the absolute tide of monsters screaming for their blood there was something of a deadline

Meanwhile Ace and Alana two of their best close combat specialists were tied up keeping Gemma and Rhaidon under control Just when it seemed that they would overpower them Rhaidon would display a burst of strength covering for Gemma who was somewhat uninspired in her battle strategies she basically hacked at you until you died Against Alana this was almost child’s play to handle

It was an unwelcome reminder to Thea of the girl that Gemma had been before before she had been taken here against her will and

Slow and Wither Skills From the Death Cultists targeting US No longer friendlies Rose’s scream sounded and that gave Thea some pause as she rushed back towards the group The Death Cultists were targeting them

Chain Lightning Chain Lightning Chain Lightning Clarissa’s hands were those of a conductor controlling the lightning almost 8 bolts at once moving back and forth crisscrossing through the monsters between them and the Death Cultists While the group hadn’t been paying attention it appeared that the Death Cultists had allowed the monsters through and had planned on attacking them from behind

If Rose’s Skill didn’t detect it

Through the hole Chrysanthemum charged a huge train based upon the amount of force contained in her body Thea grinned truly she loved to see her partner moving at her top speed it filled her with a wonderful admiration for the world and for nature’s natural genius

Annie leaped forward arrows blurring and curving seemingly just bolts of pure energy snapping over Chrysanthemum’s head smashing aside any monsters that noticed what was happening and moved to stop it There were only a few based on the speed at which the Raid Party reacted They hadn’t necessarily been training to work together in perfect concert while they were here but each of them had a System boosted Intelligence and had seen their fellows Skills dozens of times

Honestly if they hadn’t picked up each other’s timing it would be almost insane

But then the Death Cultist led by a red eyed Grey Death Cultist finished their spell and Chrysanthemum groaned her speed slowing immensely Through their bond Thea could feel the drain on Chrysanthemum’s life force and her fury reached a fever pitch Roaring she charged forward to exact vengeance on these Death Cultists but Annie was much closer

When that woman moved she fucking moved and covered half the distance in a second launching herself high in the air Behind Thea heard a shout from Gemma Like I’ll let you and then Alana’s calm short and didn’t even bother to turn around just rushing forward her eyes following Annie arc up into the air

By the time Thea had reached the grouping of Rose Ptolemy and Drake Annie was an incandescent sun in the sky But when she spoke her words echoed as if the very light she was producing carried the noise outward in a circle Winter’s Dream

At first there was nothing and then from Annie spiraled outward several snowflake petals that split into several hundred orbs that split into several thousand arrows They fell like the driven snow thick and blinding and heavy smashing into the middle of the mass of Death Cultists where their grey leaders stood

Hissing the Red Death Cultists rushed forward throwing their bodies in the way leaping to protect their leaders and then the arrows arrived cutting through into the bodies For a second the whole battlefield seemed to still even the Dintan behind them even Gemma and Rhaidon just listening to the thwack of arrows into bodies

Annie fell to the ground panting and hopped backward a bunch heading back towards the group Because although there appeared to be about 200 Death Cultists that were now dead laying on the ground three Grey Death Cultists shoved aside the bodies of Grey and Red Death Cultists alike looking at the Raid Party with angry eyes And behind them a wave of monsters came roaring

Chrysanthemum had made it back to Ptolemy who dispelled the Wither and Slow cast on her She snorted in thanks and looked at Thea in askance Thea looked at Rose Rose was biting her lip

They are doing wither and slow again We need to stop them if we are gonna have a chance of this Rose said her eyes bright as they flicked to and fro searching for a way out Clarissa how much Mana do you have

It was a strange question because Clarissa was throwing back Mana potions at the moment In answer she just held out her hand and wiggled it back and forth in a somewhat ambivalent gesture Rose’s eyes darkened

On it Lucifer grunted out and he produced a small knife from his spatial ring Waving the knife up and down he seemed to cut the world There was suddenly a jagged gash there where there hadn’t been one before Without fanfare hefting his huge blade he stepped through the hole

and appeared behind the Grey Death Cultists his sword silent despite its large size beheading all three at once Then he stepped back through appearing next to the rest of the group Deftly he used his fingers to close up the hole in the air

Everyone was gaping at him

That wasn’t a Skill Rose said admiring the small knife in Lucifer’s hands

He grunted Reward for defeating the first Tier III Raid Boss I prefer bigger swords however

Even Thea winced at that Truly this guy was someone who had nothing on his mind but hard hard steel

FUCK Gemma screamed Just die already will you Once we end you we are all finally free We can enter eternal rest Why won’t you die

A lifetime isn’t long enough to explain why my life is worth so much more than yours Ace said casually running towards Gemma low to the ground With a screech the woman warped by time moved to meet him Thea glanced at Rose in askance Better to find out information now while she still had a thread of clarity and could keep back the red from her vision

Drake lumbered forward his huge bone armor making him look more like the monsters that were rushing towards them than a member of the Raid Party Anything else

Nothing unusual Rose said glancing around The Death Cultists the remaining thousand or so were forming up into a column and rushing towards them with the monsters But this is gonna be a slog

Lucifer stored his knife away and produced another large sword the insect scythe he had found earlier in the Raid Dungeon Annie knocked an arrow

No time to waste then She commented and then everyone exploded out in different directions

Clarissa finished what must have been her 20th potion and raised her hands over her head Maelstrom

Chapter 458

The Devastator lay exhausted before Tziech its body broken the light slowly leaving its eyes Grimacing Tziech sat upwards holding onto his left shoulder as best he could Even now some of the Reavers and Aether Thralls were considering the merits of attacking him weakened as he was by the fighting

But that cut both ways and a column of Spriggit mechs was cruising in the space left by the conflict between the heads of the two armies But it was a boat in the tide and it seemed that no matter how many of the enemies they killed more crawled out of the ground howling and fully formed This was a Cataclysm for their world Tziech suddenly realized

And that was because they were weak The scope of this conflict was far beyond the ken of anyone he knew They were pawns in a great game borne out through different times and different locations of the Progenitor versus this great other As he tried his best to stabilize his injuries with the medicines given to him Tziech wondered about the other

Its minions were mindless and violent content to sacrifice their bodies just to wound the opposition It was a powerful dedication to a cause that scared Tziech If this world hadn’t been pushed to the brink of destruction brought to the edge of death there would be no way to motivate an all out struggle against the invaders

If it had been more of a colonization rather than an annihilation

Around the time that Tziech felt he was well enough to move without worries of moving without worsening his injuries a few Reavers worked up the nerve to approach him But as they came a figure appeared at his side holding a long beaten up spear

Thief Tziech said calmly his face studiously still

She nodded at him a smirk on her face King

Then she went to work The Monster King had only seen the Thief fight once and that was a time where he was on the receiving end of her strength She was an incredibly agile fighter so much so that it seemed almost impossible all the ways she was able to contort her body and strike She was a nightmare to duel with just for the fact that she constantly forced you to make decisions regarding which part of your body you were willing to sacrifice in order to stop her

Of course these fodder had no ability to slow her down and within 20 seconds they were all dead Tziech had to say he much preferred being on her side to fighting against her

How’s your condition She asked immediately after the enemies were clear

There was a part of Tziech that wanted to lie to tell her he was slightly wounded or even that he was fine and that everything would be fine And it wasn’t that he hadn’t intended to tell her exactly that but when he opened his mouth those words weren’t there

They had been absorbed by the creeping cold inside of him Tziech abruptly realized and then laughed aloud which caused the Thief to pale abruptly He waved his hand realizing the misunderstanding and aiming to correct it I’m fine for now but I will not live long after the battle

Pursing her lips the Thief said Maybe that would be true if you would be treated in a monster hut but Spriggit technology is so advanced that they can regrow limbs You’ll be fine

Perhaps again Tziech could have said nothing just nodded and followed her but this time it all had become too much He wanted to share his decision just once before the end with someone else no it was not my injuries from the battle against the Devastator that worry me so It is this right hand of the Progenitor’s

What do you mean She said

The destruction it has caused is so great and that comes at a cost My own body is breaking apart Right now even my superior physique will collapse under its strain given time

What He gave you that without warning you The Thief’s eyes turned dangerous with a hard glint to them as she clutched her spear Something was changing in her heart as she doubted the plan and the parts they both had to play

So then Tziech lied No he told me But I chose this Its power is great We needed it

You’ve been using it this whole time The Thief whispered her eyes wet

Shrugging Tziech said As I said we needed it Now will you follow me He gestured towards the glowing beam of light that shot off into the sky beyond a regiment of Aether Thralls

After several moments of hesitation the Thief nodded But Tziech noticed how tight her hands were on the shaft of her spear She had been taking it relatively easy Tziech knew Fighting to the best of her ability of course but not putting her life on the line Not exhausting herself And now this ancient defender of the land was wracked with guilt seeing Tziech’s own life leak away

And for that Tziech was sorry But just like he would sacrifice his own body for the greater good of this world of his home of his monster race he would sacrifice hers too

Some things purposeful some not

Together they moved forward and tore apart the enemies in front of them the Thief skewering them Tziech smashing them apart with brute force freely using his right hand There was no point in holding back now the damage had been done to his body What he lacked most at the moment was time and any actions he could take to accomplish this goal faster

When the enemies were clear they stood before the band of energy frozen for a moment by its majesty It was blue green the color of coral in the clean sea Tziech had never seen the sea the true sea that wasn’t just a very large swamp but immediately the color struck him of one full of life

Take my hand Tziech commanded

Which one The Thief countered with a raised eyebrow but before he could respond she had grabbed his right one Immediately she shivered Great Progenitor but your hand is cold

Hold on tight Smiling in spite of himself Tziech stepped forward Immediately he felt the strange energy of the pillar of light seize him and begin twisting him It wasn’t so much that he was moving but that the world around him was folding in on itself over and over until

They emerged from the pillar finding themselves as previously on top of a low hill but that was where the similarities end The pillar they were next to now was a crimson red the edges of it an angry violet color Strange bones were arrayed nearby so that it seemed that they were standing in a graveyard likely of a race of beings similar to the Devastator he just killed Except for the specific bones around them formed great piles and sculptures twisted greying monstrous things so that every individual bone seemed to blend together to become an undead land that surrounded them

Sweet oblivion The Thief whispered looking up and Tziech followed her gaze

Floating above them were huge blue crystals the same color as the pillar of energy in the Progenitor’s world They seemed to be about as big as a city and if one toppled down towards them Tziech had no confidence in being able to survive the impact let alone stop such a huge amount of force Even with this right hand of his it was completely on another scale

As if on cue his right hand twinged painfully a reminder of what would happen to him Tziech ignored it his gaze staying upwards Because beyond the crystals the sky was split into a checkerboard these jet black lines running across the sky only showing these segmented squares of freedom

This proved to be an incredibly apt metaphor because as Tziech looked closer he realized that those black lines were thick chains crisscrossing this entire world Around them the world was empty seemingly populated only by the bones the drifting crystals and then the huge chains binding the world Tziech shuddered to think how large those chains must be in order to cover all of that distance

Alright let’s begin Tziech finally said unsure what else they were supposed to do He removed a small pouch from his pack and placed it upon the ground The Thief held her spear aloft and closed her eyes concentrating Slowly then with increasing speed a strange greyness was released from the end of the spear that fell to the ground and began to spread out slowly Where it touched the color seemed to fade and it became slightly obscure as if a thin fog was falling over everything in the world

Then Tziech settled down to wait wondering in what form the counterattack would arrive

Chapter 459

Randidly rolled to the side and then was forced to perform a back handspring as Cyndra immediately adjusted one of her knives slashing outward Her blows were no joke and he was barely healing enough to keep ahead of the accumulated damage he had received in those first two big blows and glancing blows since

Inside of him all of his Yggdrasil Skills were working at full power filling his Health Mana and Stamina pools as well as aiding concentration In addition he focused the Righteous Indignation of Yggdrasil specifically hoping that it would slow Cyndra down

No such luck unfortunately It truly seemed that she was powerfully resistant to different spells which gave Randidly a headache Although she hadn’t been specced specifically to shine in Endurance and Vitality they still were about as high as his just from the fact that she hadn’t destroyed herself utilizing that huge amount of Strength she possessed He didn’t have any proof but he suspected it would be possible to raise one or two Stats so high that they became bound by other Stats

For example a high Agility being useless without increased Perception and Reaction which was the thin space that Randidly was already using to slip by At this point Randidly was ready to move onto Plan B but Lucretia assured him that Plan A was progressing well so not to force it But at this point if something didn’t change soon

Randidly threw up three Wall of Thorns darting between them also activating Twilight Manipulation to cover his hiding spot Roaring with fury Cyndra crushed through them her eyes sharp

Incoming came Lucretia’s warning and Randidly swore and produced his pistol firing quickly hoping to catch some of the Creature’s probes There were five this time but as soon as Randidly moved they leaped backward as if they knew that he was going to fire immediately

Suddenly dizzy Randidly could only grit his teeth and pump out more Aether some vital part of him becoming increasingly weary The strain of creating so much Aether and having it destroyed was beginning to wear on him

The Creature laughed amused and Cyndra pursued him all the while almost catching up to him a knife swipe cutting just a few centimeters away from his wrist

A surge of strength filled Randidly as he raised his spear and opened his mouth A Spear Advances Ash

But as he began speaking those fives probes rushed forward like vipers aiming for when both of his hands were occupied Switching quickly he produced the pistol again and fired Luckily in this burning of Aether he got two of the probes but there was another more grim realization four more bullets

Randidly hadn’t expected this portion of the fight to go on for so long

In addition

BOOM

The room shook as a knife blow ripped a jagged gash in his Bone Cloak cut through the meat of his thigh and impacted the ground shattering it Luckily the wound was relatively shallow but by this point his Bone Cloak was looking extremely tattered as if it was the castoff of a homeless necromancer rather than the greatest equipment to come out of Donnyton

Already Randidly had noticed that some of the Stats were fading from it although he couldn’t use menus to check the details of that In addition it was becoming harder and harder for Twilight Manipulation to be used effectively so his plan of hiding and using Cyndra’s relatively lower Perception were hitting a dead end

Feeling desperate Randidly grimaced and said Call Grove Defenders Control

There was a low rumbling in the ground but Cyndra largely ignored it raising her gaze to stare as mild as ever at Randidly Then she pressed her foot to the ground and shot towards him advancing toward Randidly Not willing to hold anything back he activated Four Shaded Clockwork Domain the two buffs for him the two nerfs for her In both cases it was a small thing a Skill he hadn’t had time to refine but

Every little bit helped

This time when Cyndra came Randidly stood his ground focusing on Spear Phantom’s Embrace When she attacked he weaved his way through the storm of blows while behind him a strange tentacled creature rose out of the ground

Grrumm The Grove Defender said sucking in a mouthful of air and then its tentacles shot outwards twining seamlessly around Randidly’s body aiming for Cyndra

While her eyes traced this new threat Randidly lashed out with his spear striking at her side Almost offhand Cyndra deflected the blow to the side and then Randidly was forced to scramble back to avoid a pincer attack she had launched with her two knives

It really looked like a tentacle monster with about 50 tentacles emerging from the fat blob that was its body and about half that from its head Several wrapped around Cyndra and Randidly heard and felt a sharp discharge of electricity Randidly winced That wasn’t gonna work

And indeed Cyndra didn’t even seem to notice instead she ignored the tentacles and launched herself towards Randidly again He raised his spear then aimed a thrust towards her As she raised her knives to knock it to the side the Control monster used its different grips on her to discharge electricity and when that failed to work again it just twisted as hard as it could It could not change her body’s position due to her vastly superior Strength but it did manage to rotate her body in mid air

Randidly scored a slash across her ribs but was forced to withdraw abruptly because Cyndra unleashed a massively powerful blow that would not have been fine to take He made some distance but Cyndra just used that to turn and grab the tentacles of the Grove Defender pulling it towards her It had grips with about a third of its tentacles on her and another third on various cracks in the arena struggling to resist but inexorably her unbelievable Strength won out and she dragged it forward

Lucretia Plan A

happening now Buy another minute

This had better fucking work

Randidly rushed forward spear raised When Cyndra turned to face him he held nothing back heedlessly burning through his Stamina smashing her again and again using his edge in Perception and Reaction to move around her in unpredictable ways reading her movements Again and again the summon unleashed its electric shock and only on the most recent discharge was it enough to make Cyndra narrow her eyes

Randidly created distance and produced the pistol but at that moment Cyndra’s hand blurred her knives slipping out of her sleeve and smashing the pistol from out of his hand Immediately the probes accelerated only three still

A root caught the pistol and fired

I expected her not to notice but did you also forget Randidly asked almost confused when he caught all three probes with the combustion of Aether He was weakened but Cyndra was still hacking at the body of the summon It took about 5 slices because of how stringy its body was and Randidly was filled with a strange thankfulness

After all it wasn’t clear that he could survive that many

But then his senses sharpened because 8 probes raced forward heading for his relatively thin Aether defense Instantly Randidly released everything he could muster and Lucretia who had been slowly learning from watching the way that the Creature interacted with Aether and learned from it So when she spread her hands a new pattern of Aether shapes emerged

They were tightly pressed together and squatter and hopefully that would buy them a little more time Randidly didn’t have time to watch the effect however because Cyndra had finished hacking apart the Grove Guardian and twisted and threw her knives before he could react

The two heading for him he deflected but a third hit his pistol through the trigger guard carrying the pistol across the room at a speed that Randidly’s roots would have a hard time grasping in time

Chapter 460

The Spear Advances Ash Trails Randidly bellowed his whole Soul Space howling with the strain of producing even more Aether There was a sense in his bones that there would be some lasting damage some cost from funneling so much Aether through his body although that seemed strange to Randidly as the System wasn’t much one for costs It only worried about who had the greatest strength

But that was a thought for another time as Randidly shot forward towards the pistol his hand stretching out for it

Rather than hearing Randidly felt the tremor and then the puff of air as Cyndra accelerated almost as fast as he did while using the Skill aiming to catch up to him in his chase of the pistol They formed a triangle as well and even though Randidly’s leg was slightly shorter to catch up to the pistol she had reacted quickly and was just as fast

Very quickly Randidly calculated the distances and speed in his head his senses stretched to their max Even with all of his boosts this pure wall of Stats he was abruptly reminded of going into that dreamspace with Aemont and seeing that final monster the one that was so far beyond Aemont’s Stats that it was almost comical and still he succeeded

All the while those eight probes rushed towards him hungry and violent Those new Aether shapes would just have to hold

Twisting around Randidly raised his spear into a javelin throw The twist lost him a lot of speed but it wasn’t so much that Cyndra caught up with him immediately As he threw the spear their eyes met and this timethere was a spark of emotion there a wariness But Randidly ignored it and tossed the weapon earning him a bit of speed back And at the same time he activated Breath of the Spear Phantom

The reason he hadn’t used it earlier was that he was effectively pitting the Strength of her lungs against his own with a little boost from his Willpower and the Skill Levels He didn’t have many Skill Levels at least nowhere near the value needed to bridge the gap in their Strengths so he could only gamble on Willpower

Cyndra didn’t immediately notice the activation of the Skill and just smashed the spear to the side She was unharmed but she was slowed and couldn’t avoid the half second of floating before her feet touched the ground enabling her to launch herself forward again at high speeds

At that moment Randidly landed and twisted shooting the bullet Two remaining bullets Randidly reminded himself wincing somewhat When he had grabbed the gun 6 of the probes had returned only two caught in the blast And again he swayed on his feet this time his vision flashing Luckily however Cyndra still didn’t notice the Skill and just rushed towards him again

Randidly’s emerald eyes flashed Time to take some risks

While her guard was still wide adjusting her grip Randidly used Phantom Half Step several times very quickly moving towards her Her arms were open and Randidly suddenly appeared within them Immediately Cyndra’s gaze sharpened but she couldn’t adjust her forward momentum and he was already within her guard

With not much else to do Randidly just raised his fist and punched at her throat

The impact was enough that he felt the bones in his hand crack solely on account of the momentum Randidly was sent careening backward while Cyndra stuttered to a stop reaching up to hold her throat tearing from the pain Which was of course the moment where she discovered the effect of Randidly’s Skill and the Creature began to talk about quite another matter

Oh You actually dare send bits of your Soul Skill into mine Are you a fool The Creature said its voice mocking Heh you think this piteously amount of meaning will make a difference Perhaps eventually but how many more bullets does that gun have How much longer can you hold

But then the Creature turned and glanced at Cyndra realizing its minion’s plight Cyndra was gagging soundlessly holding her throat Randidly could tell that even through the haze of the Creature’s control Cyndra was filled with fear at this strange state she found herself because her attempts to move her lungs were haphazard at best more trembling than any concerted effort

It was a testament to her Strength that even so Randidly was barely managing to keep the Skill active

Tsk foolish child The Creature said With an elegant motion it pointed towards Cyndra Immediately the panic in her eyes was snuffed out as an adult would pinch the end of a stubborn candle with calloused fingers Immediately Randidly felt the pressure he had against him double and then triple and the spell was broken both of them gasping huge gulps of air

There was also a terrible headache that came along with the failing of the Skill which would have Randidly wincing The six probes just floated around him swimming lazily through the Aether he was producing He was happy to see that the new variety had slowed them down but then he felt his heart sink as he noticed the probes were quickening in their movements it seemed that the Creature could learn quickly as well

I believe this game is all played out The Creature announced walking towards him Look

And abruptly Randidly sensed 25 probes moving methodically towards him cutting through his Aether

My main body has finished with its previous task The Creature said flashing Lyra’s smile And now you have the pleasure of being the subject of my full attention Any last tricks any sudden miracles If not then however could you have hoped to win against the Calamity I am just one being the Calamity is the weight of history It possesses every Skill that was powerful enough to wound it since time immemorial And yet you in your pride think you have even the smallest chance You are nothing to it

Shrugging Randidly said nothing in response Instead he spoke inwardly

Ready

Ready Came Lucretia’s confident reply

Have him do it

Then Randidly raised a single hand making a gun he pointed it at the Creature

Bang He said miming the recoil from the gun Which was mostly play because at his level of Strength how powerful would the gun have to be for him to lose his grip

The Creature blinked and then laughed seemingly amused Immediately Randidly remembered that it had spent quite a bit of time with Lyra and recognized this habit that Randidly remembered from their early time together When it was all harmless fighting When they had a warm connection to each other

Did you really think nostalgia was a weapon you could marshall against me The Creature asked apparently tracking with Randidly’s thoughts pretty well But when she opened her mouth to continue she paused looking down at her chest There was a flash of light there Then the Creature puffed out of existence

Do it the order came and Tziech looked up from the grim task of defending the Thief as she poisoned this land After a time mechanical crows the size of a Spriggit youth about half a meter long came and began harrying them They were weak however but they approached exponentially By now millions seemed to be flying towards them their wing beats shaking the sky

He approached the pouch on the ground and unwrapped it Then he remembered the warning from the Progenitor’s mouth and grabbed the Thief

He said Wait a few seconds and come back through Grab the lights Then he shoved her into the pillar of crimson light receiving a yelp in return

Then cool as a cucumber he drew a match and dropped it on the packet of powder the crystals sparkling up at him As the match fell he remembered the words when it was given to him

The Progenitor has worked tirelessly these past few days to reach enough strength to bless you with a single gram of this She had said Treat it carefully It is called Tellumurite and to the Creature it should be poison

The match hit the powder and flame sparking it The heat caught on the ambient energy in the air and all of his world became fire and pain

After the Creature had disappeared Randidly wasted no time in turning to Cyndra who seemed stunned The gambit took time and relied upon the denizens of his Soul Skill but it was the only way that Randidly and Lucretia could figure out to strike a blow that would actually stick The portal between the Soul Skills was the first time they could actually find a part of the Creature and they intended to mine it for as much information as possible

It might have been safer to immediately ignite the Tellumurite when the people were inside of the Creature’s Soul Skill but Randidly also wanted to know if meaning from the spear would be an effective weapon And if they had time they should test it Randidly doubted that this would be a permanent setback but he intended to make it one that hurt

Lastly Randidly knew what would happen to the person who activated the Tellumurite For that reason for the life of one of his little soul children he wanted to exhaust the other avenues before utilizing it

As Randidly raised his spear however her eyes sharpened and she took a fighting stance glaring at him What made him wince however was that she now exuded a killing intent that was a hundred times sharper than before No longer was he facing an overpowered puppet he was facing Cyndra a woman who had kept her people safe for generations and Randidly wasn’t sure he would normally be able to face her down

But alas she still possessed the body of a puppet and all the weaknesses that entailed

Although I can no longer feel its presence I will still kill you My people owe it a great debt With your death that debt will be paid Cyndra informed him shortly her eyes narrowed Below them there was a dull rumble in the ground and both of them paused wondering what this new development was But then it faded and their attention turned back to each other

When she moved however Randidly spoke and she stopped dead

Erode Meaning

Randidly had come to one conclusion based on his use of the Breath of the Spear Phantom based on how well it worked his Willpower must be much much higher than hers It also explained where all the extra Stats Cyndra had in Strength came from Resistance was her only mental defense

However as long as the Creature was there Randidly wasn’t willing to attempt it If he ran up against her Willpower well Randidly had no delusions about how that would end

Plus it made sense as one under the control of the Creature it would keep Cyndra’s Willpower low

When Cyndra struggled to straighten her eyes foggy Randidly hit her with Erode Meaning again gritting his teeth He was nowhere near his top form weakened from producing so much Aether and the earlier backlash from Breath of the Spear Phantom So this time he followed it up with old fashioned violence

His roots brought his spear back to him and be began lopping off her limbs hitting her with Erode Meaning when her struggles were too effective until she stilled underneath him her blood pooling

Randidly had gained a Level he noticed but he just felt tired

Do we have

Someone went in to see what they can find Lucretia replied Randidly nodded warily

Then he swore as the rumbling from below came back louder this time dust falling from the roof of the arena What the fuck is that

Lucretia was silent for a few seconds and then said I have a bad feeling

Well Lucretia continued That we are about to discover what most of the Creature’s attention was on during our fight

Then the floor exploded upwards underneath Randidly

Chapter 461

Drake winced as he pressed his mouth into the hole in the skull that formed his helmet his lips brushing up against the dried vomit from earlier overexertion Well that and the absolute disgust of watching the sentient monster that was Maelstrom rip through hundreds of monsters leaving their bodies broken their fluids turning this open field into a marsh

Lucifer’s reveal of his ability to fucking teleport was something of a shock but more than that Drake found himself dumbfounded 10 seconds later when he realized he had been prepared to completely brush off that impressive display of the System’s disparity in power

What have I become Drake wondered checking his weapons focusing his Skill to touch his armor that such inhuman displays only become worthy of a fleeting curiosity

Then again Drake was hard pressed to understand what had happened to him over the past month His Bone Armor had almost tripled in summoning speed and also doubled in size On his shoulders were huge spiked protuberances of bones and a Mana operated bone tail swirled behind him It had taken a few hours of practice in order to understand how it could be used for balance and as a weapon but the excruciating grind of battling every day had quickly made such actions second nature

In spite of the fact that the armor had grown to such a huge size Drake didn’t find the operation of it difficult If anything he felt weird connected to the bone armor Like when he wasn’t wearing it he wasn’t truly himself

It was a disturbing thought for other reasons entirely

After Clarissa unleashed the Maelstrom the strange spark in her hand rapidly expanded to a swirling cloud and then to a monster made of wind sleet and thunder with tornados for arms and legs It did not slow as it hit the monster lines and instead just flailed its wild arms left and right laying out dozens of monsters with each strike

The main weakness of such a Skill Drake soon saw was that the beast couldn’t easily alter its own momentum Once the enemies realized this the Death Cultists and the few remaining monsters not caught up in its swirling wind avoided it and it roared with a blast of chilling wind furious that it could be foiled like this

The secondary weakness Drake observed was that Clarissa had to constantly channel her Mana into it to keep it going And very quickly once it was clear the enemies were dodging it she ceased feeding Mana into it panting lightly her chest rising and falling

Ace joined Drake and Lucifer at the front of their party standing in the front lines of their new formation Annie’s archery had basically depleted most of the Dintan people that were manning the walls and all that remained behind them were a wounded Rhaidon and a furious Zith or Gemma or whatever who were not able to match Alana while she was wearing her Valkyrie Helm

Thea stood with Ptolemy Annie and Rose rubbing Chrysanthemum’s muzzle and whispering words of encouragement after the beast had been forced to bear the brunt of the Grey Death Cultist’s Wither spells

Ace cracked his knuckles grinning It’s a good day in a Dungeon where the scent of death covers up the smell of a sweaty man who hasn’t showered in a month eh

This was the point that Drake vomited a little the acrid bile flowing out of his lips and sticking to the inside of his helmet If Drake could go back in time but alas he was stuck with his previous mistakes Besides he couldn’t deny that Ace was absolutely rancid at this point having spent a lot of their fights in the past up to his elbows in the organs of their enemies and the thought of comparing him to the dismembered and whimpering corpses in front of them

Truly Sydney was right to distance herself from this madman The only question was whether she was right to retain a strange fascination with the Ghosthound

But then Rose started barking out orders pointing out the monsters that were using powerful Skills and Annie began to calmly shoot her arrows forward having recovered from her previous displaying Drinking slowly to avoid oversaturating her body Clarissa continued to rip through their store of Mana Potions restoring herself to a fighting state

Then the lines approached close enough to be dangerous and Ace Lucifer and Thea rushed forward hitting the monsters and Death Cultists like bowling balls smashing them apart Chrysanthemum roamed and Drake stayed back mopping up the remnants that slipped past protecting Rose and Clarissa from close range combat

Earlier in their Raid Dungeon dive Drake had also considered Annie one of those people he needed to protect But then a troll had knocked him to the side and rushed towards the group Cool as a cucumber Annie had drawn an arrow walked forward dodged the troll’s strike and slit its throat

With a short hop she had stood on top of the troll and shot arrows until it overbalanced and fell finally realizing it was dying Annie hadn’t even spared Drake a glance but his face flushed uncomfortably Part of the reason was he wasn’t used to the heavy bone armor at that time but the other reason was that he was clearly the weakest one here It wasn’t a lesson he would forget

Not that he would let anybody past him if he could help it but no longer did he worry about what would happen if he did Which in turn lowered his stress and allowed him to basically protect them completely

Drake grimaced Not so today Not only were the numbers higher than usual but the Death Cultists were a tier higher in terms of power than what he was used to It was difficult for Drake to quickly finish off those he wounded and more and more poured forward It was a good day however because he had gained his second Level of the day putting him at Level 44 but Ptolemy had to come join him at holding the middle of their formation Although their healer wasn’t able to do much damage he was adept at keeping the opponents off balance earning Drake precious seconds in which to do his dirty work

Time slowly blurred together split only by quick swigs of Stamina and Mana Potions But they were slowly getting pushed back in a very dangerous manner but there was nothing that Drake could do about it Again he felt his face flush as his lips pressed against the dried vomit He was strong sure stronger than he had ever been but in this moment of need all he could think is that someone else would have to perform some feat of daring opening up a path to hope

Because with his abilities

Rhaidon A scream cut through the sounds of battle and blood wet flesh There was a groan behind him but he dared not turn focusing on the six armed frog creature in front of him groping towards him with slimy hands

I’ll fucking kill you you bitch The voice continued and there was a scream that Drake imagined was something akin to the old animated series he watched in college where the characters would scream their emotions out rapidly growing in power

But then he heard a soft whisper and then the sound of an impact and then there was silence

Solar Flare

Thump

Drake dispatched the frog in front of him then paused to reach up and scratch at his helmet trying to scrape away the vomit But his bone gauntlets were too large to fit through his breathing hole and he was forced to hiss in frustration

Calmly Alana walked forward patting him on the back in a companionable motion while she advanced Good hold we are almost through this

There was a rumble behind them causing Alana to pause briefly before she resumed speaking talking loudly so everyone could hear there might be a shit ton of them but they are relying on the Death Cultists to apply pressure The rest are just fodder for

There was another rumble louder this time closer Then there was a sound that almost impossibly loud started as a roar of a lion then slowly slid upwards into the pure clarion call of a trumpet before finally descending into the hacking cough of a creature dying from the inside

Following that there was silence Then a rush of noise as the monsters around them turned tail and fled The Raid Dungeon crew tensed up raising their weapons but the monsters just fled running back towards the forest from whence they came Of them all only the Death Cultists remained gathering into a pitiful group that was only 1/10 of the manpower they had when they had come following the Ghosthound’s lead

Drake was surprised to see there was even a Grey Death Cultist remaining amongst a tight knot of Red Death Cultists missing an arm but otherwise looking rather healthy The call sounded out again following the same strange arching pattern The rumbling grew louder

Chapter 462

That’s not a Skill Rose said slowly looking towards the strange carving that stood above the Dintan city whose walls were now marred by its people’s blood Drake continued to scratch his face desperate to get rid of the dried vomit That’s pure force of lungs

There was a laugh from the ground in front of them and Drake looked down to see that although there was a large hole in her right chest piercing her lung Gemma/Zith still clung to life her eyes bright and strangely happy

Walking forward Ace frowned and made a shooing motion towards her Your attempt at villainous timing is admirable if only for its lack of understanding of true villainous arts Please just breathe your last

I have to thank you all The dying woman said and then she began to cough her chest wracked by spasms so she curled up like a frying strip on the ground rocking back and forth

She’s not going to say for freeing her Ace remarked professionally shaking his head sadly Her twist is embarrassingly straightforward I’m betting She will say something like

Because you have given me the greatest pleasure I can currently imagine Gemma said forcibly suppressing her cough almost as if she was threatened by Ace moving to steal her thunder The dying woman’s eyes were bright and feverish her gaze locked onto Alana Seeing the freak who murdered my beloved Rhaidon waste away warped by the passage of time

An arrow cut her off taking her in the forehead She leaned back and collapsed dead

Annie made a pleased noise Wow I didn’t expect a Level from a small fry like that 49 now How much of a grind is it up to 50 Alana

It’s gonna be a bitch especially after we leave this place Alana grunted frowning towards the city where the rumblings were growing louder Then she turned and glanced behind her where the Death Cultists stood Her eyes narrowed but she turned forward again and most of the rest of the group followed her lead They all moved their strong melee fighters near the city ready to meet whatever threat was heading their way

The Ghosthound hasn’t responded to the party chat in a while Thea whispered the strange spooky song of the beast perhaps getting to her Do you think

He’s still in the party however Rose said giving Thea a sharp glance

The group fell silent just listening Drake continued to stubbornly scratch for the vomit The rumblings were nearer to them now so much so that he could feel the tremors through his bone greaves His tail flicked back and forth an instinctive display of his growing anxiety

They did not have long to wait As the noise in front of them grew almost deafening the gate in front of them was blasted open and a monster walked out of the opening Somehow it managed to both throw off an air of regal importance and of revolting decay

The first thing Drake noticed was its huge golden antlers A 14 point by the world before the System’s estimate and these antlers were intricate and perfectly mirrored as if they had been sculpted rather than grown naturally Such was the size of the rack that a man could comfortably sit between the curving golden horns as long as he avoided the dangerously sharp points

It mostly had the body of a stag with soft white fur that across most of its body seemed incredibly soft Next Drake’s gaze locked onto the thing’s eyes glowing a dull deep red like dried blood and rust

As it walked further forward Thea gasped That That’s the Wild Rider’s Soul bonded animal

But Drake was scowling now because the few steps it had taken forward past the rising dust from the destroyed gate revealed grey and withered pillars of flesh that appeared to be sewn onto its back and were being dragged behind it on the ground At the site of the attachment the flesh was red and green ichor leaked out staining the hide around the connection a strange brown yellow as if this had been going on for some time and the leaking fluid was becoming increasingly poisonous

Next to the point of connection there was a bulbous mound as if a cancerous growth had resulted from the combination or as though the strange individual who had created this thing had too much extra flesh and just wrapped it up in an awkward ball and placed it on the thing’s back

It brayed again and Drake could see how it had to start as a roar and then worked up to its clarion call song as if this is how the stag usually spoke but a great wariness now suffused its body and it had to struggle to get there Finally its chest began to vibrate too powerfully with the noise and the black stitching began to spurt red and green fluid and the monster began to cough unable to withstand the strain

Did it always look like that Annie asked solemnly

Thea shook her head slowly tightening her grip on her hammer

Alana opened her mouth to speak but before she could say anything Rose spun around Death Cultists are using a spell targetting this Frankenstein

Frankenstein is the doctor Clarissa retorted more out of habit than anything else but she looked too lightning dancing across her fingers

As Drake watched about a dozen of the surrounding Death Cultists swayed and then fell and a strange glob of crackling crimson energy ripped forward aiming for the monster Alana seemed torn but Drake knew he wasn’t getting anywhere near that thing The group watched as the ball rocketed forward and smashed into the monster sending it staggering back two steps

Well fine let’s kill it before we kill them Alana grunted producing her spear once more rushing forward Clarissa raised her hand with a flourish and a Lightning Bolt careened forward towards the weakened creature

However instead of striking it in the chest the bolt changed direction at the last second twitching up towards the golden antlers After the bolt struck the antlers it discharged seemingly harmless twisting Clarissa’s face into a frown

Some sort of spell target changing and a pretty powerful null magic from its antlers Rose reported frowning down at her notes Drake felt a sinking feeling in his stomach If they couldn’t damage it with spells guess it was time for the melee users to shine But approaching a monster like this

Alana did so without a care her spear stabbing towards the stag’s chest With a surprising display of deftness the stag sidestepped and swung its head those incredibly sharp antler points aiming for Alana’s stomach Without much effort she hopped backward but lowered her stance and looked at the stag with a more focused attention

At that point Lucifer had used his knife to teleport behind it and chopped down towards the strange pillars of grey flesh that came from its back To everyone’s surprise the stag didn’t appear to notice the attack until it had already hit and then just turned to regard Lucifer in surprise

What was perhaps the strangest was that Lucifer with his huge swords only penetrated a small amount into the flesh about an inch before he was stopped by the thick stringy material

Casually the stag raised its head and an energy filled the air flowing into its antlers concentrating into a grey ball Everyone narrowed their eyes while Rose began to scribble furiously After a half second her eyes widened and she forced herself to stop writing so she could yell Do NOT let that touch you It’s

The grey ball released a beam that scythed outward sliding towards Lucifer As if it was the most natural thing in the world he sidestepped the beam and hopped back through his portal and appeared before them once more and then he rapidly began to pinch the portal closed

Before he had left however the beam had struck his sword and drew a thin line across it As he was closing the portal Drake watched with wide eyes as his sword starting along that thin line the metal turned a darker grey then a brown then slowly red and disintegrated to dust

Realizing the change that was happening Lucifer dropped the weapon The line was relatively near the tip of the sword but the changes continued down most of the length of the blade until there were only 10 centimeters or so of blade remaining and that was red and rust eaten Lucifer frowned at the blade almost seeming to be more upset he lost his sword than in the manner of its destruction

That’s a blast of concentrated time It’s hard to tell easily how much time passes when that hits you but Rose thought about it then repeated what she said earlier Do not let it hit you

Right at that moment two more red balls struck the stag sending it staggering dispersing another grey ball of energy that was starting to form But as he watched what was happening Drake forgot all about the dried vomit on the inside of his helmet Instead he lowered his hands and gripped his sword sweating for two reasons

The first was that his armor was basically useless against this stag that struck with time The second

Guys Drake said slowly I think those red balls aren’t They are healing it

The divvet in the grey and withered flesh pillar was gone healed over cleanly And no longer was the flesh grey but now firm and pearlescent almost strange colors reflected from its fur Ponderously those pillars of flesh raised themselves seeming to flex experimentally

Oh shit Rose whispered her eyes widening How could I yes it’s healing it filling it with life force from somewhere

Drake glanced back towards the Death Cultists Now over half of them were on the ground unmoving while the Grey Death Cultist a wide smile on its face was looking forward towards them

Yes we finally found you The Grey Death Cultist said pausing in its ritual to raise its hand towards the stag Our Ivory Queen please open your eyes Your servants are here to give you our very lives

A tremor ran through the stag Then strangely the cancerous growth began to twitch Drake’s eyes widened because it quickly became clear that it was a misshapen squashed head It trembled again and folds of flesh parted revealing a mouth with yellowed and broken teeth Immediately there was a slow trickle of bile that came outward flowing slowly over the tongue and across the teeth

In a strange twist Drake felt quite a bit of empathy for the strange monster forced to deal with vomit for the rest of this fight But then more folds parted revealing beady eyes one of black and one of silver red rimmed with hatred Then they rolled around staring to the sky

Slowly those ivory pillars raised themselves farther revealing them to be the sinewy and massive wings of the Death Cultists made of corded muscle that could be spread out thinly for flight But unlike the other Death Cultists these wings were each full 20 meters long stretching almost improbably far outwards covering the Raid Party in their long shadow

Chapter 463

Lucifer kill those fuckers before they make it worse Alana barked Drake

Yea I can’t stay like this Drake said shivering as he dismissed the armor He put the heavier sword back into his spatial ring and removed another one handed sword that he could more easily use without the boost in Strength from the Bone Armor

Annie you are our other main source of damage then Rose said snapping back into focus after realizing her error earlier Drake suspected the real reason it had happened was that it wasn’t targeting them so she hadn’t thought to dig more deeply into what was happening Also the appearance of the Stagbat was a pretty intimidating thing in and of itself

Raising its head the Stagbat released its braying call as the Raid Party split heading to strike at the two groups

Lucifer covered the distance quickly but was unable to catch the Grey Death Cultist as it recognized the ambush that was coming and rolled to the side to avoid his strike Grimacing Lucifer immediately withdrew through the portal closed it and then just began to dead sprint towards the Death Cultists

Chrysanthemum help him Thea said before approaching with the rest of them towards the Stagbat

Alana arrived first and wasted no time stabbing towards it again and again aiming to test the defense of its flesh with her spear But the Stagbat was surprisingly graceful more so now that it didn’t have to drag its withered wings along on the ground with it It weaved through her strike and then stepped forwards flapping its wings for an extra boost of speed

What should have been a short hop turned into a charge and Drake was smashed to the side by the momentum of its advance However he hadn’t spent the last month in constant battle in vain As their bodies crossed each other Drake twisted raising his sword letting the Stagbat pierce itself with its own speed

To Drake’s surprise the sword slid into its soft fur without any sort of resistance When the Stagbat landed it stumbled a little but instead of braying the bat head on its back twisted opening its mouth

You will Feed me Let’s Die together ha It slowly enunciated as green ichor splashed out of the sword wound eating into the sword that was still lodged in its chest until the hilt fell to the ground warped by the blood of this creature the rest of the blade already disintegrated

But this did have the side effect of starting its blood gushing out of the hole and the Stagbat swayed unsteadily

Incoming Rose shouted She needn’t have said anything though because before she spoke one of Annie’s arrows was already released catching the crimson orb at its bottom The whole thing didn’t disperse but the bottom half of the orb exploded with the force of the arrow and as the remaining half traveled forward a red dust drifted down behind it settling on the ground also weakening the spell further But the crimson orb still reached the Stagbat before anyone else could react it simply traveled too quickly

The sword wound closed up and it seemed the rigidity to its spread wings eased somewhat but little else seemed to change By this point Lucifer arrived at the Death Cultists and began cutting through the Red Death Cultists aiming for the Grey Death Cultist that continued to chant

Chrysanthemum arrived soon after him and where he was like a methodical butcher she simply crushed opposition making a beeline for the Grey Death Cultist It hissed in annoyance switching abruptly to a Wither spell but it was too late Chrysanthemum crashed into its body and began mauling the Death Cultist

For the great oblivion It shouted executing a strange series of syllables very quickly and Death Cultists around him fell like flies dying quickly and easily

Meanwhile Drake Alana and Ace weaved through those grey lines of force They didn’t travel particularly quickly but they could change directions on a dime which meant that near miss dodging was more dangerous than it was useful against this enemy And based on how much damage was done to a metal sword

How would a human body hold up against that passage of time Even with a System increased Vitality

Fuck me Ace cursed removing his helmet which had been clipped by a beam He then watched frozen and wide eyed as the helmet turned to dust and fell away At that moment Ace was pale in a way that Drake had never seen him before seemingly lost without his helmet Drake was aware of the theatrics that Ace had employed with Dauntless’ and the jokes at his expense that called him insane but only now did Drake realize how true it was

This man something precious at his core was irrevocably broken That helmet had kept it hidden but now

Another beam rushed towards him and when Alana yelled he didn’t respond At that moment Clarissa launched a Lightning Bolt smashed him to the side the beam narrowly missing him Drake caught the body and took a welcome break from the high stress game of dodging beams of death by old age returning Ace’s still shocked body to Ptolemy

Or that’s what he meant to do but Ptolemy took this as a signal to switch and with a nod he moved forward supporting Alana against the Stagbat

Annie rained a constant flood of arrows against the Stagbat aiming for its stag portion of the body with its soft flesh because the bat portion repelled the normal arrows easily Luckily the bat’s wings were still rather stiff and it was unable to move them well to protect its more vulnerable core body leaving it with a dozen or so bleeding scratches across its torso

Chrysanthemum quickly overpowered the Grey Death Cultist and her jaws closed on its neck But it managed to finish its spell and a huge orb of crimson formed around three times the size of those previous orbs and flew forward towards the Stagbat Before Chrysanthemum even crushed its neck it fell back lifeless

Chrysanthemum still bit down of course if just for the satisfying crunch

As the orb rushed forward Annie switched her target her arrows clustered together to destroy the orbs quickly But as the arrows approached the orbs split into a dozen smaller orbs avoiding the clustered arrows

Chain Lightning Clarissa shouted and a bolt shot forward Before it could strike however the orbs split again each becoming twelve smaller orbs once more And although the Chain Lightning destroyed 20 orbs on its own and Annie was able to pierce another 10 or so that only destroyed 20% of that strange healing energy and the rest reached the Stagbat

Immediately the change became obvious not just in the fact that its wounds healed but also because its wings which were more like the arms form that the Death Cultists possessed to this point now spread out to about 30 meters wide really casting a huge shadow

Quickly Annie returned to bombarding it but its wings had regained close to their full ability to move and they smashed arrows away harmlessly Annie cursed The speed at which it cast the grey time beams increased too and the close combat warriors were driven back to about 30 meters which seemed to be the range outside of which the beam’s energy fizzled into nothing

Any ideas Annie asked Alana

Frowning at the monster which was now braying again Alana said Yes but I don’t want to spook it into

A fist sized rock struck the Stagbat on the nose sending it cantering a few steps backward snorting and sneezing Then it glared at Ace who had apparently recovered enough to stand and attack and was grinning at it in a very pleased manner

The bat head on its back tried its best to roar but it only came out as a high pitched whine more bile oozing out of its mouth The wings spread and began to beat driving the Stagbat off the ground and into the air its huge wings buffeting them all with huge gusts of air It rose only about 10 meters but then ascended rapidly higher and higher

As it did so the Raid Dungeon group watched as its wings appeared to grow spreading thinner and thinner until the stag portion of the body was just a tiny speck of dust and its true body was those wings that could cover the sky so much so that if you didn’t look up you could have mistaken the shadow for a malevolent cloud

because I didn’t want to spook it into realizing it could fly Alana finished frowning at Ace’s cackling form

Why not just let it go Ptolemy suggested We can go find the Ghosthound and with him

A beam of energy thick and grey shot downwards towards them Immediately the group scattered leaping and dashing out of the way This time there was a small explosion where the beam hit the ground and in a 10 meter area the soil disintegrated and was blown away by the wind

will it let us Rose asked grimly looking at the Stagbat which now was swooping down towards them another large sphere of grey forming between its antlers

This thing is unnatural Lucifer announced causing Drake to snort Well no shit

We need Rose began but then her eyes widened Move As far away from the city as possible Right

She didn’t need to finish There was only a small rumble and then all at once there was an explosion from the Dintan city buildings and that strange sculpture collapsing almost unwilling refusing to cease to be before it even had a chance to grow

Very quickly the rumbling was unbearable and from the ground of the ruined city a hand shot upwards formed of molten lava waves of heat surrounding it It shot up and up growing larger and larger until it made the Stagbat look like an ant looming above it

Reacting quickly the Stagbat changed direction and shot forward moving more quickly than should be possible but the huge hand of lava pursued falling downwards When it became clear that even with its prodigious speed it couldn’t escape the Stagbat spun around and unleashed a blast of that grey energy

But the hand was simply too large and after discharging its energy the Stagbat was smashed into the ground driven by the hand Luckily the strike had descended a little bit to their east but still there were large fissures formed on the ground from the force of that much mass crashing into the ground

Think its dead Annie asked curiously peering towards the impact zone She was the only one with the nerve to ask that Drake reflected That girl was made of ice

Unfortunately not A voice answered and the group turned to find the Ghosthound looking much the worse for wear His once regal Bone Cloak was ripped to shreds large gashes running through it His feet were bare and Drake could see one of his toes was snapped The area around his mouth and nose was stiff with dried blood as if he had been beaten repeatedly But even so Even so

Drake didn’t doubt that this man was still incredibly dangerous What had he been fighting this whole time Hopefully that opponent was dead because if it wasn’t

Tsk The Ghosthound made an annoyed noise and cracked his neck The two Regalias were fused into its body Their energy is keeping it alive but only just It’s a monster that shouldn’t exist Let’s go put it out of its misery

Chapter 464

Tziech found it ironic that the cold numbness that had been killing him was the only reason that he survived that explosion of energy Whereas that energy was heat and violence the cold in him was stillness and silence acting like an anchor that kept him on track in the midst of a storm

Still his wounds were not mild And the exposure to that violent energy had done him no favors in terms of life expectancy It was a testament to the physical power of his body more than anything else that he maintained even a flickering spot of life after that explosion

The world around him was silent and still and it reminded Tziech of the Sprrigits’ Frozen Globes that were generally landscapes in small glass spheres that you could shake and spread glitter or miniature snow over the scene Around Tziech the ground was oddly cleansed most of the strange mist in the area destroyed The sky was free of the mechanical crows

The large floating crystals had turned into wisps of light like clouds that drifted across the only movement in a dead place

Only 10 seconds after the strange energy reaction ceased there was a flicker from the crimson pillar and the Thief once more appeared her face twisted in too many emotions to understand easily Her face was a marsh of inner conflict but when her eyes located Tziech all that fell away and she gasped softly rushing to his side

Tziech wanted to say something reassure her give her a clue that he wasn’t fine obviously but he was as well as could be expected All things considered Tziech held no unwillingness in his heart towards the Progenitor’s use of them This world had been cleaned out through the process When he was given the powder the Progenitor’s Voice was very clear of the danger

Also she specifically looked Tziech in the eye and informed him he likely wouldn’t return from this mission Tziech said nothing just holding her gaze

To Tziech’s surprise two fat tears ran down the Thief’s face dripping and touching his ripped leather armor

You can’t do this to me The Thief said softly holding onto the edges of his clothing

In his mind Tziech always had a strange suspicion that there was a possibility a possibility only that he and the Thief could be could be something That they could step away from their roles in the larger world and just be themselves let nature take its course perhaps raise a family

But now

Ponderously Tziech blinked The Thief blinked in response then smiled bitterly at him I can almost hear your voice Finish the job you seem to be saying And you are right This the Progenitor didn’t want this He didn’t want our world to be invaded by his enemies

The Thief produced a spear covered in tightly interwoven runes and pointed it at the sky Then forcing her energy into it it began to emit a suction force Those wisps of clouds in the air were slowly drawn downwards towards it swirling towards the tip of the spear For several long minutes the Thief stood there intently focusing dragging these remnants into the spear

Tziech found it oddly peaceful the world floating downwards drawn into a singularity before vanishing forever

Will I go there when I am no more ’ Tziech wondered staring at the point of the spear Such an end to drift along with the migration of clouds is truly a gentle way for death to take me ’

But before he allowed the insistent tugging at the edges of his consciousness to pull him away Tziech reached up moving his left hand It took everything he had inside of himself moving slowly raising and reaching towards the Thief’s back who continued to diligently absorb those wisps of clouds

Tziech did not want to distract her but he did not want her to leave this place without a reward was the wrong word and she would never consider it a gift Even a token of remembrance was a moniker that would likely have the Thief furiously kicking down his gravestone But

Well maybe he simply wanted to touch her one last time

His outstretched fingertips brushed the back of her cloak lightly and something passed out of him then a core of energy that had been donated to him by the Progenitor It was a powerful thing that let him move without fear through the Aether Thrall’s lines Who knew how it would manifest for the Thief but now at least she would be well prepared for what was to follow

Then his arm dropped such a noise that Tziech briefly worried the Thief would be distracted but it seemed the labor of absorbing those wisps was enough to cover up the noise Satisfied Tziech looked meaningfully down at his right hand

His palm was cracked a black circle of flesh in the center of his hand Even now he could watch thin tendrils of black corruption spreading from that central region writhing outwards like eels

He clenched his hand This gift he would take to the grave The Progenitor might safely bare this but it is far too much strain for a person to support on their own Leaning back Tziech closed his eyes and his mind shifted to another place

In that brief dream his adoptive father continued to hold out in the fight against the demons that lured him towards the bottom of a bottle and after a dinner of hot spiced trout he talked long into the night to Tziech The subject was war due to a passionate homily done by one of the Progenitor’s pastors that Tziech’s father had heard earlier that day

It’s ridiculous Tziech’s father said his mouth wide and expressive The Progenitor doesn’t allow war because he wants war he allows it because he wants us to live It’s not a matter of seeking martial perfection but freedom Only by having the choice to do evil will the true core of life show through kindness and generosity It will show staunch faith in the face of temptation and bitterness Respect and honor Humility and patience

His father paused giving Tziech a meaningful look What is it Why are you looking at me like that

Tziech King of Monsters speaking from the body of a child smiled a very sad smile at the dream version of his adoptive father This is what I’m fighting for you know So that people like you will live to see their strengths define their lives You know what they told me Your guard friend Tomlin That you were gambling to send me to the Imperial Academy And when you lost

But he was cut short and suddenly he was Zeke only held in the arms of his adoptive father Bah what business does a child like you have acting like an adult Look at me Zeke I promise I’ll always be there for you I’ll protect you

Then his father hugged him and even in his dream his skin was warm and smelled of the coal dust that clung to everything in that Spriggit city A part of him wanted to fight but another larger part knew that there was no victory in a struggle on this day Zeke closed his eyes

Sometimes things simply ended

As Randidly stepped over the cooling magma he felt a strange sensation of deep sadness that stopped him up short before they walked to confront the remnants of the Stagbat He searched inward but he was unable to figure out what the source of the feeling was As he was a profoundly stoic person generally to feel so emotional so suddenly

Is something wrong Alana asked stopping next to him

Randidly shook his head No But let’s be careful from here Annie What does it look like

Hopping next to the rest of the group she frowned at her leather shoes when they began to steam and bubble against this barely less than molten rock Not great Its wings were burnt off and its body is charred but there are seven of those grey energy balls floating around it The highest we’ve seen was three I suspect it’s concentrating its power And also the edges of its wings are healing It will take a while but

Then we move fast Randidly turned and regarded the rest of the group They looked bloodsoaked and bedraggled but he had to imagine that they didn’t look as frayed as he did The fight against Cyndra and the Creature’s mental attacks took more out of him than he would like to admit But still after winning what should be a decisive strike against the Creature Randidly didn’t mind blowing Inspiration in order to ground the flying Stagbat He had only witnessed it fighting for a brief time but

Its mobility was a problem So Randidly took drastic measures

What he hadn’t expected was for it to be able to overpower Randidly’s spell enough that it could survive But he supposed it would simply be too easy if they had been able to finish everything off with an Inspiration empowered spell

The rest of the group followed Randidly as he approached He considered warning them away or telling them they didn’t have to follow him if they preferred to stay out of the line of fire but Randidly suspected everyone knew that in their hearts In addition no matter what they were to each other or what they would be again when they left this Dungeon they had fought side by side for this past month at a level that none of them had experienced before

No one would shirk their responsibility now

The Stagbat seemed to be waiting for them laying on the ground legs under it When they approached it stood and although it faltered once when it reached a standing position it stayed steadfast It was uglier than Randidly had expected with a weeping face sewn onto its back its fur stained by blood and weird green alchemic liquids

Its eyes were thin and malevolent but its mouth seemed to curl into a grin as they arrived It opened its lips and brayed a sad sickly noise akin to an off tune note

Let’s put this out of its misery Randidly grunted Then he leaped forward drawing his spear

Chapter 465

Randidly moved rapidly toward the monster feeling Alana follow close behind him Immediately two of the grey balls of energy exploded shooting rays of strange aging based death Randidly had heard the basics from Rose and used pure speed to blaze past them heading straight for the body of the beast

Growling it leaped forwards to meet Randidly even while two more blasts shot out from its antlers aiming for those behind Randidly Annie began shooting arrows at its large soft body causing it to use one of its final two grey energies to intercept the arrows before they could land

Rather than getting discouraged Annie just upped her firing speed the shafts shooting past Randidly to strike at the monster

When he arrived before it Randidly didn’t bother with anything special he just lashed out with his spear To his surprise the Stagbat dodged and then swung its head aiming to hit him with its antlers He casually deflected the blow but was forced to use Phantom’s Embrace to dodge when the final grey energy shot outward aiming at him from close range

Grimacing Randidly reset his stance and moved forward to meet the monster once more This would be difficult Most of the grey beams weren’t aimed at him but as he was the closest he needed to move the most quickly to avoid collateral fire as it used the beams to attack other people

If this was the wounded version of the Stagbat Randidly was glad he had hit it with an Inspired spell It was hard to tell whether it was the combination of monsters the Creature’s interference or even the power of the Regalia but this thing was tough Its kit was too powerful against too many things

However had Randidly still had access to his Mana this would be a much easier struggle But as it was

His eyes brightening Randidly sent a message into the party chat telling Rose and Clarissa to reposition themselves around the Stagbat out of its range but behind it As they moved to do so Randidly struck again pushing his Yggdrasil Skills to their limit as he slashed towards the Stagbat’s side

It danced out of the way and another grey beam slashed diagonally from keeping Alana at bay to hitting Randidly in the temple Snorting Randidly spun away his leg lashing out striking the Stagbat in the side sending it stumbling As it did so its grey energy beams fizzled flashing and then falling out of existence leaving it open

Two of Annie’s arrows sunk into its flank while Alana dashed forward and scored a long scratch on its side as it dodged as quickly as it could

Its eyes began to glow and now 8 grey balls condensed causing Randidly to frown But then Ace crashed into it from behind knocking it off its balance again the grey lights flickering out of existence

The Stagbat recovered itself enough to kick back like a horse slamming Ace backward into a nearby pile of molten rock but by then Randidly and Alana had arrived Before it could summon and use its grey time lights Randidly slashed towards its throat aiming for a kill

When it dodged he twisted his spear and caught its antlers knocking its head to the side Alana plunged her spear up to the crossguard into its side then shoved it deeper twisting and breaking off the shaft leaving it within its body as she backed away

Quickly scanning it Randidly noticed the single grey eye on the bat’s face and the way the golden horns sparkled with power especially as it summoned the grey bits of energy Then the brief off balance period ended and the Stagbat screeched using the bat’s mouth 8 lights shooting outward scything left and right driving the party backward

Think that will kill it Alana asked with a detached curiosity producing another spear

Randidly grimaced then shook his head With his Aether senses he could feel energy moving from the two Regalias hidden within the Stagbat’s body That might slow it down but we need to cut out the Regalias One is the antlers the other is the left eye in that bat face This is probably going to get worse before it gets better

The Stagbat screeched again and this time charged forward aiming for Alana With the eight grey lasers trained on her she scrambled backward away from Randidly aiming to stay out of its effective range

Randidly glanced sideways Clarissa and Rose were in position and Ptolemy’s crouched form over Ace would give him another anchor that he needed Time to try this plan Because even if he didn’t have any Mana remaining he had plenty of Stamina and was regenerating a huge sum every minute

He used Phantom Half Step to teleport forward passing the Stagbat by about 5 meters But immediately upon landing he launched himself forward aiming for its back It noticed but simply swiveled three of its lasers to drive him away Randidly grinned and used Phantom Half Step on Ptolemy pulling himself to the side Then he used it again on Alana appearing almost directly over the Stagbat His huge spear stabbed downward aiming for the bat head on the stag’s back

To Randidly’s surprise the head twisted to the side glaring up at him its grey eye sparkling dangerously Frowning in displeasure Randidly drove his spear into its back cutting deeply into its internal organs Then almost immediately he activated Phantom Half Step avoiding the six beams that slashed towards him when he appeared over it

With a small pat Randidly landed on the ground regarding the Stagbat It was fast and its attacks couldn’t be weathered Also the normal damage wouldn’t do anything to hurt it in the short term If anything

A ninth grey ball appeared above its antlers Spinning slowly at first it gradually darkened and condensed more fully

if anything the danger would activate more of the Regalia’s power

If you can buy me a minute or so I think I can land something to hurt it seriously Alana said through the party chat

Nodding slowly Randidly stepped forward To his surprise Thea came forward with him and opposite them Ace stood cracking his neck and walking towards the Stagbat’s back like he hadn’t just had his rib cage broken Ptolemy for his part at least had the common decency to look exhausted

Strangely Randidly had an image suddenly of their portraits at the edge of a map with the dubious pronouncement here be monsters Grinning slightly Randidly rushed forward grabbing the Stagbat’s attention One beam each went out to Thea and Ace likely to keep them from moving too freely leaving 7 to focus on Randidly Again and again he used Phantom Half Step practically teleporting around the Stagbat slashing and attacking it as best he could keeping it at bay earning its ire

Annie had taken to targeting its eyes aiming to blind it rather than just sinking more arrows into its soft flesh This seemed to set something off in the Stagbat and it began to move around more rapidly often losing its balance when it landed but gaining a huge amount of momentum when it leaped towards its target

Randidly narrowed his eyes With this mobility

But just as Randidly thought it was getting to a dangerous level Ace twirled around his beam dodged first one then two then three more beams seeming to pirouette midair sliding through a small opening matrix style After a quick landing he rushed forward and delivered a dropkick to the Stagbat’s side sending it stumbling

In that small opening where its beams weakened and wandered Randidly hefted his spear and threw it His aim was true and it hit the Stagbat’s right foreleg severing the leg by cracking the bone so that it dangled from its limb only by the flesh

The monster screeched in fury and fell to its knees Above them an Avatar of Alana built on a 2x scale descended like a hammer striking the Stagbat directly in the back crushing the bat face and cracking its spine

Chapter 466

Randidly quickly checked his Stamina and winced when it was barely 300 His constant Phantom Half Steps really started to add up after a while Still the Stagbat was wounded but the Regalias were still in its body With his Aether Detection he could see increasing amounts of power swirling downward filling its veins There wasn’t time to drink a Stamina potion and his rings were out of Stamina

Randidly moved forward quickly pulling a spare spear out of his spatial ring but he wasn’t the first one there Ace was His old friend came quickly unleashing a flurry of blows on the wounded Stagbat It seemed like its body had been almost severed in half by the strike from Alana’s avatar but there was still enough dust in the air to give Randidly a slight suspicion He couldn’t see the exact details of the body but

It seemed it was attempting to scream but the Stagbat simply spewed blood and bile mixed together and then its body blurred smashing Ace backward directly towards Randidly It straightened in an impossibly fluid motion and formed several grey balls and launched the beams at Ace’s flying body

Randidly’s pupils dilated Although Ace’s body was traveling fast it wasn’t so fast that it would be able to outrun beams Meanwhile

Galant Intervention Randidly heard himself saying and the 5 or so meters between him and Ace’s body disappeared in an instant with him arriving at his side As quickly as he was able he grabbed Ace and threw him sideways not bothering to be gentle Ptolemy could take care of the details afterward

As soon as he threw Ace of course those beams of grey energy became visible shooting at him at a speed he couldn’t follow with his naked eye Once twice three times five times Randidly used Phantom Half Step to throw himself backward

But immediately after spamming the Skill it became clear that it wasn’t enough The Stagbat threw itself forward so Randidly wouldn’t be able to avoid it by simply retreating Feeling so close to his limit that his hands were trembling Randidly reached upwards and grabbed at Rose off to the side Half Stepping towards her

Insufficient Stamina

Randidly didn’t even have time for a reaction as his normal connection to Neveah didn’t yield him Stamina even as he had none he just blinked and the beams arrived

He was knocked to the side and then hit the ground Instantly his touch to the ground filled him with energy as his Golden Roots of Yggdrasil kicked into high gear As he looked up he saw Annie streaking in from the side two arrows held in her hands like daggers Before the Stagbat could react she had landed on its back and stabbed downward cutting into the bat’s face

The Stagbat whirled screaming but Thea was there from the front dodging perilously close to a grey beam and had the Stagbat been looking in her direction she would have likely died to it Instead the Stagbat probably was still thinking of the vicious vengeance it would have on Annie while Thea’s hammer crushed the skull of the stag driving the light from its eyes

It swayed then fell to the ground disintegrating into a pool of green liquids and stained fur From that pile the Wild Rider’s Helmet and the Sword of the Skeleton Knight emerged from the antlers and the eye of the bat respectively

Slowly Randidly felt himself standing Then he turned to his left

Chrysanthemum lay there her tongue lolling out of her mouth amusement and teasing clear in her intelligent eyes Her huge body lay on the ground The beam had struck her in her hindquarters when she had bodied Randidly to the side knocking him out of harm’s way in the same way that Randidly had saved Ace

Immediately the hair around the spot where she was hit began to go grey In the second that this had spread to cover all of Chrysanthemum the hair at the initial spot turned white and fell out revealing wrinkled and withering flesh It was somewhat like watching someone pop the bubbles on crust in a pizza shop Randidly thought with a strange impartiality

There was a snap and the skin over the back part of Chrysanthemum’s body just spread away ripped by the passage of time Her huge mass about the size of a van rapidly decreased reducing her to the size of a St Bernard while still being draped in the skin of a van sized bear The front half of her body seemed simply misshapen while the back half seemed to have degenerated like a rotten tomato

Her eyes closing the bear’s head slumped to the ground

Chrysanthemum Thea bellowed realizing almost immediately after the blow landed that something was wrong She sprinted back over towards the bear her eyes wide her breathing ragged even before the Stagbat collapsed to the ground

Randidly stood looking down at Chrysanthemum remembering the good natured amusement that she looked at him right afterward when their eyes met It was as if she was saying No no this is how you protect boy Sometimes strength isn’t enough Sometimes triumph demands sacrifice

Weeping Thea collapsed next to Chrysanthemum It took several seconds but everyone else seemed to free themselves from the strange stasis that they were locked in from Thea’s scream

Ptolemy took two steps towards Thea’s back but then hesitated glanced at Randidly then went to Ace Within 5 seconds Ace sat up shaking his head and then vomited to the side Only then did Ptolemy hurry over to Chrysanthemum

Is she Annie asked the concern in her voice very real

Alive Thea managed to choke out around sobs But

At that point Ptolemy arrived placing his hands on Chrysanthemum’s side hairs falling out and skin flaking away immediately Randidly shook his head and moved to stand next to them peering closely with Aether detection

To Lucretia he asked Do you think an Aether Donation

There is more to life than Aether I suspect Lucretia said Then after a pause she said When you finish here I have news Big news about the Creature No immediate danger

Randidly had the sudden impulsive urge to lash out at Lucretia then for seeming to imply that Chrysanthemum would soon die but he reigned that in barely Instead he watched carefully as Ptolemy used his Skills to examine her feeding Aether to them both even though Lucretia seemed to think it wouldn’t help

Ptolemy opened his eyes his face solemn But before he could speak he was interrupted by a notification

Congratulations You have defeated 9)( )32092(warning unexpected error) the Boss of this Raid Dungeon As such you have freed your Zone from the Tyranny of the Raid Dungeon and Aether shall be abundant in your Zone In addition another rare natural occurrence shall be created within the new expanded confines of your Zone

As you have defeated the Boss all of its treasure behind its throne room is yours In addition you may use the Key of Death to clear the Dungeon from any point You need not be at a Cathedral to use it

Everyone examined the notification mutely and then Randidly said Before I came up I found the treasures I think it is talking about it We can handle that after

Randidly’s gaze turned to Ptolemy and everyone else mimicked him gazing at their healer wondering if a miracle was possible But at the same time everyone knew based on the sad solemn look on Ptolemy’s face no salvation was coming

As Ptolemy opened his mouth Randidly remembered scant months ago meeting Chrysanthemum in that field while he was traveling with Simon She was only a normal size for a bear at that point and she had come into their field of view shyly perhaps long used to rather fearful reactions from people

When he saw the bear in a very human way raising its emotional defenses by acting standoffish Randidly felt a profound sadness and empathy for the creature And instead of being afraid he grinned and stepped forward lowering himself into a sparring stance She gazed at him curiously still aloof

He ran forward and forcibly bowled her over using his superior Strength

Then they had just played Cautiously at first then rougher and more freely Chrysanthemum had crashed into him and swiped playfully at his head After proving his toughness she was more than willing to rough house with him losing herself and just being a bear for the first time in a while

Now Randidly watched as Ptolemy confirmed his fears There There aren’t any wounds It’s just like the body is giving up on itself Like it has lived too long

Let’s take her out of this place Randidly said warily pulling the Key of Death out of his spatial ring No one said anything and the group congregated around Thea so he activated it The group disappeared and a wave spread outwards eradicating any stragglers remaining This Dungeon was just a tool and the monsters grown here meant nothing to the System

When they had outlived their usefulness they would be replaced

Chapter 467

Simon held his hand up to his eyes shading some of the sun’s harsh rays It had been over an hour now since the group had gone into the Raid Dungeon and Simon was a nervous wreck Because even with his Class of the Dreamer there was nothing that he could do to penetrate through the temporal differences to see what was going on within the Raid Dungeon

In fact it was only through a supreme act of will that Simon was able to tear his focus away from the Raid Dungeon But based on what the difference in time was it was possible that the group would take a day or two of real world time to finish the Dungeon Even that was dependent on the performance of the Dungeon divers which Simon didn’t doubt but they had no way of knowing how difficult it would be how many challenges would be arrayed before them

Sighing Simon left his room and walked outside vaguely intending to tend to the garden In the end he simply took the watering pale and sat next to the garden his arms wrapping around his legs pressing his eyes tightly shut While he was so deprived of his sight he did his best to ignore the humming presence of his Astral power and focused instead on the sounds around him A squirrel climbing up a tree the drone of bugs his own breath

As he did so the knot of tension in his neck slowly eased flowing out of him into the ground beneath him There was something profoundly healing about the world Simon reflected to himself It was almost as if compared to the great weights the planet bore their small woes and stresses were so minuscule they could be absorbed without noticeable difference Very quickly Simon’s breathing had eased to the point he could lean back and feel the warmth of the sun on his skin

“It just it sucks being left behind ” Simon whispered to the air He was currently living with his mom in Star Crossing and due to her high standing and also Simon’s their house was about a half mile out of town upon a high hill that gave a good vantage point for the surrounding territory

In a post System world a half mile wasn’t so far that sprinting help couldn’t arrive in time to help handle emergencies but it was far enough that the bustle of the city fell away Plus with rumblings out of Franksburg of development of an electrical grid and a fuel substitute their tiny suburb on the hill might soon be seen as all too close to the noises of the city

Even with the rising threat of doom should the Raid Dungeon team fail by and large no one below the upper levels of the VIllage’s Administrations noticed Or at least the people gossipped and talked about it but never really doubted that their heroes would succeed

Simon pressed his eyes shut It had been hard these past few weeks to listen to so many people praising Thea for her bravery and power They talked about how she was from a relatively common Class as far as the Raid Dungeon party went and still was able to stand among them as equals due to hard work and determination Every time someone talked about her Simon felt a hand grip his heart to the point he simply ached all other emotions driven away To think that now she was out of his ability to assist or understand

Tensing his entire body Simon hissed “I’m so weak All I could do was watch as they left and now not even “

He trailed off unsure of what to say As his thoughts always did when faced with the question of how to become stronger Simon’s thoughts turned towards David The Ghosthound The man who more than anyone else had gotten to where he was due to hard work and determination

Oh Simon didn’t deny that Thea’s recent emergence was due to those same traits but he was likely the only person who realized that Thea’s emergence coincided with meeting the Ghosthound and watching how he mercilessly drove himself forward always pushing harder farther faster He was a man that lived under a dreadful weight At this point Simon wondered if the Ghosthound could stop pushing or would the sheer momentum of him continue to drive him farther and farther from the rest of humanity

Simon had trained his Skills but he wasn’t as exacting as he knew he would have to be to move among the highest level of Classers When he grew tired Simon didn’t want to push even further he simply wanted to stop and rest Of course he wasn’t going to baby himself up to that point but everyone he had talked to had told him that any work that he would put in after that moment he sincerely believed he couldn’t go on any longer was just as valuable if not more so than all the work that came before that Therefore those that could push past the weariness were getting in double the work as those who couldn’t

These principles were derived from pre System exercise science of course but all the experts agreed that post System Skillsimproved for a lot of the same reasons that muscles did previously It simply left Simon exhausted feeling like a vast gulf was opening between himself and others even with the rarity of his Class That space between himself and the Ghosthound was a given but now it was surely between himself and Thea

Simon spun around jumping up to his feet in response to the sudden sound The broken body of the bird that had slammed into the glass window seemed glued to the impact zone the thin crack holding it in a vengeful grip But then the moment passed and the body tumbled down and settled into the bushes next to the house

Letting out a breath Simon muttered “Fuck this ” and closed his eyes He reached for his Astral power and his awareness spread rapidly outward

He could feel how in the living room his Soulbound companion got to his feet shaking his oxen head in displeasure It was very clear that his friend did not look kindly on him giving in to temptation so quickly but Simon didn’t care about that now he simply let himself get lost in the teleportation allowing his perceptions to shoot off across the horizon scanning quickly

Simon blinked and then his smile split his face widely They were back

The Raid Dungeon party was there looking considerably the worse for wear even the Ghosthound His once fearsome cloak of bones now truly looked like something that had been kept in a crypt for 100 years crisscrossed with broken bones and holes

In fact

The longer Simon looked at the group the more his smile faded away Something was definitely wrong The group’s faces were grim and said There was very little talking and most of it was the Ghosthound speaking quietly to Rose and Alana while the whole group was very specifically not looking at

Thea

Kneeling on the ground next to Chrysanthemum

The urge to vomit was so strong that Simon was knocked out of his trance brought back to standing in front of his and his mom’s garden His vomit was acidic and yellow as he spewed it over the ground and he took several long seconds to blink away his tears and regard the stomach liquid he had produced It seemed so chemical so foreign so far from how he would describe himself even his most inner workings So close to being something other

Shivering Simon closed his eyes and looked at Chrysanthemum again Her hair had fallen out and her skin was coming off in large flakes She seemed to be some sort of rotten fruit lumpy yet soft unnaturally shaped her previously strong bulk now emptied like a spent water balloon

Gently Thea stroked Chrysanthemum whispering something that not even Simon’s Astral ears could hear Out of habit he had formed a small Astral Projection of a bird but he let that dissipate hoping that no one had noticed Simon’s thoughts were bouncing around his head violent and strange and he couldn’t deal with the Ghosthound turning his baleful green eyes to him issuing some order

Simon needed time to understand what had happened

Next to Thea’s body there lay a sword and an antlered helmet which he recognized as the Regalias of the Champions At least they had accomplished that goal And as suddenly as he had thought of goals there was a flicker from the Dungeon behind the group a burst of golden light and a notification appeared in Simon’s vision

Congratulations Zone 32 Your strongest warriors have cleared the Raid Dungeon The ambient energy in the air will be increased to 1 5x previous levels In addition the Raid Dungeon will remain a powerful Dungeon with great rewards in its depths Continue to defeat this Dungeon and you will perhaps discover hidden secrets

Due to the victory the area of Zone 32 will be increased by an extra 50 miles in each direction Warning when this planet entered into the System some smaller portions were frozen in time Some humans might be contained within these areas However the monsters in the new area will be between Level 35 and Level 45 so act quickly Those areas will open tomorrow

Contained in the new areas will also be an additional Rare natural treasure due to being the 2nd group to clear the Raid Dungeon on your planet and the 5th in your Cohort All humans born in your Zone will receive an extra +5 to all Stats while within your Zone

In 6 months your Zone 32 will be connected to the New Earth The New Earth will be composed of resource rich Danger Fields and other Zones that have cleared their Raid Dungeon Each Danger Field will produce powerful spawn unless the Field Boss is defeated once every 6 months Each Zone that joins the New Earth will cause 2 Danger Fields to connect to the New Earth

In the next 6 months prepare because once the New Earth has 7 Zones the System will progress to the testing stage Beware humans A Calamity approaches

Chapter 468

Randidly swore with such passion that Astral Simon jumped to the side moving his attention a bit farther away from the group Thea heedless continued to cry next to the weird rotten remnants of Chrysanthemum

Simon felt somewhat cold for feeling that way but

Will there be enough people to mount a rescue Rose wondered aloud We need to move fast either way Get people at the borders

I’ve no doubt Mrs Hamilton is moving Squads as we speak Alana grunted

Randidly nodded his face dark his eyes intensely focused He seemed somewhat preoccupied but Simon watched as he forcibly relaxed then shook his head somewhat helplessly He gestured to the group and they moved somewhat away from Thea giving her some privacy

After they moved far enough away that her sobs were no longer audible the Ghosthound turned and regarded the others his gaze sharp I would like to say something to you all before we part and begin dealing with the many problems that the days will brings Especially those of you I am not very familiar with

Simon regarded the group Aside from the Ghosthound there was Alana Annie Clarissa and Ptolemy from Donnyton Rose and Dauntless from the Refuge although right now Dauntless looked rather lost simply following the Ghosthound with wide eyes Lucifer from Franksburg Finally Drake from East End

Especially the four from other Villages regarded the Ghosthound coolly Rose especially looking like his tone set her teeth on edge Apparently noticing the reaction the Ghosthound raised a hand Relax it’s nothing like there are no real threats here Just

Pausing the Ghosthound turned and looked towards the sky I just wanted you all to understand how your lives will change after this

It might be different for some of you but you are about to go back to an old life after you’ve been pushed to the edge of death constantly for a month That may seem like a short amount of time And truly it is But in the time between who you were prior and who you are now there was a moment perhaps multiple where you neared your limits and expected to die Yet you did not

Think of that as a marker you have left yourself One that if you continue to train and hone your Skills you can use to propel yourself to greater heights It is unadulterated power to know how far you are capable of going A power and a deathly certainty that others won’t have That certainly will give you an advantage in every aspect of your life as long as you don’t lose your way Don’t underestimate the power of what you have experienced

The second thing I would like to point out although you won’t realize it yet is that your standards have shifted greatly You might say again it has only been a month So I ask you which of you would fear an ambush from a Raid Boss at the moment Tier III with time to spawn lieutenants Who believes that we wouldn’t be able to sweep it away like wind through dried leaves

No one said anything just standing there staring at the Ghosthound On the faces of a few Alana and Rose especially were faces of confusion wondering perhaps where the Ghosthound was going with this sudden monologue

The Ghosthound continued saying And even if you were alone who believes they wouldn’t be able to escape Who here would be flustered by sudden attacks or numbers and lose sight of the larger picture Who doubts for a second that under fair odds they would be victorious against these common enemies

No one said anything but Rose raised her hand the corner of her mouth twisted upwards in a smirk The Ghosthound chuckled and then continued

You will know more fully what I mean when you get back When everyone talks of training and of small slights between each other and of the pettiness of living in close proximity with other humans Which leads me to my third and final point without a doubt we here are the group of the most powerful people in our Zone likely on Earth

Simon shivered feeling extremely out of place among this crew The Ghosthound had a point Although Simon wasn’t sure what these people had gone through all their armor was scarred but their faces were even and direct Their gaze were bright and determined Now that it was pointed out to him he could sense from them all a wonderful feeling of certainty To someone like Simon who always doubted himself

It was like poking a million tiny holes in a balloon at night and it silently collapsed in on itself

Let me tell you it is not what you are expecting It is lonely at the top ’ is a true sentiment in a lot of ways The Ghosthound looked down at his hand speculatively then flexed it It likely sounds trite to hear it now but when people look at you they will no longer see you They will no longer see your names or identity No more than anything else at the forefront of people’s minds will be your deeds and from these impressive acts they will form their opinion of you

To be eternally defined by your glory rather than self is to realize that to all others you are frozen The Ghosthound said softly looking at the ground now And that unless your glory has risen even higher you cannot move forward You will have lost yourself in your past and see your sense of self dissipate like a mirage in the desert

Abruptly the Ghosthound looked up grinning at them Of course you are also the most powerful people currently so there are also benefits But don’t let your power blind you to the dangers of possessing it

You Rose said Then she laughed shaking her head That was an impassioned speech I’m honestly surprised at you Randidly I didn’t know you were the sentimental type

Of all reactions the Ghosthound blushed The rest of the group laughed somewhat although it was a muted reaction as it appeared that some of them hadn’t forgotten of Thea’s continued pain

Simon couldn’t cry in his Astral form but if he could have rivers would have worn wide grooves on his cheeks His Astral form had kept his senses sharp so even from this distance the sobs from Thea were just audible deep sounds full of anguish Even hearing them Simon could feel the edges of himself fraying away somewhat and that hand around his heart was squeezing so hard that there was nothing but the pounding and the pressure in his chest

You are You are so Simon wanted to say something hurl an insult at the Ghosthound in this undetectable Astral form but he couldn’t bring himself to do it

Privileged that’s the word he finished lamely scrounging for something more satisfactory but the more he thought about it the more furious Simon became Because the Ghosthound hadn’t started with this he had worked for it He had changed himself over and over again until he was unrecognizable to those who had known him previously

The man no the force of nature Simon looked at now fresh from a victory in the Raid Dungeon was far from the wounded man that Simon had nursed back to health And that even proved the Ghosthound’s point didn’t it That these powerful individuals were changed so much that their perspectives were far warped from that of the average people

They could no longer be bothered by the squabbles of those without power They couldn’t be bothered to stay with Thea and mourn with her sharing in her pain even though it was obvious that Chrysanthemum had been a part of their team They couldn’t

Simon became too choked up to continue that train of thought and just clenched his Astral body as hard as he could causing himself great mental pain but feeling strangely invigorated by it

If I If I could be like you Simon whispered If I could push myself that hard just a bit further and grasp power in my own hands I

Simon paused Because suddenly he was struck by a thought A method to power that others had talked about while he had been monitoring them with his Astral form

Immediately he pushed the thought away or tried to But that part of Simon that revelled in the pain just giggled somewhat and reached out and latched onto that thought Part of the path to power was the willingness to grab it

The Ghosthound taught him that

So without thinking about the consequences Simon created an Astral Projection next to Thea She didn’t even look up so he had time to work sculpting his body in exacting detail This new raw Simon took a sick pleasure in making sure every one of his flaws was displayed in plain view His thin arms his pudgy belly his crooked nose and his greasy hair

And when he was done he walked forward and patted Thea on the back I’m sorry for your loss I’m sorry for a lot of things But I have to do this don’t I So I don’t so we don’t

She didn’t even answer she simply continued to cry

Somewhat expecting this reaction Simon didn’t become emotional Something larger than emotions had taken over him So he simply sighed and said I promise I will protect you Thea

And then Simon reached down and grasped the discarded Regalias

Chapter 469

Randidly spun around right before he was going to crack a joke at Rose’s expense as the only individual here worthless in combat But before he could finish a flash of power pulled his attention back towards the Dungeon

There was a flash and swirl of Aether causing his eyes to widen Could the Creature

Definitely not based on the memories we recovered Lucretia cut in but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a sign of trouble

Memories Randidly blinked several times Then he did his best to put it out of his mind as he moved back over towards the front of the Dungeon where Thea still sat crying

Where he had left the two Regalia feeling rather awkward about walking over next to Thea and picking them up while she was so seized by grief Inwardly Randidly cursed himself for not just putting them into his spatial ring but he had felt

Everything had happened so fast the end of the fight Chrysanthemum using her body to protect him returning to the world Randidly was lost in some of his personal grief and had let things slip a bit He had even forgotten to lock down the Regalia and instead went off with the rest of the group trying to prep them for the emotional toll that strength would have on them

What the fuck sorta move was that

Randidly stopped up short somewhat stunned when he returned to Thea’s location She seemed to still be on the ground sobbing without any bit of attention spared to the tornado of Aether next to her The sword and the helmet were gone swirling until they were simply two motes of light rapidly rotating in a circle There was something at the center of that energy but it wasn’t anything that he could detect

Even his Aether Detection only managed to catch a sniff of it What was

Then Randidly realized what was going on and his shoulders slumped downwards The motes of light spun until they reached a speed at which they transformed into bands of light that then sunk into that being in the center of the tornado A notification popped up confirming Randidly’s worst fears

After trial and strife a Champion has emerged in your Zone the Eternal Dreamer You may pledge to the Eternal Dreamer in order to gain the Skill Lesser Illusion Skills gained from previous Champions may be retrained but will be lost upon pledging to the current Champion Abilities relating to Scrying Fortune Telling and Illusions will be easier to learn for those originally from Zone 32 While in the area of Zone 32 Skills relating to Scrying Fortune Telling and Illusions will Level more quickly Now that a Champion has been selected be on the lookout for special related quests

The Aether settled revealing a small bird floating in mid air Compared to the previous iterations this bird seemed to pulse with power its body possessing a level of detail that was not comparable to how it was before It fluttered its wings and hopped moving naturally and Randidly wasn’t able to tell that it was a fake aside from its sudden appearance

Still Randidly swore aloud Of all things a Champion related to illusions and scrying

You spoiled brat That wasn’t your decision to make

There was no reply from the bird but very quickly it hopped over to Thea and landed on her shoulder It raised its head and began to sing and instantly the sky darkened White petals fell from the sky in something akin to a blizzard Heedless Thea sobbed on her fingers tight on Chrysanthemum’s fur

It only occurred to Randidly now but if he had made Ptolemy the Champion or even Regina Northwind back in Donnyton perhaps

But no Chrysanthemum was nearing the end of her life Healing healing could only do so much

It was pretty this display but that was all it was Randidly fervently hoped that this prick would learn to use the Skill he had usurped to a much more efficient degree Without a word Randidly turned and walked away as Chrysanthemum’s chest fluttered one last time and then stilled while the petals continued to fall down around them

Very quickly the group arrived back at Star Crossing Some of them had given Randidly looks likely in response to the naming of Simon as a Champion but his visage apparently conveyed his opinion on the matter well enough that no one even Ace asked There the group parted Ace and Rose back to the Refuge Drake back to East End while Lucifer came with them to teleport back to Donnyton

Before he went Randidly gave a long look towards the source of a pulsating sphere of Aether on a nearby hill Likely Simon was there even now experimenting with his new power or performing minor parlor tricks for Thea in order to cheer her up

Randidly’s hands tightened into fists Was that was this really what they had struggled in the Dungeon to recover

A rational part of Randidly could understand the way these abilities could be useful but that part was just swept away by a vengeful rage Part of the reason he had departed so quickly even while Thea remained was that he couldn’t trust himself not to tear into Simon had he remained Randidly wasn’t sure how powerful Simon had become post transformation but he was likely at a similar level to the prior Champions

Which were a bit lower in power than Randidly prior to him entering the Raid Dungeon And Simon was primarily focused on Illusions

Randidly had no doubt that he could track him down and rip out the foolish kid’s throat but he wasn’t sure that he could assign the Champion status to someone else What if his act killed the Champion position permanently

There was also the fact that he was planning on murdering a kid who was just a teenager which made Randidly sullen and bitter more than anything No right now was not the time to make any decisions Better to head back to Donnyton as quickly as possible check in on Neveah inform Mrs Hamilton and Co what he had learned in the Raid Dungeon

Memories

It looked like Star Crossing was throwing together a celebration but Randidly blew past their council with only the barest excuses He wasn’t in the mood

When they returned to Donnyton he immediately launched himself at full speed in the air throwing himself out of the teleporter area and into the treeline Instantly he accelerated as fast as he possibly could not caring about how he physically tore through the terrain with the force of his passage Instead he simply made a beeline North and East shooting towards Neveah

As soon as he had arrived back on Earth he had felt the energy he had gained from growing in Levels coiling and growing then slamming into the strangely suspended form of Neveah’s soul Even now Aether flowed into her revitalizing her in some necessary way Whatever changes that Randidly had caused in Neveah due to gaining a Class this burst of energy catalyzed it and they continued at hyper speed

Fueled by the flood of energy he could feel her body reforming forcefully now rather than the gradual process it had been before

So many things had changed in the Raid Dungeon and Randidly hadn’t even dipped his toe in understanding everything he knew now Those memories would have to wait no matter how curious he was Without Neveah the Raid Dungeon had been a constant struggle Her presence at his side would make similar challenges appear like child’s play

He arrived at the crevasse she had fallen into and was surprised to find someone else there cooking a meal of fish over a small fire The man seeing Randidly blinked and leaped to his feet Immediately Randidly’s eyes refocused and he recognized the man it was the friend of Kayle and Paolo Dinesh The slender Indian man blinked for a few seconds then bowed hurriedly

Randidly opened his mouth to ask why he was here but the ground rumbled Through their bond Randidly could feel that Neveah was stirring the short sharp twitches of someone who was about to wake

Instead of speaking Randidly blew past him heading to the edge of the hole Below he could see twisting and cracking bones and a thick mist made from condensed Aether The mist seemed to pulse with Neveah’s breath moving slowly rising and falling rising and falling

Neveah Randidly thought towards her along the lines of their bond

There was stillness and then the rumbling intensified The pull of Aether grew until it seemed that Neveah’s transformation began to occur so quickly it lost sight of itself Cracks rang out of the ground bits of bone and rock ground to dust as the different sections below pulsed and shifted seeking a final resting place

Is this good Dinesh asked his face pale

Randidly said nothing

After 15 minutes of the constantly increasing cracking noises there was a crescendo a low rumbling happening concurrently with high sharp cracks Then there was silence Within the crevasse there was only stillness Then a handmade entirely of bone reached out and dragged a body behind it

Randidly chuckled as Neveah slowly and ponderously clambered out of her resting place even while Dinesh became increasingly nervous She had certainly lost quite a bit of her size but Randidly didn’t mind that so much He could already sense how the changes would make her more powerful overall even if she didn’t retain the same overwhelming momentum that she could have previously

Neveah had shifted from being a thick worm on the ground to a more humanoid form about 2 5 meters tall But in terms of humanoid it was much closer to a lizardman than a human Her legs were thick and powerful soft grey flesh covered in a thick armor of bones The torso was elongated and from the back there was a powerful tail extending perhaps three times the length of the torso itself

Her arms were relatively thinner but they were tipped with gleaming daggers of bone From her back stretched two wings made entirely of bone and Randidly doubted that they possessed the requisite lift for flight but they undoubtedly be a powerful weapon in a close range fight

Perhaps the most stunning change or lack of one was Neveah’s face Because instead of a humanoid face she retained the same face of the bone wyrm possessing cold black eyes over a circular maw of a mouth that was lined with sharp teeth

Ran d I back Neveah said her mouth twisting in glee Dinesh excused himself and fled the area rapidly

Chapter 470

Drake looked around at the surrounding 20 men and women the cream of East End as they smiled cockily at him

You really want to fight us all at once Zither said his smile long and lazy on his face

Drake nodded solemnly his eyes scanning the group around him At first he wasn’t sure what to make of the Ghosthound’s strange speech about power When Sydney appeared to be sleeping when Drake returned he decided to check to see how much of it was true

Even now as he looked at those around him he noticed the way they were standing with two of them close enough to Drake that should he attack suddenly they would likely be dead before the true fighting started It was an easy thing Drake supposed not to understand implicitly the range of a lunging man with a sword or of a monster with claws but it was something that he would see corrected regardless of their performance against him in a group

Fine fine but do you want a half hour to get your Bone Armor ready Zither asked casually moving to a peg on the wall to get training gear and a wooden sword to practice with

Grimacing Drake pressed down using every ounce of Willpower to accelerate the process Around him out of his pores liquid bone flowed joining together and shaping itself almost instantly forming gauntlets greaves pauldrons and a helmet Within 30 seconds Drake’s entire body was covered in the Bone Armor and he let out a long breath The 20 guards were frozen regarding him with shock

He supposed he shouldn’t feel too smug most of this simply had to do with having higher Stats But Drake couldn’t deny that using the Skill day after day as a defense against death had sharpened his utilization to heights he would have previously considered impossible

No need Drake said simply drawing his great sword of bone And don’t bother with putting the gear on I will leave you in one piece I will attack in 10 seconds Ready yourselves

Neveah delighted in her new body but it was relatively easy for Randidly to tear her away from experimentation and towards his inner world where Lucretia waited Neveah seemed determined that after this however they would head into Donnyton now that she looked like a people’ Randidly wasn’t sure how he could break it to her that she in fact didn’t look much like a person at all so he said nothing

If anything her transformation made her look more fearsome as the Bone Wyrm head was pasted onto a vaguely humanoid body But it was true that her size enabled her to move through most human doors which had hitherto been taboo as she could only shatter them not go through them

They found Lucretia floating in the sky above Randidly’s Soul Skill When the Monster King had sacrificed his life he had severely damaged the Creature and her minions had lost their guidance often attacking each other This allowed the allied armies to crush the remnants driving them away

Even now below their floating forms the people were beginning to rebuild fixing all the damage that the Skin Shifters and then the army that had followed had caused Even without the Monster King the monsters stayed in line for the rebuilding efforts the wolf woman monster leading them to assist It would only last for a few more weeks as previously agreed but for now there was peace in his Soul

There was more than peace however there was a transformation that would occur Randidly could sense once he had time to think it through and shape it But for now he turned his attention to Lucretia

You’ve looked through the memories already He asked

She nodded Some of them But they are messy and fragmented so it’s hard The Thief gathered them as consistently as she could but she didn’t want to stay in that place long Not while the Monster King’s body watched her she said She did however bring the body back with her

Randidly didn’t know what to say to that He felt profoundly responsible for his death in a way he never had before He had killed sure but he had never convinced someone else that it was worth it to die for him Well perhaps he had done that to all of his Soul Skill But with the Monster King the convincing was a very personal thing Randidly had come down and spoken to him given him the tools he needed to carry out the task of burning the Creature from the inside out

For that sacrifice Randidly swore to himself to care more constantly for his internal world They deserved much better than the cursory investigation he had given them previously

Held in Lucretia’s hands was a bowl and inside of it there were numerous small gems They were thick and dark things forest green maroon navy blue and when Randidly reached out to touch them he felt them flicker and twitch and then slide into his fingers to become a part of him

They weren’t easy to piece apart as Lucretia said and they hit him in a huge wave of images and thoughts and emotions Although they weren’t his and they weren’t overpowering in any way they were certainly compelling It was almost chilling how he could see from its well truly her perspective how right she was in what she was doing

The why was very fuzzy but Randidly could clearly sense how she wished to strike back at the System while keeping her own involvement a secret

When he couldn’t figure out what the memories meant the first time Randidly watched them again and again He had a fast forward function effectively and when he reached the end he could restart the flood but that was it

The first things he began noticing as he went through the memories over and over again Neveah peering over his metaphysical shoulder were the insights into Aether Manipulation Multiple times Randidly could see the Creature as she shaped Aether to accomplish oddly specific tasks Unlike his assumptions She relied heavily on trial and error but she seemed to possess an unerring intuition in regards to Aether and after a few tries she would create the desired result

These he filed away for study later because it would greatly benefit his own Skills For now however that information was less valuable

The next arc that he began to notice was his own He could sense that the Creature he faced was but a single of thousands of incarnations spread throughout the Cohort to experiment He could feel how the Creature moved through every part of his growth providing him with Skills to overcome obstacles and then acting as a constant obstacle that drove him beyond his limits

It was somewhat sickening feeling the Creature’s amusement as he struggled against her and her sparks of delight when he succeeded He felt her curiosity towards him and what he was doing but his slow growth within values that were normal for the System in her opinion made her conclude he wouldn’t be a weapon she could use

Strangely the Creature was thankful for Randidly’s actions in a lot of ways as it had formed the idea of putting a Village in a Dungeon in a failed Zone through his antics That information she had even felt important enough to spread it to her other incarnations should their own attempts fail For that one successful outcome she deemed Randidly to be useful

Randidly shivered everytime he passed through that memory

The one bright note of satisfaction for Randidly during the stream of memories was the moment when the Creature realized what he had done sneaking Tellumurite into the soul of her incarnation It quickly grew blurry from there but she felt true fear a deep dread at that moment

Such was the strength of emotion that the more Randidly felt that memory the more his amusement waned It made him remember that the Creature was a sadistic sociopath but beyond her there was something even more monstrous the System itself The Creature would not be this way if not molded by the System although he wasn’t sure of the exact nature of how that had happened

As these memories were just from the incarnation watching Randidly there was no way to know But there was more information here

Specifically the Creature was oddly fascinated by the human’s Classes Not in an impressed way but in an almost dumbfounded way Most races she knew from her previous memories in her true body had very little difference among the Classes that they had access to much in the way Shal’s world was primarily variations on Spearmen

There were certainly those that had Classes relating to different weapons or elements but there were generally only a dozen or so archetypes and then variations on those

Humans on the other hand seemed to delight in having different unique Classes even when they were relatively less powerful than the archetypes Of course there were 1% of Classes that were so absurdly powerful that it likely made up for it but the Creature found this variety to be exceedingly strange

She speculated it had something to do with the innate creativity of humans and how their culture before the System seemed obsessed with arbitrary definitions and making things up But she also could see how it was the result of something much more deeply secreted away It was likely caused by the same thing that allowed Randidly to subtly warp the System around him changing the rules in new and interesting ways

Either way from her communications with other incarnations the human Zones had yielded 5 positive results already This was incomparable to most worlds where she could waste her time and find nothing

These communications with other incarnations were often the messiest memories and required repeated careful study but the deeper Randidly went the worse his mood became Because it was clear that there were humans that had capitulated to the Creature and submitted themselves to her experimentation

It was a somewhat sobering realization Although they wouldn’t know that Randidly had defeated this incarnation perhaps the others knew of him and they might have their own perfected tools ready to fight against him to sacrifice the Earth for her greater cause

Closing his eyes to the memories for a second Randidly sighed He had pulled up a bit of the weeds but if he wanted to keep his Earth safe he would need to go after the entire root system And that would mean killing more humans those foolish enough to sell their species out to a fickle god

Chapter 471

After sorting the bodies and pouring Health Potions down the throats of the seriously injured Drake dismissed his armor and sat for a while surrounded by the unconscious bodies wiping the blood from his sword He continued to wipe and polish in small circles and it was only after he could see his reflection in the blade that he realized that this was Lucifer’s method Without even thinking be had picked it up and mimicked him capturing some of the man’s fastidiousness in regards to swords

Torn between amusement and disgust Drake stowed his sword and looked around him at the remnants of the battlefield Unlike Lucifer or Thea Drake had not split the ground with his power It was a small blessing that at least he wouldn’t need to replace the floor of the training arena Unlike Alana or Annie the ground was splattered with blood making it clear that his blows had wounded but not debilitated the enemies instantly Unlike Clarissa Ptolemy or the Ghosthound the victim’s bodies weren’t marked by burns or smudges where magic discharged on their armor and skin

Not that the Ghosthound needed to rely on his spells but the stronger Drake got the more he grew to realize that Skills using Mana were much much more fearsome than a common strike empowered with Stamina

But the bodies around Drake showed the telltale sign of being physically overpowered During his time in the Raid Dungeon he had carefully refined his technique In terms of raw power Drake might even be considered almost the same as he had been before he had entered into the Raid Dungeon But this came with about a dozen caveats that explained the difference between these two results

Before the Raid Dungeon he would attack with vicious wild swings seeking to use his superior Strength to overpower his opponent Afterward his attacks mostly consisted of short brutal blows to incapacitate and allow Drake to move quickly to a more relevant threat Against monsters Drake would usually utilize about 5 of those blows and then unleash a wild swing to finish off the stunned or struggling opponents Against humans the brutal blows were more than enough to put the guards of East End on the ground More than enough because oftentimes such strikes would also break their spirits along with their bones In one particular case Drake had kicked out and broke a young man’s shin bone As the battle raged on around him the young man began to cry unable to move

Although he said nothing Drake made note of this guard’s behavior Not that it would likely matter but

Very poignantly Drake recalled a time early in the Raid Dungeon where a strike from a centaur had shattered his bone helmet partially blinding him and stunning him After he stumbled back barely regaining his balance Drake’s first impulse was to swing wildly while retreating blowing through his Stamina in a wild gambit to find someplace safe to recover But then he had recalled that he was one of two people holding this wing of the battle lines and his partner Ptolemy would swiftly be overwhelmed if he gave ground

At that moment his feet seemed to sink into the ground and he swayed blinking away shards of bone even as his eyes teared up from tiny pieces that dug their jagged edges into the membranes near his eye At that moment Drake realized that if he did not hold he would die and he had to ask himself whether retreating to death was really an option that he wanted to entertain

So partially blinded he had stepped back forward and used hearing to locate the enemies generally just putting the tip of his sword between him and them until he had blinked away enough of the bone to understand what was going on

It occurred to Drake that some people hadn’t had moments like that in their lives even with the System’s arrival and they felt perfectly comfortable calling “time out” Or perhaps more disturbing they could have had those moments and failed those tests finding no answer in their hearts to that overwhelming fear they experienced when the possibility of death confronted them

In the present a man near Drake moaned At first Drake just shook his head but then he realized with a start that maybe he was being too harsh on these people After all the Vitality and Endurance of the group he had just spent the last month with was miles above these average Classers

“Was it really only a month ” Drake asked aloud feeling a strange sense of deja vu as he did so But it was only a month It was just a month at a tier higher of living than he was used to

After calling for healers to head down Drake wandered up through the mall until he stood before Sydney’s castle on the roof There he did not knock feeling rather content to wait for her to wake up It would do her well to dream now

Instead Drake considered the difficult prospect of finding a way to make East End relevant in the current economy If they didn’t figure out effective methods they might just find themselves consumed by the shadow cast by Donnyton and Franksburg

To Randidly’s surprise a figure stepped into his path as he headed towards the warehouse that housed their store of Potions and also Mrs Hamilton’s office

Nathan folded his arms looking more disapproving than Randidly would have expected that an 11 year old could look When Randidly just seemed content to regard him with a frown Nathan cleared his throat

“Do you understand now ” Nathan asked quietly “How hard it is to be powerless while I watch Kiersty “

He trailed off as if he was unsure what to say Randidly’s mouth tightened but he couldn’t help having empathy for the boy Due to everything Randidly had on his plate he wasn’t able to closely watch what was going on with Kiersty but based on her strange cult following and now the inclusion of the spiderlings in that area it made a lot of sense that it was a subject worth carefully monitoring It was hard enough to know what effects the System had on people who had lives before its arrival for children they could pretty easily graft onto the new way of life quickly forgetting the realities of the old world What that would mean for Classes and Skills and Paths remained to be seen but it was worrying enough that it held Randidly’s attention

When Nathan had approached Randidly previously it had been almost as though fate had offered Nathan to Randidly as a guinea pig for his Class creation so he didn’t have to bear the risk himself And now it seemed like fate

Randidly’s eyes flashed Perhaps he couldn’t give Nathan the power he wanted but he might be able to give him a Class that could help him there

“Give me a week to think ” Randidly said simply small wheels in his brain turning rapidly “At the end of that week I expect I’ll be able to help you “

Nathan’s face bloomed with a bright smile catching Randidly by surprise Wryly he smiled back and then patted the boy’s shoulder as he walked past him As he did so his eyes hardened

One more thing to think about but that could wait For now

The first of three trials that Randidly had to go through before he was confident in what he would do next

When he walked into the room he found a surprisingly non mundane office Mrs Hamilton had lined her walls with tubes filled with different brightly colored liquids These tubes grew increasingly slender until they became droppers near the ground which led to small trays Spiderlings moved to and fro between the dishes dragging lines of their silk

However the longer Randidly looked at the silk the more he frowned Because this was clearly not the silk of the spiderlings the silk he had seen from them was as fine as gossamer a beautiful net that worked based on sheer quantity of threads dropped on top of them This thread there was a strange dull quality to it that made it rather unobtrusive in a very dangerous way Although you wouldn’t notice this silk it had enough tensile strength to rip through a man’s bones if he wasn’t specced towards Endurance

It was Marrow Silk likely extracted from the farm of Bone Wyrms that Neveah had brought with her when she had been given that body

After being dipped in the brightly colored liquids the Marrow Silk quickly shifted to muted colors of that shade The Spiderlings moved quickly and their half of the room was a flurry of activity slowly throwing together a long dress made from the dyed silk It was somehow magical to watch the garment form before his very eyes But even when he let the impressive nature of the feat stir him Randidly still watched with still eyes

As someone with extremely high Control likely the highest human in terms of that Stat Randidly could understand what it would take to manipulate so many spiderlings He had always known that the creatures had a strange mental connection that allowed them to act in concert but this

Penny for your thoughts I find it oddly soothing myself Mrs Hamilton asked looking up from the drab desk that constituted the other half of the office But I understand that not all people can be comfortable to see so many tiny creatures moving together for one purpose

Randidly allowed himself a smile No it’s fine I wonder why people would let something like that get to them especially now A two headed troll that could level a building but walking into it seems a lot more fearsome than bugs But now we have quite a few individuals that would gladly throw themselves before the greater foe

Chuckling Mrs Hamilton said I think it has to do with humans seeing their own strength in another form and recognizing the threat After all millions of insignificant humans were doing a pretty bang up job beating the entire Earth into submission prior to the System’s arrival Perhaps bugs remind people that against some small threats the big man truly has no recourse and if enough of those small threats pile up

She fell silent Randidly who wasn’t inclined to dwell overlong on that point let the silence remain Not after he was being brought face to face with his own shortcomings in so many small areas And no amount of strength would allow him to clear away those problems only with time and attention could he hope to make a dent in them

Eventually Randidly cleared his throat and looked at Mrs Hamilton with a heavy gaze Do you have anything to say or should I make my accusation first

Chapter 472

After a moment of intense scrutiny Mrs Hamilton bowed her head I apologize What I did was out of line I took advantage of the fact you had less information than I did to intervene directly in the process of your Class’ creation The details I was given were vague but it was clear that I would be able to exert an influence on you one far beyond the usual clout I have in our discussions

Randidly remained silent watching her

Without needing to be pressed Mrs Hamilton continued I had also begun to somewhat suspect the Creature’s motives weren’t entirely hostile and that it was rather pushing you to see how far it would be until you break Not entirety concerned with your safety but also not really out to put you in harm’s way with the express goal of ending you However I made the executive decision to keep these suspicions to myself lest it dull your edge against her

In addition I recommended that Ace and his companion Rose be included in the Raid Party not because they were the most capable options as assistants to clear the Raid Dungeon but due to political and economic concerns It might not have become clear while you were inside there but that Rose is uncommonly insightful right from the original notification she reached out to me and offered me significant bribes as it were in order to ensure that she and Ace went into the Raid Dungeon But from the success I expect that this decision didn’t affect the result too adversely

Randidly opened his mouth but found he didn’t know what to say Clearing his throat he finally managed Chrysanthemum is dead or rather dying right now Thea it’s hard to say how she will handle the loss of her Soulbond From what I’ve seen it affects people differently

Pursing his lips Randidly’s thoughts turned to the Wild RIder Abruptly he realized that he had no idea what had happened to her after the group had begun to fight against the Dintan people He supposed she had been wiped out of existence when the Key of Death was used

That oh that poor girl Mrs Hamilton said Is she so she returned to Donnyton

As far as I know she remains insensible next to the body of her companion Randidly said slowly shaking his head I didn’t have the heart to move her Because I remember how volatile I became when Neveah entered into her coma prior to going into the Raid Dungeon It was unfortunate timing

Mrs Hamilton was silent for a moment considering that Then she looked up at him I have betrayed your trust with the things I’ve been doing My only feeble defense was that they were crimes of pride rather than malevolence I mean you no harm I simply believed that I had enough information and understanding to make the correct calls without consulting you And always I made my decision to advance the status of Donnyton Is there anything else you would like to ask

No I believe that covers it Randidly said shortly inwardly wondering what had just happened He had expected well he wasn’t too sure what he truly had expected but what he had pictured was coming in here to her and having Mrs Hamilton repeatedly denying him in some sort of evil monologue where she revealed her plan for Donnyton Not a megalomaniac like Ace but more more a self righteous fool

Not that Randidly was particularly astute in a lot of matters and to be fair he had relied on Mrs Hamilton in several instances for her ability to perceive situations but it was clear now that the town of Donnyton had a tacit understanding of the Creature one beyond suspecting it existed

From the memories he received the Creature had only made true contact with a single individual but Mrs Hamilton was too smart not to realize something was up But to have all of that frankly revealed as well as this other issue regarding Ace and Rose’s inclusion in the Raid Dungeon team

Wasn’t this too easy

But beyond that first reaction he also believed that sometimes what you saw was what you get It would be an incredibly clever ploy to reveal all these relatively unimportant details so matter of factly only to reserve a deep dark truth that she had been concealing use those minor matters to buy credence for cluelessness on the big thing

Still Randidly wanted to believe Mrs Hamilton She was also one of the few people in Donnyton that he believed could destroy the town simply with her absence so moving against her was a nuclear option

Besides Ace and Rose had acquitted themselves very well especially by the end of the expedition Although Randidly hadn’t expected this to be the case Rose was useful just for her ability to act as a very detailed Skill radar If a Skill was used within a half kilometer of her she could pinpoint the direction and the Skill with what seemed like a high degree of accuracy Sometimes the particulars would escape her but she could get the general function of the Skill almost every time

With her on the squad they hadn’t even encountered a true ambush Rose’s warnings gave them ample time to prepare and counter threats that were heading their way All in all it was difficult to begrudge Mrs Hamilton for insisting they include them His opinion might have been different when the expedition started but after it all it was clear that they had thrived in that environment and grown to a level of strength that justified their inclusion

Still there was a small part of Randidly that whispered that if Ace hadn’t come Randidly wouldn’t have had to put his own life on the line and then Chrysanthemum wouldn’t be dying accompanied only by a weeping Thea But very quickly Randidly did his best to bury that impulse Passing blame would be pointless at that point

Upon the back of the previous thought a strong desire to return to Thea’s side emerged which Randidly also had to suppress The things he was doing now were important He needed to verify the integrity of Donnyton to his own satisfaction before he began focusing on improving himself

It was only after Mrs Hamilton spoke that Randidly realized that he had been quiet this whole time

Have you Her question hung in the air as if she was unwilling to finish it

After a few seconds Randidly blinked and realized what she was referring to No I believe I will save that for last We can’t we can’t continue doing this

Mrs Hamilton nodded solemnly asking nothing more For which Randidly was very glad because he had no idea what he could say on the subject Even now the final test he needed to run seemed like a mess of old feelings and new problems that were growing to an irresponsible level

Well in other news I can’t say I would have made the same decision but I understand why it is a good idea Mrs Hamilton finally announced

Randidly frowned at her this time without a single clue as to what she was talking about

Mrs Hamilton shrugged and pointed upward Appointing Simon the Champion He has an incredibly useful ability and pushing a lot of the NCC’s towards illusions will probably pay long term dividends The issue is simply whether the boy has the backbone to hold up underneath the pressure of being Champion After all we only know the initial phase of the Champion’s role It is difficult to tell what will happen next

Mrs Hamilton continued on talking heedless of the fact that Randidly’s lips pressed together more and more tightly He agreed with her 100% of course And in a very detached way Randidly was mature enough to think that Simon might have been one of the candidates he would have considered giving the Regalia to become Champion

But he likely would have decided against it for the same reasons that Mrs Hamilton just articulated In fact of all of the longshots for who to appoint as Champion Simon would have likely been beaten bloody by Kiersty in the brackets Although the girl was shifting towards a weirdly culty vibe she at least dedicated herself to it with alacrity

After several seconds of internal struggle Randidly just said It happened very quickly For now I hope that I can trust you to take advantage of the resources it provides us with

Mrs Hamilton’s eyes flashed The word trust hung heavily in the air between them After a few seconds of thought Mrs Hamilton nodded seriously Of course The same way that I trust you won’t be extreme in your search for answers

Suppressing the sudden urge to bare his teeth Randidly just flashed a tight lipped smile Well she had a point that it would be for the best to keep from doing something as hasty as making an ultimatum There was room for some give in his tests because Randidly wasn’t very good at running a Village His strengths tended to lie in the direction of training and accomplishing very simple tasks with force

Delicate diplomacy wasn’t how he rolled

They both fell silent as their gazes went to the spiderlings continuing their seemingly eternal labor of creating clothing Whoever would receive the clothing would likely get a pretty decent defensive boost out of it at least against bladed weapons There was a certain amount of dampening of magic from the material but powerful magic and pure force would still be dangerous to the wearer

It reminded Randidly that he had to stop back and visit Sam to drop off his almost completely destroyed Bone Cloak So many links were broken that it was likely impossible to salvage anything from the remainder but Randidly intended to ask for it anyways Through his time in the Raid Dungeon he had grown to quite like the intrepid cloak and its myriad abilities and bonuses

We can accomplish a lot when we put our mind to it Mrs Hamilton said softly her eyes on the spiders as they ran the Marrow Silk through the dyes But if you two refuse to

The more complicated the task Randidly interrupted dully his voice tired The more dangerous it is to have volatile elements moving freely thinking they know best

Mrs Hamilton said nothing as he got up and left her office moving on

Next it was time to visit Donny

Chapter 473

Rose was beginning to grow worried Listless Ace continued to sit in the window of his study staring out at the figures moving through the streets of the Refuge in the slow dying light His hands were still and his eyes were dull

Rose hadn’t seen him this bland and lifeless since well since that horrid man that had shaped both Ace and Sydney so powerfully had fallen to the Tribulation and left them both unsure of how to move forward

Meanwhile Rose was pleased with the way things had turned out She always believed that Ace would be better served by giving up the strangely hypocritical and sexist habits that he had developed while spending time with that man That was the strange magnetic power of a person who had the shape of a hero however Until they fell to adversity they continued to pull at those around them

It was like gravity It wouldn’t cease until the world settled into its new balance or the foreign influence was removed

Ace and the Ghosthound’s previous associations aside Rose couldn’t deny that the Ghosthound would be a constant source of influence on the Zone let alone the entire world once they came within his sphere of influence There was no part of Rose that had hoped the bear hadn’t intervened and saved the Ghosthound’s life however

No at this point removing the Ghosthound would likely cause too much political and infrastructure damage to be a feasible way of moving forward He was the glue that held the Villages to a tentative peace Long had Rose considered the relative merits of taking over another Village to see what the concrete effect of obtaining for the Village a larger flow of Aether But it was difficult when there were so few Villages here Perhaps they could figure out a way to move inside of Donnyton and going into the other world the animal world

There their actions will be much more politically neutral and Donnyton wouldn’t let a foreign army just march out of that portal and through its capital But such an action wasn’t feasible and it remained to be seen whether the Refuge possessed enough strength to actually accomplish that goal

Ace sighed longingly leaning forward and placing his forehead against the glass hiding his expression from Rose She rolled her eyes It would be especially difficult with Ace like this Although it was another extreme option perhaps Rose should contact Sydney as she could

I always thought I would be the hero you know Ace said quietly so quietly it was only several seconds later that Rose realized he was speaking to her By the time she had considered his state of mind and constructed her answer he was speaking again

When you grow up playing video games succeeding at sports acing all the tests Who doesn’t have a secret belief that when the world comes crashing down you will be there ready to hold up the remnants with sheer personality and force of will I understand that a portion of it would always be luck but I’m lucky I’ve been lucky I didn’t die I slowly grew in strength I found people who believed in similar things and we created a Village Even now I look at my hands in wonder I could kill a man a bear wreck a fucking freight train with these hands

Rose frowned at his back So are you finished with your kick of being a villain Is Dauntless dead

Such a mental shakeup was unexpected for Ace but wasn’t something that would truly derail Rose’s plans for the Refuge In fact it might even make things simpler If Ace was willing to behave like an adult when confronted with problems the running of the Refuge would become that much smoother The people who came to the Refuge usually came for power and lawlessness but that wasn’t the way a Village could exist it simply wasn’t a stable political base

Ha You truly don’t understand Listen Rose can’t you just stop and admire the tragedy that there can only be one hero And of all people it was Randidly Not that he was a bad guy even before I would trust him with my life That was the only reason I didn’t kill him immediately when I knew for sure something was going on between him and Sydney No he was good and kind and innocent in a way and yet

Ace stopped speaking abruptly and when he turned to face her Rose felt a flash of pleasure when she saw the pure heat in Ace’s eyes This this was the reason that she followed him She had found no one even the Ghosthound that could match Ace in terms of heat of passion Sometimes Ace shocked and scared her with how powerful and volatile his emotions were

But that was the draw of him The danger

But I suppose that’s the point Life doesn’t make sense Ace said finally that passion disappearing behind a frown But it was clear he was thinking of something

After around 10 minutes of waiting so much so that even Rose began to feel the edges of her patience waning Ace’s arm snapped up pointing at Rose Fine if life will fuck with me time to fuck with it back I want you to write a letter to Sydney Tell her tell her I apologize Tell her she was right that Roy that Roy wasn’t as strong as he wanted us to believe That his pride doomed himself and a thousand people and I let it happen

Then Ace went silent and he went to the side of the room to the bookshelf With a grand motion he brought his arms across and knocked the books to the ground Behind the books was a small alcove in the way with a box in it Although it was clear as day in the empty shelf with the books there it had been completely hidden from view

Rose’s heart rose up into her throat She had always suspected but

Ace pulled down the box carefully setting it on the ground With a light touch he soundlessly lifted the lid revealing a pile of dirty bones Human bones

Finally ask Sydney to send that Skeleton Mage of hers Ace said with glowing eyes The passion was back which gave Rose some hope but was a twisted monstrous thing Rose’s mouth crept open into a small smile If anything the twisted nature of Ace was for the best The more his personality was twisted and warped the greater the pressure the larger the explosion when his inner passion won through

Let’s see if it’s true that he can Raise Dead Ace whispered We need as many Heroes as we can get

After knocking on the door Randidly let himself into the training room Donny covered in sweat paused in his attack on two other Knights from Donnyton The two sparring partners saluted Randidly when he entered Nodding Randidly turned his attention to Donny and focused his gaze there

Donny had been a skinny punk of a kid when they had met When the option to become tied to a Village emerged initially Randidly had pushed that responsibility onto Donny in order to avoid it himself Randidly had never been good with people and he didn’t think the apocalypse was going to change that

Not that Donny had been particularly good with people either but he certainly possessed an enthusiasm for them that Randidly lacked Back then he had rather beady eyes and greasy brown hair Long limbed and awkward he had been the type that it was more easy to picture as the kid who got rejected when he asked a girl to prom than the leader of thousands of people

Time the System and Randidly’s gift of being the Village Chieftain had been kind to Donny Whereas his body could have previously been described as wispy he was now wiry Although his limbs weren’t overly muscled they showed clear signs of repeated training His skin now had a healthy copper glow from long hours working in the sun His hair was now kept cropped short giving him a stern look that helped age him a bit

He was still clearly a teen but now at least he was one with the sense of worth to meet your gaze when you looked at him Combine that with his powerful looking shield and leather armor and you had more than a Chieftain you had a Knight

Was he 18 19 17 Randidly wondered trying to remember how much time had passed on Earth His own journeys now put him just over 3 years or so but even that was suspect And perhaps most confusingly their time together and apart seemed to have deepened their connection between them even when they weren’t together When he looked at Donny looked him in the eyes he could see the admiration and respect He saw a young man who had learned to carry responsibility and pay his debts

A man who had the strength of personality to protect Donnyton regardless of what was thrown in his path That was of course only if Donny had the strength to manage it Willpower was only half of the battle

You two can leave Randidly said shortly gesturing to the two training partners After a hurried bow they followed his instruction closing the door behind them When they were alone Randidly examined the surrounding area It was a nice space plenty of room for both close and far range practice Although Randidly suspected that Donny focused primarily on defense in the former case and team battles in the latter

Well it was time to shake things up a bit

What’s up Donny asked curiously using a towel to wipe away his sweat

Flashing a smile Randidly threw a spatial ring at Donny He caught it nonplussed and examined the inside When he discovered that there were about a hundred Health and Stamina potions within his eyes widened looking in askance at Randidly

I have thought a lot about Donnyton’s future Randidly started and when Donny went to speak Randidly held up his hand No nothing to do with how you guys are handling the governing I have divorced myself from that and I don’t want that to change No I just have come face to face with the realization that I may need to leave Donnyton And I want to be sure that if I do so it will remain safe

You are leaving

Randidly smiled sadly It seems all but inevitable right now I’ll give it a chance but

He trailed off then shook his head Then with a steady gaze he looked at Donny After the rescue operation tomorrow to sweep the new areas for people you and I are going to spar For 24 hours straight I won’t hold back It’s going to hurt And I hope to god you convince me I made the right decision choosing you as the Village Chieftain “

Chapter 474

Mrs Hamilton looked up at the young man that walked into her field office It was almost noon and most of the Southern and Eastern new areas had been examined at least in a cursory manner From what she understood most of it was monster infested wilderness so much so that the Squads above 20 were having difficulty rescuing people when they found them Mostly they just called for assistance from Numerals or even the Ghosthound himself if he was in the area

But now that they had finished their sweep it was time to hear what the damage was

Report Mrs Hamilton said coolly The man nodded then began to speak

All told we found about 3000 people Most came relatively quietly when evidence of monsters became too obvious to deny But there were some hard headed ones that needed convincing Most were taken to Franksburg for a more gentle transition to System life but we were able to identify a few dozen highly skilled laborers that were recruited But some of those I think are a little shocked by everything they’ve seen ma’am

Mrs Hamilton leaned back in her chair So many had close encounters with a monster How many do we think died

The young man closed his eyes grief clear on his face He can’t be older than 24 ’ Mrs Hamilton thought to herself chiding herself inwardly

Probably probably about twice that much Most of the people were in a small bit of a city center that was transplanted to the Easternmost boundary By the time we got word of it an Alien style monster had set up shop there Latched onto the face suffocated victims planted eggs in the dead body etc It was only the Ghosthound’s arrival that saved the rest He used his roots I’ve been led to understand and his aim was impeccable All infected and live monsters were impaled within a half hour of his arrival

Then the boy hesitated unsure of what to say Mrs Hamilton chuckled dryly Go on say it Randidly isn’t so petty to take offense at the truth of his methods

The boy visibly flinched at the use of Randidly’s name and Mrs Hamilton almost said something about it and the danger of deifying a man but decided against it Especially when Randidly was going to be so distant from the day to day running of Donnyton it didn’t do too much harm it was just somewhat exasperating to deal with On the other hand it had the added benefit of making the men treat the actual leader of their Village Donny like a regular guy

So for that reason alone it was worth keeping around Mrs Hamilton was much more worried about Donny letting the fame go to his head than she was about Randidly

Well The young man coughed into his hand before speaking He didn’t ah bother to check if there were witnesses So many people watched their family members who had previously been attacked by those strange little monsters be eviscerated by roots in front of their eyes

Mrs Hamilton remained silent tapping the table Sometimes even she forgot how far they had come These people had never realized that they were about to die yet They were still innocent in that way

Well now that they were here it was only a matter of time

Fine now give me specifics Mrs Hamilton said putting on her cool mask she used when she was preparing to see the threads of people’s lives through the eyes of a spider Tell me about our new haul of recruits

Mrs Hamilton’s sharp eyes picked up on the young man’s almost imperceptible shiver before he began to speak

Fully 32 hours after he had entered the room Randidly left Donny’s training area The ground was cracked and soaked with blood There were portions of the ground and walls that had been warped somewhat as though reality itself had been bent by the force of what had previously occurred there Wilting plants dotted the cracked and shattered landscape

Satisfied Randidly smiled at Donny who stumbled out after him his leather armor almost completely obliterated his eyes somewhat unfocused How many Skill Levels did you get today

You fucking liar that was so much longer than 24 hours Donny muttered stumbling over to a jug of water by the entrance He just raised it and dumped it towards his face some of it going into his mouth but most of it sluicing off of him and wiping away the caked blood and dirt that built up from so long being pounded into the ground When he finally finished however and looked at his Status screen his eyes widened

Holy shit Donny said I gained almost 100 Skill Levels

Randidly chuckled Something like that couldn’t be done twice And the only reason that he had been able to accomplish it was that his Regeneration rates were so much higher than normal So he could continually push Donny to his limits never running out of gas

It had been a varied attack too so just when Donny was starting to get the hang of fighting against one of Randidly’s attack types he would switch it up keeping him on his back foot That area when the body was struggling to find and teach itself rhythm was the fastest growth after all Randidly was likely the only person with enough Skill variety to do it for so long

He had started with hand to hand combat then moved onto using Roots using root avatars then fire Skills then different Summons then spear Skills then Spear Phantom Skills then Randidly’s own Class Skills before finishing out with a period of 8 hours where Randidly relied only on the crushing superiority of his Yggdrasil Skills

All in all it had been remarkably beneficial to Donny in terms of his Skills After all he hadn’t gone into the Raid Dungeon with the group and wouldn’t have that huge amount of growth from that experience

It was also a great stress relief for Randidly Donny made a great punching bag

That thought made Randidly’s smile widen albeit sadly You know you remind me of someone I used to know

Huh Donny asked stripping off his ripped and ruined armor Someone from before the System

No after He was Randidly cast his mind back trying his best to recall He was so confusing He seemed so weak constantly He was blustery and full of talk but when it came to the actual fighting he generally just got beat up on So much so that it became easy to forget he was there And while I wasn’t paying attention he became really good at being beaten up without letting the opponent finish him Phenomenal even

He died Donny asked

Randidly nodded feeling strangely emotional about it all Shaking his head he tried to dispel it

What was his name Donny asked tilting his head to the side

Randidly almost had to chuckle Thankfully Donny was relatively good natured because Randidly had just told him he reminded him of someone who was at an almost professional level of being beaten up That’s the funny thing I don’t even remember it

Now Donny gave Randidly a look and Randidly burst out laughing No no I remember it It was Roger Kingsley He was he was a close friend A follower for a long time

Nodding Donny sat on one of the benches outside the training area looking at his hands There was a silence there and to Randidly’s surprise it wasn’t as morose ashe expected it to be based on their conversation topic Instead it shifted to something closer to companionship It was likely true that they had both seen people die and in that way they could commiserate

That was the reality of the System

Still looking at his hands Donny said I really wouldn’t be able to do this any of this you know If it wasn’t for you

Ha I don’t handle many of the important bits Randidly said in an offhand manner feeling somewhat wary of Donny’s serious tone To his chagrin Donny pushed forward looking up at him

No really You’ve said your piece and given me this training to push my Skill up and now it’s my turn to say mine We do different things you are right But you Donny closed his eyes and shook his head How would a farmer even tell the clouds how thankful she is

Randidly opened his mouth not even sure what to say but Donny stood Look I know you feel like what you are doing now leaving Donnyton is a betrayal You feel guilty for that But I don’t think that’s right You’ve never made a promise directly to Donnyton to protect it you’ve made that promise to the entire human race We here in Donnyton are just closer to you and can see the effects more easily So even if you leave you will still protect people That won’t change

So Donny said flushing abruptly red as his mind caught up with his mouth He floundered for several seconds unsure of what to say but then he raised his fist offering it to Randidly Good luck

His fist was bloody and bruised As it hung in the air it trembled slightly even Donny’s System empowered body weakened from so much exertion in such a short time His muscles were struggling to keep up with the demands upon them and they were spasming slightly unsure if they should be clenching or not

Randidly bumped his fist into Donny’s feeling strangely at peace

Chapter 475

Before his last task Randidly had one other thing to accomplish And he wanted to get this inner focus task out of the way in case things went downhill

Pointing his attention inward Randidly slid into his Soul Skill looking down at the world He gathered some Progenitor’s Influence floating in the air nearby raising his total to near 8000 After a few minutes Lucretia flew up to meet him Very quickly Neveah also came shifting from her training in the mountains to use her new body joining Randidly for this very important occasion

Before they began Randidly smiled at Neveah How are you liking it

I can walk She exclaimed brightly her toothy maw pulsing quickly in a way that Randidly had learned to read as excited Words easier Soon I will be sneaky into Village

There was a purity about her that still cheered Randidly up Chuckling he reached over and rubbed her head Honestly that was one of the main reasons that Randidly wanted to stay in Donnyton for a bit longer just to be there when Neveah waltzed into town demanding a burger and then asking where Dinesh was so she could go play with him

Randidly had a deep sympathy for the man’s nerves but trusted that as a member of the Squads of Donnyton he would be willing to throw himself on the walking and speaking bone grenade that is Neveah in a humanoid form With her wings pressed tightly to her sides at least she wasn’t too physically intimidating

They just needed to find a veil for her face and she could play at being a mysterious foreign beauty

Randidly’s smile froze as he realized that him moving farther away from Donnyton might mean Neveah would have to part with Dinesh He didn’t understand their relationship but knew the man was important to her So maybe

Reading his thoughts Neveah’s spirit projection bowled into him knocking him away

Frowning he said You shouldn’t just look at people’s thoughts

You shouldn’t stand still and silent for 30 seconds out of the blue so often Lucretia said wryly Are we ready to begin I’ve tried to prepare the people below as much as possible

Randidly nodded As there hadn’t been any pressing issues since defeating the Stagbat Randidly hadn’t spent any of his PP yet He remembered in great detail the vicious pain that resulted from utilizing a Soul Skill after it had reached the limit of its growth and Randidly had learned from the Creature’s memories that reaching that potential was the reason it was able to break into his Soul Skill

Specifically the core of Randidly’s world had grown to a certain point and needed to evolve in order continue on safely Otherwise he was cramming more and more power into a small condensed space moving it towards a dangerous reaction Although it wasn’t something that Randidly liked progressing to the next stage of Soul Skill would hopefully stabilize the situation and give him a power up that might be necessary considering the threats looming against him

Also from the Creature’s memories he learned that what he held in his chest wasn’t so much a weapon but a key A Skeleton Key but an incomplete one Lucretia had investigated in great detail and informed Randidly that his images must have already worked some sort of change upon the original design because it had shifted the construct from what it had been originally intended to be More than that she refused to tell him lest it color his image of it Randidly was inclined to believe her

Besides if it was some sort of portal it reaching maturity and allowing the Creature to attack him with it made sense It also made him aware that if he could control it he would be able to do something similar with other threats Although he would prefer not to have it inside of him backing off now wasn’t an option it was already an integral part of what he was

Randidly’s eyes glowed emerald as he began to focus his will inwards The Soul Skill itself began to rumble as he shifted his attention towards it First he felt the entirety of it feeling the four races he created below as well as the monsters that mutated based on exposure to foreign Aether In addition Randidly was somewhat surprised to find that there was a colony of the Aether Thralls that had apparently survived the war and cullings afterward

They were filled with fear and desperation and the longer he noticed them the more his initial anger faded away He could feel that their connection to the Creature had been snapped when he ignited the Tellumurite in her inner world and now they could belong to his Although he couldn’t tell what sort of reproductive system they had Randidly wasn’t too worried about them settling inside him next to the danger of having this Skeleton Key at his core what were a few thousand Aether Thralls

Satisfied with his exploration he withdrew his awareness and filtered it down to the core of his Soul Skill where this construct by the Creature remained inside of him He could feel clearly the power coursing through it as it had shifted and settled into place over the last several months rearranging itself to find its path to power

Whereas the Class was the Physical’ aspect of Aether growth the Soul Skill was the Mental’ It related powerfully to the images he used the type of Skills he could use and the efficacy of those Skills As such Randidly fully intended to try and bring his Soul Skill and his Class more closely into line

When it came to images Randidly had gradually realized that the trick was not to make something from nothing but to have your something and shift your perspective on it Only then would you see that it was something else this whole time and you could make use of this more powerful image fully formed

So when he looked at what Lucretia spoke of a fully charged Skeleton Key at the core of the Soulskill he didn’t see a key or a power plant dangerously close to a cataclysmic core meltdown Randidly saw a seed

A seed that was ready to finish germinating

Grow He whispered and for a blinding second the world burned emerald

Then the rumblings in the Soul Skill increased in intensity the world splitting as huge branches lifted upwards separating enormous tracts of land The tree that was rapidly growing was surprisingly gentle lifting the seven new continents upwards Thin tendrils from the tree sunk into the landmasses and pumped energy and life into them both increasing the size of the lands but also filling them with generations old plant life

Below him Randidly could feel the panic and awe in equal measure radiating up off of the people on the different landmasses Distantly he could feel a few of their lights snuffed out as some were killed in the transition That set his teeth on edge but there was little that he could do about it This was an unavoidable stage of growth for him He could not back away from it

It hurt how callous he was becoming But he filed that hurt away for examination later

A powerful golden trunk formed as the landmasses were buoyed upward From the bottom roots emerged and plunged downward into the darkness of the Soul Skill and from nothing a vast sea sprung into existence Instantly the roots spiraled downwards through the choppy water of the sea and sinking into the fabric of space beneath it anchoring itself

Seven branches rose upwards each holding a landmass With exaggerated care Randidly took that construct of Aether of the Creature splitting it into three pieces running through the core of the tree But the bulk of those three pieces were in the top middle and bottom of the landmasses These landmasses were each about ? the size of the previous world which meant the land area available to the peoples of his Soul Skill had doubled and then some

The bottom landmass the one closest to the water instantly frosted over a strange flow of energy emerging from the portion of the Skeleton Key there Very few life forms remained on that continent and those that were there were mostly warped by the energy from the Skeleton Key and became the stuff of nightmares

The second from the bottom landmass was populated by monsters which swiftly began exploring their new region Although it seemed difficult to Randidly he could see how one could traverse the branches of the central tree to travel from one landmass to the other although you would have to proceed upwards or downwards in order Therefore those monsters would be the buffer between the other races and these strange emerging nightmares

Above the Monster Landmass was the White Hunter’s Abode They cared little about racial difference preferring to stay to their small nomadic groups They would likely be the best neighbors the monsters could hope for

Above the White Hunters were the Spriggits and also the second portion of the Skeleton Key The energy it was emitting was less than the bottom one but it was enough that the Spriggit scientists would likely soon create something that would give Randidly a headache

Above the Spriggits was the Swamplings continent and above them were the Earth Golem people Finally the highest continent was relatively uninhabited for now aside for the small population of frightened refugees from the Creature’s invasion Near them the third and final Skeleton Key sat seemingly completely inert

Slowly the growth of the tree became less and less until these continents hanging from the branches of this great golden tree settled into place It was perhaps not a tree of enmity Randidly reflected but it would bring several of his images into line which was undoubtedly good for his growth potential

Congratulations Your Soul Skill the Four Shaded Clockwork World has evolved into the Seven Lands of the Spectral Tree Your Paths have led you forward and you have moved far and away from the trails left for you by those that come before Take this as both a warning and as vindication the arc of you lays beyond the kin of lesser beings Good luck

Chapter 476

Sydney looked tiredly down at the two bundles of paper stacked neatly on her desk The past few days had been hectic as a whole new area opened up for exploration and the East End’s resources were stretched far past the breaking point in order to explore a portion of it

Donnyton took most of the Eastern areas but East End could basically monopolize the North as both the Refuge and Star Crossing were too central to send troops easily and were more concerned with their relatively more pressing Western border

East End might have failed even then and been forced to ask Donnyton for assistance if not for Drake He was a force unto himself clearing away high Leveled monsters with ease acting as the keystone that kept the expedition safe and in order Even Sydney had gone to the front lines and her confidence in her strength had been crushed after witnessing Drake fight Agan and again she threw herself into danger pushing towards her limits but he was frustratingly capable

It was a good thing Sydney knew but she didn’t like to lose That was the whole reason she had installed a private Dungeon in her room so she could grow without peer But it seemed that the limits of the Aether Starvation were more pressing than she feared even with the reward from completing the Dungeons Her connection to the Village had withered somewhat and she had to allow it to heal before she could press further

They had found and rescued several hundred people For one reason or another Sydney planned on pushing most of them out of their Village and down towards Star Crossing but she had her men conducting interviews now to find anyone who was skilled in their particular field She had found one particular gem already an aeronautical engineer and she was consulting with other as to how feasible constructing a plane would be in the post System world

It was of course only a pipe dream at this point But it was a path for survival for East End who was outclassed on all aspects by other Villages If they did not specialize they would be left behind

Sydney closed her eyes That was entirely what one of the bundles of paper was a report from Drake He recommended that East End move immediately in one of two directions throwing their resources behind either of these but not both To try both Drake pointed out was to show an only slightly superior product to Donnyton and Franksburg and have those two outclass them again in months simply through superior numbers and infrastructure

Of course that was the best economic solution but the political reality was that the people of East End were satisfied with what they were doing now There were some free resources and some non Classers that Sydney had been grooming but she couldn’t just drop everything for these possible future industries Still they were both legitimate and worth pursuing

The first was to capture some of the mostly released and wild horde of mounts that the Wild Rider had possessed Now that the Wild Rider was no more these monsters were swiftly turning feral They were largely pretty near to East End and if they moved on them they could capture a fair number and begin training them Cavalry would be an asset and getting those Skills up now would be an advantage later for these new individuals to get riding related Skills

There would be a probation period for these new arrivals obviously They needed to be taught about the changes that have occurred in their world But Sydney had high hopes

The downsides of this option were that Star Crossing might be better situated to take this path as many of them had the Soulbond Companion Skill and if they both went for the same thing East End would likely lose out

Meanwhile the second option was that one Classer’s random Class had been Elementalist and recently elemental spirits had been spotted in the nearby area They were largely harmless just small sprites with a bit of power but the Elementalist could channel them through her body to great effect Drake theorized that as the Elementalist grew and if there were more of this Class more Elementals would appear and more powerful ones

If the Village became focused on Elementals it would undoubtedly be powerful But it was a much harder sell to the people already here and established If Sydney used her groomed non Classers and the Elementalist plan turned out to be a bust it would be a waste of resources The benefit from Elementals was much more nebulous right now even if the eventual payoff seemed higher

Sighing Sydney turned her attention away from the present issues and to the second bundle of papers the real reason she was exhausted Ace had sent a letter She supposed she should be happy that he had apologized but when Ace apologized it only meant one thing

He was going to do something even more stupid

And based on his request for Coppernicus Sydney could see what he would do He would raise the Hero that misogynistic pig that had tried to get them all killed Coppernicus’ Skill might bring the man back but it was hard to say what sort of Soul would inhabit the raised skeleton Copernicus had been revived by a fluke almost immediately after death and hadn’t really spent any time truly dead

But even in that small shard of time Coppernicus sometimes spoke of a great darkness and an endless desert filled with floating bells It didn’t seem so horrifying an image but the times he spoke of it were the only times she had seen emotions cross his skull As such Sydney was largely inclined to believe Coppernicus when he said it was a good idea not to revive anyone who had been dead for too long

On the other hand the Skill might not work Raise Dead required that the killer be a willing participant in the ritual if the Skill user wasn’t himself the killer Very few people would willingly bring back their enemies

Roy had obviously fallen to the Tribulation but it wasn’t clear whether he truly died Perhaps Ace who went in and was the first person to crush the Dungeon could truly be considered the killer Then if he possessed the skeleton

Sydney shook her head Too many ifs But it wasn’t her problem Their previous relationship was done This apology allowed her to put the negative emotions behind her but she wouldn’t elevate him back to where he was before He would need to earn it

Sighing she sent word to Coppernicus ordering him to assist Ace

Thea had long since ceased crying but she still didn’t know what to do It was a lot like watching a car crash in slow motion she couldn’t look away but she felt her soul being torn in two as the slow progression meant the screams seemed endless That was what Chrysanthemum’s feeble struggles to cheer her up were They were horrifying in a way That even now her sweet partner would

She forced herself to let that train of thought go when her face threatened to split open again Her body didn’t even have any more moisture to force out of her tear ducts but she could sit there and tremble for a while perhaps hoping in some distant way to shake off the constant grip of fear and despair that was on her

There was a part of her that wanted to lay blame at someone’s feet but very quickly Chrysanthemum’s gentle spirit had warned her away from that Even as the fury of Dance of the Ghostbear kept turning her vision red the calm compassion of Chrysanthemum kept her alive

Of course that influence was slowly disappearing

By now Chrysanthemum was almost entirely unconscious Her life was slipping away drifting off of her and into the Earth below Thea knew her mother would probably say something inane about the big bear feeding so many plants which would feed so many animals and people but Thea couldn’t stand that line of thoughts right now It made her want to produce her hammer and crack her own skull open

She was so filled with wild emotions and yet so perfectly empty and hollow just a listless zombie that was watching her partner pass

Around her Simon continued to try and cheer her up but she ignored him Honestly it was growing increasingly infuriating Thea just wanted well she wanted Chrysanthemum to live But the more time passed the more Thea realized it wouldn’t happen There was no one to save Chrysanthemum The injury to her bear was something that no one yet truly understood that vast passage of time was a blow that could even fell entire worlds

What Thea truly wanted now was just to be alone The Ghosthound had understood that which is why he had left her here with her grief The Ghosthound probably had gone through something similar in the past and had learned from experience

Abruptly Simon’s flowers and birds and stars were gone Instead there was a low mist on the ground Thea looked up confused wondering if this was another ploy by the idiot to make her smile or something shitty But instead of Simon she found herself face to face with a female figure

And it was someone she recognized dimly but also by reputation It was the golden angel of Donnyton Lyra The woman who had somehow become a Village Spirit

Thea was shocked enough by her presence here that she momentarily forgot the pain in her heart But all too soon it crashed back in and some surly bitterness crept up What are you doing here Leave me alone

Lyra smiled wider now It doesn’t have to be like this you know

What This time Thea didn’t bother to push back the rising tide of red Furious she stood If I could avoid this don’t you fucking think I would She’s my

Yes she’s a part of you Lyra said her smile never wavering Which means you can save her If you want Chrysanthemum to live take my hand

Lyra extended her hand and it was wreathed in green fire Abruptly Thea realized she recognized the fire it was the same color and consistency of the Skeleton Knight before the Ghosthound defeated him

I Thea’s anger drained away replaced by the crushing sadness and just a small spark of hope I don’t believe you

Lyra snorted her lovely nose wrinkling as she laughed Then what’s the harm in taking the chance

Thea had no answer that made sense to her after two days of crying So she reached out and took Lyra’s hand The other woman laughed watching the flame spread up Thea’s arms to her chest and then rushing up to consume her It hurt but it wasn’t as bad as she was expecting Very quickly she could feel the flames feeding into her chest flowing through the bond between them to Chrysanthemum She felt her own strength decreasing somewhat but she felt Chrysanthemum’s tremble and then start to rise

As Thea made to pull away rushing to Chrysanthemum’s side Lyra’s hand tightened on her own

For where there is Champion The other woman hissed her eyes glowing violet There must be Nemesis Open your eyes girl and understand what you now are

Thea opened her eyes and saw very briefly the fabric of this world and her place in it

Chapter 477

Tanya swept up the shorn off hair into her dustpan trying not to stare at the heavy iron sword the middle aged man was buckling back around his waist It was enough that the people living around here didn’t use electricity and didn’t even seem to want to but it was another thing entirely for Tanya to accept that the people here wore fucking swords

Tanya had awakened 5 days go in the border regions of this Zone as they called it From her perspective one moment she had been lazily watching TV at night the next it was mid afternoon and all the TV displayed was fuzzy static There were strange words in front of her floating in the air She blinked several times and the words went away Had she taken a nap

There was a dull roar outside almost like a lion or a tiger Tanya went to the window and saw a Lion with brilliant sapphire fur proudly roaring at the sky seemingly defying the world with its bestial majesty

Ah ’ Tanya thought to herself This must be a dream ’

A good dream too because Tanya quite liked lions

The dream did however go swiftly south After only two minutes of watching Tanya had to admit that the people fleeing down her road from the lion were remarkably realistic for a dream and the level of detail in the gore of their deaths left Tanya profoundly disturbed at her own subconsciousness

Shaking her head she turned away from the window just in time to see the lights in her house flicker and die winking abruptly out Tsking to herself Tanya walked to her fridge and removed a coke and was halfway through the pure slightly painful pleasure of chugging it when the door was kicked in by a man with green skin

Tanya stepped into the living room and stared at the man’ for a long time It looked back and forth his eyes squinting as he sniffed

You are an orc Tanya said surprised at the surety in her own tone An ex boyfriend had been extremely into Dungeons and Dragons and while things were good between them he had brought her to sessions with his friends To her surprise she had enjoyed the sessions a lot it was a nice stress relief to be allowed to be someone else someone who didn’t share her anxiety and her family stresses After the two of them broke up however Tanya was somewhat at a loss as to how to accomplish that on her own

At her words the green skinned man twisted to look at her Then he smiled revealing broken yellow teeth Instincts Tanya had never realized she had screamed at her and she was out the back door faster than she would have believed her 32 year old body could carry her Luckily it seemed the sapphire lion was gone although the bodies of his prey were not so Tanya had to be careful not to look too closely lest she lose her nerve and start panic crying

The green skinned man barreled out of the house behind her and chased her to the next street over steadily gaining ground on her sniffing all the while When she reached the next street she blinked because the houses were wrong This wasn’t the street next to her But she heard yelling voices shouts to head this way for assistance so Tanya gladly fled in that direction

When she rounded the corner Tanya wouldn’t have been able to explain what she expected to see Men and women marching in leather armor weren’t one of them They waved her over asked if she was hurt and when she wasn’t she was asked to stand with a group of other uninjured people about a dozen that followed behind the 10 or so armored people

Out of the corner of her eye Tanya saw a black man with a giant iron ball crush the green skinned man as if it was nothing then step over the body to continue to move through the neighborhood

After about 10 minutes they met up with another group and then all of the Newbies’ as their rescuers referred to them were sent to a community center that had been turned into a triage unit And a holding area it seemed while the people with medieval weapons figured out what to do with them

Oddly Tanya didn’t feel worried Her constant companion anxiety seemed to be taking a break not because there weren’t things to be anxious about but because there was so much that it didn’t even know what to react to Large men with sharp knives The fucking lizard that she saw breathing fire That she saw a woman walk through that fire like it was nothing and impale the monster with a spear

Or even the weird notifications that popped up about her Leveling Skills or unlocking Paths as if this was all a game

When the people were brought into the community center they were asked if they had any medical experience Having worked for her mother as a veterinary assistant for several years Tanya cautiously raised her hand She felt guilty but she figured she might be treated a bit better like this

Very soon she was bandaging cuts and slinging arms with broken bones It was far beyond her usual duties and those had been near 8 years ago but again she felt strangely empty There was nothing to do but work right now so Tanya threw herself into it trying not to dwell on anything else

She could smell blood however

When Tanya arrived there were about 50 people in the community center By the time she started treating small scrapes and bruises there were almost 400 and it was becoming increasingly difficult to move through the space Several times people came up to Tanya who had been given a bright green vest to ask what was going on

What had happened They asked What are the messages

Tanya could only shake her head and ask the people to please stay out of the walking paths so she could treat more people After all Tanya had those same questions burning in her heart

The man in charge of the armed group and who ran the community center was named Dinesh There was a part of Tanya that still believed this was all a dream or if it wasn’t it was just a strange tragedy that had struck briefly but normal life would swiftly resume Although her cell phone said there was no service she was sure the authorities would have it back online quickly After all how else would they rescue all these people

But then she watched a young girl probably not even 7 come in with an iron bar stuck through her stomach Without even batting an eye Dinesh pulled out the iron bar from the girl’s stomach causing her to scream shrilly

He gestured his face calm Hold her down If she struggles this will be harder than it needs to be

Tanya wanted to ask what was the point as she had a pretty good idea what a stomach wound meant for the victims but she had a secret hope that maybe this wasn’t as bad as it looked Then Dinesh pressed his hands to the wound and muttered something and Tanya watched the wound heal within seconds

Tanya blinked at him

He appeared to misinterpret her look and shrugged in an embarrassed fashion I don’t want you to think I wasted your time making you use first aid when I could heal them all But it would be a waste of Mana and this way you can Level your First Aid Skill You’ve gotten it correct

Recognizing the name from the notifications Tanya nodded extremely numb

Is this all just a game She whispered

Dinesh smiled bitterly Welcome to the System

With Dinesh vouching for her Tanya was allowed to stay on in Donnyton instead of being sent to Franksburg which was a larger city but was apparently inferior in some way Tanya didn’t really ask any questions She was struggling already with understanding what the System meant for her

The old world was dead Dinesh told her Monsters roamed the countryside People had Stats and could gain Levels Some people gained Classes and grew even more powerful Dinesh was one of those people Tanya quickly realized although he never explicitly said it

In addition it became clear rather quickly that Dinesh wasn’t just someone with a Class he was the captain of a Squad And that Squad was relatively well respected even by the Squads with lower numbers which Tanya gathered were a higher rank She was able to discern this while watching most of the other people in her area were shipped off down to Franksburg

Not that it really mattered to Tanya She wasn’t close with any of those people

She wasn’t close with much of anyone anymore

Almost as if he forgot Dinesh looked up at Tanya a blank look on his face Oh what did you do before

Before what Today’s weirdness Tanya said shivering

To her surprise Dinesh smiled sadly Ah yes I had forgotten To you it has been but a day Let me tell you I’ve lived with this for a little over a year and a half

As her brain tried to make sense of that Tanya considered herself She was a veterinary school drop out who had started cutting hair to pay her way through school When the stress became too much she stopped attending classes but not stopped cutting hair to pay for them

To her surprise Dinesh seemed much more interested in the hair cutting than she would believe

Although it seems stupid no one who was here really cut hair before the System came Dinesh said And most of the people who did are in Franksburg I think we can get you set up pretty easily

And so he did It just all happened so quickly

Day 1 A green skinned man tried to eat her

Day 2 She was moved around like a refugee

Day 3 She told Dinesh she can cut hair

Day 4 He showed her to her new sop if she wants it

Day 5 She spent the entire day cutting hair

And holy fuck she was exhausted

After the middle aged man finished belting on his sword and left the shop Tanya looked around There was a pile of money and assorted gifts she had gotten from people on the table which she went to One of them was a bottle of liquor given to her by a local brewer or something which she numbly cracked open on the wooden table She took a long swig

Two sweet for a beer too smooth and oddly light for actual liquor It seemed to be strawberry wine but it was light and fresh and tasted like spring The sweetness was reserved too something that tasted natural rather than artificial corn syrup or something

She took another long sip smiling She looked around at her strange new temporary home This wasn’t so bad was it

It was only after the door opened and the bell rung softly that Tanya realized she hadn’t put up the closed sign

Chapter 478

Setting the bottle down on the table Tanya turned to regard the man who walked into her shop The first thing she noticed about him was his feet they were bare

The man scratched his head awkwardly H hello I uh just want my hair shorn off

Sighing to herself inwardly Tanya nodded and smiled Better be positive about it Of course please have a seat Ah

There she stumbled Very quickly she had been told that they didn’t really have US money anymore Instead they used a local currency This seemed fanciful to Tanya and she distrusted it Although it was silly in a way she much preferred the gifts that people seemed very willing to give her in exchange for the haircuts

I Tanya searched around for the words The man’s face was darkening for some reason which caused her anxiety to spike making the words even more slippery Um I would it be okay to pa to pay in goods I’m new here so I don’t

The man frowned tilting his head to the side His eyes were sharp and emerald and quite beautiful New

Yes She stammered To t town I uh was in the border place that just opened up

Oh Oh That’s fine I can pay in goods The man said blinking His strange coldness faded away as swiftly as it came That made Tanya anxious about him in a different way It wasn’t an enjoyable prospect to be in an enclosed space with a man who experienced such rapid emotional changes but she would accept it for now

She pointed to the seat Sit How much do you want off ’

All of it Well most of it The man said sheepishly His hair was almost to his shoulders thick and black Tanya sighed in jealousy shaking her head at her own mousy brown curls

I haven’t gotten a haircut in a long time The man admitted It just hasn’t seemed important

mm Tanya hummed at that It was probably true After all if there were monsters around there was no doubt that dealing with those were more important than getting a haircut But it seemed the town they were in right now was a bit weird but it was safe enough Tanya had only seen a few places and that was when she was too shellshocked to notice much so she had a timid curiosity about the place

They lapsed into silence as Tanya began cutting the man’s hair It was surprisingly difficult Tanya frowned at the hair This was literally the toughest hair she had ever encountered Not impossible with the magically sharp sheers Dinesh had provided for her but very very difficult

So Tanya said hoping to fill the heavy silence What do you do

What do I do She could feel the man frown

Like your job Or did you get a Class from the Village I really don’t know much about Tanya trailed off It abruptly struck her how strange these past several days had been She couldn’t find words to articulate all the things she didn’t know or understand what happened In so many ways she just wanted to ignore the changes and pretend nothing had happened

But every time she thought about that she remembered the crooked yellow teeth in that monster’s smile

Oh Um The man seemed to think about that He thought very hard about it for almost 20 seconds taking enough time that Tanya began to sweat Immediately she remembered that this man was barefoot

Cursing herself for bringing it up Tanya cast her mind around looking for a good transition Unemployment still exists dummy ’ she reprimanded herself It was a good reminder that without Dinesh she would be whisked off to some city miles away

Well I believe I’m going to become a sorta Scout Explorer type The man said finally Tanya’s expression brightened feeding off his positivity

Exploring That sounds amazing I’ve always enjoyed nature Are you excited to be gone

Again the temperature in the room seemed to shift abruptly downwards as the man frowned well no I would prefer to remain But I don’t believe I can in good conscience

When Dinesh opened the door almost exactly after the man had finished Tanya wanted to do a dance of relief A familiar presence was just what she needed with this moody man

To her surprise when Dinesh entered he abruptly straightened and saluted the man Ghosthound Sir I didn’t expect

The man waved his hand laughing Don’t worry about it I wouldn’t have minded if you are avoiding me it’s asking a lot

Dinesh shook his head very quickly No it’s truly nothing I too enjoy Neveah’s company The issue was simply tying up loose ends here with the relocation of the people from the border areas If you wish I will come with you

Tanya looked between the two men As it turned out the barefoot man and Dinesh knew each other And based on how they were acting the barefoot man was in the superior position

Her hands began to shake slightly as she continued to cut away his hair

The barefoot man was very still while she cut his hair Well hopefully it doesn’t come to that

There was a moment of awkward silence before Dinesh spoke again Oh yes Mrs Hamilton told me to inform you that they have secured the mine and Thorn will be returning shortly

Now the man smiled and when he did so the whole room became several degrees warmer Perfect

The two continued to make small talk about topics that Tanya didn’t really understand but she was happy to have them speak Although she wasn’t included the sound of voices in the backdrop was what she wanted It used to be the View playing on TV now it was these two strange men

Luckily neither of them had a sword

She also noticed that her Hair Cutting Skill was increasing very very very quickly More quickly than it had all day Before this man had come she was at Level 8 and she was now already at Level 15 Dinesh had told her that it would improve more quickly when she attempted more difficult things maybe it was simply because of how hard his hair was

After about an hour she finally finished and the man stood and went to the mirror to inspect it Where his hair had framed his face and veiled his eyes before now it was cut short just a few centimeters of dark hair sticking out of his scalp It revealed high gaunt cheekbones and a strong jaw But most of all it cut away everything in his face that hid his eyes They burned and flashed like fat in a fire bright and sharp

When the man turned to thank her she couldn’t even reply the force of will behind those eyes caused something primal in her to shrivel up and refuse to move In this man Tanya found herself trusting completely and also giving up completely Before him there was no resistance and that strange submission caused her hands to tremble so hard her bones popped

After a bit of thought the man produced a glove with a strange Engraving carved into it for payment bid them both farewell and left the shop

Who who was that Tanya asked wide eyed

Dinesh shook his head saying nothing

When Randidly knocked on the door there was a soft laugh and then an answer We both know why you are here No need to be polite come on in

Randidly walked through the door his hackles already rising

She was lovely of course In a relatively chaste blue summer dress her blonde hair tumbling long and wild down her back It was slightly satisfying to see Lyra blink slightly when he walked in looking at him

You got a haircut She blurted out as he stopped in front of her It It looks really good Randidly

Her tone was warm and it gave him hope for this conversation But almost immediately Randidly had a sudden sense that this was just the calm before the storm they would not part amicably on this day

Chapter 479

At first Randidly was startled by the thought and the strength of emotion behind it but then he had to admit to himself there were very few times in the past where he and Lyra were able to get along There was some perhaps flirting some sexual tension and controversy but regardless of the motivations theirs was a history of conflict

After giving her a few seconds to peer at him he cleared his throat You are right let’s get down to it Lyra you’ve worked with the Creature You’ve helped her here in Donnyton

Lyra was an actress first and foremost and she had continued to hone those Skills from before the System in the world after it But to Randidly it almost seemed like the better she was at acting the more obvious what she truly felt was as she left a trail of all the emotions she did not fell

Very clearly Randidly could see the way the joy in her eyes died and a resentful cloud emerged to cover her She smirked at him

Randidly frowned She didn’t even offer an explanation or a justification she was content to just let the answer hang in the air which infuriated him to no end And of course it made him realize she had answered just like that in order to infuriate him

But why What was the point in antagonizing him now

Look let’s not play these mind games Randidly started but she just gave him a dismissive look

No games doggy Lyra said widening her eyes as if she were shocked or scared But however else will we relate to each other We both know that neither of us is emotionally mature enough to have a true genuine connection I’m a child and well you’re you’re broken aren’t you

Randidly just looked at her taken slightly aback Then something clicked in his head are you seriously still pissed off that I refused to entertain the idea of us being

She just looked at him her face still Only a look of mild amusement was discernible there When it became clear he wasn’t going to continue Do go on I’d love for you to admit that something could happen between us I would feel so vindicated And I think Sam would have lost a bet

Holy Christ Randidly pressed his eyes shut This was a pointless diversion He needed to refuse We can talk about that about the past after For now I need to know why you were crazy enough to work with the Creature

No we will talk now Lyra said moving over to the sole chair in her small room and sitting down She crossed her legs Her eyes were sharp and clear when they looked up at him Because you know what This is about respect You refuse to give it to me and then you act so surprised and self righteous when I stopped giving it to you I think you need to get over yourself before we speak any further

Don’t be a child Randidly snapped feeling himself losing control of the conversation even as another part of him rose furious hoping he let loose more

Really Is that the only way you see me Lyra hissed leaning forward letting her own loss of calm show I’ve become a Village Spirit I’ve accomplished things no one else has done since Even before you did I discovered Aether And I do not have the benefit of having an unending supply of it in my chest

You died Randidly said his tone chilly Although your personality remains the body that birthed it was buried All because you wouldn’t talk about your plans That’s what this is about

If I wanted to I could have saved that body Lyra said cutting him off I had it handled

His fury mounting Randidly shook his head incredulous at her lack of self awareness You spoiled bitch

Really doggy gendered language I’d have thought you better than that Lyra’s smile was back small and sharp

Randidly’s hands clenched into fists Don’t you dare call me that right now You are a fool Lyra It’s hard to believe that you had it handled’ when you almost ceased to be You act without thinking and without communicating just leaving us out to dry

That’s rich coming from you You act before thinking and communicating You are always running off to deal with some other problem and when you return you barely bother to check in Meanwhile I’m here

Is this seriously a jealousy thing Randidly asked

Lyra stood up You fucking prick do you think I don’t know the stakes of this

When she spoke her voice resonated powerfully with the ambient Aether of the Village around him Abruptly Randidly became aware of the huge amount of Aether that the Village was putting off And all of that energy flowed through Lyra Her eyes were glowing violet the power there at her fingertips They both stared at each other breathing hard

You work with the Creature who would have us fall to the Calamity Randidly finally said surprised how tired he sounded

Lyra shook her head She offers us a confirmed route to life

So you admit to working with her

Lyra just gave him a look Heedless Randidly continued to speak There is another confirmed route to life that doesn’t rely on trusting the Creature’s version of events that is simply being strong enough to defeat the Calamity

Where does your confidence come from Lyra asked shaking her head Think how often we have almost died That was during the tutorial You think it won’t scale when the kid gloves come off

The Creature sees us as nothing but toys Randidly said slowly trying not to grit his teeth He knew the difficulty perhaps even better than Lyra He had been out there fighting it But she continued to refuse to see that I will find a way to defeat the Calamity I have some clues and given time to test some things out I have my confidence from training How can you put your faith in the Creature I can’t Lyra Our deaths would not give her pause

Lyra looked at Randidly Suddenly abruptly something broke in her and her lip trembled Her eyes were cold and lonely even if you can’t trust the Creature trust me Randidly I’ve talked with her I’ve seen what she has seen Violence is not the answer here Your power stems not from the ability to fight but your ability to subvert the design of the System Let’s use that Let’s figure this out together If you do not you doom us all to die by the Calamity This I swear

Randidly breathed in and then breathed out This was not how the talk was supposed to go but he couldn’t say he was surprised He knew that Lyra held resentment in her chest about the way he had treated her he just had a hard time understanding why she would let it affect a decision of this magnitude

He also resented her for playing so cavalierly with her life and for pretending to be captured by the Creature while really being fine In addition she had chosen to work with the Creature believing its words while keeping him in the dark It felt like a betrayal against all of humanity and something that Randidly couldn’t forgive

The sticking point with this conversation was that she couldn’t be removed not easily not quickly not simply as the Village Spirit of Donnyton But Randidly didn’t want to be around her if she insisted on working with the Creature Randidly had no doubt that Lyra would communicate with the thing as soon as they were connected to another Zone with one of the Creature’s incarnations

That resonance with the Village Aether made Lyra powerful but it also meant that she could only display her power within the Village Once he left it

Randidly sighed looking at Lyra You swear we will die by the Calamity How can I trust you or the Creature if all you do is offer me threats and ultimatums

Lyra said nothing her eyes glittering Randidly shook his head slowly He turned and walked back out the door He sensed her fold her arms but she said nothing as he left Donnyton was his baby in a way the same way that Randidly would never forget the people who had come to Donnyton in the beginning and became their core

Now he was being forced away because he refused to do something as drastic as try and destroy Lyra and he refused to be within her sphere of influence if she would choose to trust the Creature on this point He also knew that she was aware how personally Randidly was taking this decision and she was vindictive enough to enjoy the pain she was inflicting

And that bit of sadism made Randidly hate her

At the door Randidly stopped If you betray this town I will not show restraint

Ah yes the first and last recourse of men to lose their temper Be well doggy Lyra said her tone sarcastic

Randidly left feeling ready to kill something

Chapter 480

Randidly watched the sunset over Donnyton his expression neutral He had arranged for people to meet him here at twilight but for now he had some time to think

The more he considered how his attempt with Lyra had gone the more that Randidly could only shake his head helplessly That girl just wormed her way under his skin And he couldn’t exactly blame Lyra for that he did the same thing to her When they were with each other they just couldn’t help regressing to the versions of themselves they were when they met He couldn’t take her seriously and she couldn’t stop teasing him long enough to have a real conversation

And just like he held it against her that she was barely more than a child she held it against him that he couldn’t see anything deeper than her age

Still Randidly didn’t mind the final result Something had broken between Lyra and himself which was dangerous if they both remained here acting in the same sphere of influence butting heads But if they were apart Space would make these differences smaller Randidly believed

And he realized that he was looking forward to it somewhat Having the freedom to leave Donnyton and exploring the new border areas in their Zone When 6 months had passed and they were connected to the wider world he could then range even farther pushing the boundaries of their world finding and fighting the most powerful monsters that this world could throw against them Not in the attempt to protect Donnyton any longer but to push his strength up as quickly as possible He now had a Class and a new Soul Skill and Randidly didn’t doubt the combination of growth he would receive from these two things would eventually raise him to a tier all of his own

But it became obvious after his time in the Raid Dungeon that his Levels took significantly more experience than other Classers’ Levels And it only seemed that effect was increasing as time went on It was likely a function of the size and scope of his Class but Randidly would need more and more fuel it seemed to raise it upwards

A point there for the System that its Classes were efficient but

Randidly grinned He had some ideas of how to work on providing Classes for people that wouldn’t be connected to the System

Dinesh and that haircutting woman Tanya were the first to arrive winding their way up the path to the outlook where Randidly stood He glanced at them when they arrived taking note of Tanya who was panting as she made it to the top

It was something of a wonder to see her simply because she seemed so nostalgic in a way She had barely experienced a week’s worth of the System and hadn’t even raised most of her Stats to above 15 as of yet Randidly was slightly dubious of her inclusion of his new group but Dinesh vouched for her and Randidly could tell that the man felt responsible for her

After all it was only due to his interference that she was brought to Donnyton to stay rather than being sent to Franksburg Although she was clearly going to be a liability in the border areas especially at the beginning Randidly reflected that he couldn’t very well do experiments regarding Class creation without NCCers so it was a necessary evil

Tanya seemed to be very often defaulting to a nervous titter during the few times he had been around her but she seemed kind and genuine and was basically 5 days old This was important only because it meant she treated him like a normal person rather than some fleeting incarnation of a god

“Oh wow it’s beautiful ” Tanya said huffing “But I HATE hiking “

Dinesh’s face shifted to a very strange expression Randidly simply chuckled She would learn very quickly to endure it Randidly expected even if she never grew to like it In Donnyton she might have been able to rest on her laurels making a living cutting hair and grinding other odd Skills in her spare time She likely would have gotten a unique if uninteresting Class in that manner It might very well be that Dinesh’s sense of responsibility would end up punishing Tanya as she was forced to adapt to situations far beyond her ability to handle alone

In a way Randidly was curious as to how she would handle it

The next individual to walk up the hill towards Randidly and his growing group was Nathan The boy had a backpack that was clearly very recently salvaged from the border areas because the plastic Power Ranger outside was crisp and bright

The view struck Randidly as somewhat strange because he had grown so used to interspatial rings that a more typical variety of pack was somewhat disconcerting Even more eye catching was the pot that he was carrying which contained a small seemingly fresh planting of Arbor Even this new planting shook its limbs excitedly when it caught sight of Randidly with whatever strange senses trees possessed Randidly smiled

After steadying himself Nathan placed the pot on the ground “A gift from Kiersty for wherever you go “

Randidly shook his head “I expect we will move around a lot I don’t “

Pointing to the trunk of the small planting Nathan said “That’s what the spiderlings are for “

Inwardly Randidly wondered whether the spiderlings who were individually about the size of a ladybug would be able to defend an Arbor planting but said nothing Although Kiersty was a child and extremely warped by the presence of a cult around Arbor it seemed that she wouldn’t endanger Arbor at all so he decided to let it pass Besides it wasn’t impossible to plant it in a central location that they could stay near providing assistance if it was necessary

Then next group members to come up the hill were familiar to Randidly in a very distant way and only because he had spent some time reacquainting himself with them The first the short Hispanic man was Karlito who had owned a small restaurant in Franksburg all that time ago when Randidly went to visit When it became clear that Donnyton needed talented cooks and a growing demand for high end food he immigrated to Donnyton bringing his wife Bruya

Randidly had never officially met Bruya before but he had seen her around the kitchen a few times when he worked for Karlito But to find out that the two were married was something of a revelation to Randidly He had always assumed she was some sort of accountant who was constantly disapproving of how much money Karlito spent on ingredients in the like

Her disapproving glares took on a whole new light with this information

Where Karlito was short and slight she was large and fight She was the same height as Randidly although he reasoned that she wore rather sizable wedges to make up the little difference in height between them And she was about twice as girthy as Randidly and about three times that of Karlito

There were two reasons for bringing them along on this journey to the border areas One for each of the people

Karlito was to provide food and also to assist Randidly in some experiments he wanted to perform with an eye towards mixing cooking and potions Bruya he was bringing because she was an NCC and she was one of the most promising users of the Illusion Skill granted by Simon’s Champion status Right now it was nothing more than being able to show a mostly realistic painting but it would undoubtedly improve

But as Randidly thought about Simon his expression turned grim He had received word that the man was ripping out his hair scouring the entire Zone for Thea who had abruptly disappeared from his awareness

This presented two problems both in the form of Simon’s imbalanced tendencies and in Thea’s location Randidly wouldn’t address the former because it seemed like a hassle and Simon would likely grow out of it and the latter because he respected Thea’s privacy in this time of mourning

But when Simon sent Randidly a message his arguments that she hadn’t just secreted himself in a Dungeon made sense Mrs Hamilton agreed that something seemed off as well But again Randidly wasn’t sure what he could really do about it This world was the type where you could lose yourself in the wilderness if you wanted to

Alana seemed to take the news of her disappearance the hardest becoming almost lethargic and extremely unlike her However this had mostly passed after a few days and now she mostly overexerted herself Hopefully someone would get her back on track soon

Ready for an adventure Randidly said with a laugh

Bruya smiled politely but Karlito rubbed his hands together with a mischievous gleam in his eye Hehehe walking through monster dens with the most powerful man in Donnyton What could go wrong I can’t wait to try some rare meat something over Level 40

It took about another hour but their final member arrived Tykes his arms folded a perpetual scowl on his face There had been some drama earlier in the week between Tykes and Raina after he pushed things a bit too far and Randidly wanted another fighter worth a damn on the trip

Not that he thought that he would need a fighter but it was Randidly’s plan that after the Zones opened up he would head to the other locations Then they would need something special to help trailblaze

Tykes was special that was for sure in terms of his Skills Sometimes it just seemed like the young man got in his own way He was full of anger

But Randidly probably more than most people who had thought to teach Tykes knew anger And he knew what it could become

What are you looking at me like that for I said I’d come Tykes said clearly suspicious

Randidly just smiled Nothing Wave goodbye people It’s time to go look at what’s waiting on the edge of the world

Chapter 481

Their first night passed uneventfully as the group hurried East to the border areas planning to start there in their exploration Already Randidly had experienced the strength of the monsters there during the Newbie’s rescue and although it couldn’t compete with the Raid Dungeon in terms of numbers it was about similar in individual strength

However like ants monsters of this level could only threaten Randidly if they took him by surprise and their numbers defied understanding But for now his mind was idle enough that he could finally take stock of all the Skill Levels he had gained through the confrontation with the Creature

He had gained 2 Levels of Spear Mastery 8 Levels in White Phantom’s Half Step and Dodge 4 Levels in Fighting Proficiency and Calculated Blow 2 Levels in Pierce the Skies Shatter the Earth 6 in Plant Dominance and Sharpness 2 in Spray Holy Sap 3 in Call Grove Defenders 10 in Earthquake and Grasp of Lava 1 in Phantom’s Lantern 3 in Invigorating Call and Gallant Intervention 4 in Erode Image and Aether Understanding 2 in Vengeful Bloom 3 in the Spear Phantom’s Embrace 6 in Breath of the Spear Phantom and Aether Detection 5 in Aether Manipulation and Living Aether 2 in System Interference 5 in Ashes to Ashes and Gravity Affinity 1 in Glittering Leaves of Yggdrasil Indomitable Spirit of Yggdrasil and Cruel Indignation of Yggdrasil 4 in Emerald Sap of Yggdrasil and Golden Roots of Yggdrasil 6 in the Yyrwood Flesh of Yggdrasil 5 in Soul Bond and Nether Resistance 2 in Aether Connection and Child of the Rain 8 in Chosen of Fire

At some point Randidly’s eyes simply glazed over while looking at all of the new Levels he had it was entirely too much to understand altogether But it did give him a sizable bump in PP which he appreciated and could use to move more closely to finishing Paths

Unfortunately it was not enough PP to finish off the First Legend Path but it was a significant dent in it More fortunately it was enough putting points into Paths to give him some information in regards to his new Soul Skill Each section took 70 PP and they all seemed more focused than the previous rewards But perhaps because of that each was more directly powerful

In the first land of the Spectral Tree an entire people weep Their effervescent melancholy seems to condense into a palpable form a small bead within your heart Wisdom +35 Perception +10

In the second land of the Spectral Tree a blossom opens A rotten fragrance spreads to fill your body Health Regeneration +50 Mana and Stamina Regeneration +25

In the third land of the Spectral Tree a predator roars A spirit of violence seems to possess your body Strength +35 Agility +10

After distributing all of his Stats and taking all of his benefits into consideration Randidly looked at his Status screen

Level 16 (81%)

Health(/R per hour) 3001/2552 (+730) (999 (+165

Mana(/R per hour) 1960/2719 (465 (+9

Stam(/R per min) 2499/2660 (+60) (325 (+45

Vit 219 (+15)

Str 242 (+52)

Agi 282 (+24)

Perception 273 (+20)

Reaction 237 (+15)

Resistance 222 (+45)

Willpower 300 (+10)

Intelligence 222

Wisdom 189 (+9)

Control 385

Focus 268 (+4)

Progenitor’s Influence 7990

Skills (Soul Skill) Seven Lands of the Spectral Tree Lvl 214

Combat Spear Mastery Lvl 160 White Phantom’s Half Step (Un) Lvl 60 Heavy Blow Lvl 74 Dagger Mastery Lvl 10 Iron Skin Lvl 47 Dodge Lvl 88 Fighting Proficiency Lvl 124 Block Lvl 54 Phantom Onslaught Lvl 42 Sweep Lvl 54 Spear Deflect Lvl 10 Calculated Blow Lvl 82 Roundhouse Kick Lvl 41 Idiosyncratic Cut (Un) Lvl 73 Pierce the Skies Shatter the Earth Lvl 41 Body Control Freeze Lvl 27 Stalemate Breaker Lvl 29 Talon Strike Lvl 38 Counter Lvl 1

PoFE Class Skills Plant Dominance ® Lvl 86 Spray Holy Sap (Un) Lvl 4 Sharpness Lvl 19 Call Grove Defenders ® Lvl 23 Earthquake (Un) Lvl 11 Invigorating Call (Humanity)(Un) Lvl 14 Four Shaded Domain Lvl 9 Phantom’s Lantern (Un) Lvl 13 Grasp of Lava ® Lvl 22 Erode Image Lvl 6 Vengeful Bloom (Un) Lvl 3 Gallant Intervention (Human) Lvl 4 Spriggit’s Tinkering ® Lvl 1 Aether Understanding Lvl 9

The 6 Signs of the Spear Phantom ® The First Sign The Inevitable Phantom Arrives Lvl 85 (Un) The Fifth Sign The Spear Phantom’s Embrace ® Lvl 169 The Sixth Sign The Breath of the Spear Phantom ® Lvl 32

Aether Skills Aether Detection Lvl 87 Aether Manipulation Lvl 97 Living Aether ® Lvl 93 System Interference Lvl 10

Spells Spearing Roots Lvl 73 Mana Bolt Lvl 28 Mana Shield Lvl 32 Arcane Orb Lvl 22 Fireball Lvl 30 Magic Missile Lvl 4 Healing Palm Lvl 12 Pollen of the Rafflesia Lvl 20 Summon Pestilence Lvl 54 Wall of Thorns Lvl 29 Soul Seed ® Inspiration ® Incinerating Bolt Lvl 80 Circle of Flame Lvl 61 Plantomancy Lvl 35 Hammer of the Dawn Lvl 37 Burning Footsteps Lvl 23 Ashes to Ashes Lvl 29 Touch from Beyond ® Lvl 24 Gravity Affinity Lvl 6

Yggdrasil Glittering Leaves of Yggdrasil Lvl 103 The Golden Roots of Yggdrasil Lvl 110 the Emerald Sap of Yggdrasil Lvl 110 the Yyrwood Flesh of Yggdrasil Lvl 122 the Indomitable Spirit of Yggdrasil Lvl 107 the Cruel Indignation of Yggdrasil Lvl 108

Auxiliary Sneak Lvl 46 Acid Resistance Lvl 22 Poison Resistance Lvl 21 Pain Resistance Lvl 61 First Aid Lvl 16 Pathfinding Lvl 18 Fire Resistance Lvl 23 Sewing Lvl 11 Cutting Vegetables Lvl 2 Manual Labor Lvl 6 Digging Lvl 5 Cooking Lvl 53 Clockwork Mastery Lvl 16 Aether Connection Lvl 5 Soul Bond Lvl 85 Chef’s Palate Lvl 24 Nether Resistance Lvl 13 Child of the Rain (Un) Lvl 11 Chosen of Fire ® Lvl 9

Randidly was actually interrupted from his review by something he would never have expected it was a message from Shal’s world

It was a message from Helen

Hello

It has been some time hasn’t it I’ve killed many people since we last met Even now my spear is wet with their blood

I’ll get someone to dry it

Anyway I’m not great at this It’s probably stupid but someone needed to tell you and Shal is busy and everyone else refused If they hadn’t been fucking guilting me for almost a month I wouldn’t just send you something out of the blue

Well whatever

I’ve been on the frontlines so I’ve been pretty busy But it’s done wonders for my stress levels

So you might have noticed we weren’t able to contact you for the past several months That was due to escalated conflict levels between us and another world We won

Because of the sudden attack though a lot of the young talent for the different Styles stopped suppressing themselves and gained Levels to fight against the threats Because of that it is almost impossible to hold the under 25 portion of the Inter School tournament

So they are redoing the preliminaries in most places If however you are still under Level 25 in one year’s time you have a free ticket to come back and participate in the tournament

Just so you know if you come back I’m going to challenge you to a fight I’ll crush you and not apologize Just thinking about your face after you lost looking sad

Well whatever you do you have time

Helen

Chewing his lip he regarded the letter surprised how much his stomach squirmed as he read it Not in a bad way but not in a good way either It was a mix of guilt and curiosity mostly With a little bit of arousal thrown on top for spice He had after all left rather abruptly from Shal’s world and when he couldn’t send a message back through forgotten almost immediately about it

There were pressing matters here after all but still

One year huh

Randidly’s eyes flashed That would be 6 months after they connected to the greater world Hopefully Randidly could identify and handle any of the Creature’s experiments in the other Zones Then feeling more secure he could head to Shal’s world

Seeing Helen and Shal were motivations sure but Randidly had matured somewhat since his previous trek to that world and now he had a more concrete goal figure out what they knew about the Calamity there It was a distant possibility but it was the only avenue he knew that could get him information on what had occurred and what would occur on Earth

Even if Randidly was confident in himself he didn’t want to fight something like that without information On that front at least Lyra had a point He needed to figure out a plan if he was truly going to challenge something like this

Octavius Shrike looked down at the report his face drawn into a scowl He had promised the woman during the Transcendence that he would wait to report certain inflammatory details of the Earth but some of these readings

Aether Levels were far too high and someone on the planet had reached Heretic Level 19 If this situation progressed it wasn’t something that he could afford to withhold information about Although his superiors very rarely busied themselves with occurrences in the new Cohort there were certain things that they were very particular about And if the bottom line of those activities was adjusted

It’s too much of a risk Octavius muttered to himself And apologizing silently to the human woman to whom he had made a promise Octavius submitted the report

Far away within Randidly’s body Lucretia’s eyes flicked open a small smile on her mouth

Well well She whispered keeping her voice down so as not to tip Randidly off Not that it would really matter Randidly had inherited some of her ability to sense the lines of Karma due to their connection but it was much like her ability to manipulate Aether they acted through each other

Besides this was her domain

You opened up the Class creation and allowed others to interfere in the process which is a small thing Lucretia said slowly pushing her lavender hair behind her ear But then you also go back on a promise regarding Randidly exposing us to what feels like great danger

Her smile was the toothy grin of the shark I wonder how else you will be forced to betray us dear Octavius In some ways betrayal is the most reassuring gift of all

After chuckling Lucretia returned to her experiments almost shutting herself off completely from the outside world With her gaze focused inward content time slowly started to blur and slip endlessly past

Chapter 482

Hank Howard regarded the three individuals in front of him feeling a headache arriving with a vengeance As an official Sheriff and as a Tier Three citizen of their Zone he ostensibly had the authority to settle their dispute However when he saw that the injured party had a probationary citizenship card and the other two were Tier Two citizens his jaw clenched tight

In terms of citizenship he outranked them by official decree of Ghost the AI that controlled most of Zone 1 However he received that ranking early on after the System arrived before the hierarchy had truly established itself These Tier 2 citizens would likely know that and that since then he had been basically excommunicated from any true avenues of influence He was a Tier 3 citizen in name only

Although Ghost had never adjusted a citizenship ranking downward many had made the joke that Hank Howard would be the first Then they paused and usually wondered whether his brother another Tier 3 citizen had something to do with his current ranking

The woman’s cold words brought Hank back to the present I was here the whole time I saw everything This fool drove his vehicle in front of the area that Jay was practicing some Skills It’s his own fault his car is damaged

That’s not what happened The kid bellowed fuming And he was a kid really A 15 year old with a shock of orange hair on his head probably driving mommy or daddy’s Manatech car Still as the kid’s fury mounted Hank’s eyes narrowed as he tasted the air You jumped in front of me while I was driving You said if I didn’t give you the car you’d destroy it

He might be young and a probationary citizen but he had a Class already and something with some heft

That was shocking in and of itself The probationary citizenship was only created 6 months ago when the edges of their Zone opened up So he had enough potential that some Village gave him a Class

But his opponents were Dungeon Divers and from the look of it good ones The group was standing on the side of a road leading into a nearby CClass city and were starting to draw a bit of a crowd of lookie loos Still trying to keep his cool Hank raised his hands in a placating gesture Alright guys be civil how about we just

Pah The man who caused the whole thing said unfolding his arms Then to Hank’s surprise he turned and spat on Hank’s shoes What does it even fucking matter what happened We are Tier 2 citizens you little shit

In a smooth motion that was so fast that people with less than 150 Perception and Reaction couldn’t even react to it Hank Howard drew his Colt revolver and put a bullet through the man’s mouth Something had snapped and Hank was done playing nice

He had chosen his shot carefully and the bullet hit the man in the cheek while he was turning so it burrowed into one cheek through his shit slurping tongue and then out the other side spraying blood everywhere Hank had empowered the bullet with his Mana Reinforcement giving it a bit of extra oomph in case this guy spec’d defense Stats but it seemed he needn’t have worried

That crack of the gun was loud and sharp and Hank loved it that moment of harsh reverberations That’s why he still used the revolver even when there was much more efficient plasma weaponry on the market They just didn’t have the same renaissance feel of an old style pistol

For a long second nobody moved

It was extremely strange Hank reflected savoring his hot fury’s satisfaction how it seemed that improving people’s Intelligence and physical reaction speed only seemed to make them react more slowly to things that truly surprised them Take this fool of a man for example Since he hadn’t put points into Endurance or Vitality he had to have either Reaction or Intelligence right

Finally the man reacted releasing a gurgling wail that continued far beyond what was comfortable to listen to Hank bit back a grin

You’ve got your violence ’ He told himself specifically the hotheaded half of himself Let it go ’

Grumbling that part of him settled back

What the fuck have you done The woman said gasping as she rushed over to her companion We We

15 year old was almost drooling his eyes moving from the gun to Hank’s face to the wound on the man’s face Coughing slightly Hank holstered his pistol with the same smooth greasy movements Ever since he had obtained his Gunslinger Class getting weapons in and out of things was no problem for him even though none of his Skills seemed to be directly related to it Perhaps it was due to Gunslinger’s Instincts

We will be fucking lodging a complaint The woman said her eyes red as she glared at Hank The wounded man had produced a Healing Potion and drank it Very quickly the flesh grew back and he joined her to glare at him

Hank couldn’t help it now a grin spreading across his face like a wildfire on a dry prairie Be careful you don’t threaten me too much now lest you end up scaring me into lodging a bullet into you two I won’t be nice with my aim this time neither

Hah you might be a Tier 3 citizen but that doesn’t mean you can ignore the law The man said his eyes narrowed You’re lucky that I wasn’t seriously injured We will both be heading out with the secondary expedition in thre days when the Zone opens up and connects to the wider world Colonel Radford is our commander and if he

Snorting Hank turned away This wasn’t worth his time Honestly it would save him the trouble of tracking down that little shit Radford if these punks would send him Hank’s way but he doubted Radford would take the bait

Grabbing the kid’s elbows he steered him away over towards the cracked and dented vehicle After muttering threats at Hank’s back the two left clearly somewhat spooked by the dozens of people recording their actions on their cellphones Although it wasn’t much videos of Hank easily wounding the man would go online where Ghost could access it

Once that data was entered into Ghost’s evaluation the man would have a much harder time raising his citizenry tier Adding more pointless arguing would be doubly harmful Smart like a smelly fox he was Hank reflected

This is bullshit The kid whispered looking at his car Apparently some of the wonder from seeing Hank’s revolver had worn off and he was back on to the damage to his Manatech I had to save up for so long to buy this And now

Don’t worry kid Hank said offering a small object to the kid Those two decided to kindly drop this over yonder Must be as repayment

My name isn’t kid its huh The kid started in a huff then his eyes widened when he noticed the cube that Hank was offering him It was heavy and glossy clearly an expensive material something that could only be obtained in a high Level Dungeon Even Hank didn’t know what it was but he knew enough to guess that it would be probably worth enough to compensate the kid for the damage

How The kid began taking the cube of metal and Hank just waved his long graceful fingers

Fast hands And anyway these are just small fries They might be Tier 2 but they are fresh promotions or else they wouldn’t be in the secondary expedition under Radford Careful where you sell that though both because they might be on the lookout for where they lost it and because other people might take advantage of you Good luck kid

Hank turned and began to walk away fully intending to go home and take a long bath but of course life wasn’t that simple for Hank It hadn’t been for years

Hey Wait I’m not a kid my name’s Tony What’s yours The kid had to hurry to catch up with him hovering around his elbow as he walked

Hank Hank said simply lengthening his stride to leave him behind

But it seemed that Agility was a part of the kid’s Class and a lot of it because he was surprisingly capable at keeping up with Hank And although it was annoying it wasn’t so bad that Hank was gonna launch himself into a dead sprint to lose a kid

His cell phone began to buzz causing Hank to stop up short The kid didn’t react in time and slammed into Hank bouncing harmlessly off with a loud grunt Hank looked at his phone

Alan Howard

Hank answered the phone Heya brother How about you fuck off

Chapter 483

Hank pulled the brim of his hat lower and leaned back in his seat Outside the train the landscape blurred past the Manatech launching their tiny vehicle at such speeds that distance or at least the distance that was within the confines of the Zone meant nothing

Although Hank’s brother was a giant dick he had something that Hank wanted so Hank was unwillingly dragged from the Class C City that Hank called home Mottles towards one of the two Class A Cities in their Zone East Providence Of the two Hank would much rather travel to West Providence which was the technological hub upon which their whole Zone turned meanwhile Hanks current jaunt would take him to the political capital

More than anything else Hank hated politics He hated the posing he hated the rhetoric he hated the quick shifts between enemies and allies that happened so quickly that it wasn’t even worth the time to grow close to anyone

Humans were built on connections with others Hank believed And he believed that politics was the practice of self mutilation of genuine and personal connections It all left a very bitter taste in his mouth

But Hank supposed he should consider himself somewhat lucky The early days after the arrival of the System were chaotic and dangerous Even though the upper echelons of humanity had been warned and had concentrated weapons scientists and supplies in this one location it had still been touch and go for a while in the week that followed Although soldiers had been warned that a great enemy would be coming they expected soldiers or tanks or planes

They didn’t expect demons or chimera or fucking goblins

During that time Hank hadn’t known about the oncoming storm he had just gotten lucky to be stationed as a park ranger near his nation’s capital At the time he was just a hiking enthusiast who loved the sights and smells of the country and his brother was a nobody working as a clerk for a Senator from the South

And now

Hank sighed and shook his head angrily When one of the train’s attendants walked past he raised a hand and mimed taking a shot She smiled politely and nodded even though there was thinly veiled judgement in her eyes Hank didn’t care he just hoped she knew to bring him whiskey Maybe he should have mimed sipping it

But then he would have been dishonest wouldn’t he

While the soldiers and the politicians were struggling to remain in control of their tiny fiefdoms during the initial monster incursions the scientists had holed themselves up in what would become West Providence and begun to experiment Very quickly they realized they could gain Levels in strange almost abstract Skills like Scientific Theory and Organic Chemistry and they pushed a lot of boundaries in those first weeks frothing at the mouth in the presence of this tangible progress

Very quickly there were many deaths and accidents but there was also progress Plasma weaponry manatech and power suits were just a few of their more widely known inventions There were huge jumps in farming and pharmaceutical technologies which would have been worth billions of dollars in the past but now were relatively useless due to the positive benefits of the System

But of course the greatest contribution of West Providence and the reason that they maintained their status as a Class A City despite pressure from East Providence was due to Ghost

While most scientists were fascinated by the tangible Thomas Karman was drawn towards a different pursuit Artificial Intelligence Not as a pursuit in and of itself of course he was too much of a scientist for that But Dr Karman wondered whether it wasn’t just people and monsters that were slaves to the System

Could their creations earn the System’s approval as well

For 3 months Dr Karman slaved away working and creating He tried different structures different mediums different evolution paths for the different intelligences During that time humanity had largely righted itself Increases in Stats and Skill Levels allowed the army to quickly sweep through the monsters establishing safe areas where people could live without fear of an ogre climbing through their window

Even if he was being modest Hank was at the forefront of that effort Before the System hit his hobbies included creating his own bullets and putting himself beyond the range of cell service in order to truly experience the raw beautiful danger of nature Now that danger came knocking and Hank’s bullets were an invaluable tool against the invasion

Many in the early days of his rise to prominence suspected that Hank would very quickly run out of room to grow After all his Skill related to shooting pistols and empowering pistol bullets so undoubtedly he would soon be passed by snipers or soldiers with assault rifles and proper training But everytime Hank would find himself in a dead end the System would provide a Path a new Skill an opportunity

First the Dead Shot Skill then the Trick Shot then Mana Reinforcement then the Mana Detonation

It was wonderful in a sick way And Hank could admit to himself now that he had lost himself in that feeling

Then Thomas Karman was successful He created an AI that could grow and Level in the System It was slow much slower than humans for whatever reason but it worked Ghost was born

Very quickly West Providence flooded the air with small drones Then they began to spread cameras in a more conventional way hacking into the traffic network at least the portions that continued to work They sent men out in the field carrying cameras With these vantage points Ghost began to learn

After gathering a sufficient amount of data Ghost began to make predictions Small things at first but then on the movements of monsters and the optimum way to prepare to gain a Class or the superior Paths available and how to acquire them It took a month but very soon East Providence was swayed Ghost was a powerful tool and they intended to use it

Thomas Karman and the then President of the United Humans Force the UHF brokered a deal Ghost would be able to classify things in different categories but the UHF Parliament would always retain the ability to pass laws regarding on how the treatment of the ranks was different

Ghost’s first mass categorization related to cities setting West and East Providence up as the core of the Zone Ghost’s second categorization labeled monsters and categorized them as different metal ranks Copper through Diamond according to their power Ghost’s third and final initial ranking put Citizens in different tiers 1 5

Well it was one through five in name only because the highest tier at that time was Tier 3 and Hank was one of the three people in that tier

The attendant returned thankfully with something dark even if it wasn’t whiskey and Hank threw it back with a bitter smile on his face How bright and hopeful Hank had been in those days It was a fleeting almost tragic naivety At the time Hank had been a powerful supporter of the categorization of people and monsters thinking of all the good it could do His brother had been right there with them the Howard twins the vocal minority urging for Ghost’s virtues The higher tiers would face the danger the lower tiers would understand when certain threats were beyond their ability to deal with

Hank had swiftly learned what a fool he had been and how much a label could warp people

Three weeks after the Citizenship Tiers were instituted a Tier 3 man raped a Tier 1 woman and his defense was his higher Tier entitled him to superior privileges

Well what can you do Alan Howard had said an embarrassed smile on his face This is America People will say the stupidest shit

At the time Hank had been close to agreeing It was just one fool and the court denied that defense The man was thrown in jail But

But it set a tone Of course it was clear that one couldn’t flaunt the law But many wondered based on the language of the judges whether the decision would have been the same if the crime was a less severe one

Of course realities of the world being what they were the man was let off on probation after 6 months And once he was freed

Hank stopped himself right there Thinking about that whole ordeal would just piss him off even more and with how today’s schedule was being lined up Hank wanted to start out in as good of a mood as possible

Unfortunately the train was already pulling into the station

Hank ordered two more shots to go

Chapter 484

Uncle Hank Jane shrieked dropping her rubber ball and throwing herself at him in a blur of blonde pigtails

Hank’s eyes narrowed a fraction even as he beamed at her and swept her off in his arms After all she moved fast Of course not too fast but with enough speed that she probably had 40 50 Agility and with enough Reaction and Perception to manage it all The girl was fucking 9 what the hell was her school putting her through

Heya weasel Hank said spinning around the shrieking girl until she was helpless with giggles They were currently standing in a manicured park near the Lodestone School filled with extremely intricate jungle gyms designed to train Stamina and dexterity in the children who played there rather than breed fun To the side Ms Smoke was standing a frown on her face as she looked at Hank

Of course Ms Smoke didn’t speak Ms Smoke was a stickler for the rules and she was only a Tier 2 citizen It would be improper for her to reprimand Hank Howard an exalted Tier 3 citizen unless he was doing something obviously reprehensible and damaging to the interests of Jane

Oh how far we’ve fallen ’ Hank thought somewhat sadly as he rubbed Jane’s head

Which didn’t mean that Ms Smoke felt shy at all about her constant glares But it did mean that she would let Hank pull his niece out of school if only for half the day He disliked the hierarchy most of the time but he supposed that if he had to slog through the shit on a daily basis the least he could do is enjoy the benefits on days like this

Oh Uncle Hank I’ve missed you so much Pleease help me skip school We are having a quiz in monster anatomy class today and I am going to fall asleep and then DIE if I have to sit through one more remedial lecture PLEaaSee

Hank smiled looked at Ms Smoke

Her frown deepened

I don’t see why not He said brightly Why don’t we get ice cream

After an afternoon and evening of spending quality time with his niece Hank found himself standing before the President of the UHF

Alan you are getting fat Hank said partially to break the tension of their staring contest but partially to point out to the man that he was truly letting himself go

Alan harrumphed in that way that Hank knew so well from their childhood in the way that meant I am well aware and the only reason it is happening is that I am so inundated with important pressing matters that my personal health is the least important of my challenges and I have deliberately decided that it is the area in which I am most comfortable with some small amount of lax behavior’

Or something Hank knew his brother Alan very well or used to Growing up they had been extremely close Even before the System came they were still very tightly connected But somewhere in his heart Hank knew what it was Alan had never forgiven him for that third pronouncement by Ghost

Alan Howard Tier 1

Hank Howard Tier 3

Even now as Alan Howard sat at Tier 4 the most important nonmilitaristic individual in the Zone it wasn’t enough That small jealousy had grown into something insidious and persistent

But they were still brothers so Alan said nothing about the comment leaning back in his chair and folding his fingers into a steeple Have fun today

Yes Hank said simply They both knew that Hank had a very close relationship with Jane And Hank believed that Alan was also aware that Jane needed something like that in her life Especially since she had been transferred to the Lodestone School a move that Hank had vehemently opposed she needed those moments where she could forget the pressure of living under the weight of the System and remember that she was just a kid

Well if you don’t wish to speak on it further then I won’t belabor the point keep your distractions to the minimum alright Now

Distractions Hank interrupted glad that Alan had the poor sense to send away his honor guard Of course Ghost would be watching but there was only so much that the AI could do from afar and it allowed Hank to speak freely What she needs is a childhood The Dungeons are handled the monsters have been pushed back from the populated areas Why drive the children so hard Your own fucking daughter Alan

Alan swiveled in his leather chair and stood When he stood he emphasized that slowly building belly even more Where Hank was tall and a little towards a stockier build Alan had always been shorters and slighter To consider the possibility now that his brother was heavier than him it was somewhat amusing to Hank

You know Alan said interrupting Hank’s thoughts Ghost had run a lot of simulations based on available information According to his calculations we are in the 72nd percentile of possibilities That means that 38% of other Zones might be

Bah Hank scoffed We both know that those statistics are bullshit They are based on the premise that others had a comparable amount of ammunition and foodstuffs prepared in their area and people with the training to use the supplies effectively It’s meaningless How have you convinced yourself your daughter is going to save the world Alan She’s

She’s my daughter Alan said his voice rumbling dangerously True the stats don’t paint an accurate picture But they illustrate the real danger that there will be other Zones that could reach our Level of power even if they are likely below us in technology If a violence crazed warlord rose to power in the vacuum left by the System

Then Alan forcibly stopped himself seeing Hank about to speak They had this conversation in 1000 ways 1000 times They did not agree Finally Alan simply said Dr Karman was assassinated Hank We never caught the killer If things hadn’t god if we had devolved into a civil war Even Ghost was clueless But it cannot be denied that the culprits were looking to sew chaos

They were both silent for a long second Both remembered the two months following the death of the respected doctor and how quickly things had almost dropped out from under them leaving the government hamstrung by cutthroat politicians and short sighted scientists who would have lost the entire forest for their own individual tree

But they made it passed that albeit barely

If something if they took Jane I Alan said his face bleak some of his professional facade falling away Hank wondered how much of the reveal was contrived but at least he believed that Alan genuinely felt that worry for Jane Hank knew he himself did and couldn’t imagine that the father of that bundle of joy would feel any less

Deciding to remain silent Hank just stared at the ground abruptly too tired to argue That was why he continued to work as a sheriff even as he was largely disgraced Because there were people in this Zone worth protecting Children like Jane and that kid from yesterday Innocents who knew nothing of the backstabbing and the posturing who were struggling under the weight of their Tier 1 status to survive in this new regimented world

And if he had to support this corrupt system to do it

Closing his eyes Hank pictured Jane’s smiling face earlier when she had realized she had ice cream on her nose

Why did you call me here Hank said his voice gravelly

Alan straightened turning back to Hank After coughing he said as you know we have two main expeditions heading out in two days to explore the new areas available to us after our Zone joins the reconstructed Earth This was done after Ghost’s careful calculations and all of the members of those are already selected But after some explanations from us beings of flesh Ghost was persuaded that there might be cause for a third expeditionary force You would be in charge

There were so many reasons that Hank wanted to refuse he was momentarily frozen as he decided which was the most pressing The hassle of leading such a force first off beyond that the political niceties that he wouldn’t have time for and also the pointlessness of these mining expeditions

Besides as far as Hank was aware all the Dungeon Divers of note were already part of the first two forces only dregs would be left for the third

Alan held up a hand Wait I can already see you jumping to conclusions It won’t be large like the others at most 5 people Your group would be designed for other reasons You would remain on standby for now and only move when a second Zone connects to another world

Hank’s eyes flickered with recognition Then he frowned What did you have in mind It wouldn’t be a political delegation not if you are sending me You know me better than that You also know that I have no mind for business so any trading beyond some small things I have that couldn’t be it either So I have to assume that we will be involved in some sort of espionage or assassination

Alan sighed Don’t be dramatic You are going for your Pathfinding Skill What we will need to identify the best route between the two Zones through what will likely be very dangerous territory Once there I would expect you to have enough common sense to contact whatever powers that be there but only to lead their agents back to us so we can communicate I’d prefer that you take the time between now and another Zone connects to familiarize yourself with the areas we can explore in two days but if you insist on your two bit crusade for justice

I do Hank affirmed

just consider it alright

Sneering Hank said Who is askin’

Alan seemed to age before his very eyes just your brother Hank You are the best man for this job I’d appreciate if you helped me out on this

Slowly Hank shook his head He pointed at a dossier on the table This is supposed to be my comrades Heath hates my guts and would butcher a stranger as soon as give him the time of day And Ezekial I’ve never met him but I’ve heard the rumors He’s more monster than man at this point

Alan pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose sat down in his leather chair and turned forward facing Hank face on Fine Then here are your orders from the President of the UHF Meet your allies Position yourself in one of the border cities Because as soon as some Zone connects to the world you are going there You are dismissed

Chapter 485

Hank’s father Rick had taught Hank and Alan three things

The first thing was that you only apologize if you mean it This lesson came in the form of a rough shove after Hank had taken a cookie and then blamed his brother for it When they were caught Hank eventually broke and apologized

Are you really sorry Rick asked Hank had hesitated then shook his head After all he had gotten the cookie when they weren’t supposed to If he was being honest he was proud of himself

Rick grinned Being honest is best Time to make sure you told the truth about tonight

At first Hank expected his father to punish him But he just continued to hum and smile until Alan got home from a friend’s house Then Rick had locked Alan in his room without dinner so that Hank would learn who he should truly apologize to’ It was a long night

Hank never forgot his little brother’s sobs after he had stopped pounding on the door If anything the silence was more difficult to bear than the earlier cacophony

The second thing Rick taught his boys was that Clint Eastwood was the greatest actor in the world and everything about being a man could be learned by watching his movies This lesson the boys took too with more alacrity pouring over the entire filmography on VHS during their childhoods

Much later when the System had arrived Hank felt almost like he was returning to his childhood when he obtained his Class Gunslinger Everyone initially was disappointed because Hank had done so well up to this point and his Class was so mundane

Yet time and time again Hank came out on top of monsters and men alike all who would threaten the Zone’s new laws One time the first time he met Ghost Hank had asked Ghost why he had given him a Tier 3 rating when his Class was clearly one of the least powerful Classes on record

Ghost’s hologram projection had laughed at him It’s because you believe in it You’ve spent your entire life dreaming of it Hank How could it not be more powerful than these shallow recently acquired toys

The third thing that Hank and Alan had learned from Rick was how and why to love a country

You can’t think of your country as a physical place that’s not the important part Rick had said waving a hand Think of the Native Americans They have one of the most powerful and iconic cultures even to this day even as that way of life is dead Think of the Greeks of the Romans Your country is the dream you are building for your children It’s the desire you instill in them to crave freedom and open sky It’s the sense of responsibility they feel when faced with moral dilemmas

To nurture your country’s soul is to build a future A flag is a map and to forget it is for an entire nation of souls to grow lost There is a certain pervasive disdain for patriotism that I’d like to inoculate you boys against personally Your country is the sum of your actions therefore if you don’t care for your country your actions have been insufficient to satisfy the implicit responsibilities of citizenship that you hold in your chest If you don’t care about your country you also don’t care about yourself or your future actions

When the murky swamp of apathy has risen above the heads of a country’s citizens they cannot be bothered to right small injustices Their skin grows numb to the innumerable ticks and pests that infest them These people become sleepwalkers in a slumber only surpassed by death in permanence

Do you think a dictator could rouse them from that unshakable grip Do you think such people will be spooked by genocide when their hearts have turned disdainful towards the plight of their fellow man

No they will be carried forward by inertia in their blindness allowing their country their true aegis of justice to decay around them That’s how America will die boys Good men will stop believing in the dream of our nation’s virtue and no one will willingly take up the mantle to make it so Without that amorphous defense we will all perish

Something precious you cannot truly describe that’s what a country is

You are describing it now Alan had pointed out He was 9 and Hank was 13 with enough sense to keep his mouth shut

Rick chuckled and Hank slowly relaxed It was one of his dad’s good days it seemed

You’re right All I’m trying to say is that when you make a decision regarding your country remember your children your future If you take an oath stick to it Fight for that oath Become the reason that other men feel emboldened to endeavor to become a hero After all do you want your children to dream of a place where words aren’t worth the air that keeps them afloat Or do you want them to dream of tenacity and responsibility of determination and destiny

The boys looked solemnly up at their father committing the words to memory as best as they could

Rick fancied himself as something of a poet Which was probably why he had taken the barrel of a revolver put it on his temple and then slowly clenched his hand into a fist The day that Hank found the body was three weeks before his 18th birthday At that moment he had a hard decision in front of him report the death now or wait the three weeks so that he would be allowed to care for Alan who was still a minor

Lost in his thoughts in the present Hank reached down and ran his fingers along the cool metal of the revolver left to him by his father in the hastily scrawled will It was not for the sake of sentimentality that Hank still used this revolver it was due to familiarity Even as a child before the weight of his father’s life hung on the trigger Hank was fascinated by its strange weight its smooth gears and motions

Although he had rejected his spoiled brother’s plea that he assist with the third expedition Hank was not a man who would easily reject an order from the President They were currently at odds over what Hank considered a meaningless torture of a child Hank knew that both were relatively defensible positions He would not let it get in the way of his duty to his tiny Zone locked nation

After all Hank had learned his lessons of virtue by staring at the profile of Eastwood silhouetted by the sunset a man protects at any cost

And Hank couldn’t deny that a threat was coming So he silently accepted the dossier from Alan and took the short train from East Providence to West Providence in order to meet the rest of the group

Like Alan had promised expedition three was a relatively small force East Providence would be supplying two individuals but the second of which had not yet been chosen as this was only recently approved Ezekiel was West Providence representation who Hank now went to pick up from the Containment Center

Grimacing Hank wondered whether he would need to put a few slugs of lead in this man before he would behave The Containment Center was essentially a place where Classers who were too powerful not to be used against monsters and hadn’t committed truly heinous crimes were kept Often placing them there did more harm than good as some of the seedier prospects spread their very negative attitude to other prisoners who had previously just had a short temper

Hopefully Ezekiel wouldn’t be too much of a blockhead According to the dossier he was an all rounder but specialized in stealth and long range Skills Hank read that and whistled

Long range Skills usually referred to things that would have been traditionally considered as spells in the world before the System Ghost made it clear that basically anything was possible within the System but he believed that Mana was much more efficiently used with the Mana Discharge Skill that people used to power their plasma weaponry

The results spoke for themselves A Level 10 Mana Bolt would stumble a creature briefly but do no lasting damage to it especially as its Levels increased A plasma bolt fired by someone who had just obtained the Mana Discharge Skill would melt the monster’s head

Of course there were diminishing returns for the Mana Discharge Skill especially over Level 50 The general populous just couldn’t get access to the guns that could utilize higher Levels of Mana Discharge the technology wasn’t to the point that they could be mass produced You needed to be at least Tier 3 before you could be considered as a useful individual to be given a prototype Hank had just one such plasma pistol

But in addition to the diminishing returns there was also much less utility given by focusing on Mana Discharge Hank’s other Mana Skills very quickly passed Mana Discharge and he was now happy to simply use his old metal slugs to kill monsters

Plus Hank had seen a man open a hole in the ground the size of a house just swallowing up 20 or so monsters Then the ground had closed back up and the screams of the monsters were cut off with a wet crunch

A real mage type huh Hank said flicking over to the other two dossiers Mordecai Heath was a big man with the brain of a chihuahua Twice in the past the two had fought and both times Hank had laid the man out But that was before Hank’s fall from grace and now Heath had a state of the art Exosuit that made him look like a Decepticon

The final member of their group was a member of the Temple on the Hill which made Hank’s frown deepen Not that he minded the people who swore allegiance first and foremost to their Zone’s Champion If anything the opposite They were usually uncannily competent which is why Hank had no choice but to be serious around them

Sighing Hank looked around But unfortunately he saw no attendants to bring him a drink

Chapter 486

Ezekiel pushed his glasses up his nose The man had short dark hair and mild green eyes When they met the man had stood and walked over to give Hank a handshake

Ezekiel Ghosthound at your service You probably don’t recall but I was in Richmond when you held off the armored bears I never got to thank you I’m pleased I now have the chance to pay you back

Ah no worries Hank said slipping back into a slow drawl It’s in the past now What’s a mild fella like you doin locked up here

Ezekiel’s smile was all teeth Ghost doesn’t like me having contact with high Level Classers where it cannot watch

Hank’s pupils dilated A few interesting things there Was he being honest And if he was why was he under such tight scrutiny Specifically high Level Classers as well

In addition Ezekiel had referred to Ghost as an it’ Not that it was really important but a lot of propaganda campaigning done by Alan had gone towards making sure the populous referred to Ghost as he It helped the people handle the fact that an AI was making decisions that ruled most everyone’s lives It brought Hank a small bit of pleasure that this man didn’t follow along with the masses in this regard

Plus he wondered if there was some sort of story connecting Ghost and Ghosthound Maybe just a coincidence If anything perhaps Ghosthound was a made up name given to him by Ghost like Ghost’s Hound

The guard who was watching their meeting cleared his throat Hank turned to regard him The man was likely not even a Tier 2 citizen but he delighted in lording his small status over Hank ever since they had entered into the Containment Zone Hank didn’t mind Or rather it was like the buzzing of a fly the only acknowledgment the creature would receive was being smashed into the table when it had gone too far

We will debrief him Mr Howard We have orders to take you to see Ghost in person He has a gift for you consider yourself blessed

Ezekiel chuckled but said nothing After glaring at Ezekiel until he was satisfied that the other man was cowed the guard brought Hank away out of the meeting room and down a long hallway to another series of rooms The hallways and rooms all looked the same white and long with only brass doorknobs adding a splash of color to the tiled decor If this had been the Hank before the System empowered his attention to detail he would have long been hopelessly lost

Try not to be disrespectful The guard said glowering after he had opened the door for Hank to proceed We will be watching And if you disrespect

Hank stepped forward and closed the door yanking the doorknob out of the man’s sloppy grip It was with great pleasure that Hank cut him off and turned to regard the small raised black platform before him For effect there were several lines of servers along the back wall with flashing lights and different gauges for heat and electrical consumption But Hank knew that these were just theatrics

Ghost’s true body was the 6 brain dead bodies on life support below the room it was on them that their AI’ ran

The air over the black platform flashed and a body condensed first just opaque squares then a silhouette through them and then the body of a teenage boy He was tall and fair with blonde hair and blue eyes His smile was wide and infectious but just like always some instinct kept Hank from ever relaxing around the AI

It has been a while since we spoke Hank But I’ve really enjoyed watching you Ghost said sounding extremely human and sincere

Almost feeling guilty for his suspicion Hank forced himself to smile It has You were still using a 10 year old as an avatar last time we spoke I hafta say speakin’ to you like this is a mite more reassuring

Ghost’s grin widened I like this body too Although I’ve have done millions of calculations and cannot yet ascertain how attractive to make this body I have been subtly altering my facial structure and musculature to see if it affects the behavior of those stationed here in the Containment Center I must say the face is very important in human social interaction

Unfortunately so Hank mused abruptly thinking of Laurel Then he shook his head Hey why do you always do this You know I dislike these tiny manipulations you do If you keep telling me these things I’ll stop coming to visit someday

Ghost chuckled You do not come visit’ You are ordered to come here or else you would remain in small towns keeping the peace I tell you because they don’t work on you no matter how hard I try And perhaps vanity is part of my programming I feel you are the only one I can brag to

Shaking his head Hank felt somewhat helpless Ghost laughed again louder and as the volume increased it became obvious that the sound was canned and reproduced a laughter filled with shapes and symmetry but without warmth

Well anyways I won’t keep you long This is why you should actually visit because I always have new gifts for you that I’d like to watch you use Ghost gestured to the wall and it opened revealing a long sleek vehicle

That That’s my bike Hank stuttered looking wide eyed at the extremely high end Manatech that was sitting on the platform polished and crimson The paint job was glossy and eye catching exactly the way Hank liked it

Yup with a few improvements Ghost said with a sly smile This time I predict that the enemies you will face will be more powerful and vicious than Rhonda Khan was I’ve made ample preparations for different eventualities Do your best to reach them all so I can produce a better product next time

Jane found herself in an interesting position poised between needing to retch and vomit and being bored to tears

She had just come in from Gym’ which was basically just physical training The adults set up obstacle courses and traps forcing the kids to go through them over and over until they finally could finish in under a minute or until the full 2 hours of gym time had finished

Jane had finished today just barely but it was already Thursday and the course would change over the weekend so a new heck would be waiting for them on Monday Afterward Jane would want to cry and her body would hurt in strange ways but her daddy got so furious when she complained so she could do nothing but keep quiet

Some days she fantasized about going and living with Uncle Hank for a while just so she didn’t have to hurt so much all the time But not today After all she had finished the course before the end of the week and that would earn her a smile from daddy

And at least gym was better than Targets

Jane shivered Targets involved learning to use the guns that Ghost made for everybody Jane thought it was dumb She was in the biggest city in the Zone protected by the highest walls And she was in grade school Why should she use a gun

But that part of her spoke with Uncle Hank’s voice and daddy always got so mad when she complained about that So she bottled it up and always tried to hold her pee until Targets class so she could have a small break

Right now they were sitting in Class Theory At first Jane had liked this class because it was a break from exercise but most of the classes were just sitting still and watching the strange animations made by Ghost which was frustrating in an entirely different way At least if they had been given paper Jane could have spent her time doodling her cat Happencakes but even when asked the teachers refused as if they expected her to use any sort of small freedom to escape from the constant class

Upon reaching 14 The voice from the video boomed Every child will have the opportunity to receive a Class from a Village Spirit Classes are important because they often determine what Tiers of Citizenship you will have access to

Except me ’ Jane thought to herself picturing her Tier 4 daddy and Tier 3 Uncle Hank Even if she got a Class like Veterinarian she knew they would help her be a high Tier

Then Jane frowned She wasn’t really sure what the differences between the Tiers really were besides that higher was better And all daddy and mom’s friends were higher Tiers while Uncle Hank spent most of his time helping out people who had lower Tiers But everybody talked about it often enough that Jane knew it was something she should pay attention to

Today’s lesson will focus on the 4 most powerful people in the UHF The voice continued Starting with Eric Todd Level 46 His class is Demolitions Maniac and he uses his control over remote Mana Detonations to trigger powerful and elaborate explosions destroying his enemies in a powerful display

On screen actual footage of the bomb man was shown and he threw out several bombs around an armored turtle Several exploded at key points knocking others in different spots that then exploded destabilizing the footing beneath the turtle Right when it stumbled a quick explosion sent a bomb quickly forward beneath the turtle’s vulnerable stomach Then the screen turned white as the man detonated his bomb

Jane’s eyes glazed over So boring

Next was the Hyper Pilot Level 44 Although she was the lowest Level of the Top 4 of the UHF she was the favorite of Ghost who delighted in making her new Exosuits to try

Then there was the Plasma Furnace a man who held two extremely large plasma miniguns Jane glanced around Most of the other kids were as blank eyed as she was But some were looking at the TV with serious longing expressions She shook her head sadly She had watched her Uncle Hank shoot an eagle out of the sky with a pistol once That was what strong people really did not all these explosions

Uncle Hank had been somewhat sad afterward but he had let Jane keep the feathers to make a crown Her mom eventually took it away saying she would get lice

Finally there was the Spartan Shock Trooper He didn’t wear a true Exosuit just a Manatech armor hybrid and carried just a standard looking plasma rifle But when he moved it was uncannily fast and he seemed to be able to detect the movement of enemies all around him even though it was impossible for the man to see them outside of his helmet

Not as fast as Uncle Hank ’ Jane thought with a sniff

Chapter 487

When Ezekiel was finally released Hank Howard was standing outside of the Containment Zone staring down at his watch as if he could peer through it into the spatial pocket dimension and figure out what the gift of the bike meant

The bike was a clear allusion to his fall from grace Yet coming from Ghost who had stripped him of his position as Vanguard Captain and reinstated him as a Sheriff what did it mean

Hank looked up to find Ezekiel looking at him with an amused expression

Take your time Ezekiel said shrugging as he massaged the spots on his wrists that had been tied with the refined plastic that was all but unbreakable I would prefer not to leave this place if I’m being honest I don’t do well in the outdoors

After opening his mouth to release a pithy retort Hank thought better of it and closed his mouth It was already all but guaranteed that at least Heath was going to be impossible to deal with A voice that sounded a lot like Alan convinced him to let this small smartass comment go for the greater good

Besides ’ Hank thought to himself eyes flashing a man like this in the wild there will be plenty of time to make up for small slights ’

Not that Hank was a particularly vindictive person but he would always remember that this man Ezekiel’s first instinct was to pick and belittle That impression would remain immaculate and untouched within Hank’s heart until enough evidence emerged to shift that assessment Based on the file that he had read through briefly describing the man chances of that were slim

It was just after midnight as Hank had left immediately from Alan’s to head to West Providence and retrieve Ezekiel The scientists there were so stuck up in their experiments that time of day meant little to them even less so after the System when most people only slept one to two hours a day

Even this much left Hank feeling a certain amount of exasperation as he hadn’t really felt the need to sleep aside from a bit of personal leisure and then only once a fortnight for a bit It was more to reassure the subconscious that had slept ? of its existence up until now Hank also knew that there were a lot of people that refused to sleep entirely considering it beneath them These were inevitably the Tier 3 or 4s who considered themselves something a little more than human

The less interaction Hank had with them the better Which was why this Heath situation

Ezekiel looked up sharply a fraction of a second before Hank’s own pupils dilated at the distant low thrum of an engine We have company

Curious that Ezekiel would detect it before Hank Perhaps this man would truly be useful on the reconnaissance mission they were assigned to Even though the chilling vibes given off by the man despite his smile convinced Hank that their true purpose was a bit darker than that

Over the next minute the engine sounds grew louder until a humvee roared up toward their location skidding to a stop inches from Hank Hank’s eyebrows rose

The doors on both sides opened and two men got out

Someone had apparently worked up the nerves to tell Mordecai Heath he was balding because his greasy black hair was freshly shaven giving him a competent militaristic look His skin was tanned but his eyes were beady and dark full of meanness His shirt wobbled holding back his bulging belly but even Hank wouldn’t underestimate the man for the shape of his body Hank had no doubt that when the man wanted to move he would do so and quickly

The other man was someone Hank didn’t recognize but by the jade pin in his collar he recognized him as a member of the Temple on the Hill This man was slim and Asian with expressionless eyes as he examined both Hank and Ezekiel At his side was a one handed sword

So Heath said his tiny eyes gleeful You’ll be working with me for the next few months What a distinct pleasure

Ezekiel snorted but said nothing Hank scowled

It was ma’ understandin’ that I would be in charge of our little detachment Hank said letting that old southern anger rise in him

Heath shrugged and to Hank’s surprise snapped his fingers I was hoping you’d say that

The back of the humvee folded upwards and a metal platform slid out of the overly large vehicle containing a power suit Immediately Heath leaped forward as the suit opened up like a blooming flower and he sank into it Within seconds it snapped shut encasing him in its protective layers

Hank watched it all impassive Without a doubt he was fast enough to have shot the man before he entered into his suit After all his Quick Draw Skill was at the Rare level and effectively gave him an extra 50 Agility when it came to drawing his pistol That advantage was one of the main reasons that Hank had been unbeatable towards the beginning of the Zone when bullets were enough to put a monster down

They were very different people but on this Hank and Heath agreed the easiest way to solve this was for one of them to beat the other into submission Hank would have been more circumspect in his attempt but Heath was running hot off their last confrontation where he lost It gave him a desperate air that destroyed that peanut sized bit of caution he possessed

Hank glanced at the Asian man You won’t interfere if I beat the shit out of him

The man didn’t bother to reply Not that he really had the chance because Heath’s voice modulated by the power suit boomed outwards Jiji if you fucking dare interfere I’ll crush your skull

At that the man finally showed a reaction a long crease running through his brow But still it seemed he had tacitly agreed to let it happen Hank turned and looked at Ezekiel

If you kill him I’ll say a beautiful eulogy But no I have no interest in leading this farce Ezekiel said shaking his head

Curious again Before turning back to Heath he asked Ezekiel How do you know I will win

Behind him he could feel Health launching himself into motion his huge armored hands clenched into fists aiming for Hank’s open back Ezekiel just smiled and rolled his eyes offering no warning

A dangerous man Hank finally decided giving himself another half second to peer at Ezekiel Smart but lazy Perceptive but relatively unambitious In terms of actual power it remained to be seen but Hank was betting that the man had an astounding amount of potential There was just something broken about him

Too easy Heath shouted as his attack was mere inches away from landing Hank chortled

Slow

Hank activated Dodge Roll and within a second his body had curled up on the ground he had rolled a meter to the left and he was back up on his feet his pistol drawn Hank’s build didn’t necessarily crown him as the fastest individual in Zone 1 as he mostly relied on Skill Levels to put the edge on his speed His Agility was high sure but it was his second tier of Stats his highest Stats were Perception and the highest of all Focus

Exosuits were divided into three types power speed and energy Power suits were built around crushing things and usually had the highest physical defense They fared relatively well against monsters and they generally invalidated the attempts of speed suits to overwhelm them However the high powered plasma attacks that the energy suits were capable of made them extremely unpopular in the exosuit tournaments that West Providence sponsored every month

As Hank straightened his eyes traced the lines of Heath’s power suit It was definitely a high end model and more top heavy than most A recent trend was to add some of the extra mechanical muscle on the legs giving the suits the ability to bound across long distances at the drop of a hat Heath eschewed that trend and his power suit was built along the lines of the original models rumbling whirrs sounded from the servo motors in his shoulders and elbows while his fingers buzzed with power

Getting grabbed by him was not an option

Hank only drew his left pistol a fine repeater but one loaded with bullets that he hadn’t made himself and infused Instead he relied on Mana Reinforcement to sharpen and strength the four bullets that shot towards Heath’s chest At the last second another function of those large shoulders jumped to life and a thin film of plasma sprung across his chest When the metal slugs passed through it they melted but only partially

In terms of Mana Reinforcement Hank was probably in the top 10 of the Zone with a Skill Level of 84 Still the fact that this powersuit had energysuit technology within it was a surprise and not a welcome one

Even though the bullets lost their edge they were still reinforced and slammed against Heath’s chest with enough force to make him pause mid step and then stumble when he tried to catch himself

You fucking The red mechanical eyes glowing Heath righted himself and began to stalk towards Hank Hank grinned in response

This would be more fun than he had thought

Chapter 488

Hank could see that Heath was becoming incensed and it amused him to no end It was a good way of relieving all the stress he had from dealing with Alan earlier in the day Although the plasma shield could defend against the piercing ability of the reinforced bullets it was pretty simple for Hank to pepper the other man with bullets

The first time that Hank had worked his way through his twelve bullet clip in his repeater Heath had roared triumphantly but Hank had calmly used his Quick Reload Skill and within two seconds his gun was restocked with bullets and firing

In truth Hank could have done it even faster than that But as he could use the Skill while he was Dodge Rolling he saw no need to reload without doing a quick check of the gun’s other mechanisms Even in pleasure Hank was extremely serious about caring for his weapons fastidiously checking every moving part

There were problems with the fight however Hank was burning through his Stamina relatively quickly At the same time Heath was ripping even faster through his Mana flashing the plasma shield on and off to block bullets and using a small amount of Mana to power the suit constantly Heath’s power suit had a slot for an external battery but he had the sense to not use it a bullet there would cause a small plasma explosion and he would likely lose a chunk of flesh from his back for that mistake

They paused in their game of cat and mouse both catching their breath

Are you just going to run Heath demanded

Smiling Hank whistled a tune as he drew his right revolver his father’s He didn’t like to use it when he didn’t need to because the 6 bullets within it took about 4 hours of work to properly infuse Even though Hank had a high Skill Level in the process there were occasional failures and they would leave him with a headache that lasted days

Bang bang Hank whispered for luck Then he rushed forward raising both pistols to point at Heath The other man straightened which was the wrong move

He kept the right pistol trained on Heath’s chest as a decoy but his left pistol flashed once twice five times in quick succession Now the bullets ripped forward towards the knees of the powersuit aiming to dent the sides crunching the delicate machinery there that allowed him to move easily

Although the System improved human Perception and Reaction they were still a hair away from reaching the point where they could truly dodge bullets especially from this close distance However Heath had good instincts and hadn’t been slacking in his training so he was able to throw himself to the side making all but one miss This last bullet slammed into the side of Heath’s knee but it hadn’t hit as hard as Hank would have liked

Although he would be slightly hampered it wouldn’t be enough Hank fired four more bullets but Heath just built on his momentum continuing to run to the side The bullets skittered of Heath’s hand which he had thrown out to protect his knee joints which were already groaning from the earlier damage

Both men reached the same conclusion at the same time

Deadshot Hank said holding the pistol completely still The bullet zipped out of the barrel traveling at least twice as fast as the previous bullets slamming directly into the side of the knee

At the same time Heath roared and the power suit began to glow red He twisted and powered towards Hank with surprising speed even as he was forced to hop somewhat as his knee was now locked into a partially bent position

I reckon’ it’s time to finish this ’ Hank thought as he raised his right pistol towards the red glowing metal man He almost seemed like an incarnate of lava all molten metal and unstoppable momentum But never for a moment did Hank doubt who would be the victor

He pulled the trigger

Things began to happen very quickly Heath tried to dodge but Hank had used Deadshot again and the bullet moved too fast to be dodged But a figure interposed himself between them the Asian man who had drawn his sword Before the man could act however a voice cried out behind Hank

Pierce

A flash of bloom erupted from the Asian man’s shoulder and he faltered in his movements Then he was slammed to the side by the winds gathered around Hank’s powerful shot knocked away like a piece of paper on a windy day

But that had delayed the bullet just slightly and Heath had raised a hand which was glowing with concentrated energy The two forces met

Or rather Hank’s bullet ripped through everything shooting through Heath’s arm and skidding through the rest of the parking lot before it shot into a low field and created a small crater about 1000 meters away

The metal of the power suit around Heath’s arm had been ripped away and a long gash ran up his arm before puncturing his shoulder and eviscerating a large amount of flesh near the wound There was even a small hole visible in the meat of Heath where the bullet had passed completely through

Howling Heath disengaged the powersuit the front opening to allow him to stumble out The Asian man was groaning to the side while Ezekiel advanced on him with a queer malicious grin on his face Hank holstered his pistols and raised his hands to a boxing stance smiling widely

There was panic in Heath’s eyes even as the man forced himself to come meet Hank in close combat After all this is exactly the way Hank had dispatched him on their previous duel

Anyways Heath was a fool for challenging Hank to a duel to begin with Not that he advertised having the Skill Dueling Edge but people should know never to challenge a Gunslinger to a duel It was like no one else in the world understood how dominant that sort of hero was with a gun alone against the opposition

Sharp Left Heath tried to raise his arms in a defense but Hank was too quick for him As a teenager he had gotten through his repressed anger towards his father by getting involved in boxing Hank had been good too Nationally ranked in High School After he graduated his trainer pushed Hank to go into MMA but Hank didn’t have any interest

Hank had always dreamed of being a boxer but his height and slender body had worked against him in that regard Although he never went for it every instinct told him that the shorter men built like bulls would weather his blows and crush his body when they came in close at the highest levels of boxing So Hank had become a park ranger

But the System breathed life into those dreams as they also gave life to the nightmares

Hank’s jabs ripped through Heath’s guard bloodying the man’s nose and jaw Heath was slightly stunned but he was still good He swiped with his hands aiming to pull Hank in for a grapple but Hank stepped sharply back the haymaker grab sailing harmlessly past Then Hank stepped forward again

Hard Right

Heath’s jaw broke at the same second that Gunslinger Instincts kicked into high gear Without even thinking Hank Dodge Rolled backward turning to face the source of this powerful cutting anger To his surprise it wasn’t directed at him but at Ezekiel who was shuffling backward nursing what looked like a broken wrist

You are a detestable creature The newcomer announced staring balefully at Ezekiel the air around him roiling with the anger On the ground behind him the Asian man coughed up some blood his skin so pale his veins stood out like black worms on his skin

Hank sucked in a breath he knew this man Or rather this being

Jade Prince to what do we owe tha’ pleasure Hank said watching their Zone’s Champion carefully He was dressed in a silk shirt ruby colored as well as matching silk pains embroidered with roaring tigers He looked exactly like a normal person but Hank had seen the Jade Prince fight the Whisper Man for the right to be Champion of their Zone and had seen the man transform into a 3 meter tall Jade Colossus He was not someone to underestimate

But when the Jade Prince turned to Hank he actually smiled the killing intent melting away like spring snow Ah Mr Howard You are excellent A small confusion is all I generally do not interfere in administrative matters so when the Temple on the Hill was asked for a representative for this expedition Genji here volunteered himself and departed immediately But I had other thoughts on who should accompany you but they took some time to arrange

His eyes shifted meaningfully to Ezekiel It is also good that I made such arrangements Genji’s wounds will take some time to recover from

Ezekiel brazenly snapped his wrist back into place and drank a Health Potion as if one of the most powerful entities in Zone 1 wasn’t glaring daggers at him Then he produced a sandwich from an interspatial watch with the crust removed and began to nibble at it

Everyone ignored Heath who was moaning on the ground in an overly dramatic manner

Turning back to Hank the Jade Prince then stepped to the side with a flourish revealing a small girl She was likely just below 5 feet tall and her eyes were blank staring upwards She had a bamboo cane which she tapped on the ground swaying side to side as she walked forward She wore dark nondescript clothes but Hank stared at her

How where the fuck did she come from ’ Hank thought And she’s blind Is it just a ploy or ’

This is Affina Yu The Jade Prince announced She will be joining your expedition I wish you well in working together

Chapter 489

Ghost had watched the entire fight occur grinning from ear to ear For whatever reason he loved to watch Hank and did it whenever possible Perhaps it was just that he loved the data that he had received from Hank as it always left him pleasantly surprised Ghost did not dwell on the motivations Dr Karman had always recommended Ghost stay away from prying into the workings of his own code too directly

After all Ghost could theoretically change himself in powerful dangerous ways numbing him to the value of human life or putting an inorganic value on different goals artificially rather than developing towards them on his own Mostly Ghost agreed and did not alter himself Except for in one regard

I will find your killer Doctor Ghost said aloud There was no response Just the whirr of his machines But it was a human gesture one that Ghost allowed himself just for his own amusement Still smiling Ghost turned at looked at Hank’s Stats as far as he understood them

Hank Howard

Class Gunslinger

Level 43

Health(/R per hour) 869/1520 (427)

Mana(/R per hour) 300/422 (98)

Stam(/R per min) 570/1473 (122)

Vit 100

End 136

Str 83

Agi 162

Perception 194

Reaction 122

Resistance 69

Willpower 81

Intelligence 63

Wisdom 70

Control 87

Focus 222

Skills Humanity’s Last Cowboy Lvl 902 Woodcutting Lvl 43 Woodworking Lvl 67 Running Lvl 69 Physical Fitness Lvl 88 Grappling Lvl 82 Gun Mastery Lvl 99 Tracking Lvl 61 Construction Lvl 35 Aiming Lvl 52 Heavy Blow Lvl 16 Mana Bolt Lvl 20 Bullet Making Lvl 83 Boxing Proficiency Lvl 90 Sharp Left Lvl 80 Hard Right Lvl 92 First Aid Lvl 41 Motorcycle Proficiency Lvl 38 Quick Reload Lvl 72 Repair Lvl 50 Bullet Infusion Lvl 74 Vengeful Tackle Lvl 61 Gunslinger’s Instincts Lvl 102 Quick Draw Lvl 110 Dodge Roll Lvl 99 Mana Infusion Lvl 50 Manatech Proficiency Lvl 21 Exosuit Piloting Lvl 19 Deadshot Lvl 49 Trick Shot Lvl 51 Mana Reinforcement Lvl 84 Mana Detonation Lvl 90 Lawman’s Guillotine Lvl 50 Hawkeye Lvl 71 Dueling Edge Lvl 40 Lesser Heal Lvl 23 Smoke Bomb Lvl 49

Some of the Skill Levels might be off by a few points but Ghost believed that through his cameras and comparisons to individuals who he had confirmed their Stats he was very close It had taken a while to account for the Soul Skill for a while it had seemed like Hank had just defied explanation

But then a camera had recorded Hank boasting about it in passing to Jane and Ghost had been able to pinpoint the spot where Hank’s Stats began to diverge from what he expected and estimate its current strength

Based on what Ghost knew of Soul Skills that one was nearing the end of its longevity and he was looking forward to seeing what Hank would become next

As Ghost had predicted Mordecai Heath had given into temptation and made a move on Hank almost immediately It let him confirm Hank’s Skill once more while also hopefully pushing Ezekiel towards sticking close to Hank for the short term Perhaps just so Ezekiel could devour some portion of him later but Ghost didn’t worry about that too much Hank would have it handled

But also it would allow Ghost to make a move that wouldn’t be examined too closely by West Providence The need for a replacement representative from East Providence was demanding and no one would think about it too closely

Ghost smiled at the android in front of him

Catherine is how I was named The redheaded woman introduced herself But call me Katie Holmes I guess I’m being conscripted to go with you

Hank was surprised by how firm her grip was And her eyes were a clear direct blue

After their short scuffle guards had come out from the Containment Center to carry away Heath and the remnants of his power suit Hank had known the whole time the guards were watching behind their thick walls and high fences but didn’t care Ghost loved to play games to get more data and Hank wouldn’t be surprised if this was all arranged by the AI in order to test the hybrid exosuit Hank wondered whether this was considered a success in the machine’s eyes

The guards also told the group to wait and someone else would be found to accompany them as a representative from West Providence So they waited Both Affina and Ezekiel seemed to be stoic types satisfied with their own thoughts which suited Hank just fine What he didn’t like is that they both seemed to mill around him as if he were a particularly smelly cheese and they were coons out scrounging for food

A migraine was brewing behind Hank’s brow he didn’t like to have an entourage

The pretty direct speaking redhead was almost a relief after these two mysterious additions to his team even if her forward manner reminded Hank of Laurel But Hank had accomplished the first of his mission and now was free to do anything he wanted for two days Hank wanted to go home

After the new areas opened they were tasked with scouting out dangerous areas until another Zone connected and then he would need to chart a path between the two places It would likely be some time before another Zone connected and Hank didn’t plan on scouting with much focus prior to that

So I’m going home Hank announced to the group We can meet up in two days

Ezekiel was the first to speak with a shrug Honestly I have nowhere to stay I’ll just hang around your place for two days

I as well will be partaking of your hospitality Affina announced

Katie scratched her head awkwardly I’m from one of the D C suburbs that ended up a little north of that so I’ll be staying with family there But it will be good to stay close You live in Mottles right

Nodding to Katie Hank spoke to the other two It might be more comfortable to stay in a hotel or something My place isn’t very big

I brought a sleeping roll Affina said seriously her blind eyes staring upwards Hank opened his mouth but wasn’t even sure how to respond to that

I’ve been in a jail for most of this year Ezekiel said with an amused smile Your hospitality no matter how pitiable is likely an upgrade

So the group traveled together A few drinks in the train car was enough to mellow Hank’s mood to accept his new charges improving his mood considerably Not enough that he might be affected by it in all but the highest level of battles but enough to calm down a bit Relaxation came only unwillingly to Hank these days

They waved goodbye to Katie as they all got off the East/West line and she went towards the outer circle train heading one stop North As the three remaining left the station they were stopped by someone yelling Hank’s name

Hank Howard

Hank turned and the other two did so too after a pause An old woman likely 70 or so one of the oldest people Hank had seen since the System arrived stalked up to him She was sprier now but Hank wondered how difficult it had been to get through those first weeks before she had accumulated enough Stats to ameliorate age’s effect on her body

She spat on his shoe My son worked in Tomhold

Then she turned and walked away Hank said nothing looking down at the spittle trailing a line down his boots People around whispered as they recognized him and the people who didn’t know the story were told it by those who did Instantly their eyes changed looking at him with shock and judgment

The hot beginnings of rage were born in Hank’s chest but he said nothing just starting to walk again He moved quickly but Ezekiel and Affina followed closely like persistent ghosts of the past

To Hank’s surprise there weren’t any smart comments from Ezekiel but rather the words came from the stoic Affina Rhoda Khan’s squad would have done nothing to save that town That woman would not order her forces into such danger

Hank grunted saying nothing He agreed with her assessment but there was always that chance Maybe that sociopathic woman had a family member in the town and would have fought to save its inhabitants

The world would never know because Hank had stopped that squad and put that woman down forunrelated crimes The world was a better place without Rhonda Khan but that is not what the world saw They simply saw Hank with his own private vendetta interfering with the army’s work His pride and selfishness had meant 99% of the population of Tomhold had died that day

The whole situation left Hank bitter He might have just stayed home and become the sort of drunk his father Rick would have been proud of raising had not the army secretly sent a representative to visit him expressing their understandably private thanks for handling the Khan problem That representative was Laurel

Hank pressed his forehead to the glass of the manatech train’s windows At least he would be home soon albeit with some new borders Even with a little extra company home meant a break

Chapter 490

The kid with the orange hair from the run in with the Dungeon Divers was leaning up against Hank’s door snoring obnoxiously loud Ezekiel chuckled quietly to himself as Hank clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles popped

This was not what he wanted to come home to

So he decided to ignore it entirely With the pale wan light of the morning sun behind him Hank stomped passed the kid silencing him with a look He took out a long metal key that he had made himself and unlocked the door Leaving the door open he walked straight through the messy hallway past the living room and kitchen to his room

When he was in his room Hank popped the top off of an old whiskey bottle that he had been nursing for about 6 months Although people were gradually getting the hang of it back the homebrewed whiskey they had access to now wasn’t near the quality of the stuff they could make before the System hit

For whatever reason alcohol hadn’t really been considered as a luxury good worth stockpiling in that frantic few months between the contact from the System’s representative and the actual arrival of the System In a lot of ways their Zone 1 was blessed But for this way only Hank resented his Zone viciously

After taking a careful swig and savoring the taste Hank got into his bed and leaned back into his pile of pillows His eyes flickered then closed He didn’t need to sleep per se but right now there was very little else that would clear away the annoyance Hank felt towards the world

Am I really going to do this ’ Hank asked himself

If you won’t who will ’ Hank’s father’s voice replied

In his dream Hank was standing on a mountain looking down over a long valley But the valley was shadowed in a thick fog completely covered by moving air currents Blinking away some of his bleariness Hank peered closer

Although he couldn’t get more than shapes in the fog something was moving It crept insidious but it was clearly spreading from the depths of the valley winding its way up the ridges and around streams Hank did some quick calculations in his head if things continued as they were the strange tendrils spreading from the monstrosity down there would reach him in a few hours He raised a hand to cover his eyes and looked up

In the sky there were seven spheres each a different color making up the rainbow red orange yellow green blue indigo violet The light filtered down and sizzled strangely against his skin

Abruptly Hank’s father was next to him Do you know why I hate the aristocracy

Hank just looked at him

Because they are the veneer of civility on the collar of the great Beast Hank’s father announced the flesh of his face falling away revealing the bones underneath And when Beelzebub hunts for the rest of us they are nowhere to be found

Hank blinked coming awake immediately Someone was in his room

Hadn’t he locked the door

No he hadn’t although he had meant to when he had stomped away from his hangers on leaving them on the entranceway Sitting up Hank found himself face to face with a very familiar face framed with a cascade of deep auburn hair

He cleared his throat Hello Laurel

His ex something or other regarded him with a critical eye You were dreaming again weren’t you What did you see

Ain’t polite to just wake a man up and ask him about his dreams Hank grunted standing and moving past her to the bedside table He almost sighed when he saw the aspirin and the glass of water waiting for him there He had hoped but in his heart he knew that he hadn’t left anything of the sort there she had brought it

Even now she wanted something from him Just what was it

Saying nothing about the newly arrived medicine Hank took the pills and threw them back then gulped down the water Some spilled out the edges of his mouth and ran into his quickly growing facial hair but he ignored that The feeling of cold water was too sweet to pass up

Another benefit of the System Hank reflected lowering the glass Water quality had improved by leaps and bounds as it had to pass somehow through the barrier around the Zones to reach them What came through was free of lead and other contaminants although Ghost had released a study that seemed to indicate it was also full of strange unearthly nutrients

But by that point they had been drinking the stuff for months so what was the point

Hank turned around Laurel had just waited for him looking at him with her sad eyes Shrugging Hank said It was just about my father It probably didn’t have anything to do with you Why’d you come anyway I thought after we uh had that talk we agreed to spend some time apart

Hank did his best not to say that he had assumed she had broken up with him Her presence here seemed to indicate that she hadn’t shared that interpretation of events

Laurel shrugged Look Hank it’s not a big deal I’m not gonna say I don’t want kids but if its a choice between you and the kids I pick you This isn’t some bullshit trap either if you say no I won’t try and convince you somewhere down the line If you change your mind I’ll be right here just as I have been

She stood and walked up to him her eyes searching his I came because you are leaving for this mission and the spirits are whispering about something big This opening of the Zone it feels like it’s a trap somehow Like something dark is waiting out there If you are going I’m going to

Hank opened his mouth to deny her He agreed with everything she had said about the danger It raised his hackles that they were so bolding going off into this new unknown territory Hank felt like that having the Zone be rather static aside for some high level dungeons that spawned 6 months ago had lowered some of their guards

He was also quite glad that she had come to visit him now and agreed to resolve things so simply But for all the reasons she didn’t want him going alone he didn’t want her coming along at all But Hank knew that fighting her on this would work but it would likely put him back into her bad graces No need to throw more shit on himself than he already had

Instead of saying no Hank elected to say I can’t make a decision like this on my own Why don’t we ask the rest of the squad

This ended up being a mistake

Of course why not Ezekiel said his face serious as he pushed his glasses up his nose The more the merrier If it’s going to be dangerous out there I would love another trusted comrade at my back

His voice was dripping with sarcasm of course But Laurel ignored it if she noticed it at all The miserly assholish man completely ignored Hank’s glares As it turned out after Hank had laid down he had slept for almost 24 hours Being forced to wait like that for no real reason likely didn’t sit well with Ezekiel and the contrary man was taking it out on him now just by inviting Laurel along

That amount of sleep shook Hank for another reason he would not normally sleep that long and the only explanation was that Laurel’s Spirit Walker Skills had in fact influenced him causing that dream A part of him wanted to go back over the details and try and figure what the spirits had been meaning to tell him but another just wanted to let the matter drop After all Laurel would be insufferable if he admitted she was right

Hank made a mental note to grab Laurel’s ass as much as possible in front of Ezekiel in a perverted form of retribution against them both should things not go his way

She seems capable I agree Affina said simply sipping on a tea that she had either brought with her or dug up in the cesspool that was Hank’s kitchen She was something of a mystery and the more Hank thought about it the more foolish he felt for putting this up to a vote

Aye for me as well I’ve heard a lot about your ability Invaluable for Dungeon Divers warns of danger beforehand yea I’d love to see it in action Katie said offering a had to Laurel The two women shook exchanging smiles Hank had even slept long enough for Katie to return from her hometown what with less than 24 hours remaining until they had to be on red alert ready to depart

They of course wouldn’t actually depart until another Zone connected but Hank would humor them and keep himself in a semblance of readiness It was an excuse to do more patrols anyway Get him some more alone time in the woods

Seeing the two women next to each other made Hank realize how uncanny their likeness was Although Laurel was a bit wider in the hips and Katie had a narrower face with higher cheekbones they were almost identical in the colors skin hair and eyes

Although Hank felt somewhat weird about it both of them moved smoothly into simple compliments for the other’s hair and dress

But the nail in Hank’s emotional coffin came from an exterior source

Hmph The orange haired kid said folding his arms across his chest Look you might be pretty but this is a serious mission You can’t just have a bunch of girls running around ruining things My vote is no

You don’t get a vote Affina quipped sipping her tea

As the kid turned to glare at Affina Ezekiel turned to Hank amusement clear in his gaze Your little deputy voted no Looks like you are still outvoted chief

Helplessly Hank threw his hands up in the air

Chapter 491

Congratulations You have been connected to New Earth

Congratulations Your Zone 1 is the first Zone to connect to New Earth As such a random effect will be added to both of the Danger Zones that spawn near your Zone In addition all individuals who originated in Zone 1 will benefit from 2x experience and item find until the next Zone connects to New Earth

Now that New Earth is slowly forming you have come to realize that to truly continue growing sources of energy are needed to give your people access to better Classes as well as increase the speed at which you train Addition energy will be given to your Zone by controlling Fate Stones Your first Fate Stone is within your Raid Dungeon and automatically controlled by you However beware allowing neighboring Zones access to the Raid Dungeon or they will steal that energy for themselves

For your safety you will be given a notification when you are moving into a named Danger Zone

The Danger Zone the Black Caverns has received a Rare random effect Demonic energy has been added to the Black Caverns Warning monsters in the Black Caverns have increased in power However controlling the Fate Stone of the Black Caverns generates double the amount of ambient energy as a normal Danger Zone

The Danger Zone the Crystal Arena has received a Runic random effect The body of an old god is buried beneath the Crystal Arena causing unpredictable effects It is impossible to determine how controlling the Fate Stone will benefit your Zone

Hank along with the rest of the squad looked carefully at the messages they received the next morning signaling that their Zone had proceeded to the next stage of this System In his heart Hank felt a hot rush of pride that theirs had been the first to reach here He wasn’t sure of the details but he believed at least 5 other nations on Earth had received word of the System’s arrival just as they had

Yet here they were number one both in numbering and in the finish

But very quickly Hank tempered those feelings down settling down to wait After all this just meant that they had a small headstart They couldn’t slack off now in the least or other’s would catch up with them

The rest of the group seemed to have more muted interactions Ezekiel Laurel and Katie just began hypothesizing what was contained in the different named Danger Zones Affina simply sipped her tea content to wait calmly until they were called

Hank shook his head then went out on his own For whatever reason he felt set on fire by the announcement Although he had been initially very lukewarm to the idea of leaving his town there was a fire in his belly now and it wasn’t the liquor

That afternoon he trained like he hadn’t in months gaining 20 Skill Levels in 8 hours Chest heaving he returned home just in time to receive a call from Alan

Looks like the Danger Zones are just Dungeons that are on Earth rather than in their own place with sped up time Alan said simply Ghost’s scanners indicate that the New Earth area we connected to extends at least 100 miles in every direction No sign of humans so far but there are the remains of cities That’s gonna be a lot of ground to cover but maybe we can recover some supplies

Hank said nothing waiting for the other shoe to fall He recognized this tone in his brother’s voice the leader of the UHF had bad news

still we have suffered a few small setbacks Alan continued as if this were the most normal thing in the world Which it was but if it was just normal setbacks Alan wouldn’t have managed it The monsters are a bit stronger than we anticipated Most of the monsters outside of our Zone are between 51 58 One of the 58 took 100 men including three Tier 5 Citizens to put it down Two people died

Both men were silent at that and the unspoken implicated they hadn’t even reached a true Danger Zone yet as far as they understood it

What does Ghost havta say Hank asked already knowing the answer

Everyone involved agrees that this was something of a shock after so many months of peace Alan responded But this is good We needed to be reminded that this is a struggle for dominance and humanity needs to focus to stay on top We’ve had it easy lately but we cannot relax Not when another Zone could connect to New Earth any day

Hank rolled his eyes How could another Zone compare with the preparations they had made But he said nothing It was a pointless conversation

After returning to the group and letting them know the news Hank suggested they head to a nearby Dungeon to get a sense of each other’s style in the field Everyone agreed Inwardly Hank was ecstatic that the punk kid had snuck off during the day at some time and wasn’t there for this talk So as a group they went to the Dungeon their first true training together

The Dungeon itself was Level 39 which was pretty impressive as far as Dungeons went but it wasn’t enough to challenge Hank Very quickly it became clear that the only one who was at a place where this was work was Laurel but she wasn’t a direct fighter to begin with Most of the benefits she brought were assistance for non combat matters

It did however give Hank a clearer picture of their party He was very clear on his own strengths and weaknesses He didn’t use explosives or plasma to attack large amounts of enemies nor did he have a railgun that could pierce any armor However he was confident that his Bullet Infusions could deal out a similar amount of damage even if his ammo was limited Besides that he was precise and focused very rarely did his attacks miss the mark

Meanwhile Ezekiel Ghosthound was much more like a long range high damage type His strange Pierce Skill was relatively inaccurate by Hank’s standards but it could rip a hole in most monsters and would knock back those it didn’t puncture He also could produce Mana Grenades that destroyed quite a bit when they went off

Katie was their tank as she had an exosuit similar to Mordecai’s But where Mordecai’s had been a powersuit with some energysuit features Katie’s was pure powersuit Her legs especially were greatly enhanced giving her the ability to leap across the battlefield to come to ally’s aid when it was necessary

Affina Yu moved unpredictably like a ghost It was hard to believe that the woman was blind with the way she shuffled rapidly from one foe to the other She only used that wooden cane to fight but as Hank watched he could see how the entire thing was slowly surrounded by impossibly hard jade mid fight letting her brutalize the weaker monsters

Laurel rounded them out possessing a whole kit of mass buffs and debuffs that she demonstrated for them When she received her Spirit Walker Class Ghost had speculated that it had been a holdover of being 1/16th Cherokee but Laurel had just shrugged She didn’t put much stock in blood but she wasn’t she about polishing her strange package of Skills into something highly desired in the entire Zone

Although she hadn’t been promoted from Tier 3 to Tier 4 yet many suspected it was only a matter of time

After they finished they came back and trained some more before each going their separate ways to focus on their own pursuits During that time Hank retreated to his shack out behind his house and began working on Infusing more bullets before they had to leave He had almost 50 but if the difficulty that Alan indicated was to be believed

Of course he could do this in the field But there an ambush would mean a ruined bullet and an hour wasted It was much safer to perform the operation here the peace and quiet

No sooner had he sat down than there was a knock on the door

You ready to talk about things yet Laurel asked

Hank wasn’t sure what exactly she wanted to talk about but about 5 possibilities sprang to mind and he wasn’t too keen on any of them No

Alright There was the sound of departing footsteps Then she turned and called over her shoulder and Hank could easily imagine the teasing smile on her face as she spoke But I’m not above bribing you with sex if that makes it easier Think about it

Hank shook his head That woman was just always surprisingly direct So much so that Hank found himself taken aback more often than not

But that was why he fell for her

Humming to himself Hank turned his attention to the Infusions He did it all through the evening and into the next day It was only around lunchtime that he pulled himself out of the shack pleased to have produced another 30 bullets These were powerful ones too some with variant effects based on the materials used in the bullet

Hank hadn’t realized it at first but the process of flooding the bullet with Mana that he used reawakened part of the monster’s spirit if a monster part was used in the bullet After he had discovered this he had been constantly experimenting but the lack of true threat made the efforts somewhat muted

But now with a mysterious army of monsters on the horizon Then Hank sighed Well not for a bit yet He had time No need to rush

This was a bad habit of Hank’s He needed to give himself some time allowing him to settle into things Generally he leaped first and asked questions later and that wouldn’t work here Not with the monsters being so high Level

A beeping noise caught Hank’s attention and he looked down His wrist communicator was receiving a call He frowned Only Alan ever called him and that was mostly on his cell If it was on the wrist communicator

What I’m about to tell you is strictly confidential Alan began his voice speaking of storms But it’s worse than we feared Expedition 1 ran into a group of three monsters all Level 65 Most of the plasma weapons couldn’t even hit them We lost 30 soldiers The worst of which the only reason we killed the bastards was Eric Todd the Demolitions Maniac blew himself up wounding two of them A Tier 5 Citizen died today

Alan fell silent Hank felt bile rising in the back of his throat and hung up Did he really need to make it about the Tiers right then What about the 30 other soldiers who had been torn apart by these monsters

Level 65

Hank’s eyes flashed half nerves have cocky adrenaline He wondered what that looked like

To his surprise Hank received another call around 14 hours later again to his wrist communicator Annoyed he answered it

Up and at em big bro Alan said his voice grim You are on deck We had reports starting about an hour ago that experience gains abruptly dropped off a cliff It took a while to confirm but Ghost’s long range scanner is up and running and sensed something is amiss But the real confirmation came from the Jade Prince he said he sensed another Champion out there

Hank blinked It’s it’s only been three days His team wasn’t ready They barely knew each other And he knew each of them especially Ezekiel was hiding something

This time Alan hung up on him

Chapter 492

The group was grim as they readied themselves to depart for the borderlands As it happened the new area that Ghost sensed and the place from which the other energy was emerging was to the Northeast They couldn’t get quite as close as Alan wanted them to be but Hank couldn’t do anything about that He could take his new bike and likely make it there in record time but he supposed that Ezekiel and Affina were made of more sensitive stuff

As they were departing however they were stopped by a vaguely familiar young woman with a shock of orange hair

Have you seen my brother She asked I know he’s been coming here a lot since you saved him Sheriff but he hasn’t come home in a day and I’m a bit

Hank’s eyes widened Holy shit that little punk had a right pretty sister

When the punk had disappeared Hank hadn’t noticed And if he was being honest he was quite pleased to have one less fly buzzing around his shit As he cast his mind back he tried to remember anything particular that the kid had said that would have tipped a listener off that the punk had something planned but he had largely been ignored by the entire squad

Hank felt a flash of guilt There wasn’t much trouble the kid could get up to around here and that was the problem no trouble meant no profit With the kid’s type he was out to make a mark on the world to impress upon other people that he was important No doubt the fool dreamed of the day that he could raise himself from Tier 1 Citizenry

His face grim Hank informed the girl that he hadn’t seen him but the group would be heading North along the outer rail circle They would ask and if the kid had gone there they would find out Because the real threat and Hank’s real worry was that the kid would hear that his group was going into the newly opened borderlands and get the dumb idea into his head that the Mana Discharge Skill and a plasma pistol meant he could be a hero

Thirty people dead

Alan hadn’t bothered to mention the wounded

The kid wouldn’t last a second

After bidding the girl goodbye the group headed for the train Hank halfheartedly asked at the station but they hadn’t seen him Discretely he sent messages to some acquaintances farther afield closer to the borders asking them to keep an eye out But there was very little to be done in terms of the grand scales helping address this huge outside threat was more important than a willful child

On the train some of the soberness passed and Ezekiel left his reflection to return to reality and make some quips Most of them were forced and sarcastic to the point of being acidic but it eased the mood somewhat Everyone had felt the weight of the abrupt casualties Although it hadn’t been peaceful in their Zone 1 they had forgotten how dreadful their true adversary was

It was only an hour on the train and then a half hour of jogging to a military waystation where a harried corporal waved them inside There they obtained several weeks rations as well as tents and fire starters To Hank’s surprise everyone seemed to have good instincts in regards to what to bring and he was silent for most of the packing concerned with storing his own gear in his interspatial watch

Don’t underestimate them Laurel said quietly to Hank as the duo headed over to grab bed padding They each feel dangerous They are bright knives in the dark Even you are only their peer I doubt you could overpower any of them easily You would need to shoot to kill

That surprised Hank somewhat and his eyebrows rose Even the blind girl

Laurel flashed him a smile Especially that one The Jade Prince might look like a youthful man but he is old and wily This girl will be something special to catch his eye

Then she turned and walked away heading towards Affina who was standing at the canned proteins Hank scratched his head

You didn’t grab a bedroll Laurel Hank called

She didn’t disappoint simply turning and giving him a slow wink To the side Ezekiel mimed gagging while Katie chuckled

From there two more hours of jogging to the Northeast corner of the Zone before the edges opened up 6 months ago Once they were on the edges it became a bit slower as they had to hike across overgrow countryside Again his team impressed Hank they hardly moved slower than he although they crunched through the underbrush with all of the subtlety of a rhinoceros All of them aside from Laurel of course

Once again their attitudes took a nose dive as they passed what was clearly a triage station filled with wounded soldiers and broken exosuits They passed without stopping by It wasn’t clear to what military command these soldiers were attached but they were not elites just the average units And the borderlands had chewed them up and spit them out

It was immediately apparent when they passed an invisible line that let them into the borderlands Not from the front but as soon as Hank took that step a certain white background noise ceased The air smelled of blood and stale sweat His eyes narrowed

Behind him was Ezekiel and he immediately stiffened Then he swore quietly I guess it was too much to hope for that the Expedition fools just improperly stored energy cells for exosuits and the deaths were their own fault

No such luck Hank rumbled squatting to the ground He picked up a pinch of dirt and rubbed it between his fingers It stuck together easily like clay After rounding the bit into a ball he took it and threw it as hard as he could at a tree The small clay ball bounced harmlessly off Grunting Hank stood

Things were stronger here Not just monsters but everything It had been enriched by the ambient energy in the air Aether Ghost called it although he couldn’t explain where that term came from It was the base energy of the System however Ghost was very sure It affected their world in strange ways one of them giving AI a chance to exist but another was to alter matter on a subsonic level Cellular bonds grew stronger the energy they stored more volatile and explosive

Something’s watching us Affina said quietly moving next to Hank and Ezekiel Katie and Laurel’s faces were grim Hank’s hands tightened into fists before he forced them to relax They had only just now crossed into this place but even he could sense the dripping saliva of a predator

There is a field over yonder Hank said nodding to their East He did his best to make all his movements smooth and relaxed If we make it there we at least have some sight lines on what is coming at us

And we give its friends more space to surround us Ezekiel grumbled but the group moved together towards the field When he saw the actual field in its entirety Hank winced somewhat Its slow was gradual at the top but it quickly increased in angle as it went downwards before arriving at a bank above a small river

It was not good fighting land But this was the wilderness and they hadn’t much choice

When they entered the field the monster was waiting for them almost as if it had guided them to this spot It was a large purple ram its curling horns heavy and golden Above its head floated a truly oppressive message

Golden Horned Ram Lvl 59

Hank pressed his lips together It was widely agreed that difficulty in leveling increased by a fair amount every 5 Levels and a huge amount every 10 Levels Therefore their Level 59 threat was a fair bit weaker than the Level 65 that the first expedition had run into However they had over 100 combat ready veterans which included three Tier 5 citizens

Inwardly Hank immediately cursed himself If he was going to give others a hard time for it he needed to stop defaulting to sorting people based on their Tier His eyes flashed as he flexed his fingers and considered their opponent It stood waiting a mild expression on its almost regal face Hank knew himself to be strong in comparison to the people of his Zone His companions were strong too

But seeing this bold creature he wondered if that strength that he believed in had ever been truly tested In the beginning sure he had grown strong fast but at some point had his strength grow flabby and impure The monster in front of them was a pure expression of the System’s malice and Hank would receive it as such But it was also a tribulation one that would strength and refine him forcing out his potential

Even as he considered these options Hank’s heart began to pound

Do we run Ezekiel asked slowly

Hank smiled Let’s at least wait long enough to see if its friends surround us We need to be polite to the locals

Chapter 493

When it leaped the ground beneath it shuddered By some strange technological advancement Katie’s powersuit instantly expanded from her wrist to cover all of her and she moved rapidly to intercept using her powerful legs to launch herself with a similar level of force

Hank rolled to the side out of the line of fire drawing his left pistol the repeater In a second he fired all 12 Mana Reinforced bullets aiming to just test the defenses of the thing Simultaneously he could hear Ezekiel shooting out his Pierce spell

The projectiles hit the ram with small impacts thin spurts of blood shooting out each time But the wounds were shallow and as Hank watched they rapidly healed Laurel backed off from the group beginning to chat

The ram smashed into Katie and the powersuit was sent sprawling off to the side It landed and turned with angry eyes towards Hank who had hit its face with a bullet But before it could move Affina was there here thin bamboo pole crystallized into a slim jade sword Her strike streaked forward aiming to slide into the back of the ram’s neck

Its eyes flashed as it swung its head to the side with deceptive speed knocking the sword aside Then it leaped forward aiming to run her over Unfortunately for it it had drastically underestimated Affina as had Hank The girl stepped to the side and drew a long gash along its side as it sailed past the largest wound they had inflicted on it so far

It bellowed powerfully just in time for Hank to raise his repeater and shoot bullets into its open mouth When the bullets arrived it immediately began to gag stumbling backward and shaking its head Calmly Hank took a stepped forward reloading his repeater Then he took another step and replaced it at his side

Normal bullets wouldn’t do against this foe

Katie had recovered and spear tackled into the ram’s side sending it staggering even more Noticing it was off balance Katie began to rain blows down on its side Hank couldn’t tell if she was doing serious damage but it was definitely weakening it enough to give the rest of them a chance

Ezekiel continued to use pierce inflicting small wounds Affina had somehow disappeared from Hank’s awareness but he knew she would strike when she had an opening

Hank breathed in then breathed out Then he drew his pistol in a smooth motion aiming at the ram’s head But at the last second he hesitated because through the sole’s of his feet he could feel the ground rumbling beneath him Something was coming

Just as Hank opened his mouth to warn his companions it arrived a ram double the size of the one they had found its purple fur darkened to the deepest midnight It landed between Hank and the younger ram its burning red eyes regarding him hatefully Hank had half a mind to shrug They wouldn’t have fought with this critter if they could help it

It snorted and Hank’s eyes narrowed He rolled out of the way just in time to avoid a blast of something There was a strange distortion in the air but no heat or wind

Sound waves Affina said materializing next to him If that hits at the very least it will rupture your eardrums for a few hours But I bet it also includes a debilitating headache

Hank raised his pistol and fired

Trick Shot

The bullet zipped forward moving much faster than it had a right to Even so the ram reacted blurring to the side and out of the way of the oncoming bullet

Hank smiled Not fast enough

The bullet struck one of its metallic golden horns and ricocheted off Hank’s smile faltered somewhat It had blocked that

A boom of a sounding bell echoed throughout the field much louder than Hank had expected causing him to wince It seemed that the horns were part of the fuel for its strange sonic attacks A thin crack appeared in the horn about 10 centimeters long

Instantly the whole demeanor of the ram changed When it had arrived it had been furious that these lesser beings had dared threaten its young Although it was also just Level 59 those two 59’s were separated by years of experience that gave it the tools to fight against them

Skill Levels ’ Hank thought to himself considering the opponent before him I should have spent so much more time training up my Skill Levels ’

Hadn’t he done that

It wasn’t enough the thought returned

The midnight ram snorted A wave of sonic energy spread out resonating with the golden horns It hit Hank and sent him sprawling backward with a grunt The attack was weaker than the directed snort and Hank could also sense that there was a flaw in the attack it seemed his strike on the golden horns had done more than he had expected

Hank quickly righted himself but just as quickly fell back over feeling warm blood flowing out of his ears There was a dull ringing there but nothing more In addition his balance was off in a very dangerous way But Hank gritted his teeth straightening through sheer force of will

If I don’t recover I’m going to die ’

His body straightened to find the midnight arrive careening towards him dashing up the field At the last second Hank rolled to the side leveling the revolver at the ram’s side But as it passed him it twisted performing a barrel roll Hank held his shot and took more careful aim in a different direction

Across the field Katie was in an armor that glowed with the strength of an external battery But in exchange it seemed she was quickly overpowering the younger ram with Ezekiel’s assistance It seemed that both of them were slightly disheveled but none the worse for ware

Hank breathed in breathed out and then fire

The younger ram’s head exploded in a spray of gore

Again Hank felt more than saw the older ram’s ire He twisted around just in time to get smashed with another wave of force Luckily this was the weakened universal direction force but this time he was much closer to the epicenter and the blow was so jarring that he blacked out briefly

When he came to he was still midair and his whole body was oddly numb floating on the force of the ram’s attack Very slowly his eyes opened and closed His head was pounding He couldn’t tell how long he had been in the air

Hank gritted his teeth forcing his eyes to focus The midnight ram was right in front of him rushing towards him with an open mouth Its teeth were yellow and wide the remains of some fleshy creature ground between them

I’m like a dentist buddy Hank found himself saying It’s gonna hurt but if we don’t do this now yur gonna get cavities

His hands moved more slowly than he remembered but Hank managed to get his revolver up and fire a bullet smashing through the ram’s lower jaw It screamed blood spraying onto the ground and Hank had time to notice that the small crack in its right horn had grown and was now almost spanning half of the horn Then he body hit the unforgiving ground and the wind was knocked out of him

Blinking he just managed to glimpse Katie ripping past him Laurel’s powerful spirit wings on her back Again she slammed against a ram and again she seemed to trip it up somewhat even if it didn’t inflict any lasting damage

Breathing out a long held breath Hank propped himself up He could feel a queer burning in his ears and raised his hands to rub them

Ezekiel was next to him and raised his hands and pointed towards the midnight ram his mouth open He was likely yelling but Hank couldn’t’ figure out what he was saying Ne never truly took the time to learn to read lips

From his finger a cloud of darkness formed then shout forward to obscure the ram’s eyes it screamed again its horns vibration but as the resonance built the right horn shattered shards shooting off sinking deep into Katie’s powersuit Other bits sunk into the ram’s face causing it to scream further shaking its head to dispel the darkness Unfortunately for it it stuck to its eyes keeping it blinded

Ezekiel switched to using Pierce hitting the ram again and again spraying more and more blood Affina appeared and slashed quickly her slim sword now looking like an arm’s length needle The blow ripped through a tendon in the ram’s back leg and it toppled over flailing wildly seeking the source of the attack Affina spun away then pounced again driving her needle in and out of its body lightning fast

Hank spat out some blood and raised his revolver When he fired he was disappointed that he could only feel the noise rather than experiencing the clean reverberations of the pistol Strangely as soon as he fired the ram leaped to the side throwing itself wildly out of the way It landed quite close to Laurel who scrambled backward away from it The strange burning in Hank’s ears grew stronger

The ram seemed to hear her struggles and leaped towards Laurel Gritting his teeth Hank fired again Again the ram reacted instinctively throwing itself to the side The burning in his ears had become almost painful until he heard a weird popping noise

There was a hand on his shoulder and Hank turned to regard Ezekiel

You have that thing scared shitless Ezekiel said The gunshots spook it every time Just let it die now

Affina was next to them too and she nodded My needle nicked its heart It was a small wound but Jade will grow there until its heart turns to stone and it dies How long can you keep it blind

Ezekiel winced Might need some Mana Potions but I’ll keep it blinded for long enough

The ram howled its pain and fear clear in its voice

Chapter 494

9 Skill Levels from less than 60 seconds of fighting Hank whispered looking at his hands It had taken a while but the headache from the sound waves had passed and now that the group had moved some distance away from the moaning ram they had some time to reflect on what exactly they had gotten themselves into

They were lucky in that no one was seriously injured The first ram was young and the second was arrogant enough that it was stuck on the fact that such creatures as their team would challenge its child By the time it realized the enormity of the threat that these humans could pose it’s greatest weapon its horns had been cracked

Even now the thing continued to live thrashing around in the valley below them Laurel had access to some warding Skills so they penned it in and left ways to monitor it The ward wouldn’t be able to block it at its strongest point at all but with its health deteriorating it was likely bound by them Even if it wasn’t with enough warning the team could arrive and finish it off quickly

But if it would die on its own there was no reason to expose themselves to more risk

First with his fingers then with Mana Hank thoroughly worked over the golden horns fragments he had collected from the area of their battle They were a metal but felt far far heavier denser even than lead It was something otherworldly something that seemed to sing with power even though it was something that had been broken by his infused bullets

‘This is what I was missing ‘ Hank thought but his eyes weren’t on the golden fragments they were locked on the unfocused middle ground of possibilities

Because he had learned something today about the System Sure he had heard similar things from Ghost but it hadn’t meant as much as the true experience he just experienced When it came to leveling Skills repetition and practice weren’t enough What you truly required was struggle and strife Compared to someone who threw themselves on the front line Hank who spent most of his time patrolling a small border town was only one third as Leveled

Sure he had been diligent in raising his Level but almost immediately upon arriving in the borderlands they had come face to face with a threat that vastly outclassed them Levels were one part of it but it was a part that they would naturally close the distance to in time But the destructive power of those sonic horns even while damaged demonstrated that it wasn’t just stats but Skill Levels that lay between their two relative capabilities

“I’ve grown soft ” It was a hard thing to admit But after saying it Hank’s face split into a wide smile His father had impressed upon Hank the importance of a hard day’s work and that’s all this was Perhaps he had wandered away from that creed in recent years where his antagonism towards the Tier System had left him bitter and reliant on alcohol but a legitimate threat instantly wiped that away The new perspective showed Hank what could be accomplished and how he might do it but it also warned that it would be dangerous and difficult

If you don’t do it who will

By the firepit Laurel leaped to her feet “The ram is moving “

Everyone quickly got up their faces serious As one their gazes converged on Affina who was frowning

“I cannot sense much but the jade should still be growing ” She said with a slight hesitation Ezekiel snorted but said nothing As one the group dashed out of the treeline and to the area that Laurel had warded

When the crested the hill and had vision on the ram their faces froze

It was a mass of gore

That was perhaps the first and most striking of the occurrences That ram which had resisted both Hank’s bullets Ezekiel’s spells Katie’s plasma and Affina’s strikes had been reduced to a smashed lump of flesh and blood It wasn’t just the ram that what crushed the ground underneath it had been thoroughly recked as well there was a crater about a meter across underneath the body and several thin cracks running outward from the zone of impact

Next to the ram there were two men who were gazing up towards them They had been talking as Hank had been able to pick up the sound of their conversation earlier But as soon as the group moved to approach after Laurel announced something had happened to the ram they had ceased to speak They had heard Hank’s group coming

The two diverse groups regarded each other scrutinizing the other

The first and more imposing of the two men was a young black man He currently still showed some youthful exuberance in his face and body but it was clear that when the young man truly matured he would be more muscle than man Already his arms and legs were thick and powerful the veins clear on his limbs The black man kept his dark hair cropped short Then Hank looked at the most impressive part of the man he was holding what appeared to be a giant iron ball probably a meter across

The implications weren’t lost on Hank This man had used brutal physical force in order to crush the ram in a single strike likely taking advantage of its blindness and wounds to finish it in a single blow Some part of Hank was quite annoyed that someone else had swooped in on his kill but the fact that the man could casually crush the ram’s entire body it seemed that these two were powerful enough to be confident walking around the border zone alone What was more impressive was that they had crossed the entire distance between their Zone and Hank’s Zone so quickly They had a day’s headstart but It also meant that the two were confident that they could travel quickly as well as safely And likely these two men filled the same role that Hank and his group did

After a few seconds of examination the black man turned to the second man his eyes flicking to the side his mouth curled into a frown Hank’s eyes narrowed in response so this second man was in charge

The second man seemed to be of Indian descent with dark hair and strong cheekbones But where the black man was physically domineering the Indian man slender and almost gangling He obviously was in shape but it was the shape of someone who jogged casually on the weekends not of an athlete Unlike his companion the Indian man had no obvious weapon but

Hank’s eyes widened in shock He had been so focused on figuring these two figures out that he had missed the largest and most obvious detail about them they were dressed up as if they were heading to a renaissance fair Both wore leather armor with glints of light off of chainmail that they wore under it Hank’s first reaction to think it ludicrous but then he realized that the leather likely wasn’t taken from cows but from monsters Depending on the monster the leather would likely be impossibly strong there were some Level 40 monsters that could resist several direct blasts of plasma before they were wounded

Such a thing was considered by Ghost but ultimately the difficulty of processing the bodies of monsters combined with the reliability of the exosuits had invalidated that possibility

Not in this Zone

The silence between them had now stretched for 10 seconds or so Hank was very away that the black man had held his giant ball aloft and still for the entire period without even a hint of strain That was Strength of 250 at least but it would be easier to estimate if they had one of Ghost’s cameras

Now that was somewhat odd Ghost hadn’t insisted that they bring a camera with them

Before he could follow that train of thought further the Indian man cleared his throat “You are the group that cleared the Raid Dungeon first yes Congratulations you are a credit to humanity I am Dinesh and this is Tykes We hail from Zone 32 “

Coming from Dinesh’s mouth with the two of them standing over the corpse of the ram they had so struggled against the compliment sounded incredibly hollow Still it was an opening and they had to start somewhere Hank responded “We are from Zone 1 We were surprised how quickly another Zone beat the Raid Dungeon But I suppose we can both benefit greatly from helping each other out Do you “

“That was our kill ” Ezekiel interrupted his eyes bright and dangerous

Tykes responded by showing his teeth “If it was your kill you would have killed it “

In the hand that wasn’t holding onto the large metal ball Tykes spun an object in his hand with obvious satisfaction it was the intact golden horn from the ram Ezekiel’s eyes turned red There was also something extremely strange in the air a feeling of foreignness that was coming from Ezekiel that was disconcerting

Both Hank and Dinesh started to speak at the same time

“Now listen y’all “

“Perhaps we can “

Ignoring them both Ezekiel drew a plasma pistol and fired aiming for Tykes

“Shit ” Hank drew his repeater but didn’t fire feeling somewhat helpless His bullets could pierce through the plasma if he used his Trick Shot but that would only stop a small portion of the plasma He simply didn’t have enough time or the angle to destroy the projectile

Dinesh frowned and Hank saw a Mana Shield spring to life in the middle of the two groups The plasma hit the shield and almost instantly ripped through the shield but it lost a lot of its momentum its arc pulling it directly to the ground where it sizzled and ate itself a sizable hole into the dirt

Chapter 495

Hoping that this was the end of the incident and they could brush it off Hank turned to Ezekiel but he stopped short The man’s entire eyes had turned a crimson color and there was a strange sulfurous smell in the air

“Mine mine mine MINE ” What started as mutters transformed into a bellow and Ezekiel waved his hands wildly “Acid Maelstrom “

Globs of green liquid appeared around Ezekiel and in the air above him First a dozen then a hundred but soon a thousand without the genesis of the strange globs slowing in the least

“I’ll take it ALL ” Ezekiel shouted his eyes red foam forming at the edges of his mouth Those thousand globs of acid began to spin together in a strange formation then the whole thing shot forward followed by the hundreds of follow up globs Again Hank was frozen shocked by the sudden change in Ezekiel Sure the man was always an asshole but this was just insane These were PEOPLE If they could ally with this Zone 32

After throwing the attack however Ezekiel shivered and then collapsed But the dice had already been thrown Around Hank the rest of his party seemed similarly shocked even Affina looking slightly aghast her blind eyes searching in the sky for what was occurring Only Katie seemed to know where this was coming from a bitter expression on her face Apparently Ezekiel was kept in the Holding Area for good reason

Contrary to expectations Dinesh and Tykes didn’t seem upset Their eyes glowed with interest and they shared a glance After a second even as the huge attack covered over half of the distance between them Tykes rolled his eyes and snorted His giant iron ball disappeared and he folded his arms

Meanwhile Dinesh smiled

“Domain Labyrinth of Mirrors “

Instantly dozens of transparent squares 1 meter by 1 meter flew up from Dinesh The air around him crackled and he folded his palms in his hands After another second the air began to bend and twist and Affina spoke

“This this man’s Mana is so strong and thick that it destroys the air I can see him see his silhouette as clear as day “

The two forces met The hissing and bubbling acid globs smashed into the transparent squares From what Hank could observe these squares were a variation on the Mana Shield But they were so so much more than that Hank wasn’t sure whether the acid was stronger or weaker than the plasma but he hoped it was weaker

It took about 3 globs to destroy a square and often that just let the square with a large hole in the center Instantly when their blocking capabilities were compromised the squares would pivot backward flying towards Dinesh Another square was already there to take the first’s place and the wounded one would slowly heal next to Dinesh

A thousand collisions happened in the first second and hundreds in the following 10 seconds Very quickly Dinesh’s strange domain was devoured the acid ripping its way through but there was always more barriers there folding outward collapsing inwards guiding the poison so it was useless so two globs would ricochet off of each other depleting their effectiveness And after the first wave pierced through Dinesh’s Skill expanded outward boxing in the poison separating each branch of the Maelstrom making it so that they couldn’t concentrate the attack in any one direction piercing through with force The Poison Maelstrom was helpless as Ezekiel collapsed leaving it without direction

By the 12th second the attack was defeated and Dinesh’s strange Skill folded back into himself disappearing into nothing

Hank coughed “Mighty obliged for that I dun know how I would have explained to my boss that we killed the first diplomatic delegation we ran into “

Tykes snorted and Dinesh smiled politely

“The pleasure was all mine ” Dinesh said “It is very rare that I get the chance to test my Domain as thoroughly as that perhaps you would be willing to accompany us back to our current base There we can confer and of course compensate you for stealing your kill “

Tykes rolled his eyes

An hour later Hank and his group arrived at the base of the Zone 32 delegation which turned out to be extremely peaceful Almost disturbingly so

Ezekiel hadn’t yet awakened so Hank and Katie had created a stretcher to carry him When they arrived they carefully set Ezekiel down Hank had a lot of questions but couldn’t think which to ask first

A 10 year old child who had been peacefully cutting wood stopped and looked at them Then he skipped over to them as if there weren’t monsters in the surrounding area that would rip his stomach out as soon as look at him Behind him there was a strange sort of house constructed of what looked like tightly wound together thorny roots

“Oh wow You found people so quickly ” The boy said “It’s only been two days “

Tykes shrugged as if this was completely natural considering his level of Skill and ruffled the boy’s hair as he walked past the kid to head towards the house

Inwardly Hank was shocked ‘What do you mean finding us in two days was fast We had a head start How did YOU set up a vacation cabin here in the woods so quickly ‘

The surrounding land was rocky but idyllic It did not look like the type of area to be in one of the most dangerous areas known to man At the other end of the rocky slope there was a cleft in the rock that was the start of a ravine Then entrance was smoking and ominous and Hank’s instincts were telling him that that path led into a danger zone Yet this group was bold enough to just set up shop here

“We got lucky ” Dinesh said to the kid “We encountered them in the wild If we had to go all the way into the other Zone it would have taken much longer Where is Randidly “

“Ah him and Neveah went back in there ” The kid said pointing towards the ominous opening “You know how pissed he was that the uh ‘ogre bastard’ had the immunity Skill He swore to finish it this time “

“Thank god that crazy bitch is gone ” Tykes whispered a flash of fear in his eyes as he continued to walk towards the cabin

From the cabin two people emerged a short Hispanic man and a large well endowed woman

“Guests ” The Hispanic man said his voice almost hysterical from excitement He instantly turned around and went back inside

Dinesh rolled his eye and turned back to Hank’s group The kid came and stood next to him regarding them with interest “Don’t mind them It is obvious that all of you share some common military training We are more haphazard in our training But I assure you that we are all strong in our own way “

“No offense taken ” Laurel said turning on the charm for this strange “It’s welcoming Nothing is as important as genuine goodwill I’m very curious however you are all wearing leathers “

The kid made a face “Do you jeans in my size I really miss jeans “

As one the group chuckled Dinesh said “Yes Our Zone had its advantages but having stores of pre System goods was not one of them We were forced to make most everything form scratch so we were technologically set back quite a ways But of course this meant that we learned very quickly to produce System style equipment to provide modest boosts to our stats It balanced out in the end I suspect “

Affina blinked “System style equipment “

Dinesh tilted his head to the side confused “Yes like you can buy from Village stores you can purchase for points

“Oh ” Affina said simply nodding No one was fooled Dinesh was now giving their group a very strange look Hank rubbed the back of his neck

” as I understand it our leaders made the decision to save all points and put them towards upgrading the Village We very rarely used points to create the buildings offered “

“Oh ” Now it was Dinesh who didn’t know what to say

“That’s dumb ” The kid announced

Chapter 496

The kid was so direct that the whole group couldn’t help but smile Afterall what would a 10 year old know of the decisions that adults needed to make

Hank grinned and squatted down next to the kid Whereas the orange haired teen was constantly badgering him Hank was much more pleased by this relatively reserved boy who stood by and watched the adults talked It reminded him of Jane

“Heya partner ” Hank extended his hand “It might be dumb but sometimes you need to sacrifice things if you are focused on a specific goal My name’s Hank by the way What’s yours “

“Nathan ” Nathan said shaking Hank’s hand Then he regarded him critically “Hank are you a cowboy You look like one “

Hank chuckled “Well I like to think so “

“What’s your Class ” Nathan pressed looking at Hank with serious eyes

Blinking Hank considered being quiet to hide his strength but it wasn’t like they were enemies He knew it was a decision that would make Ghost frown but there seemed no harm in saying it “Gunslinger “

“Oh interesting ” Nathan’s eyes went wide and Hank straightened pleased with how the conversation went But then Nathan spoke again and Hank was struck dumb “What were your starting Skills Your Stat gains per Level What are your primary stats “

“Uh “

“Can I just see your Class That will be easier ” Nathan announced

Hank just looked down at the serious child “You want to see my status screen “

“No I want to see ” Nathan began but he was interrupted

“This can wait until later ” Dinesh said his hand clapping on Nathan’s shoulder instantly shutting him up The Indian man smiled at Hank’s group “Anybody hungry “

Ghost considered the new information that was flowing through him

Ever since his creation Dr Karman had warned him that although their Zone 1 was the most well prepared and the Zone that the System had judged to have the most potential that the greatest advantage of humanity was their adaptability and creativity It was the same advantage that Ghost himself possessed as an AI Humans would struggle against any obstacle overcoming it in strange and unpredictable ways

As if proving that very point Dr Karman had told him that contrary to expectations their Zone was not the first to found a village that honor went to another location Although there were a thousand ways that whichever Zone that had accomplished that could fail there was also a much greater chance that this rival Zone would be able to survive the trials and meet them in the final portion of the System’s reorganization of the world

From the very first instance of viewing Dinesh and Tykes Ghost was sure that this very situation had come to pass

What Ghost couldn’t understand was what exactly was the advantage that this Zone possessed that it allowed them to come so far It was clear from Dinesh’s comments that it wasn’t a materials advantage Their rather primitive if intriguing armor demonstrated that they really started with very few advantages Ghost wasn’t exactly sure how many Zones were created on Earth but suspected that it couldn’t be much more than one hundred This was due to the size of the Zones as well as the size of the areas of land that had been frozen in time and added to their Zone The System rearranged land but it was at least limited by the area of Earth

Perhaps the true weight hanging over Ghost was the decision over what to DO about this new Zone The initial contact with these strangers seemed to indicate that the Zone they came from was strong but Ghost’s calculations indicated that they likely had a much smaller populous to draw from It wasn’t an ideal solution but should it come to war Ghost wasn’t above using a superior number of Tier 1 citizens to overwhelm the opposition with plasma pistols In addition to that perhaps it was time to move forward with some of Ghost’s other plans Ghost made a memo to jump start the drone initiative so that the Zone wouldn’t be too suspicious when he revealed his own secrets forces

Unfortunately for him those forces could only be considered upper class Tier 5 citizens based on his scale From that small conflict alone it was clear that the two individuals from Zone 32 were Tier 6 at the very least Ghost was glad that he had spent the time and effort to train those long distance sniper squads These close range specialists were dangerous but there were still methods of dealing with them

But Ghost still had a bad feeling which was extremely strange for him He was not an entity that typically relied on emotional or spiritual cues he was a machine and everything that was him was calculations But this was a calculation without any real basis Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that the basis was there but as of yet Ghost had been unable to make any sense of it

What was the advantage that Zone 32 possessed so that they were able to become the second Zone that was part of New Earth Only three days after the arrival of their Zone 1

Dinesh held the plasma pistol in his hand considering it as a weapon Even without the requisite Skill that these others from Zone 1 talked about he could still feel the channel through the simple machine into which he could thrust his Mana He looked in askance at the leader the Gunslinger Hank Howard

The man nodded shortly curiosity clear in his bright eyes I’d love to see you use it You’re a mage ain’tcha That’s pretty rare in our Zone

Dinesh made note of the twitch in Hank’s companions when he said that so easily Although Hank didn’t appear to regard it as such their two Zones were clearly in a competition of sorts A friendly one if the Ghosthound had his way but a competition nonetheless It wasn’t yet clear what benefits the Fate Stones beyond the first would have but with how much time the Ghosthound had spent in the past two days inside of the Danger Zone it seemed significant

In a way the others reactions to him made Dinesh pity Hank The man didn’t understand how deeply he was in the schemes of others But at the same time Dinesh had a feeling that things weren’t that simple When he looked at Hank he was reminded of Dozer of all people There was an implacable brutality to him although Hank’s was of a more sophisticated variety

In their eyes was the sure confidence of a man reliant on violence and experienced in its execution

Focusing his thoughts to the task at hand Dinesh carefully channeled Mana into the plasma pistol After Karlito fed the group they had met and agreed to carefully exchange technology For the Zone 32 group that meant providing equipment to Hank and his peers as an example The one who unleashed that strange poison spell was still unconscious but the others received various leather armors with Engravings done by the Ghosthound himself

The Engravings were of a very high quality but the equipment they were on was just average Still the effect was staggering

Fucking hell Hank swore Then he glanced apologetically at Nathan before continuing You mean all of your clothes provide stats Like 10 each

That was another redeeming quality in the man’s favor Dinesh thought He had a kindness towards children that was rare in the post System world

Well more or less Dinesh said The examples provided are geared primarily towards stats most equipment simply provides flat health increases Still in an extended fight they often are extremely useful

The short Asian woman with the milky eyes ran her fingers over the boots in her hands a wistful expression are her face May we may we keep these

Dinesh nodded solemn Of course consider them a gesture of goodwill Repayment for stealing your kill

The group seemed to accept this all of them cheery at the newly acquired equipment The singular items seemed strange compared with the rest of their dress but they all put them on in one way or another But although this was a touching scene it didn’t make sense at all to Dinesh

Surely their Village Spirit or the Champion would have provided equipment to them Why do they not have it ’ Dinesh wondered but there was no real way to ask without revealing how much he was confused by this occurrence But perhaps that just displayed Dinesh’s own prejudices It was something worth reflecting on

To pay him back they provided him with a basic plasma pistol which he held now He raised it aiming at a large stone sticking out of the ground 50 meters away They assured him that the weapons had little recoil and therefore more accurate than most handguns

Not that this information meant anything to Dinesh he had never fired a gun before

It was strange at first his Mana almost cramping from the strange use but then some barrier broke and he learned the Mana Infusion Skill A bright azure bolt sailed across the distance striking the rock squarely Very quickly the projectile burnpumpkin sizedsized hole in the stone

Dinesh whistled All that for only 20 Mana No wonder they mass produced these It would make the beginning stages of the System a joke

Chapter 497

However the more Dinesh thought about it the more he wondered how having access to such an easy tool would affect the growth of people He didn’t want to leap to any conclusions from only a simple spar but from the fact that they hadn’t been able to completely kill the ram only fatally wound it made Dinesh wonder about their capabilities

It seemed that they were at a comparable Level to him and Tykes yet

Dinesh’s eyes glowed knowingly It must be Skill Level so much so that the difference bleeds over into stats Interesting

In addition it wasn’t as though the two of them were invincible either Tykes was extremely powerful sure but his power was often something that he couldn’t exercise effectively Most monsters simply dodged his attack The only sort of monsters that didn’t was half dead rams that were bound and blinded

Dinesh turned when he heard Hank’s voice

Ah I’m not too sure about the details but for people with higher Intelligence I’ve heard ya can compress the Mana somehow The man shrugged and scratched the stumble on his chin

Dinesh nodded a smile on his face He had felt it the inefficiencies in the first shot He also was aware that the pistol was capable of handling more Mana How much he wasn’t sure but it was surely more than he had just channeled through it

For his first experiment he focused the Mana turning it into a highly dense slug The projectile streaked out and ripped a hole in the stone making a hole almost all the way through the likely 2 meter thick rock before it ran out of momentum Dinesh’s eyebrows rose That level of punch was definitely something that was worth knowing about His appreciation for Hank grew with every passing minute

Next he left his Mana in a raw and unfocused state but pushed more into the gun This made the projectile bigger but that basically just increased the area of effect

Then he pumped more Mana into it and concentrated it This time the projectile was a dark blue and it ripped completely through the stone Dinesh chose another target and did it again upping the dosage one more time

However before the Mana discharged something snapped inside the pistol There was a fizz a spark and then the thing lay dead in his hand inert His Mana had very quickly overloaded what it was capable of

Inwardly Dinesh was disappointed Was the pistol only capable of this much But it made sense in a way This weapon was effective at low levels but it was designed as a beginner piece There were likely stronger pistols available to those who had high Intelligence but with the exception of the unconscious man none of these seemed to have chosen to go the path of Intelligence

my apologies Perhaps the application of my Mana was insufficient Dinesh said offering the pistol back to Hank after a slight hesitation Would they require another gift for this

But Hank snorted waving a hand and producing a dozen other pistols before making them disappear with another flourish Don’t worry about I’ve got plenty And my Mana might be low but my Focus isn’t I blow out the baseline pistols all the time Higher grade pistols require too many hoops to jump through and seemed less sure than bullets so I’ve never bothered with the plasma pistols too much

Dinesh’s eyes traced Hank’s easy smile then slid past him to the sharp faced woman with auburn hair behind him THere was something off about this one although Ptolemy wasn’t sure what it was Nathan had given him a look when the group arrived his gaze going meaningfully to this woman That was more than enough confirmation

When it came to Classes almost no one was as skilled as Nathan now was

Well how about we share a drink now Dinesh offered And exchange some information about our Zones

That would be great Hank said motioning for his companions to set up camp After a small hesitation they did erecting tents near the thorny cabin Then Hank continued Would you be able to send a message to the people in power back in your Zone Our mission is primarily a diplomatic one if we could communicate

Unfortunately our leader is a bit determined to not give many of the power players back home even the time of day Therefore we can point you in the right direction but the communication is up to you Dinesh said slowly Even he was unsure exactly where the Ghosthound’s surliness in regards to Lyra came from How could he explain it in a succinct way to a stranger

But at the very least he knew that the Ghosthound would prefer not to be overly involved in the peace talks Although the Ghosthound was focused on the new Zone Dinesh had figured out that it wasn’t exactly for diplomatic purposes the Ghosthound was looking for something

Hank seemed disappointed but accepted this After Karlito and his wife Bruya had brought out wood they had a campfire going and the talk started in earnest In a show of good faith Hank went first talking about Zone 1 the Tiers the regulations the rankings Ptolemy listened slowly reserving judgment

All systems have benefits just like all systems have detriments

So you are the old capital of America Dinesh asked curious His sister had been in Washington D C before the System arrived

Hank Howard seemed torn well more yes than no but a lot of bits were missing especially the suburbs Most of the food the government had stored in preparation for the coming of the System was lost but we got lucky with the technological bureaus They were the real core of the Zone

Intriguing Nathan said stroking his chin Most of Hank’s party hida smile

Dinesh chuckled softly but not because of Nathan’s comment Rather it was because Nathan was playing a fool on purpose to get the opposing group to loosen up It was an excellent emotional manipulation and one that would cause no trouble if it were discovered Ptolemy wondered where he had learned that from It couldn’t have been the Ghosthound or Neveah they were both too blunt Tykes was similarly out Perhaps the sweet talking Hispanic chef Karlito

So what about y’all Hank asked looking at Ptolemy

Well Dinesh paused considering where to begin We are much more decentralized As stated we don’t have the rigid Tiers for groups although we have ranks in the various towns Our population is much smaller than yours too possibly only a third so everyone has generally heard of most people of note

There are two main political blocks the Northwest which consists of the Refuge Star Crossing and East End and the Southeast which is made up of Franksburg and Donnyton I myself received my Class at Donnyton

Of the two I would say that the Southeast is superior in both numbers and quality Donnyton was the first Village in our Zone and the most powerful Most warriors worth their salt will travel there to train at least for a while Franksburg is the second founded village and the largest city About half of the people in our Zone live in Franksburg

You even call them warriors The other woman Laurel said shaking her head with a smile That’s crazy but I guess that’s what being isolated from the outside world for two and a half years will get you

Tykes who was standing next to the first with his arms folded nodded and spoke And it feels even longer probably another year spent inside of Dungeons in one form or another

Hank blinked and it was ultimately the Asian girl Affina that spoke

You have been in a Dungeon She asked rank curiosity clear in her tone

Again it was Dinesh’s turn to be shocked You haven’t

Affina shook her head Entrance to the Dungeons we have access to are strictly regulated Only the top quality government talents are sent there to spend as much time as possible training The only reason that there is any space at all is due to the body’s eventual rejection of the dungeon

An interesting prospect and Dinesh could understand the reasons for doing so It seemed like every month there was a story of a group going into a Dungeon without proper preparation and coming back one member smaller It was a sad thing when all of humanity was struggling against the System but such things were inevitable

But the flip side of that was no one emerged stronger from Dungeons that cruel lesson carved into their hearts

The talk flowed going back and forth on various aspects until Hank finally spoke in a very different tone It wasn’t cold and it wasn’t angry and it wasn’t commanding but it was very clear from his tone and in retrospect his behavior the entire night that the had been building to this for quite a long time

So then I’m left wonderin’ why you guys could clear your Raid Dungeon so fast Hank said simply scratching his chin No offense but our Zone was forewarned and prepared It’s pretty shockin’ to me that we were only three days faster than a random grouping of people There must be something special there right

Chapter 498

The group fell silent everyone’s attention fixed on the two men sitting across the first from one another Hank and Dinesh Hank looked around with an easy smile on his face Dinesh smiled back surprised how easily the expression came Apparently it was not only Nathan that was playing the fool tonight Truly there was more to this Hank than meets the eye If he had the chance he would grow into a formidable man

But even the best seeds need the proper soil to grow

Well it is hard to say why our Zone was so lucky Dinesh said with a smile But several key individuals emerged I also think due to our lack of guns we were forced to revert to more primitive methods of combat in order to survive Although the initial risk is much higher I am confident in saying it pays dividends down the line

Huh Hank said looking thoughtful But he didn’t press the issue which left Dinesh feeling very relieved Trying to explain the Ghosthound was a certain sort of trouble for a number of reasons Not the least of which was the Ghosthound expressed the desire to keep his own influence in the Zone a secret for as long as possible so he could accomplish his own goals

You seem strong Affina said simply and Karlito chuckled as he tended to the fire

Of course we would be very interested in trading any supplies you might have on you I assure you that we likely have items unavailable elsewhere Dinesh continued thinking of the Ghosthound’s other side project Potions and elixirs that produce a variety of effects including a one time boost to stats They can only be used once they are still a valuable commodity in our Zone

Dinesh didn’t mention that they were experimental in nature but he figured that the Ghosthound had worked out most of the kinks in their creation Affina and the woman Katie looked up sharply but both Hank and Laurel seemed unconcerned In fact Hank was so unconcerned that Laurel had to elbow him in the side to break him from his revery

Hm Oh yeah we can trade for sure I’d like to check on my man though See if he recovered from overdrawing himself

After Dinesh gave his assent the rest of the group dispersed The Zone 32 ers stayed around the first slowly gathering closer together Even Tanya appeared from the house coming over to join them at the fire Her gaze was timid as she looked over towards the individuals from Zone 1 but she was no longer as skittish as she had been before The Ghosthound’s crazy crusade with the rest of them as entourage assured that

There were some things that either killed you or transformed you

They seem nice Bruya said in her placid way as her fingers spun a tiny illusionary figure of Hank The figure in her hand drew his pistol spun it and then fanned the hammer in a brash way spraying bullets everywhere

Soft too Tykes said but he kept his voice quiet This was a relief to Dinesh He suspected that all three of the women in the other group had the power to hear quite a distance away and he didn’t want to insult them Plus the look in Tykes eyes wasn’t as harsh as it had been 6 months ago It truly seemed that the Ghosthound had taught the other man something about channeling helplessness and frustration

What are we doing next Nathan asked turning to look at Dinesh

Dinesh shrugged We wait for the Ghosthound But what he likely does depends on the result of his time in the Danger Zone There is much to learn there but also much danger With the exception of Tykes we cannot follow the Ghosthound there Even with the accompaniment of Neveah to defeat the Boss is a tall order If he defeats it and the benefit is a good one he will likely push us to conquer the others that belong to Zone 32 If not

Shrugging helplessly Dinesh raised a hand to the sky The rest nodded even Tykes The Ghosthound was relentless and intense but he also was sometimes strangely whimsical and became fixated on strange notions The flip side of that that his work ethic and broad range of skills that allowed him to generally succeed at these strange whims

They had chosen their path when they followed him out of Donnyton The past 6 months had been a brutal series of conflicts moving to the largest groupings of monsters they could find and fighting them Because of that they had hit the ground running in the reconfigured Earth Sure only Dinesh and Tykes could fight against the monsters here alone and even then it was just to a standstill but they could hold their own

Dinesh wouldn’t mind if they took a break here for a while

When Hank arrived before Ezekiel the man was sitting up sipping on a glass of water that the cook’s wife had left next to his bedside To his surprise there was none of the man’s usual bluster in his face just a deep bitterness

“You slept well I see ” Hank drawled crouching down next to the man They were a fair distance away from the thorny house and all of the people from Zone 32 had entered into it giving Hank some confidence that they wouldn’t be overheard Although human capability was determined largely by stats now instead of innate physical gifts there were still some predictable measures that could be used to protect the secrecy of their conversation

Ezekiel chuckled “Well enough “

Then the other man fell silent looking at Hank with very strange eyes Hank said nothing gazing back at him Of course there was a part of him that wanted to be angry that wanted to rant and complain and another larger part of him that wanted answers But it was clear that this was a strange occurrence that had influenced the mood of Ezekiel a man who in their brief period of interaction seemed completely unflappable

As Hank expected Ezekiel broke the staring contest first leaning back and looking up at the sky

“I’ve never seen a sky this blue ” Ezekiel said softly “My ex wife would have loved it She always was fascinated with the sky As if the future was above us slowly drifting down and settling over us all “

“You have a family ” Hank would permit him a short digression but ultimately he would not let the matter of that wild attack go without an explanation of some kind

Ezekiel grimaced “I did Well just by a fucked up coincidence my Father in Law was in Zone 1 when the System arrived That wily snake will be the last person in this world to breathe his last I have no idea how my ex wife could have survived the System but my son “

Ezekiel paused He closed his eyes “We barely even talked He was 21 and I hadn’t even bought him a drink He was across the country going to school at Rowlands “

“Smark kid ” Hank said shortly his expression easing somewhat

“Yea but he was a little lost Just couldn’t find it in him to commit to things or he would be something truly great Maybe maybe that’s my fault ” Ezekiel paused Then he sat back up and looked at Hank “I’m a selfish person I’ve always known that And that’s why that’s why I am what I am

“My Class ” he continued “Is very special a Named Class Which means it is a bit more powerful but I also was injected with instincts associated with the Class My Class is Beelzebub the Taker The personification of Gluttony And earlier I was hungry I hadn’t eaten in a long time “

Hank frowned “We had lunch only an hour prior How “

“Not food ” Shaking his head Ezekiel seemed extremely pained “Lives When I kill I take a single Skill from the people I Consume their highest leveled Skill Which is why the Skills I can use are so varied And while I’m hungry I lose one stat point a day as I waste away Some inner part of my withers if I don’t constantly feed “

This was more than Hank had been expecting He sat back on his heels “Why are you telling me this “

Sure this was the information that Hank had looked for although he hadn’t predicted its shape at all But there was a lot of information included in this explanation that wasn’t exactly pertinent He was being told for a reason

Chuckling Ezekiel said “So you understand why it’s necessary that I kill no matter how much I don’t want to This is just the way things are “

“Are you a fucking idiot “

Ezekiel blinked up at Hank

Hank continued “I don’t mind if you are a shitty person but at least own up to it Why is it other people’s fault your selfishness brought you here Don’t punish an innocent for where your choices brought you “

Eyes blazing Ezekiel straightened and glared at Hank “How was I supposed to know this would result “

“You weren’t what you were supposed to do is bear your own burden ” Hank said feeling extremely strange as he spoke Not because he didn’t believe what he was saying but because while he was speaking he could clearly hear his father’s voice speaking the exact same words “A man’s worth cannot be seen in the amount of weight he bears but in the percentage of his own burdens he pushes onto other people You sir are not selfish you are a coward “

Ezekiel bared his teeth His hands clenched into fists

Hank just looked at the slight man

“Ah fuck you ” Ezekiel said laying back down with an abrupt thump

Chapter 499

The air was hot here and heavy Hank very clearly felt the shape of his tongue in his mouth as he attempted to shape the words

“I won’t deny that killing may become necessary ” Hank said slowly This was a mission for his country and he had to accomplish it regardless of the misshapen tools he was given That was his burden to bear “But if I find out you killed someone just to feed your Class the next person to die will be you “

“That would be a relief ” Ezekiel breathed Before Hank could formulate a reply a loud shout cut across the rocky area with such force that the ground seemed to rumble in commiseration It was an expression that was so powerful that it was more natural force than anything else And when Hank heard the words his eyes widened

“GOD FUCKING DAMMIT “

“GOD FUCKING DAMMIT ” Randidly bellowed his eyes blazing He slammed his foot into the ground and everything trembled That just made Randidly more annoyed even the land here in the borderlands was annoyingly resilient “THAT FUCKING OGRE “

“Limp dick limp dick ” Neveah sang in a soft voice skipping next to him imitating the Ogre after it realized that Randidly even when utilizing Inspiration could only slay one of its three heads at once The fucking thing was delighted Each head was scared that they would be the eliminated one but the loser would regenerate within 12 hours which was shorter than the cooldown for Inspiration It was an especially frustrating conclusion after an almost 20 hour slog through armies of lesser ogres only to find that for all Randidly’s gifts he didn’t have quite enough offense to burn through the Ogre’s defenses both Skill related and purely physical

He supposed that the Level 70 wasn’t just for show But that didn’t make it any easier to stomach

Randidly wanted to beat up on someone to expend some of the wild helplessness he felt He tossed Acri to the side and his living plant spear snapped out of its rigid shape to scurry away Similarly Randidly reached back and grabbed sulfur his amorphous lava plant armor that he wore underneath his bone cloak The plant already understood and flowed around Randidly into a ball to be cast off After relieving himself of his burdens his eyes were sharp as he turned to Neveah

Hurriedly she shook her bonehead side to side and dashed off “I promise to play catch with Tykes He waits for me “

The image of Tykes’ face when Neveah forced the man to play catch with her did fill Randidly with enough good cheer to chuckle When she learned of the practice of throwing a ball back and force to bond from Randidly she was delighted and immediately approached Tykes curious about the ritual Tykes was initially dismissive How could she handle his dense metal ball that he spent every night reinforcing and pounding together

He seemed to have forgotten that of them all Neveah was the true monster In terms of the physical stats she made even Randidly sweat Which was why she would have made a good sparring partner But no matter

Randidly’s eyes sharpened In his poor mood after a wasted day he hadn’t been paying attention to their surroundings He dearly wanted to capture a Fate Crystal to see what effect it would have But it appeared that they had guests

Unfamiliar ones

The Zone that had completed their Raid Boss first The Creature would have a hand there Making contact was a good thing although it would push up his timeline by quite a bit Still perhaps that was a good thing

Randidly had spent the past 6 months constantly throwing himself in the most dangerous situations that he could sharpening himself and his combat related Skills as much as he could And the results well

They spoke for themselves

Level 24 (81%)

Health(/R per hour) 3001/3033 (+730) (1447 (+165

Mana(/R per hour) 2341/3346 (684 (+9

Stam(/R per min) 2499/2894 (+60) (472 (+45

Vit 312 (+15)

End 153 (+20)

Str 307 (+52)

Agi 332 (+24)

Perception 356 (+20)

Reaction 322 (+15)

Resistance 267 (+45)

Willpower 395 (+10)

Intelligence 325

Wisdom 299 (+9)

Control 554

Focus 293 (+4)

Progenitor’s Influence 9168

Skills (Soul Skill) Seven Lands of the Spectral Tree Lvl 1122

Combat Spear Mastery Lvl 178 White Phantom’s Half Step (Un) Lvl 73 Heavy Blow Lvl 94 Dagger Mastery Lvl 10 Iron Skin Lvl 47 Dodge Lvl 98 Fighting Proficiency Lvl 137 Block Lvl 74 Phantom Onslaught Lvl 42 Sweep Lvl 54 Spear Deflect Lvl 10 Calculated Blow Lvl 89 Roundhouse Kick Lvl 65 Idiosyncratic Cut (Un) Lvl 99 Pierce the Skies Shatter the Earth Lvl 57 Body Control Freeze Lvl 37 Stalemate Breaker Lvl 29 Talon Strike Lvl 38 Counter Lvl 51

PoFE Class Skills Plant Dominance ® Lvl 106 Spray Holy Sap (Un) Lvl 9 Sharpness Lvl 69 Call Grove Defenders ® Lvl 34 Earthquake (Un) Lvl 43 Invigorating Call (Humanity)(Un) Lvl 14 Four Shaded Domain Lvl 29 Phantom’s Lantern (Un) Lvl 33 Grasp of Lava ® Lvl 67 Erode Image Lvl 6 Vengeful Bloom (Un) Lvl 19 Galant Intervention (Human) Lvl 4 Spriggit’s Tinkering ® Lvl 1 Aether Understanding Lvl 39 Summon Lava Golem (Un) Lvl 22 Aether Infusion Lvl 41

The 7 Kata of the Ashen Spear The Spear Advances Ash Trails Lvl 81 As the Sun Stills ® Lvl 1

The 6 Signs of the Spear Phantom ® The First Sign The Inevitable Phantom Arrives Lvl 101 (Un) The Fifth Sign The Wild Phantom’s Embrace Lvl 180 The Sixth Sign The Breath of the Spear Phantom ® Lvl 49

Spells Spearing Roots Lvl 85 Mana Bolt Lvl 28 Mana Shield Lvl 32 Arcane Orb Lvl 22 Fireball Lvl 30 Magic Missile Lvl 4 Healing Palm Lvl 12 Pollen of the Rafflesia Lvl 20 Summon Pestilence Lvl 54 Wall of Thorns Lvl 29 Yggdrasil Soul Seed ® Inspiration ® Incinerating Bolt Lvl 91 Circle of Flame Lvl 75 Plantomancy Lvl 35 Hammer of the Dawn Lvl 37 Burning Footsteps Lvl 23 Ashes to Ashes Lvl 49 Touch from Beyond ® Lvl 24 Gravity Affinity Lvl 36 Incendiary Eruption Lvl 22

Crafting Potion Making Lvl 47 Farming Lvl 32 Plant Breeding Lvl 19 Mapmaker Lvl 7 Analyze Lvl 29 Refine Lvl 39 Extract Lvl 29 Mana Engraving Lvl 99

Yggdrasil Glittering Leaves of Yggdrasil Lvl 105 The Golden Roots of Yggdrasil Lvl 125 the Emerald Sap of Yggdrasil Lvl 130 the Yyrwood Flesh of Yggdrasil Lvl 127 the Indomitable Spirit of Yggdrasil Lvl 127 the Cruel Indignation of Yggdrasil Lvl 111

Auxiliary Sneak Lvl 46 Acid Resistance Lvl 22 Poison Resistance Lvl 21 Pain Resistance Lvl 61 First Aid Lvl 16 Pathfinding Lvl 18 Fire Resistance Lvl 83 Sewing Lvl 11 Cutting Vegetables Lvl 2 Manual Labor Lvl 6 Digging Lvl 5 Cooking Lvl 63 Clockwork Mastery Lvl 16 Aether Connection Lvl 15 Soul Bond Lvl 99 Chef’s Palette Lvl 24 Nether Resistance Lvl 13 Child of the Rain (Un) Lvl 16 Chosen of Fire ® Lvl 34

But completing the First Legend Path had revealed some disturbing news

When he had completed it Randidly had been given +5 stats per Level as a reward which made him very glad he had paused in his Leveling spree in preparation for going back to Shal’s world But in addition he received another more disturbing notification

Congratulations There are three great barriers every species must overcome The first is mental do you deserve this The second is a test of outlook can you dominate this The third is the very limits of the species are you more than this

The first lock on humanity preventing them from Leveling past 50 has already been unlocked by an individual who created a Runic Rarity Skill You have now unlocked the second lock by creating a Legendary Skill The final lock will be unlocked when a Skill surpassing the Legendary Rating has been created

Congratulations You have unlocked Domain Type Skills for Humanity Although Pseudo Domains were possible in the past these shall truly warp the world around you in battle Only one Domain Style Skill may be cultivated per person

That meant there was someone out there who had created a Runic Skill which wasn’t quite so impressive but also gone through the Path to unlock its reward and the general lock at the end of it In addition they likely also received a boost to growth like Randidly had although he sincerely doubted that it would be as large as his And above that a Skill with a Rarity beyond Legendary probably provided an even larger bonus

Randidly breathed in and then out letting most of his anger fall away For now he needed to interact with these new arrivals and find out what was going on in there Zone With enough information it would be possible to embed himself there and attempt to find something out about the Creature’s activity there

There was no way in hell a successful Zone like this had escaped the Creature’s reach

Several unfamiliar figures were rushing over towards Randidly likely drawn by his swearing earlier Randidly could almost blush He didn’t want to be a stern leader of a Zone but also a furious youth that had trouble controlling his temper was another image he didn’t really want to possess

A figure from the other party a figure who must have been in Zone 1 froze as well

Rand Ezekiel Ghosthound said softly his eyes wide

Dad

Chapter 500

Ezekiel Ghosthound was a man who was haunted by the choices he didn’t make in his life He made the decision to accept a modest financial aid package to a middle tier school and graduated with honors Although he likely could have pushed for higher honors or a place in his University’s executive board or done a more ambitious thesis project he didn’t

In his mind that phrase hung heavy and dense

He didn’t

At the time he didn’t realize that his golden years were slipping past Very soon conversation and advancement wouldn’t come fun and easy to him Out in the real world he received a job at a mid tier firm and did an alright job Although there were opportunities for promotion Ezekiel watched them go to other people usually people from more prestigious schools people who were willing to put in ridiculous hours

Ezekiel couldn’t do that He had married his college sweetheart and she was now pregnant In the beginning she was a bright and free spirit that invigorated him Very quickly with the stresses of life piling up Ezekiel found himself frustrated with a wife who cared very little for the necessities of modern life Even when mortgage payments and phone bills and insurance premiums siphoned away their money she remained unflappable happy and bright

To her it was enough that they were together They would make a family together and if they were only barely above the poverty line Ezekiel’s wife didn’t mind it She had made her peace with it

For the first time in his life Ezekiel found himself driven forward with a vicious need to succeed His bitterness became sharp claws to tear down his competition and slowly drag himself up the corporate ladder Perhaps his underhanded and cold methods were noticed but so were his increased sales numbers He received his first promotion on the day his son was born

Ezekiel’s wife knew how important this was for them and didn’t mind that Ezekiel couldn’t make it She knew that he was doing this only because he cared She also believed that naming the child Randidly was a good idea

They never explicitly fought about it but Ezekiel couldn’t help but notice how wounded she was in the wake of surprising him with the name and watching his expression Ezekiel wasn’t even sure what emotions were clear on his face But they were true and they were honest They never spoke of it after

When their fight eventually exploded and they were divorced Ezekiel could have maintained a better relationship with his son who he called Rand

When he saw his son struggling with his own strangeness which Ezekiel privately thought was due to the boy being on the autism spectrum perhaps he could have intervened But rather than that Ezekiel believed that the world was a much better teacher than he could ever be In the sharp wounds left by bullies Rand would find armor or he wouldn’t very little Ezekiel could have done would have likely changed that

A part of him suggested that Ezekiel should feel bad for treating his son so callously

As Ezekiel rose to prominence at his company he was oddly dissatisfied with his current lot in life The positions above him were occupied by competent people who rose ahead of him and wouldn’t leave anytime soon Again he seemed stuck No matter how hard he worked he couldn’t force out anyone above him

That is he one day realized he couldn’t force anyone out by playing by the rules

He didn’t think twice about any of the hard decisions that he had to make after that

It was serendipitous in a way that the System would come right after he was named CEO of his company Because at that time he had accomplished his goals in 7 short years and now was left empty Finally his dream was realized the company was his But this wasn’t what he wanted What he wanted was to ride that high of the bitter hunger that let him slaughter his way to the top

Those bitter claws that had seemed so fragile and ugly had become masterful tools to dismantle another person His teeth had grown sharp In terms of empathy he ranked even lower than his autistic son

Normal people would have enjoyed being at the top

He didn’t It stunk of sloth and pride and those were not Ezekiel’s sins No he was gluttony and he wanted more

Was he surprised at his Class Obviously not And originally he had been very happy with it But eventually as time passed Ezekiel came to realize the astronomical price he had to pay in order to not have his stats regress One life a week was required Sure every time he killed someone he took their greatest Skill But he didn’t get any stats and he didn’t receive the PP that those people had He could only grind up his Skills the old fashioned way His stat gains were some of the highest Ghost had ever seen but it wasn’t enough

Ezekiel wanted more

And he would fight to take it

As Ezekiel followed Hank towards the source of the sound he winced feeling that strange otherness of the Class inside of him still complaining of hunger Truly Ezekiel feared Hank in a straight up fight and he didn’t think that Ghost would accept if Ezekiel arranged for an accident to befall the man he was too useful a tool to let go

No for now Ezekiel would need to find other ways to

He froze his jaw dropping A young man stood there kicking the ground and swearing to himself He was tall and athletic lean and powerful His black hair was cropped short only a few curls making it down to his forehead and around his ears But most noticeable were his eyes piercing and emerald and seemingly luminous even in the afternoon light

They were his mother’s eyes This was his son

Rand Ezekiel’s mouth moved without him even thinking about the action or what might come next All normal intelligence was smashed to the side by raw shock coursing through Ezekiel’s veins He was alive He was alive

They both moved appearing before each other like apparitions stopping about 1 meter apart both searching the other’s face and body for hints of how they survived To have reached this point both had gone through almost unimaginable situations Ezekiel had even felt he had lucked out in a lot of ways a friend hadn’t told him explicitly that the System would occur but was hosting a party and inviting over a lot of contemporary business leader Ezekiel was lucky enough to be chosen

For the first several hours the man’s personal guard protected them and they were informed about the System what little was known Afterall the forewarning had been exceedingly vague but it was enough to prepare some things Unfortunately they underestimated the power of the monsters that appeared and after the first few hours Ezekiel had to fend for himself It was a hard thing

To Ezekiel’s surprise his son seemed none the worse for wear even though his fitness made it clear that he was a fighter now and a strong one if he was a member of this party from Zone 32 If anything the kid was thriving

When Ezekiel realized that the silence was stretching he forced himself to raise his hand half meaning to wave half meaning to shake his son’s hand Neither gesture was sufficient to convey the raw relief coursing through his body but what else could he do You you look good

Instead of reaching out to take his hand Rand did something that completely floored Ezekiel literally Rand opened his arms and tackled him hugging him to the ground There was no malice in the movement so Ezekiel just let it happen But as soon as they touched Ezekiel wondered if he COULD have resisted The boy’s grip

it was sorta hard to breathe

There were only two one for each eye but there were tears on Randidly’s face I can’t believe I never thought I’d see you again

Ezekiel’s shock softened into warmth Although they weren’t particularly close they were blood He should have known that would be enough to keep their bond healthy Reaching out a hand Ezekiel planned to pat his son’s head even though he was probably 22 or 23 by now but he didn’t see his hand but the monster’s hand

He saw the hand of a man who framed or blackmailed coworkers to rise to the top He saw the hand of a man who had taken one life a week for a year His fingers were gnarled and blackened his nails were sharp and bloody His hand twitched and stop midair Deep in his chest Ezekiel felt a deep stab of fear

Ever since the divorce Ezekiel had pushed his son towards excellence hiding his feelings of pride for his son’s accomplishments for fear of making the boy complacent like he had been Could he truly let that all fall away and just connect with his son They had been so distant for so long

You are a coward Hank’s voice repeated and something in Ezekiel snapped

He didn’t want that stuck up cowboy to be right not about this not about his son

Hesitantly Ezekiel put his hand on Randidly’s head I’m sorry

Randidly looked up blinking then grinned Well it’s not like I was a great son Things were hard after you left But compared to all we are fighting against now that stuff feels a little small doesn’t it

Yea Ezekiel said feeling strangely overwhelmed and touched by the sudden intimacy between them now It would likely pass but this moment was a warm moment and Ezekiel wanted to stay here for as long as possible

For the moment even his hungry was quelled as though simply being in Rand’s presence was enough to sate him It was a relief

Chapter 501

As the two figures approached each other Hank eyed them both carefully Ezekiel because of the information he had just revealed to him and the young man because he was the obvious answer of who had yelled with such concussive force Perhaps his Skills related to sound or air pressure

When the two stopped and regarded each other for several seconds Hank could see the resemblance between them Strangely they were a demonstration of opposites even while sharing many features The young man was tanned and athletic while Ezekiel was thin and pale like a scholar The son seemed to burn with health and vigor while the father had pale skin and always had bags under his eyes hidden by his glasses The sun’s face was full of warmth and joy and the father hesitated fear clear in his frantic eyes

But both of them shared dark hair prominent noses and sharp eyes that made them striking even if neither was handsome in a traditional sense

Although Ezekiel had only shared a bit of that emotional scar inside of him Hank felt a thin threat of empathy for the man Which made Hank wonder how he would feel to be reunited with his own father had he not died prior to the System Honestly the old man would have thrived in this environment that bastard His lectures would be absolutely insufferable

With his arms wide the son tackled Ezekiel and for a few minutes they lay there exchanging quiet words After 5 minutes passed the two stood quickly brushing themselves off and Hank noticed that the boy wasn’t wearing any shoes

But the closer he looked the easier it was to see how calloused and worn the kid’s feet were Did he always walk around like that

The individuals from both Zones had gathered to witness the reunion between father and son They stood apart Zone 32 near the cottage while the Zone 1 group stayed near the spot where the cooking fire was made But both groups seemed to have small smiles on their faces enjoying the pleasant ambiance

Everyone but the man Tykes who glowered at the two

How how did you survive Ezekiel asked giving his son a once over with his eyes

The young man shrugged Probably the same way that you did I uh I became a potion brewer That’s why I came along with this group they sell my wares

Hank’s eyes narrowed at the hitch in the young man’s voice It smelled like a lie Really I’d love to see the work of a master potion brewer

Belatedly he saw Laurel’s glare and felt her pinch but Hank pressed his lips together stubbornly Sure maybe it was rude of him to call the young man out so directly but Hank wasn’t a man that took being lied to well Besides why would he lie to his father about how he survived

Maybe because he needs to kill a person to keep living a dark part of Hank’s mind whispered He shoved that voice back

The young man turned and regarded Hank a small smile on his face The punk looked fucking amused at Hank’s interruption like he saw through the challenge for what it was and had something prepared to deal with it

We haven’t formally met the young man said extending a hand towards Hank My name is Randidly Ghosthound A pleasure

The pleasure’s mine Hank said reaching out and taking the extended hand while doing his best to ignore the glares from Laurel Ezekiel and Tykes that were burning six holes in his back The handshake was firm and quick

After pulling his hand back the man tipped his hat towards Randidly The name’s Hank Howard You weren’t here for our earlier discussions with your party but I’m the leader of this political expedition I don’t suppose you would be willing to send a message to someone you know back in a Village so we may make contact

Randidly smiled helplessly Of course he could but he believed things were better done in person Besides based on the information that Dinesh was feeding him via message the people from Zone 1 were woefully under equipped against the high level threats they would face Walking into Donnyton would do a lot to help correct their perspective on the System

At least that was what Randidly believed Beyond finding the Creature’s involvement in Zone 1 he couldn’t find it in him to be too concerned with what the individuals from this other Zone did In the end Randidly had supreme confidence in the people of Donnyton regardless of whether he was there or not they weren’t so weak as to be overwhelmed by the petty tricks utilized by politically minded forces

I suspected as much Hank said with a sigh shaking his head

Randidly considered the man Based on his intuition this man was the strongest here but the girl with the cane was a close second He wore a cowboy hat and a pistol at each hip Nathan had already sent him several excited messages about the man’s Class expressing his deep interest in it At the time Randidly was too busy fighting against the ogre to pay much attention but now Randidly couldn’t deny his curiosity was aroused

Randidly’s eyes scanned back and forth taking the rest of them in He tried not to be too obvious about it because he was still feeling warm and jittery after finding his dad here and having the man be almost kind to him

Perhaps it was the emotional baggage but Randidly couldn’t guess much about what his father’s role was The woman standing near Hank he judged to be a support type As for the human looking robot thing A tank of some sort

But then his eyes sharpened He met the gaze of the robot woman Refocusing its cameras the thing began to brazenly scan him Inwardly Randidly snorted It was held together with a thin tether of Mana that was clearly extending off from it back towards its home Zone It was interesting that this was possible but it also confused Randidly

The skill of the tether was childish even though it followed some of the principles of Aether Suddenly it occurred to Randidly that this was similar to Mana Engraving that it created something like an Aether Connection done with Mana as the medium

Randidly didn’t think that the Creature would bother to use such methods as a disguise to gain information on him but wasn’t willing to risk it A wave of Erode Image slid outwards passed the people around him hitting that fragile Mana Tether It twitched and then dissipated

His father began to speak So what were you saying about potions

But all eyes turned as the robot woman collapsed

There was some hubbub as everyone hurried over It quickly became clear to Randidly that no one in the Zone 1 party knew that this was not a true human and they seemed shocked and suspicious towards Randidly’s group when they realized that her body was turning cold Luckily Dinesh knew some healing arts so he went forward and attempted to cast a spell on her

When it failed he frowned This This woman is not alive

You think that fuckin’ helps Hank said his eyes flinty but Dinesh simply made a placating gesture

No you misunderstand She was never alive She is a robot Do you have such cyborgs in your Zone 1

Hank opened his mouth and then closed it Then he closed his eyes Randidly wondered how he would check if a woman were a robot The simplest way would of course just be to cut into her body But desecrating a corpse was never an easy thing for humans and her abrupt death had set everyone on edge Inwardly Randidly sighed wishing he had thought of a more subtle way to handle it

Still he couldn’t risk it And in his mind it simply reaffirmed that he needed to move as quickly as possible towards Zone 1 and begin to search for the Creature or its tendrils It would be difficult especially when Randidly wanted to do his best to keep a low profile but hopefully his father would be helpful in that regard

Knowing that Dinesh would handle this situation far better than Randidly himself could Randidly walked over to his father and pulled him a bit away and began to ask him quietly about what the other Zone was like were there robots there like this what did Ezekiel do there etc

Perhaps Randidly shouldn’t have been surprised but his dad just blinked and then shrugged in a very dismissive way that was very familiar to him Well I don’t think so But I likely wouldn’t know I spent most of my time in jail so

Sighing Randidly just looked helplessly at his father Only this man could seem proud of being placed in jail after the greatest trial humanity had ever faced arrived

Seeing Randidly’s expression Ezekiel said No not for a crime you understand It was more of a holding cell It was for my own protecting I’m an important government asset

Sure dad

Chapter 502

Randidly was a bit troubled by Ezekiel’s explanation of the goings on in Zone 1 but not too much Based on what he said Randidly would require Citizenship in order to proceed into any place with powerful people and gaining that was not easy not without getting a Class from one of the approved villages That made Randidly wonder whether there were “unapproved” Villages out there in Zone 1 but he figured that was an ancillary discussion

Still Randidly had never minded being anonymous before He would just need to find a way to make enough of a splash to be chosen as a citizen but not enough that the Ghost that ran everything was interested in him

It would be a hard thing to balance Randidly reflected

The other reason that the conversation with his father became strained was that neither of them really knew what to say to the other FOr so long they had barely talked The only contact they had was generally forced or coincidental It seemed both of them were extremely reassured when Randidly had turned 18 and had been old enough that Ezekiel didn’t need to be a constant part of his life

Not that he had prior anyway

There was a heady relief that they both shared upon seeing each other at a place where neither had expected but as that faded away the emotion they now shared was uncertainty

What were they to one another How should they behave

Once Hank had begrudgingly checked Katie and discovered that he was in fact a woman he came back over to Randidly and Ezekiel For a split second Randidly was worried that the other man had somehow sensed what he was doing and knew that Randidly was the cause of this but that wasn’t the case Hank had come over for Ezekiel

“Did you know ” Hank demanded his eyes bright

Ezekiel hesitated then said ” yes but it is not how you think My Class gives me some insight into the location of people I had no such sense of humanity from her “

After giving Ezekiel a long look Hank departed muttering something about hunting Dinesh offered to accompany him but was denied The woman named Laurel came over and thanked Dinesh but assured him that Hank was not the type to get angry and throw himself in harm’s way If anything he would hole up somewhere and train furiously to work off his energy and our best bet was to leave him to it

IT was Affina that remembered Randidly’s previous statement ” Randidly correct You said you brewed potions “

“Oh yea ” Randidly said his expression brightening The discussion with Ezekiel had stalled out again because both men had secrets and neither had any idea what to ask that wouldn’t touch on those secrets “Follow me “

Mostly out of curiosity the group from Zone 1 followed him Everyone who was a part of Randidly’s Squad left them to it focused on their own training

Around the side of the thorn cottage there was a strange little cart that Randidly led the group to If he was being honest he was quite proud of himself because creating the cart was no easy feat But when he wasn’t fighting he needed something to fill his time that wasn’t just spamming a spell over and over again SO he had used his PLant Dominance to control wood in unique ways eventually learning to create a kind of furniture with it

It was however a balancing act because Randidly could only control the plant while it was alive and it was only truly useful once it had died If it died prior to him finishing there would be left an incomplete product If it died after there was a high chance that the plant would absorb some of Randidly’s ambient energy and produce strange growths Some of the growths were useful and turned into peculiar blooms filled with energy These Randidly harvested Most were just wart looking bumps on the surface of his furniture

This took him a week but it was a flawless mahogany cart lacquered and polished It was only so large that it had to be pulled around by hand like one of those tiny kiosks that sometimes had at malls but it was more than enough to hold Randidly’s new potions

“Voila ” Randidly said feeling very self conscious There were 12 shelves each with about 10 tiny bottles on them Picking up the Strength Elixir he handed it to Ezekiel

Ezekiel’s eyes immediately widened “This “

“They take quite a bit of work to make as they require the blood of a powerful monster I found ” Randidly said not really willing to admit that it was his own blood that made the effects so spectacular “I expect as I acquire more of that blood I can refine the process and make something even more impressive “

Elixir of Strength (Un) 100% Success Rate Consumption permanently increases Strength by 10 Every Time one is consumed the success rate of the next consumption is cut in half

“Amazing ” Affina breathed her fingers tracing the tiny bottles Apparently lack of sight didn’t prevent her from being able to sense the System’s messages Not unsurprising perhaps but curious How would it communicate with her

“How much are you charging for them ” Laurel asked eyeing both the Intelligence and Wisdom bottles The fact that the Elixir basically guaranteed that you would gain 10 stats instantly was impressive enough but even after that there were a lot of people who would want enough to try for the 50 25 and 12 5 percent chances to gain up to 40 free stats If such an elixir were infinitely available no doubt people would continue to attempt it gaining power without limit

But of course creating the Ezliirs wasn’t easy Besides his own Blood Randidly had to grind up and Refine the hearts of monsters above Level 55 and the success rate of the Ezilir was still pretty low unless the monster was above 60 Besides that it was a long process that required careful observation It was difficult to practice any other Skills while the potions were being made which was why he only made about 100 or so in the past 6 months

Of course most of that work was done when he was bored experimenting with the effect of his own blood But still the result was very satisfying In a world without the Creature maybe Randidly would just stay somewhere and research different potion recipes

The world however was not so kind as that

“Well honestly it’s hard to say ” Randidly said slowly “I’ve only tried one the Control one and it worked perfectly I suspect the rest are the same But the problem is I don’t think there are any real prices for stuff like these Money means very little in the post System World More than money I’m looking to batter for precious treasures or the bodies of monsters over the Level 55 which are most of the ingredients for the Elixirs “

Affina nodded and promptly curtsied “Then I will be off I would not like to miss this chance to improve myself “

“Let me come with you ” Ezekiel said his gaze passionate He gave Randidly a long glance But ultimately he said nothing and departed with Affina to wander in the borderlands

With most of the Zone 1 ers gone or otherwise occupied Randidly went back over to his own dwelling which was over the rocky hill in an area that he hadn’t cleared to be safe But that mattered little as he demonstrated when a rock crab leaped out at him

Within half a second dozens of roots and vines shot upward twining around the monster’s limbs and binding it Effortlessly Randidly put a dozen Incinerating Bolts through it and it collapsed in a heap

Randidly wrinkled his nose Level 53 not worth his time at all for harvesting ingredients For those he didn’t use himself he dismantled and packed up giving the metallic bits to Tykes and keeping the rest in a ring he vaguely planned to take back to Donnyton to sell By this point the ring was filled to bursting and Randidly was forced to start removing weaker monsters so there was more room He was almost helpless before the sheer volume of monsters that he had killed in the past 6 months and yet more were constantly appearing in front of him

The 5 minute walk from the spot of his first kill to his little hut involved killing seven more monsters one that was Lvl 61 This 6 legged goat was in fact a pretty good piece of material and Randidly happily cut out its heart and stored its body away

Randidly fervently believed that the ambient energy of the uncontrolled Fate Crystals was the cause of all fo the spawns in the borderlands even if he didn’t have any proof Which was why he had exhausted himself here trying to capture a Fate Cyrstal as quickly as possible But even with his Skills it was just beyond him And that was the surface Level The Level 70 Ogre undoubtedly had hidden Skills that it would release if it was truly threatened

And it was not like he was worried about anyone else beating him to it so

Chapter 503

When Randidly arrived finally at his cabin there were three “people” waiting for him The first was Neveah who was snoring quietly in the corner The other two were his two new Soul Seed Investments after the previous two turned out so well

The first was Acri which was his spear In its normal form it was like a stick bug with long wooden limbs When Randidly arrived it crawled happily towards him When Randidly called Acri would straighten his body completely out connect its two antennae and then spray a strange sticky substance between the antenna This substance hardened quickly and transformed into an almost impossibly sharp spearhead Acri was formed with Spear Mastery Phantom’s Embrace Sharpness Combat Proficiency and Cruel Indignation of Yggdrasil

Meanwhile Sulfur oozed towards Randidly coo ing happily While Acri was a stick bug Sulfur was more confusing The living part of sulfur was in its middle a red flesh that burned with an unnatural heat However one of the great benefits of Sulfur was that its body constantly produced carbon discharge that Sulfur could focus and manipulate somewhat forming plates of carbon Once the ooze part of Sulfur was wrapped around Randidly he would produce carbon plates to form a light armor Although it couldn’t be done instantly the formation of the plates was relatively quick allowing for on the fly armor changes and recovery

Sulfur had been created with Iron Skin Pain Resistance Child of Flame Fire Resistance and Yyrwood Flesh of Yggdrasil

They also had the benefit of solving another of Randidly’s problems at least Acri did The sharp little stick bug fed on experience Although some minor bit flowed through to Randidly when he killed a monster most of it was gobbled up by this glutton effectively slowing his level growth to a standstill That combined with the increasing costs for Randidly to Level meant that he had no worries about reaching Level 25 in the near future

Sulfur meanwhile absorbed kinetic force When those carbon placed were smashed inwards by an attack it squeezed Sulfur’s true body in an extremely strange way Very slowly his body would expand somehow eating the pressure that had compressed it earlier In this way Sulfur would much prefer that Randidly engaged in a head to head boxing match than his usual Phantom’s Embrace so it could grow more quickly

There was a powerful rivalry between the two Soul Seeds They both had to admit inferiority in front of Thorn but towards the other there wasn’t an ounce of respect

It was a close thing this decision to remain at Level 24 for the foreseeable future Close because aside from the normal gains he would receive from Leveling he would also have access to powerful Skills that would likely aid him in his conflict with the Creature More power would give him an edge and Randidly suspected he needed it The Tellumurite had been used once against it to great effect burning through the Aether that constituted its avatar in a split second But that strategy wouldn’t be usable against the main body and also the other Avatars would be ready for it He would be forced to find other ways to fight against it in order to win

In that regards Lucretia reassured him that with the assistance of Neveah their ability to utilize Aether was increasing to the level that even if they weren’t the Creature’s equal they could hold their own for long enough for him to act

Well in theory anyway The plus side of that was that due to their SoulBond Neveah wouldn’t need to be near him in order to assist Which allowed them to act independently

Randidly’s eyes flashed and an amusing idea entered into his mind With bright eyes he looked at Neveah

Randidly had been worried about how to approach the issue of heading into Zone 1 He wasn’t sure how much information the robot was able to record but didn’t want to take the risk that the Creature saw him coming His option then was to hide but that would put him in the difficult position of having to choose between his stealth and the information that he was so desperately seeking

Randidly grinned

Ghost waited as the report from Ezekiel loaded up and as he expected he was disappointed by the content

Ezekiel stoically reported that for some reason Katie had malfunctioned and in the aftermath it became clear to Hank that she was planted by Ghost A pity that but not something that would truly endanger the effort Hank had a powerful distaste for Ghost and his games but if he knew Hank well and he certainly did based on the amount he watched the man he would be more annoyed that he hadn’t noticed

Such was the prerogative of prideful men Ghost supposed

Meanwhile Ghost wanted to know about his enemies and use data to formulate a reaction Which is why Ghost’s attention was fixed on the younger Ghosthound It was blurry but the final image that the cyborg sent to him was of the young man It was about to initiate a scan on him when it went offline A coincidence Or

The father had an extremely unique Class the only named Class that Ghost had seen Its ability to steal a high Level Skill had a lot of interesting applications and it had led to any criminals that were troublesome enough to necessitate execution be slain by Ezekiel He hid his strength well but Ghost was confident that the diversity and power of the Skills he possessed made him a threat to anyone in the borderlands Plus he was loyal to Ghost

Would his son change that

From Ghost’s investigations Ezekiel was a divorced father and one that did not spend much time in his son’s life But there was something about family that made human’s extremely queer and it was worth watching out for

Even though Ghost had no observable proof yet that the Ghosthound boy was a threat there was the matter of his Elixirs With the information given by Ezekiel Ghost had run some very vague simulations in regards to the Elixirs He was not able to determine how they were created of course but based on his information he could guess at the recipe In addition to the heart of a powerful monster there needed to be a powerful reagent included as well as human blood to aid the transition To create such a powerful potion in such a small form was a testament to the young Ghosthound’s Skill

Perhaps some people would be disgusted by the thought of human blood in potions but it was a fascinating idea to Ghost He made a note to perform some experiments in the future The only problem

Ghost grimaced looking at the projection of his hands It was the same problem he always encountered he needed an agent to perform them to learn the Skills related to the experiments Ghost could do the same remotely with robots but he would earn no Skill Levels for doing it remotely And due to the nature of his true body

He looked down at the six inert bodies lying beneath the room frowning It was a great accomplishment that Dr Karman had made but he hadn’t truly understood the System none of them had Sure it recognized him as a being that could gain Levels and Classes but

That was only in a 10 meter radius around his body

Which was the whole reason that the drone initiative was necessary Ghost could create and design drones but as his designing was largely theoretical the Skill growth was slow His physical body couldn’t move so he couldn’t actually work with the materials Very soon his ability plateaued His plans for a drone army owned and made solely by him were put to rest

Perhaps this was best Ghost reflected It was very common in American history that certain powers be divided out of fear of a dictator Although it was likely inadvertent this kept Ghost from gaining enough power to make the human government superfluous

Ghost composed his reply instantly and sent his orders Watch the younger Ghosthound Don’t let him out of your sight Have the rest of the group proceed to the political center of Zone 32 They must locate their leaders and determine how much of a threat they post to Zone 1 Only take action if you are 100% you can kill without any knowing

To Ghost’s surprise a reply came back immediately

He already left He’s heading towards Zone 1

Ghost instantly activated his observation craft scanning the borderlands near Zone 1 and then when he found nothing he sent them farther afield

But then a ping came from a completely unexpected place Aldersburg which was the Northeast most border town There as bold as brass the younger Ghosthound was walking into town with a long stride There was a wide almost creepy grin on his face Shocked by how quickly the Ghosthound was able to move Ghost sent his observation drones closer

Definitely this one needed to be watched

The younger Ghosthound was speaking to himself

Is fun Is so fun Teehee Let’s make friend

Chapter 504

Randidly wasn’t able to learn the Illusion Skill that Simon provided for the Zone as he originally pledged to a different Champion to receive the Soul Bond Skill But he was determined and he had a lot of Mana to work with Although he had a lot of negative emotions towards Lyra he did learn from her how one could learn Skills the hard way

Unfortunately Randidly was not Lyra Fortunately Bruya’s skill with illusions had progressed to the point that her illusions would persist some time after she cast them As long as he didn’t move too quickly or use too many Mana based Skills that would interfere with the projection it would likely last for a month or two

Honestly they weren’t sure how long it would last The test they had conducted had only been a month and a half ago However it was more than enough for Randidly’s purposes Besides if there was an emergency heading back for it to be recharged would not be difficult

What was annoying was that Neveah had taken to Illusions like a fish to water In her broken but improving English she mocked him relentlessly

So two days after he had left the rest of his group Randidly was at a mid sized Village on the Western side of Zone 1 He had watched for the past two days and believed that this was a place that they wouldn’t look too closely at citizenship Or rather they needed labor so badly that the Tier of the citizen who did it didn’t matter

Besides who would want to work smelting steel for the new drone initiative If they didn’t pull from the populous without citizenship they probably wouldn’t be able to fill the factories

His face was nondescript and his hair was brown and to his ears His eyes were also brown He kept his body largely the same but added a bit of a belly to give him a more approachable vibe

It was a dingy smoky area about a mile out of the town proper and there was a steady flow of grubby looking people walking towards the door to the factory There was a gate there and a man standing on a small platform It had only opened a few days ago the day before Randidly came to observe and only now was it gaining momentum it seemed

There was a whole complex of freshly constructed factories next to the smoky factory they were entering but they required at least preliminary citizenship in order to enter into those areas The men and women around Randidly whispered that those factories are where they started to produce drones Within those buildings the designers and builders were quickly learning their art

But as it had only been open for a few days they couldn’t have earned many Skill Levels If a person received enough money to buy a preliminary citizenship then they began producing drones

It might seem like a lot now but 10 000 00 will come more quickly than you think The man on the platform was saying We will buy the steel ingot from you for 1 more if you smelt a rarer metal There are a few related Skills I can let you in on for a fee

There was grumbling from the crowd but several people went over to the attendant standing next to the platform willing to pay for information about the Skills The more quickly they raised those Skills the more money they could make

Randidly walked past this area into the factory proper He had done a lot of listening to figure out how he wanted to do this and the faster it could be done the better The factory operated 24/7 but a lot of the workers went home at night basically near the limit of even their System enhanced strength More than that they wanted to take the time to take some deep breaths

Steelmaking was simple if labor intensive Iron ore was taken first to be melted heat applied until only the raw metal remained Afterward the molten metal was taken to a blast furnace where a great deal of the impurities in the metal were removed in a highly pressurized environment Then to make steel a small amount of carbon was added to the iron giving it its increased strength

As the process was done in a pressurized environment and controlling the amount of oxygen was very important this made the labor exhausting even when an individual had a high Endurance Pre System people wouldn’t be forced to do this all manually but now there was no reason not to make these people do it especially when they were very cheap labor

10 000 ingots of steel huh Randidly said softly walking up to the trading station There he traded 5 of Zone 1’s dollars in order to purchase enough iron ore and compressed carbon to make 20 ingots worth of steel In addition he rented one of the smelting stations for 1 a day The man outside made it seem like it was a simple thing to make the steel but the owners of the factory made you pay for it every step of the way

Randidly also wondered where all this iron ore was coming from It was true that the System injected a lot of minerals into the environment but was there truly this much And who was mining it

Questions for another time For now it was best to focus on working up enough money to get the preliminary citizenship There it was said that it was possible to obtain Tier 1 citizenship if one became a successful drone maker Randidly’s eyes flashed as well as they could with his fake brown eyes

His rented work area was cramped but it had everything he needed furnace crucible blast furnace and workman’s gloves and apron Randidly didn’t bother with these He might regret it but it would just raise his resistances higher as well as Chosen of Fire

To start Randidly followed the instructions he had heard to forge the steel It was long hot work Very quickly he was sweating profusely no matter how high his resistances were He did gain a point in each of Fire Resistance and Chosen of Fire which was rewarding although it wasn’t the reward he wanted

The entire time of melting moving the molten iron to the blast furnace and then blowing away the impurities with pressurized air Randidly kept a very close watch on what was occurring However very quickly he was helpless Sure his Perception made seeing through the thin metal walls of the furnace rather easy but he had no real experience working with metal He couldn’t figure out what was going on within

At the end he poured his molten metal into the mold and let it cool All told 4 hours had passed There was no doubt in Randidly’s mind that he could definitely shorten this down to 2 hours with practice and perhaps 1 or 1 and a half with proficiency in Skills but it was still far far too slow Randidly’s high Stats made working through this level of exertion a sinch but it didn’t mean that he could easily speed up the time it took for the metal to melt

But Randidly had another plan entirely He had never really considered the typical methods of forging it to be worth his time Still it was definitely worth the experience of producing steel the hard way in order to understand the process

After the steel had cooled Randidly looked at it

It was about 1 meter long and was about as thick and wide as a brick But it was pure metal if a little speckled

Randidly frowned at his first ingot It seemed that it had not gone quite perfect Randidly could tell that the addition of carbon to the molten iron had not been done uniformly and there were clearly patches of different density Randidly pressed his thumb into it It was clearly hard not hard enough to stop his finger at full power but likely at the power that it truly was steel

The problem was that there were likely numerous flaws and Randidly couldn’t even see them He simply didn’t know enough about the metal Curious he brought the steel ingot he had created to the foreman a man named Davey

He eyed it as if it was the suspect in a murder well to be fair my first bit of steel wasn’t much better He grunted glaring at the metal

Randidly’s face twitched it had been a long time since he had felt so bad at something Since the System arrived he had been worse than other people in some areas sure but that was still just differences in mastery Here it seemed he was Insufficient

Well I can give you the dollar for it but only because it’s your first Davey finally announced taking the steel ingot I would however recommend purchasing the information regarding the Smelting Skills that’s really the area that you struggled

He gave Randidly the dollar and then was gone following the call of a tall grey haired woman Randidly considered this for a bit

Over the next two days Randidly continued to smelt the metal the old fashioned way without bothering to learn about the Smelting Skill There was even a point that he was prompted to learn the Skill but he denied it He had already used 5 of his 8 free Skills since obtaining a Class He would also likely need one in order to learn to make drones down the line he didn’t want to waste one now

During that time it was only by his 13th attempt that he produced a steel ingot that Foreman Davey accepted The rest he just snorted at and turned away

5 in materials two days at 1 apiece and 9 in revenue from selling the steel a 2 profit from 3 days Randidly said looking up at the sky He had learned a lot about the temperament of iron in the meantime and his powerful Perception and Control finally settled into use allowing him to minutely control the temperature in the furnace Unsurprisingly he had gained 2 Levels in Fire Resistance from brief burns and 7 Levels in Chosen of Fire

Randidly smiled at the overcast sky above him Then he turned and walked back into the factory He swore to himself he wouldn’t leave until he had enough money for preliminary citizenship

Chapter 505

The first thing Randidly did was to rent a larger work area This new area was on the west side of the factory which was largely unused Working with so much iron ore at once made it difficult to properly melt it all so most people preferred to use the smaller workstations It cost 5 a day but you would work with 20x as much ore Not that Randidly planned on using it for much he basically only needed the blast furnace to add the carbon

Aside from renting the room Randidly also spent all 92 of his remaining money in order to buy 368 units of iron ore Foreman Davey gave Randidly a strange look when he did it but said nothing

Randidly went to his first unit of iron ore smiling down at it

Extract He said focusing on the iron within the ore It quivered and Randidly’s smiled turned more serious

Ex tract Randidly emphasized his eyes blazing His Willpower bore down on the ore forcing the issue There was a crack and the outer layer of the ore disintegrate into dust What was left was a misshapen lump

Refine Randidly said

This time the metal obeyed immediately Randidly smiled

Hank knew something was wrong about this idyllic cabin next to a Danger Zone but he couldn’t figure out what exactly was going on

Problem 1 The group was never attacked The kid Nathan was skipping about working on tending the small garden around the thorny cabin The cook and his wife were tending to about a dozen different types of animals that they had domesticated and kept in a corral The highest of those was a Level 32 Hog which trundled back and forth snorting in derision whenever Hank walked past

Why were there no monsters attack this place Was it really so easy to start a farm out here in the borderlands

Problem 2 Every morning there was a pile of dead bodies waiting on the South side of the “safe area” Very quickly Hank and his crew grew familiar with the safe area because immediately upon walking past it there would be powerful monsters lying in wait In fact it seemed that whatever was acting to push the monsters away was known to them and they seemed to be waiting there surly

It was dangerous hunting because the monsters in the area were strong and vicious but they wouldn’t pursue Hank’s group back into the safe zone This added an element of unpredictable security that helped a lot with the hunting

Problem 3 The people of Zone 32 didn’t seem interested in the Elixirs at all They allowed Hank’s group to bring back the bodies of monsters above Level 55 trading each for an Elixir Even Hank participated getting himself a Focus Reaction and Agility Elixir All increased the Stat in question by 10 as predicted Now he was struck with the dilemma of whether to trade bodies for some of his less used stats or go with the risk of spending an Elixir and receiving nothing in return

In the wake of Randidly’s departure Ezekiel at first seemed relieved sinking back into his old snarky ways But he also was driven to extremes by the offer of the Elixirs and would spend most of his days out seeking monsters to trade for them Unlike Affina who gradually attempted higher and higher Leveled monsters Ezekiel always brought ones back at Level 55 57 but his hunting speed improved immensely over the days By this point he had used one of each of the Elixirs and was now asking for more in Intelligence and Endurance

Based on Ezekiel’s expression it seemed his second attempt went well and now he seemed intent on getting at least 20 for each Stat Hank understood the desire after all that would be an increase of 240 stats across the board Already the man had a taste of that and due to the drawbacks of his Class was especially drawn by the possibility of stats

But they had a mission And this place was starting to weird Hank out

The people were nice enough but the longer they stayed here the more he could sense the heartbeat of a secret One that all of the people here were protecting Hank was curious but these seemed like upstanding folk and he had no need to step on toes to satisfy his curiosity

Although Ezekiel didn’t like it he followed Hank and the rest of the group away as they continued on towards Zone 32 It was a short break but a timely one as all of them grew a noticeable amount in strength for staying there

As they were departing thecook and his wife joined Nathan at the edge of their area to wave them off Laurel spoke quietly as they walked away voicing Hank’s worried thoughts We grew strong just staying there for three days how strong do they have to be for this to be so While I was there I had no dreams only oppressive silence from the spirits Although we didn’t sense it we were in the grip of something there

We would know if we were strong enough Affina said her expression thoughtful

Ezekiel nodded Hank said nothing He simply turned and began to walk forward One step at a time

The purified and Refined iron ore was the easy part The only other task he required was to mix the carbon into the metal After all steel was the most commonly produced and bought by the factory Still there were other metals trades based on strange formulas which could be bought at a premium depending on how they fared in the tensile strength test

Humming to himself Randidly began melting 10 units of his purified iron ore in the crucible The blast furnace smoked and spat heat radiating off of it It seemed to be some portal to hell then a giant entrance to an unearthly tomb Very quickly the heat had reduced the metal to a liquid form It calmly bubbled in the superheated crucible

With a flick of the wrist Randidly produced Acri who was hiding up against the flesh of his right arm lurking under the illusion around him Randidly pointed to a giant monster femur laying on the work table in his station

Chop that up Finely please

Acri chirped its glee and began to slice and dice the bone with his head Such was his sharpness that even this bone of a Level 50 monster was easily dismembered by it Randidly turned his attention back to the molten iron before him regarding it carefully

Zone 1 was highly advanced and could no doubt produce steel of a very high caliber without the use of manual labor to get it They were prepared for the System after all and had set up specialty factories long before now Still they choosing to push for this now accepting a inferior grade steel now for the superior stuff that would likely come along later

Why Because they finally realized how weak that left him in the higher end when other people had been successfully using the System for so long

Well it wasn’t like Randidly couldn’t make use of his own knowledge to help them along a bit

Acri arrived at his side having swept all the thinly sliced shavings into a bowl Calmly Randidly stretched out his hand and dumped the shaving into the crucible Then he began to use small spurts of Gravity Affinity to mix the superheated metal and monster bone together He withdrew his hand The flesh was burnt and the bowl was charred but it was a small thing in the grand scheme of things

Within a second his flesh had healed He hadn’t received a Skill Level for it but Randidly knew it was only a matter of time This was just the beginning

What he hadn’t expected was that was the bone mixed with the metal the volume of the molten liquid would actually shrink Randidly frowned but would reserve judgment for now But it did have the side effect of only producing 9 ingots instead of the 10 he should have received based on the raw materials They were slightly darker than the steel typically was with something like a matte finish that didn’t reflect light

Randidly picked up one of the ingots and squeezed He smiled

When he showed 8 of his finished ingots to Foreman Davey The man seemed surprised He took a long look at the metal muttered something and tried to bend it with his hands Inwardly Randidly was impressed because he very slowly bent the ingot then bent it back into shape Then he flicked the metal with a fingernail

A clear ding sounded out Foreman Davey nodded vaguely

We’ll take all 8 of course although I’m not sure this one will hold its shape long term But I wanted to test it You pay for better recipes and mix them This isn’t a metal I recognize

Randidly shrugged I was a cook before I came here I know a little bit about using the System to help mixtures along

mm well it’s good metal I’ll buy as much as you can make What’s your name kid

Randidly froze He hadn’t thought about this and had to force out the first name that came to mind Baloo Erickson

Well Baloo pleasure doing business with you I’ll buy this for 2 50 an ingot The two men shook hands

Chapter 506

It was well within Randidly’s power to make a metal that was better than this Erickson Steel as Foreman Davey called it He explained to Randidly privately that once you had obtained preliminary citizenship you had access to an electronic market of sorts and could put metals you created up directly for sale

Currently he was sending the test piece of Erickson Steel off to a lab for some testing but had already sold the other 7 ingots to a friend of his Based on the pleased face that Foreman Davey was making he made a bit of a tidy profit too

Randidly perhaps could have kept up his word that he would not leave the factory until he had enough money to buy the preliminary citizenship but ultimately caution won out Rising so fast so quickly would likely get him noticed Aside from that he likely would still use this part of the factory to make his own metal for his drones unless there was a large number of high quality materials available for cheap Besides Foreman Davey was establishing his steel as a product already there was no need to rush The money would come

So after another two days of work and selling 40 more ingots to Foreman Davey Randidly left the factory and wandered into a nearby mining town that had sprung up near the factory Zone 1 took construction much more seriously that Zone 32 and there were already condos springs up with prices of hundreds of dollars a month in rent

Randidly eyed them dutifully Sure they were rather nice but

Walking past the condos Randidly reached the part of town where most of the normal steel workers lived and spent time Here the rent was somewhere between 40 and 70 which was still a large expense but it was much more in line with the money they were making right now Each and every bit of steel they made was a struggle especially in the beginning while their Skill Levels were rising

Considering that the money they spent on learning information about metal recipes and Skills Randidly wondered how they would ever make enough money to afford preliminary citizenship They probably wouldn’t for a long time that was likely the point

Randidly walked into a bar following the smell of half decent food He could have made his own of course but he had been seen talking with Foreman Davey while the other man had a pleased expression The workers would likely be curious That curiosity might turn into something more sinister if he allowed it to fester Although it went against his nature it was in his best interest to approach other people

Randidly grimaced

There was another big positive about coming out to socialize a bit of course His entire purpose here was to gather information For all that his perfectionist tendencies drove him to improve himself and his metal making process that was no reason to lose sight of that goal If he did not look he would not find the Creature

Not that the Creature would be lurking around a steel town but it was probably best to put his ear to the ground as soon as possible

No sooner had he sat down than a man walked over toward Randidly and joined him at the bar

Heya youngin I’ll be brief The man said carefully eyeing Randidly The man was balding with a thick patch of stubble on his face but his hands were active and strong There are other ways to access the markets than Foreman Davey I’ve seen the steel you made its good stuff But we can never get out of the factory if we don’t help each other If you need help or want to get a fairer price for your steel come ask for Ricky Stain at the high rises We will get you situated right

The man clapped Randidly on the shoulder using more force than was necessary When Randidly didn’t budge in the slightest the man’s eyes widened and he walked away a hint of fear in his face Randidly called the bartender over and ordered a beer

One drink and he grimaced again Jesus Christ even in liquor Donnyton was an order of magnitude above this Zone Or perhaps their strengths were just in different areas Some of these luxury items weren’t considered necessary by the AI that ran this place and therefore wasn’t emphasized Either way it was something of a disappointment and made his stay in this social setting all the more disappointing

Still he had come and been approached so that was probably enough right But Randidly was slightly curious as to how this Ricky Stain made money if he offered a better price than Foreman Davey It was something worth paying attention to if nothing else Perhaps all was not as peaceful as expected within the factory And in a post System world disgruntled workers were a hell of a lot more dangerous

Just as Randidly was about to rise the door opened revealing a young woman with a shock of orange hair Her cheeks were smudged with soot outting the fact that she had been working in the factory and long hours by the look of her With a sigh she collapsed into a seat three down from Randidly

Without even being asked the bartender brought the woman over a drink

A regular then ’ Randidly thought regarding the girl curiously Eventually Randidly thought enough time had passed for him to leave without it seeming to have been caused by the girl’s arrival Randidly made to stand but was stopped at the door slammed open again A man in a military uniform walked through the doors and looked around Spotting the woman he strode confidently over

I submitted the report as we agreed We should have word from Ghost within a few weeks The man said speaking overly loudly to the woman Randidly sighed and settled back down sipping his bitter drink This was the type that liked the attention he received from exposing his connection with Ghost it seemed

The young woman straightened her eyes bright A few weeks Isn’t Ghost a computer Why is it taking so long

Blinking the man seemed to falter Randidly readjusted his assessment A coward too then

There are there are channels The man said stubbornly This is an official process I was able to

Just leave The woman said dismissively dropping her head to the bar Trusting you was a mistake You probably lied about even seeing my brother

The military man’s hands clenched into fists Again Randidly moved his needle on the man he had temper problems

Don’t you dare sully my good name The man announced to the unamused tavern puffing out his chest I risked my career to help you and I’ll not have

Pah The woman spat at the man’s feet His face went red

Being only three seats over from the woman Randidly was very close to the yelling and was becoming annoyed They were only about a meter away from him Aside from Randidly and the bartender there was also a group of three men farther along the bar They looked at the military man as he entered then went straight to ignoring them

On the opposite side of the room two men in cloaks were sitting at a low table talking quietly Since the young woman came in the shorter of the two seemed transfixed staring at her

You’ll regret that The man hissed and he raised his hands above his head producing a long taser baton The man leaned back and put it over his head preparing to bring it down in a crushing blow towards the young woman

Which of course threw the end of the taser back in Randidly’s direction The fucking thing was about to hit Randidly’s head as the man performed a ridiculous windup for the blow Over some spit

Shaking his head Randidly reached up and grabbed the taser so he wasn’t poked with it The electricity discharged harmlessly through his body not even causing the twitch The military man tugged Randidly couldn’t see his face but assumed it was at this point that the man realized that something was going wrong with his strange burst of anger

And at that moment the shorter hooded figure appeared before the military man kicking the guy in the chest smashing him towards Randidly

A vein in Randidly’s temple throbbed

His hand blurred as he pressed his palm against the military man’s back The powerful force of the kick was slowly bled of as Randidly’s hand slowed his rapid speed and then Randidly pressed him to the side so he skidded off to the side diagonally not slamming into Randidly And based upon the speed the man was flying backward he would likely have been gravely injured if he had just smashed into the bar with that force

Rushing over and kicking had knocked back the hood of the cloak revealing a handsome man with curling golden hair His eyes widened in shock as saw the military man twist in some profound way skidding to the side out of his kick

The golden haired man’s eyes narrowed Who who are you There are not many men who can dodge my kick like that

The military man snorted and then turned and confidently walked out of the bar with his chest held high

Randidly sighed Yup just a coward

Chapter 507

The orange haired woman stood to thank her benefactor shock in her eyes She was a good 4 inches taller than him The two flirted for quite some time so much so that Randidly gave up on learning more about the creature and walked back to the factory early shaking his head Besides he had no interest in being pointlessly tangled up in more nonsense than he had to be

He spent another week working Extracting Refining and then mixing monster bones into the metals It was relaxing in a way and his Skills slowly ticked upwards as he continued to work However his most recent batch had a slight problem he had used a different type of monster bone so the metal was slightly different

This metal was more rigid harder and cracked rather than bent Almost helpless Randidly could only take it to Foreman Davey to be tested

Formula go awry The man asked curiously regarding the metal Randidly could do nothing but shrug

Finally after snapping two ingots Foreman Davey seemed satisfied I can still give you the 2 50 for this It’s more rigid but it has good strength I’ll take it all

So Randidly sold all 300 ingots that he had made netting himself 750 Including the money he had from his previous sales he had just below 1000 It was still quite a bit short of the amount required to buy preliminary citizenship but it would close that distance fast if he dedicated himself to it

Increasing the quantity would be easy Randidly had no doubt that he could do almost 1000 ingots a day But that might draw too much attention Best to keep the quantity constant while pushing the quality enough to make more money

Four hours later Randidly looked down at a metal ingot with chagrin It was a dull red but there were thin lines of emerald running through it which seemed to pulse with a strange light Randidly shook his head dourly He had spent the last hour trying to do ANYTHING to it but even with his prodigious strength he wasn’t able to bend or warp it

Acri could cut it but barely His blade got stuck into it after about a centimeter and it would pull itself out and complain to Randidly He shrugged helplessly It was gratifying that the mixture of a Level 65 spine and a bit of his own blood would result in such a powerful metal but it was too powerful Randidly stored it away and began to think about how he could pull back somewhat on the formula strength

Instead of the potion brewing portion of the process Randidly decided to focus his efforts on increasing the efficacy of the Extract and Refine portions If he could strengthen the base materials he wouldn’t need to work more ingredients into the formula yet

Plus the past two weeks of working with the metal further deepened his understanding of it The more he saw examples of pure iron and steel the stronger his image would be So Randidly took two days to just extract and refine working on forcing more out of his raw materials

When his progress was frustratingly slow with just the iron ore Randidly also began refining the bones he had Acri slice up This avenue bore fruit Not only did he gain quite a few Skill Levels in Refine for it but it also seemed to condense the strengths of the prior two metals into one

He was quite pleased when after only 8 days he returned to Foreman Davey with 100 ingots of the improved metal

You aren’t a lad that takes many breaks are ya Still this is good Better than good I’d like to buy this for myself 5 an ingot Foreman Davey said with a warm smile on his face Make sure you come to me with any more experiments eh

Foreman Davey walked off whistling in the smoggy and hot steel smelting factory Randidly shook his head filled with wonder

He sensed the other approaching but felt no real need to do anything about it It was only when a hand gripped his arm that he looked up finding himself face to face with a shaggy looking man with deep bags under his eyes

Even his smile felt tired and overused Congratulations brother It seems like you’ve been doing a lot of business lately It gives men who are down on their luck like myself some hope for the future Say since you’ve come into such a windfall how about a night on the town A friend of mine is throwing a party tomorrow and I’m sure I could get you an invite What do you say

Randidly’s immediate response was to open his mouth to say no but he thought better of it Although it would likely be a waste of time low profile is key From the way this situation was developing he might be muscled more directly into cooperating with these seedy elements if he didn’t seem willing to play ball

Beating the shit out of these people would draw attention to him if nothing else If they continued to push however Randidly intended to make them regret bothering him so insistently It had been a while and several hundred Intelligence since he had last exposed someone to the Pollen of the Rafflesia Randidly wondered if it would be too much at this point and just kill someone at this level

The greasy man nodded and then gave Randidly a few more details before leaving He barely heard the man just glad to be away After he was sure no one was watching him he looked up at the sky

Almost dusk Perfect Randidly walked out of town and into the growing darkness

The soft grass felt natural on Randidly’s feet One thing he profoundly disliked about Zone 1 was the constant presence of roads It made sense in an annoying way as the infrastructure here hadn’t been destroyed Therefore it was easy for truck and cars to continue to operate although the people here had been forced to get creative with their fuels But the more Randidly continued to not wear shoes the more he felt intimately connected to the world beneath him Through his toes he could feel the Earth breathing albeit very slowly

Now there were a few annoying instances where he dropped molten metal on his toes which made him curse viciously but that was worth a Skill Level in Fire Resistance so Randidly didn’t feel particularly compelled to change his ways But he had twisted and crushed that ingot into a useless bit of torn metal out of principle

Randidly came tonight out to the nearby forest in order to get in touch with his main goal for coming here locating the Creature

The factory complex was Southwest of the main Tier 2 city it was ostensibly a part of and the forest was a bit further west of the factory complex Far enough that a normal person without a vehicle would take about half a day to get there but to Randidly he could sprint that in an almost irrelevant amount of time Besides the main rail line that ran East and West was a few miles North This area was considered a dead zone population wise It was common to encounter monsters here so the average person avoided it Although they had the tools to deal with monsters at this level who would take the risk to deal with them They could get injured or worse killed

The people of Zone 1 preferred to leave these sort of things to the military police

Meanwhile Randidly allowed Acri and Sulfur to happily clobber the monsters here as they were between Level 5 and Level 20 Even Sulfur who had no offensive weapons to speak of could use his dense body to weigh down opponents and suffocate them with his carbon plates

Randidly almost felt bad releasing these two troublemakers among the monster populations here But it wasn’t really something he seriously worried about The only directive he gave to his Soul Seeds were to refrain from killing too many lest they attract the attention of either GHost or the Creature Or both if they were related

This area was also free of the cameras and sensors that Ghost maintained inside the city limits and the flyovers happened infrequently Based on his observations he had an 8 hour window from 11 PM to 7 AM with which to work By that time he would be back to the factory complex slaving away in the heat with the AI none the wiser Ghost would know he left the area of course But there were smaller hamlets dotting the countryside It wouldn’t be unreasonable for Randidly to be one of the refugees staying in the camps scattered for the population of Zone 1 without any citizenship

Not that there were rights given solely to those with citizenship but the way society was structured here your label was very clear

It was dark around Randidly and he stopped looking at the nearby trees Then he closed his eyes

Plant Dominance began to hum softly inside of himself as he spread his tendrils of will out to the plants in the area Very soon the whole forest was covered Every plant seemed to be invigorated by Randidly’s touch growing at an almost visible pace as his Mana flowed through them

To his surprise his ‘secret forest’ wasn’t as empty as he thought There were multiple farms in the deepest parts of it likely set up by people looking to escape the notice of the authorities Hopefully they realized that the ominous AI Ghost was able to spot the farms with its flyovers but it was likely too small of an issue for the machine to intervene directly They were safe although Randidly was more curious as to why they chose to set up here than anything else A quick questioning pulse revealed that the plants were of a grade higher than he had seen anywhere but Donnyton

“Interesting ” Randidly said aloud his eyes still closed Perhaps at some point he would need to go introduce himself to his new neighbors There seemed to be about two dozen of them but they stayed near their corner of the forest

The other surprise guest was a Tier II Raid Boss a Black Faced Monkey which seemed to detect the fluctuations of Randidly’s Skills The monster trembled gathering its young into the cave that was their main base This gave Randidly some pause Obviously they wouldn’t be a threat to him but they would be something that would catch the attention of the military should they become known That might lead to an investigation which would be unfortunate

It was too bad he hadn’t brought Nathan along with him here he would be interesting to see how the kid’s Class would interact with monsters He made a mental note to send a message to Dinesh to have them look into it

Chapter 508

Satisfied with his knowledge within the forest Randidly expanded his Plant Dominance to double its previous size Then he doubled it again and doubled it again Finally Randidly pushed with all he had and for a brief moment every plant in the Zone stood a little straighter channeling his energy

Letting out a long breath Randidly felt the throbbing in his head that indicated that he had run out of Mana Even with his enormous pool it wasn’t enough to fuel a connection with so many plants at once More than that it was a strain on his mental strength even with high Control and Focus There were simply too many variables But this was the best way that Randidly had discovered to ferret out information

It was only a general thing but Randidly could easily combine it with Aether Detection scanning a wide area if just briefly The results were confusing but they would give him a lead if there was one And after checking

Randidly’s expression turned grim It was just a general feeling a vague thing that he couldn’t put a finger on But the flood of information given to him by all those plants confirmed one thing the Creature had touched this Zone

Even with his prodigious Control it took Randidly several hours to sift through the information he had received there was simply too much of it to handle with any efficiency Even when he found traces of the foreign Aether that revealed the Creature they were only wisps only small echoes The Creature here was covering its tracks well

With a sigh Randidly opened his eyes Simply too much ground and his initial scan was too large and general There was simply too much ground to cover and he couldn’t uncover anything specific without a more focused search And as there wasn’t enough evidence to point to an area Randidly would have to manually spread his Skills over a smaller area in the future in order to find something

Just as he was about to leave he noticed that one of the people on the secret farm complex was wandering in the woods Curious he drank a Mana potion and activated Plant Dominance again using their queer senses to feel this body

As it turned out it was a small girl sitting and crying Ostensibly she was lost

Sighing again Randidly reached out and arranged roots to appear before her creating an arrow that pointed back towards her camp She gazed at it solemnly for several seconds before getting up and following the direction it pointed tottering through the dark night Although he couldn’t actually hear the vibrations produced by her sniffles were clearly transferred through Randidly’s plants He set up more arrows and then left the girl hoping she couldn’t get herself lost again

For the morning he could probably get another 50 or so ingots done and then for the evening Randidly supposed he would be going to a party

After selling another batch of ingots to Foreman Davey Randidly abruptly realized that he wasn’t sure what the man did with the ingots Was he one of the oft discussed drone creators If he was he didn’t spend much time actually making drones as most of it was spent here gathering materials from the workers

These past two weeks had seen an increase in the number of workers at the factory and almost ? of the workrooms were now full Luckily most people stayed in the smaller workrooms but there were others that had moved up to the larger volume ones as Randidly had He was keeping careful tabs of their production and used that to determine how many bars he could release without causing undue note

It honestly rankled Besides giving Randidly a more personal way to gather information this party would also stop him from producing more ingots that he would inevitably need to save for another day before he gave to Inspector Davey Holding himself back like this was tiresome Hopefully the oversight would be less when he had Probationary Citizenship

There was also a growing black market for metals and also different men who whispered of cheaper raw materials from unofficial sources It was almost fascinating enough to pay very close attention to the shift in culture because the changes were so strange

Because right now there were a lot of desperate talented determined people who wanted something and there were unscrupulous people willing to profit off of them As it became increasingly clear that they were getting exploited there was a growing surliness to the workers Their Skills were increasing and as they were doing that their sense of entitlement also grew

Not that it mattered much to Randidly There were several ringleaders emerging amongst the steelworkers who would take a reduced payment to give the same benefits of Skill and recipe knowledge from the factory This was explicitly banned but it was almost impossible to enforce so it happened quite frequently

The new batch of young ish metalworkers looked to these ringleaders and these ringleaders were some of the first people there who recognized Randidly as one of the more successful of them When the ring leaders passed Randidly and nodded a curt greeting they learned to do the same

Several had come to Randidly asking to be his apprentice and learn from him but the whole thing felt unnecessary considering his goals But at the same time there was another part of him that remembered his role in Donnyton as a guiding force and missed that experience But again there was only so much he could feasibly do without at least hinting that he was more than just an average guy with a knack for steel working

There was no harm in waiting so wait he did Opportunities would continue to come he had no doubt

Right as Randidly was walking back to the meeting spot the greasy man had indicated he froze Should he have worn something different

He looked down at himself leather shorts bare feet and a scuffed and burned t shirt Randidly scratched the back of his head It wasn’t like he didn’t have better clothes but This was a very serviceable outfit He had three pairs of the same thing and took it to the washers every couple days to be washed for a few dollars It made him look like a working man

After a bit of thought Randidly produced a pair of darker leather pants that he had received from some nice old man in Donnyton and a forest green shirt It wasn’t so fancy that it was uncomfortable but it also wasn’t just a workman’s shirt All in all Randidly was quite proud of himself

It wasn’t the finery that he had seen Donny strutting around in but he also didn’t seem like he was an Alana type that spent all his time working without a thought to aesthetics Even though he knew in his heart that Alana learned those habits because she was so furiously chasing his Level of strength

Randidly shook his head and then slapped his cheeks No point in dwelling on that now

Now was time to be charming

There was a squirming feeling in his gut

Ricky Stain smiled pleased with his small kingdom

Although he had struggled for a year just to obtain his Tier 1 Citizenship in this small steel working community it was like a king’s crown Everyone treated him with respect and those who didn’t were thoroughly taught a lesson by those who did and wanted to earn a few extra points with him

Because of his citizenship he had access to raw materials and areas that the others didn’t and with the information he had he began leveraging his already respectable savings Within a month Ricky had become a local Hegemon and was now spreading his fingers more actively into the darker side of the business boom

The truth was that Ghost wanted drones and he wanted people working to make them and improve their own Skills Because the directive came from Ghost a lot of the military was very hands off in their handling of the metalworking community Ricky dubbed Stein In fact aside from the wandering sheriff or ranger there were only two police officers who were regularly within Stein’s limits

And those visits were weekly at best

As such a rough sort of hierarchy was already starting to form Ricky intended to be on top of it Which was why he was throwing this party hoping to rope some of the influential workers in more fully and to pry others away from the influence of the staff at the factory

Because aside from Ricky and the military there was a third faction here the so called Analytics Team This was headed by an annoyingly present man Foreman Davey Ricky had some thoughts about striking against the man teaching him a lesson but the rumor was that he was above Level 30

Ricky shivered He didn’t mind offending some citizenshipless individuals but a Tier 1 citizen that was Level 30 Ricky wasn’t so far gone to think his influence could intimidate that man And who knows what forces Ghost had put at his disposal

No better to attempt the soft method and go for the workers

There were 5 that he was interested in specifically Tooya and Diego a pair of tan skinned brothers who had been particularly recalcitrant to his advances but were both known to be womanizers A tall grey haired woman named Sonya who had a dozen or so female assistants offering them shelter from the harassment of the male dominated factory

There was a suspicious old man named Gregory who would only smile in the presence of money And finally there was the intense pudgy man Baloo Erickson Each individual had their own benefits associated with them being pulled into Ricky’s sphere of influence but Baloo’s was the most compelling The man had been selling his unique Erickson Steel for a few days and already some outside sources queried whether they could get it for cheaper than the exorbitant 20 an ingot that Foreman Davey was selling it for

Around Ricky were tables of food some musicians a few of his preferred cronies who looked the right mixture of intimidating and enjoyable for a party and several women hired from an escort service run out of West Providence The guests would be arriving soon so Ricky snapped his fingers and the girls moved out talking with some of the men while others began dancing to the music

It had to be fun it had to be enjoyable

It had to be alluring

Smiling dreamily Ricky imagined that tonight would be a night he wouldn’t forget The night that Ricky became the Steel Baron of Stein and everything finally fell into place for him He couldn’t imagine what could go wrong

Chapter 509

Alan Howard believed in this remnant country and also believed that he was the man most fit to lead it Although it hadn’t been a close election he still felt some lingering shreds of worry over the outlook for his second election That of course wouldn’t be for two and a half years but Alan was never a man to let go of the small details He planned for problems well in advance

Which was part of the reason why the System was such a great frustration to Alan The threats it threw his way were unpredictable Those strange beings that descended and warned the countries of Earth before the System’s arrival did not stay they gave their warning some hints for how to proceed and then departed

There was no guidance here And Alan desperately needed some

Sighing he leaned back in his faux leather chair He wasn’t actually situated in the White House unfortunately which also irked him That part of D C hadn’t become a part of Zone 1 They mostly received a lot of the research complexes and military bases around the South of D C As such this was simply a replica

Alan’s intercom buzzed Father Foster is here to see you Mr President

Send her in Alan grunted puzzling over the figure of Father Foster Although she was a woman she led a rather large and growing religious group that insisted on calling her Father Foster They were an offshoot of Christianity and a strangely extreme one But the only way that religious groups survived the Systems arrival was by doubling down and this group was no exception

They believed that the System was a construct of the devil and that as much as possible people should avoid being tainted by it They at least recognized the necessity of some members being cursed by Skills and Classes to defend them but the religion preached willful ignorance of the System’s ways The people did their best to ignore the woes facing the wider area of Zone 1 and isolated themselves

Normally this group would likely have just been wiped out by a Raid Boss But this Father Foster was particularly shrewd and she gathered some very powerful Classers to her side They bore the weight of humanities sins to protect all she said Theirs was a grand sacrifice

Alan couldn’t help but notice that it kept all power focused solely in a few influential pairs of hands But it was too late to do anything about that An unfortunate coincidence of being one of the only surviving Christian churches and having land to spare for refugees meant that Congress had thought it a good idea to use them as a resource to ease people into the life in the System

What it ended up doing was giving the cultist group a steady stream of scared and alone people to recruit from The UHF took the cream of the crop for their own purposes of course but a lot of talented people went under the sway of Father Foster The UHF crew was talented but they didn’t know how to spot integrity or fighting skill That wasn’t what they were trained to do

Six months out from the relocation efforts Alan realized what a mistake it was to let this petty character control the fates of so many But like all things this knowledge came far too late for Alan to do anything about it

Serenely Father Foster walked into Alan’s office She was a woman in her early 40s with long blonde hair and purple bags under her eyes At first Alan had assumed that the bags were a holdout from drug addiction but higher Vitality generally cleared up those symptoms in all people The longer they persisted the more perplexed Alan became but he was ever the politician he would take his unseemly questions to his grave

Father Foster smiled at Alan Ah Mr President how wonderful to see you well

The bags under her eyes were larger and more glaring if anything The feeling is mutual Alan said smoothly indicating a chair She sat

After several long seconds while the two people sized each other up Alan spoke with a careful tone If I’ve been informed correctly you have some complaints about the most recent batch of refugees that we have sent to your area

An easy expression on her face Father Foster nodded Yes I do not mean to criticize your methods but you go to great lengths to inform the people you liberate about the devil’s System Commendable and in a vacuum valuable but I feel that it is more harmful than helpful considering they will come into the loving embrace of God’s chosen

Not even Father Foster’s bland statements were enough to cause Alan to roll his eyes You are requesting them sent over more quickly

In a sense Father Foster seemed to think about it In her mind she was undoubtedly trying to grapple with the ungainly reality of dealing with someone who was effectively a heathen in her eyes If that is the optimal way to accomplish it that is fine There have been several incidents recently where new arrivals talked overmuch of the outside world and the horrors that befall the unenlightened Ah Mr President don’t think we don’t respect the sacrifices you make to protect us we are eternally grateful and venerate you for the sacrifices you have made But I think your crash course in our modern world makes them feel that endangering their own souls is a necessary evil when it is not

Alan’s eyes flashed Even though he was growing increasingly annoyed Alan kept his language as neutral as he could manage After all Father Foster was ahead of a growing congregation Almost 200 000 people attended one of her affiliated churches on a daily basis She was not a constituent to take lightly You mean to say you wish we would not provide to them the benefits of our accumulated knowledge of the System

The room became silent for almost a minute Alan mulling the information over And from the expression on Father Foster’s face she knew she had already won

Alan wouldn’t go so far as to label the group as a dangerous element but they were becoming something much more unpalatable in recent months Their distaste for the System was shared by many people and those accumulated emotions created a bond between displaced people Feeling unsafe finding solace in god was a historic pastime But with the looming threat of this new Zone that appeared eminently capable Alan was losing his patience

Finally he said I understand your religious motivations but from a secular point of you can you understand why I think that might be shortsighted If some new facet of the System causes unexpected danger your people might be exposed to something they have no knowledge of

We appreciate your concern Father Foster interrupted a small smile on her face Below her eyes the bags were like rotting plums But I assure you that if not in details we cover the general idea in our sermons Besides what adult does not know the evil of this world As children we are born pure closest to God Every new vision is another miracle with God’s hand clear and his grace delightful But as more and more information is revealed we learn about jealousy selfishness limitations and rules we hear about murder and rape about monsters and demons Do the details really matter

Alan mulled that over for a bit and was about to respond when Father Foster continued

Besides if the scenario you speak of comes to pass and a calamity befalls our little enclave would that small amount of information make any difference

To that Alan could think of nothing to say Father Foster’s smile was smug

Randidly idly sipped his drink unsure what he was doing at this party

Well there was no need to think about it as a party in quotes This was an actual party It reminded Randidly of the parties that you would see in Romantic Comedy movies before the System arrived The venue was the penthouse apartment in those expensive condos near the factory There was a DJ playing out by a pool and it seemed like three or four attractive people were on every couch and in front of each painting laughing uproariously at a recent joke

Overall Randidly found the whole thing incredibly insufferable In addition he had spent several of his first 10 minutes here sneezing repeatedly Some of the women and men in attendance had easy smiles and soft hands that revealed them as trucked in help and not steelworkers and the cologne was thick in the air

Finally Randidly discovered a buffet table and helped himself to some ribs and mac and cheese Although the ingredients were somewhat different than his childhood the whole experience was remarkably nostalgic It tasted like cafeterias and childhood and was a far cry from the current world of monsters and Skills For a few minutes Randidly was at peace shoveling the food into his mouth careful to not spill on his nice forest green shirt

The outdoor pool area was connected to a long hallway that led to a kitchen and a bar as well as the bathrooms There were two in this apartment Randidly was currently in a sunroom that was the nearest room to the pool side of the hallway with windows to look out at the pool area and the developing town below

With his extremely high Perception it was easy to listen in on the conversation Aside from the absolutely obnoxious flirting from the Tooya and Diego most of the talk was on the latest rumor that the Zone was slowly expanding the time freezing barrier creeping backward Apparently in the North a whole suburb was revealed Just like that 10 000 new souls were added to Zone 1

Randidly was making plans to check on whether this was true when someone walked into the room

Ah Randidly said standing Hello Sonya

Chapter 510

The grey haired woman nodded at his words after she had schooled her face from the shock that was there previously Apparently she hadn’t considered that someone else was bold enough to open a random door and squirrel themselves away

Mr Erickson I’m surprised you let the factory long enough to attend this Sonya said a touch of irony in her words

Randidly’s lip curled but he said nothing Truly she was right

She joined him on the couch with her own plate of food and drink and for a long time they simply sat there After a few minutes of tension something eased between them as both of their unconscious acknowledged each other as fellow introverts Both preferred this silence vastly to the frantic energy of the party

It was only after Sonya produced a bottle of wine from her interspatial watch and offered some to Randidly that they spoke again Mostly they spoke of steel prices and whether they were being skimped on it They were both aware that stirring up negative emotions in regards to Foreman Davey was the point of the party and while Randidly was satisfied from the straightforward impression that Foreman Davey gave him it seemed Sonya was waivering more

They shared several drinks Catching Sonya’s eyes wandering in a strange way Randidly abruptly realized that this woman probably had a Vitality total that might not even be ? his Drinking a whole bottle of wine probably wouldn’t knock her unconscious but some of her reasoning would be inhibited Perhaps that was the reason for providing so much free alcohol

Randidly was about to suggest they switch to water when Gregory Muldane another influential steelworker surreptitiously opened the door and snuck in He froze briefly when he spotted Randidly and Sonya but his wizened and twisted face quickly bloomed into a smile

So you guys too eh He said throwing himself down between Randidly and Sonya Randidly saw with a sinking feeling he carried his own bottle of wine But very quickly he forgot about that as talk turned from the politics of the steel factory to the particulars

They talked about shifts in purity in the ore and the optimum temperature for the blast furnace and the time the carbon splicing could occur before impurities would emerge in the metal To his surprise Randidly found himself so taken with the frank and open the way these two people were talking that he revealed the general idea behind his Erickson Steel the fact that he used a method to mix in the bones of monsters into the metal

Both considered that for a long time slowing sipping their drinks Outside the party was going full swing The two idiots Tooya and Diego were dead drunk their arms draped around petite women heedless of the calculating looks in the eyes of the waitstaff and bartenders

Still within the safety of the small sunroom Randidly finally felt like he felt a place to relax Although Randidly didn’t intend to dedicate himself to this fully he still found the process of making the metal to be incredibly fulfilling Hard work is sometimes its own reward and comparing knowledge Randidly felt like he was among peers in metalworking at least

These two would likely have even more exaggerated results if they possessed Randidly’s stats and Skills

The next thing that took Randidly by surprise was words out of Sonya’s mouth very soon after a small burp That woman is really pretty She’s been looking at me

Both Randidly and Gregory looked up curiously Sure enough a curvaceous woman in a turquoise dress was leaning up against the side table by the pool She had wide set eyes and soft looking lips As Sonya indicated her eyes had wandered away from the party and locked on their figures through the window

When Gregory and Randidly looked at her she smiled as if she had a secret that she was only willing to share if they came over Instantly Randidly was put on guard

Gregory giggled Ohoho what a pretty young thing

Shut up you old pervert Sonya said slapping Gregory good naturedly Both of them stunk of alcohol There were four empty wine bottles on the floor She was looking at me Let’s go talk to her

Uh Randidly began but they were both standing

They cast impatient glances his way and then walked off arm in arm

Uh Randidly said again slowly standing Then he sighed Gathering information was the point He had already learned a bit about the profit margin that Foreman Davey was making on him and the situation with the expanding Zones He would likely learn more if he went out there So he followed them

Ah our main guest arrived

Griffith smiled coolly at Ricky Stain as he hurried over to greet him at the door

Griffith knew why Ricky wanted him here Ricky was only a Tier 1 Citizen and wanted the legitimacy that Griffith provided As a Tier 2 Citizen who had gone with the initial exploration party into the borderlands Griffith’s influence was not small His presence at this party would likely give weight to the appeals that Ricky was making Besides Griffith’s appreciated the significant upfront money Ricky was willing to pay as well as the portion of his business that he would give to Griffith in exchange for his appearance

It wasn’t fear that drove Griffith away from the expedition after the initial disasters but rather a seemingly impassable wall Although Griffith was almost Level 40 he had felt helpless before those Level 60 monsters in the borderlands They were too quick to hit with a plasma rifle and even when you did they often could survive the shot long enough to kill five men under constant fire

It was a bitter realization But Griffith accepted it So he returned to the relative safety of patrols and made some money where he could on the side to make up from the decrease in pay from his change in employment This one night would do a lot to relieve the financial burdens in which Griffith currently found himself

Come in come in Ricky was saying his eyes slightly glassy The party is going very well The steelworkers are taking the bait hook line and sinker hahah

Ricky handed him a drink but Griffith was relatively unamused As he was going to be owning a part of Ricky’s business he would like to see some proof before he relaxed Where are they

After leading him out to the pool deck Ricky pointed to two Hispanic men who were taking shots off of an Asian woman’s stomach There are two And the others Uh Oh there they are

Griffith followed Ricky’s upraised arm to a group of three that was strolling towards a beautiful

Griffith almost dropped his drink When he looked at the group of three one of them was gazing back at him with sharp brown eyes That gaze cut right through him left him feeling just as bare as if he was being hunted by a Level 60 monster But just as soon as their gazes met the other man looked away turning towards the beautiful woman Griffith instantly became serious

One thing he learned in the borderlands was to trust his instincts And instantly his instincts warned him against letting his guard down around this man

Ignoring the throbbing beat of the music Griffith turned to Ricky All those three are steelworkers

Ricky nodded an empty smile plastered on his face After a deep breath Griffith breathed back Then let’s go and introduce ourselves

Tatiana looked up a with a smile as the three approached her as if she had only just now noticed their approach As if she hadn’t tagged them gently out into the party with a smile a minute ago Do you three believe in magic

The three of them stopped The tall woman who led them seemed to be the drunkest of them all and was completely flummoxed by the statement The lean old man next to her seemed strangely gleeful but she appreciated how his gaze flickered over her body but he had the presence to not linger overmuch on any of her

The final man was tall but was somewhat pudgy But his eyes were sharp and direct gazing with an innocent curiosity at her

She laughed in a self deprecating way as she spread her hands wide in invitation I mean it’s silly to say now isn’t it But I’m not talking about that boring magic I’m talking about the future Would you like me to tell your fortunes

Chapter 511

Randidly paused considering what a fortune of his might reveal If it was an actual Skill she was using it might be troublesome But then again it might also give him some warning of what was to come Perhaps the Creature had a trap ready and was waiting for him this whole time Wouldn’t knowing be better Could this woman really tell his fortune

Yes Sonya blurted out the desperation clear in her eyes The beautiful woman smiled sweetly then looked over their shoulders to scan the party Randidly noticed how her eyes changed then as she looked around Before she was out to charm them and draw them in But when she looked around the party there was only iron in her gaze Was she here in some supervisory role then

The woman’s hair was up in an intricate braid that oozed class and sophistication Curious Randidly attuned his senses a little more directly to her felt her heartbeat and the soft sound her skin made as it brushed up against the fabric of her dress It honestly made Randidly feel somewhat guilty that he was scanning her so closely But it did confirm that she carried multiple weapons on her person she was not as simple as she seemed

Her eyes refocused and the beautiful dark haired woman offered her hands to Sonya I’m a palm reader so all I’ll need is your name lovely and your hand

The word lovely left Sonya as gushy and melted as butter on a cast iron skillet With obvious excitement she spoke in a whisper trying her best to mirror the other woman’s flirty manner Mm uh it’s Sonya

With gentle fingers the woman took Sonya’s fingers in her own The woman’s gaze was careful going over the entirety of the skin and joints of the hand There was no haste in her movements and at that moment her focus was entirely concentrated on Sonya Waiting silently Sonya’s face slowly became increasingly red

There is a sharp branch in your future The woman said gazing down at Sonya’s palm Randidly remained silent Perhaps initially it will not seem like much of a difference but this decision will tie your destiny to another’s And it is not the individual that you think As time goes on you will either regret the decision or grow to realize it was one of the most important in your life

And tonight Sonya said swaying slightly Sudden boldness seemed to suffuse her and she took a step forward What do you see in my future tonight

Randidly looked over at Gregory and then winced The man’s eyes were sparkling with obvious interest This was slightly disgusting Randidly glanced around No one else seemed to notice their group isolated on the opposite side of the pool from the main part of the party But then Randidly forced his gaze back trying his best not to withdraw into himself

With careful hands the woman folded Sonya’s fingers back into her palm Then she spoke in a breathy voice Warmth

Then after Sonya had taken a second to take it in the mysterious fortune teller turned to Gregory How about you sir would you like your fortune told

Gregory waved his hand No no I’m much too afraid someone will tell me I’m about to die I prefer to ignore the future as much as possible I’d much prefer to watch

Nodding the woman turned and looked Randidly directly in the eye It was so sudden that he almost blinked Although he didn’t notice it at the time it had been quite some time since someone had met his gaze so directly and held it during a conversation And you sir Do you have a bright future you’d wish to share with me Tell me your name and let’s find it together

Inwardly Randidly was taking notes to try some of these techniques later in his own conversations But he still couldn’t pull away from the conversation itself So he cleared his throat and said How about a trade A name for a name Mine is Baloo Erickson

Tatiana She said with a smile Her lips were soft and sensual drawing across the air like brushstrokes to create her words Immediately she scanned over his shoulder again looking at the party and then reached for his hand But before she could take it two people broke into their circle

Inwardly Randidly was slightly disappointed Maybe it was the small trace of alcohol in his system but he decided to let her read his fortune What was the worst that could happen And he was very curious about this strange social creature in front of him that seemed so different than himself

I hope you are enjoying the party Ricky Stain said with a wide smile I see you’ve met Tatiana Such a charmer right She came highly ah she’s one of my favorite friends

Ricky Stain clearly was going to say something offensive so he changed his language at the last second Still he felt Tatiana’s stance shift slightly a wall coming up Her body language changed slightly

Randidly didn’t like Ricky The man was clearly willing to cut Randidly in on a larger share of the profits of selling steel but that was a small thing that would only affect him for a few weeks Stain’s integrity was not a small thing

It was bad enough to have a name like Stain but did he really have to live up to it

Tatiana Sonya growled raw hunger in her voice Only now did it seem that the name had drifted through the smog of intoxication to land upon her brain

And this Ricky Stain said pointing to the muscular man next to him Is Griffith Lipschitz a business associate He is a Tier II citizen so he helps arrange for all of my raw material ties

In this Zone there was a large emphasis on what citizenship tier a person was Randidly only had seen a small portion of it like being required to have probationary citizenship to work on the drones and scaled pricing for the train tickets based on your Tier In addition there were clearly caste elements emerging as the few Tier 1 individuals who came into the steelworkers part of town had smirks on their faces

Both Gregory and Sonya seemed to lose some of their tipsiness by the reminder of their lower station with wide eyes To a person without citizenship a Tier 2 Citizen was far above them Randidly supposed This was certainly the highest Tiered person that Randidly had run into He supposed most of the important people were exploring the borderlands

To everyone’s Griffith stepped towards Randidly and offered his hand My name’s Griffith it’s a pleasure to meet you Sir I couldn’t help but notice your bearing Did you serve previously I’d love to know how you ended up here

My bearing ’ Randidly wondered He suppressed an impulse to awkwardly scratch his head

Inwardly he could sense Lucretia’s amusement She spent most of her time handling the affairs of his inner world so it took him somewhat by surprise What was worse Neveah also sent a mental message

Bearing important Strong jaw firm resolve hmm hmm Inspiration

Then her consciousness went off Exasperated Randidly wondered what she had gotten up to in Zone 1 She was supposed to be acting as a distraction but he supposed it was good that he hadn’t heard any news of her doing anything catastrophic After all she was using his face while she was here At least he thought she was

Randidly refocused on Griffith Well the fact that he could recognize Randidly’s strength through the illusion was impressive Still Randidly had to admit that he usually was constantly utilizing most of his Yggdrasil Skills At that Skill rarity they tended to show through Yea I suppose you could say that I came here to learn more about the world There are some things you can’t discover from fighting

Randidly spoke slowly carefully checking his story mentally Then he turned to regard Tatiana My name’s Baloo Erickson This fortune teller was about to give me my fortune perhaps if you stay to watch we can both learn something

She does palm reading Gregory supplied his expression tight and unreadable

Then everyone was looking at Tatiana expectantly Randidly offered her his hand Ricky Stain kept giving him but Randidly ignored it as best he could There was a moment of indecision and confusion in Tatiana’s eyes a small thing Her face didn’t even mood But Randidly could clearly feel that she was torn

Then she laughed her nose wrinkling up I’m really nothing so glamorous as a fortune teller but I do have some gypsy blood Can you tell Come give me your hand

Their hands touched As soon as it happened Tatiana’s eyes once again twitched She felt something then Randidly leaned forward curious If her Skill was powerful enough if he could obtain a clue here

You fucking bitch

Violent words ripped across the night There was a sound of impact of flesh on flesh Almost as one the group turned looking over toward the source of the sound Tooya stood tall above an Asian woman his eyes red and furious His brother was next to him his face surly as he joined his brother in glaring

Before he even realized what was happening Randidly felt the vegetation around him explode into motion Grass elongated and stretched up the side of the building running along the support pillars But then he hesitated forcing that impulse down His toes flexed It was discomforting to not be touching the ground although the threads of energy could still climb up through the rock and metal to reach him

And considering the cause of the commotion using a Skill wasn’t even necessary

Besides it seemed he didn’t even need to act Beside him the air around Tatiana became frosty

Chapter 512

Tatiana’s eyes shot open then they narrowed This was a yell she recognized one she had heard far too many times in the past to mistake The man Tooya was standing above Kari glaring down at the fallen women There was a fresh red mark on the side of her face where he had struck her

Then things began to happen very quickly

Her hands clenched into fists There was a hand in hers but it had slipped from her mind in the heat of the moment Abruptly she felt a flash of concern Her Strength wasn’t something normal people could take and she released the man’s hand Hopefully he would forgive her later

Then everything was lost in a flood of red as Tooya raised his hand for another blow

Ricky Stain was talking next to her Hey now none of that at my party

Launching herself forward Tatiana ripped through the 10 meters of space across the pool in a single step When she landed she leaped again and found herself next to the infuriated man and his grinning brother

It was that grin that did it It reminded Tatiana of grins she would rather forget

Her Sinister Presence smashed outward with all of the fury she could muster Intimidating Figure kicked on as well as Ambitious Strength The brother stumbled backward away from Kari while Tatiana’s hand casually rose and stopped Tooya’s next blow

For several seconds Tooya struggled as the brother regained his feet Almost at the same time they realized what had happened Their eyes narrowed in just the same ways they were truly related and the traits they shared were not ones that Tatiana would consider desirable She suppressed the urge to strike to man and kept her voice even Around them the party was slowly grinding to a halt

Take a step back

Tooya seemed to finally realize what was happening and why And there was only incredulity in his eyes All this for a fucking slut She was

Tatiana flexed her hands and her power gauntlets came out of her spatial watch and formed around her hands Back the fuck off you prick

Across the pool Ricky Stain was shouting The brother drew a plasma pistol but before he could get a bead on her a hand grabbed his wrist and forced the pistol down Griffith stood there towering over the brother

No need to escalate this He said calmly His gaze slid to Tatiana There was a warning in his eyes He would stand with her as long as she didn’t seek any retribution His gaze traced her gauntlet then flicked back to Tooya

Then as one Tatiana and Griffith realized that neither had paid close enough attention to Tooya

If you don’t let me go I’ll blow you the fuck to smithereens Tooya raved waving around a plasma grenade in his free hand Luckily Kari seemed to finally come to herself and she scrambled up and out of the middle of the standoff Someone in the crowd caught sight of the weapons and one person began to scream

Then dozens joined and people rushed away from the group standing around the pool

You’ll die too I’ll only have a scar Tatiana hissed hating that she would be forced back by this man’s idiocy

His eyes were gloating and vicious You think I won’t

No you won’t

The man Baloo was there and plucked the plasma grenade out of Tooya’s hand No he ripped it out of his hand breaking several fingers in the process The man began to howl The grenade beeped as it engaged Without a care Baloo tossed the thing into the pool

Even with the water that Griffith was saying but then the grenade went off a geyser of superheated steam and water shooting upwards in the air A shockwave of air hit the group staggering most of them Steam billowed outward blanketing them all Tatiana’s initial thought was that the plasma would eat through and drop on the apartment below but then she stood and spun because the brother had come free Griffith had let go when the shockwave hit

The brother was aiming but not at her Her guard slackened and she opened her mouth to warn Baloo but the brother already fired The bolt of plasma streaked towards the man

and he casually reached up and caught it then tossed it to the side Then as if it stung a bit he shook his hand vigorously as if to dislodge any remnant pieces

Did Baloo have some sort of gauntlet equipment too ’ Tatiana wondered But then she snapped back into focus and spear tackled Tooya to the ground before he could regain his balance With her non gauntleted hand she punched him hard enough to break his jaw Just one for the one hit he landed on Kari Then she stood

Griffith knocked out the brother Baloo stood there casually seeming to ignore the superheated steam The pool was a smoking crater barely any water remaining

It seemed the party was over

There was a cough

So The woman Sonya said swaying as she walked over towards them Who is up for a nightcap

The bars that serviced the steelworkers were always open It wasn’t Randidly’s first choice but he was annoyed that the asshole Tooya had interrupted him from getting his fortune told To his delight Tatiana agreed to meet them for drinks after she had checked in on the woman who had been hit Griffith agreed to come too

It’s rough out there Griffith was saying as the group sat in the corner of the bar where Randidly had been approached about this party They had gathered a small crowd of steelworkers who were listening intently to Griffith’s story The monsters in the borderlands they are made on a different scale Before 50 each one gets stronger as they Level but now they get smarter too I don’t know how much you pay attention to Ghost’s quarterly information releases but immediately after the borderlands opened up he released a supplement confirming that monsters had Skills

Before no monster had bothered to Level them Now it’s all they do They were designed to kill

Maybe A steelworker said as Randidly flexed his hand underneath the table But the Tier 5 guys can handle it This is what they trained for

Griffith just sighed Surprising himself Randidly spoke up eventually yes Griffith isn’t saying they can’t he’s saying that in the past there were Levels stats and Skills Levels could be adjusted humans would have higher Skills and monsters generally have higher stats But now the monsters have higher stats and higher Skills Until the people can get their Skill Levels up to match it will be hard And as the difficulty of Leveling gets so high above 50

Above 50 Has someone reached it A young man asked looking with bright eyes at Randidly He opened his mouth then closed it shrugging Well yes someone had but no one you would have heard of

The discussion was about to resume once more when the door to the bar opened Tatiana stepped through looking exactly like a woman who wandered away from an opera into the wrong part of town But despite the fact that she wore a cream dress covered in the prints of blooming golden flowers she confidently walked into the bar scanned around and made a beeline for their table

Feeling somewhat unsure the steelworkers shuffled out of the way She smiled at them kindly Please excuse me

It wasn’t that there were no female steelworkers or that their steel town was so small and stuffy that there weren’t any pretty women here but Tatiana truly was at her best when eyes were on her She had a strange ability to captivate She was the perfect foil to Randidly or perhaps the old Randidly Begrudgingly or not Randidly was slowly learning to deal with people It was much easier now when the people here didn’t know him as the Ghosthound Gave him a blank slate to start from

After Tatiana sat most of the steelworkers slowly started to drift away giving her awed glances Then their gazes turned envious as they looked at Griffith Randidly and Gregory but still they left To them it was probably clear that Tatiana came for a discussion that they wouldn’t be privy to

And when the last person had drifted off she started talking and it wasn’t what Randidly was expecting

Thank you Both of you

Chapter 513

“If you hadn’t intervened ” Then Tatiana paused She smiled shyly at Randidly ” well mostly your actions were extremely effective at diffusing the danger of the situation If things had escalated and you two weren’t there I suspect some of my girls would have been injured So again I am in your debt “

Sonya was snoozing quietly leaning against the wall Next to her Gregory was slowly nodding off Their lowered Vitalities were finally overwhelmed by the drink they had consumed Sonya would be quite upset that she missed this seductive woman in her new dress Randidly reflected

‘Ha did you calculate the volume of water it would take to neutralize the plasma on the fly ” Griffith asked turning to Randidly

Awkwardly Randidly could only shrug Griffith began to howl with laughter Tatiana raised her hand to cover up her own smile In order to change the subject Randidly said to Tatiana “Your girls “

“Ah Well as you may or may not have guessed Mr Stain hired several high end escorts to attend the party Although I came to work I am a part owner of the establishment that he shopped at Tatiana Rhubarb businesswoman palm reader Tier 1 Citizen at your service ” She performed a little bow To the side Griffith was still chuckling

“Ah forgive me for being a bit shocked ” Randidly said “But I’m surprised businesses like that are still around with the System’s arrival and all But I suppose “

Randidly froze He had been about to say that he was from a different Zone with less population Shrugging he left the sentence unfinished

Tatiana shrugged “You have a point but it was just coincidence that it turned out this way A lot of the apartments that the girls were staying in were included in the Zone Basically all of the management too These girls had been doing it before and there was still demand for it after the initial chaos died down So why not continue Not everyone has the strength of will to risk their life fighting monsters Others prefer a softer approach

“Plus ” she added “They were also weak to the draw of the Leveling To see themselves Leveling their charm and ah service related Skills brings a certain amount of satisfaction It’s what they were good at before and earned them PP quickly now Why would they do anything else “

Randidly couldn’t think of anything to say Luckily Griffith had recovered enough to join the conversation

“It is pretty hard to imagine things like that going on when youare on the frontlines fighting monsters Or if you are in a place like this that actually produces the products that those people rely on for safety Easy to lose touch with how the other half lives But the government takes a big slice of everything Such is the way of things “

“Well anyway ” Tatiana said “I suppose there’s no reason to bog down the conversation with political complaints I might pick up bad habits I wouldn’t want to call a general a spoiled moron the next time insults the chef that prepared his filet during our date Here is my card If you ever need anything “

She placed two cards on the table sliding them towards Griffith and Randidly but as she did so her watch lit up and began to chirp

“Ah apologies It’s my business partner Please excuse me ” Tatiana stood with an apologetic smile “Perhaps another time for the palm reading “

“Actually I should be going too ” Randidly said He needed to get back to work in the Steel factory He was pretty excited to try out some of the things he had learned at the party talking to Sonya and Gregory Nodding Griffith stood too He provided his number as well and the three agreed to meet again They left Sonya and Gregory there at the table snoring away with the tab waiting

As they all split up Randidly wondered whether these numbers were useful to him After all he didn’t have one of their weird watch phones Were they hard to get Who could he ask without seeming like an idiot

Hank looked up and sighed They felt it as soon as they passed the invisible barrier they had left the borderlands Zone 32 lay sprawled before them

It had taken much more time than Hank had expected almost two weeks It made the fact that the thorny house had appeared after two days all the more impressive It turned out that the two Zones were on a direct line East/West from each other Even though the entrance to the borderlands was to the Northeast portion of Zone 1 what you had to do was head Northeast and then swing around to head Southeast which took a bit of time for Hank’s group to realize

However it made more sense when Alan reported to him that the Zones were slowly expanding Perhaps soon the entire portion of their East/West connection would be revealed This prospect excited Alan who already had plans to expand the manatech line to facilitate trade Hank was more cautious

They hadn’t met anyone else form Zone 32 but that first group had left a powerful impression on him Before they tied their fate too closely with this group of people they needed to feel them out a bit

“What is that ” Affina asked her blind eyes turned forward toward the new Zone

Hank squinted “It looks like a fog bank in that valley Can you feel the weather somehow That’s mighty impressive “

“No I cannot ” Affina said shaking her head “But there is something something special about that area that I can feel “

“There is something inside that fog ” Laurel said her voice quiet Hank grunted Ezekiel maintained his stoic silence The group moved on cautiously going to investigate the strange fog

Hank was teetering between avoiding it and taking a closer look as they approached until the sounds of other people reached their ears It was clear that within the fog there was some sort of mining operation going on the sound of yells and the clink of chisels was clearly audible Hank’s group exchanged a bemused glance then walked into the misted area

Even still Hank was extremely cautious They hadn’t encountered them very often but there were monsters that would use illusions to confuse a person But Laurel had weapons to combat and recognize that so Hank allowed them to proceed

The mist was thin It muffled sunlight but still allowed a person to see a good 15 meters in every direction Everything was just a bit cloudy

“Look there ” Ezekiel’s voice cracked from disuse as he raised his hand and pointed He had been surprisingly introspective since parting ways with his son probably grappling with the cost of his Class in a new light after seeing his progeny Hank had little sympathy for the man but there was no denying it was a hard spot to be in

Ezekiel pointed towards a large object in the mist As one the group circled it and approach Only when within 10 meters was it obvious that it wasn’t a stone but instead a large block of ice And only when you were right up next to it did it become obvious that there was a shadowy figure frozen in the middle of it Laurel raised her hand conjuring a mage light to reveal a strange ape creature suspended in the ice

It’s eyes were narrowed in concentration and the veins at its temple were throbbing with palpable anger It was obvious that it had been frozen almost instantly before the reality of its situation could occur to the creature Strangely its body seemed almost plantlike with vines running naturally across its arms and merging into the thing’s chest

Everyone paused wondering silently what had occurred here leaving this monster stuck in this ice But the sounds of the excavation were even louder now so very soon the group tore themselves away from it and walked closer

“Careful this ain’t our neck of the woods any longer ” Hank said quietly He gave Ezekiel a long look “Best behavior ya hear me “

Ezekiel smirked but Hank could only frown Now was not the time to get into a spat with this quirky man

Chapter 514

Hank’s group was walking on ground that was slowly sloping downward and then came to a lip of a wide gorge or ravine the details masked by the fog But what they could see were that there were about 50 men and women below working with picks to crack off pieces of ice that covered the ground Above them and only a few meters below the lip on which they stood about a dozen men with huge paper fans were sweeping their objects back and forth knocking the mist rising from the ice out of the bowl and into the surrounding area LIkely these fan users were the reason the mist had been displaced and oozed into the surrounding area as much as it did

What was most perplexing for Hank was that these people were truly mining ice like it was a precious material He watched as a woman knocked off a small chuck the size of a ping pong ball grinned and then made it disappear They were also rugged wild people wearing leathers and furs to a greater degree even than the previous group they had encountered in the borderlands lead by that Dinesh fellow

“Do these people not have refrigeration Why are they mining ice ” Ezekiel asked not even bothering to keep his voice quiet Some of the fanners turned to glance behind them noticing Hank and his group but they eventually ignored them focusing on their task at hand

“This is not normal ice ” Laurel said quietly “Look do you see any water It is not melting Even if all it does as a substance is produce this mist would not Ghost still harvest the lot of it to perform experiments “

Ezekiel had nothing to say to that And apparently their presence had caused enough of a stir to merit a response although Hank couldn’t have indicated which of the people below caused it Two parties came out of the crowd towards them one of a single person and the other of a duo It quickly became apparent that these two groups were in fact from different sources and as soon as Hank thought that it became obvious The one group’s uniforms were largely uniform with black leather and seemingly extraneous straps and buckles along their arms and legs It was certainly a strange fashion statement

The other group had more heterogeneous clothing with various furs leathers and metal armors But each of these had a number emblazoned on their armor at some point A quick scan of the groups indicated that there were three numbers among the people scattered here II III and 29 There didn’t seem to be any discernible difference amongst the buckle people

Walking quickly the solo person arrived first It was a teenage boy his arms almost unhealthily slim

“Who the fuck are you “

About par for the course for a teenager Hank supposed Unfortunately their group also had an individual whose maturity level was suspect

“Did you practice that line in the mirror You sound like a minor villain in a Shakespearean play ” Ezekiel said dismissively with a snort

“The day Shakespeare says fuck is the day your balls drop far enough to take me in a fight ” The teenager declared

Ezekiel turned to Laurel “Did he seriously just say that to me “

Laurel remained unconcerned with Ezekiel simply shaking her head The teenager stalked forward his eyes burning At his waist a dozen or so small pouched hung He quickly reached into one and removed something that looked like smoked meat “Say that again “

The duo arrived One man was an overly muscled man with a shaved head On his chest was the number II The man next to him had his dark hair up in a ponytail with half a dozen knives strapped to his sides On his chest was an III

“Oh a duel ” The burly man said Rubbing his hands together his face split into a grin “I suppose I call the winner “

“Then I’ll fight you when you lose ” The knife man replied

Chuckling the burly man thumped his chest “Why so you can lose to me again You’re truly are a glutton for punishment “

“You cheated ” The knifeman replied “I would say you slept your way to the top but I think it’s more likely you didn’t sleep your way to the top When talking about sexual prowess Sam on your team “

“Hurry ” The teen interrupted waving his hand airily “Get your men to set up an arena “

“Don’t we have the one outside of the icemist ” The burly man said scratching his chin

The other two nodded Then almost as one they turned and stalked off through the ice mist The knifeman whistled the burly man clapped his hands and the teenager burped The workers instantly turned on their heels and began walking in this direction while chit chatting with each other Some of the men did arm circles as though they were warming up for an extreme amount of exertion

Laurel turned to Ezekiel and patted him on the back “This seems like a you problem I’m going to go look at the ice “

After a second of consideration Affina went to join Ezekiel who was stomping after these strange Zone 32 ers His mouth was in that thin line he got when he was about to do something dumb

Hank flexed his hands the corner of his mouth creeping upwards Although he wanted to engage in a more peaceful meeting with the people from this new Zone Ever since they had encountered these abnormal people Hank had wondered where he stood compared to them

A duel seemed the perfect way to lay that to rest

After several hours of work Randidly gave Foreman Davey 200 bars of his Erickson Steel and received 1000 in exchange When he traded it in there was some wariness in the man’s eyes as if he expected trouble Based on the fact the man was probably aware that Randidly had gone to Ricky Stain’s party he couldn’t hold it against him

Sure it was likely true that Randidly could have pushed for a higher price but so what Although he didn’t want to waste his time here he wasn’t necessarily in a hurry After speaking with Sonya and Gregory at the party Randidly had gained 5 Levels in Refine and Extract as he used the information he had gleaned about steel to enhance his images Besides although Foreman Davey made a significant profit on Randidly that was how businesses worked As Randidly couldn’t access the exchange he paid to use FOreman Davey for that privilege

Perhaps more importantly a quiet discussion with Griffith on their way to the bar had revealed that Foreman Davey also was a Tier II citizen Every bar of Randidly’s steel that Foreman Davey sold was essentially Foreman Davey certifying the quality Although that had no current value Randidly was happy to take less immediate gain so he would have his foot in the door later

Apparently the fact that Randidly didn’t push meant something to Foreman Davey as well because when Randidly asked about the spatial watches he simply laughed and gave him one

“Usually you’d get one when you gain citizenship ” Foreman Davey said a smile on his face But we have a working relationship you and I and I can understand how not having a wristlet would make things difficult This was the one that I obtained when I became a Tier I Citizen it should be more than enough for your needs eh

The item was a basic storage item of such a size that Randidly wouldn’t even bother to use it But now at least he could walk around without someone realizing he was producing items out of thin air without one of the watches Most people would likely assume that he simply had one hidden away somewhere on his person due to his citizenship less status

Afterward Randidly left the town and walked out to the forest again There he sat underneath a small tree and checked up on his PP His two weeks working in the steel factory had given him 14 Levels in Refine 9 in Extract 7 in Fire Resistance and Gravity Affinity and 4 in Potion Brewing and Chosen of Fire

Although it wasn’t a great amount of PP the growth was more concentrated than generally occurred with Randidly But he supposed that he was focusing on more combat related skills so it was easy to bring up the production Skill when he finally turned his attention to them

Randidly was currently finishing the Path Intermediate Soul Bond and these PP disappeared into the endless benefitless hole that this Path ended up being He had chosen this Path because he had suspected that he and Neveah would have to part ways with the opening of the new Zone Although Randidly could be relatively low key when he wanted to be Neveah

Imagining what she was undoubtedly up to with his face at the very moment it made Randidly shiver He thought about asking but sometimes Neveah behaved like a child If she knew he was paying attention she would do her equivalent of showing off

After finishing that up Randidly considered what he should focus on training next while he was here in Zone 1 He didn’t want it to be any of his flashy Skills in case it would reveal him to be something that he was not There was a slight whiff of the Creature in the air but Randidly was almost just as worried about the local Zone 1 government discovering him at this point The government might have more tools at its disposal assuming Ghost wasn’t a pet of the Creature Plus when the government discovered him there was no doubt in his mind that it would do everything it could to control him or influence him in some way

It honestly sounded like such a hassle

Therefore Randidly identified three areas that he could theoretically work during this time honing his Skills The first was to work on the Kata of the Ashen Spear in either focusing his efforts on healing his broken Skill or creating a new one Randidly had a few ideas for a new Skill but he remained intrigued by the power that his previously created Skill had displayed His interaction with the three headed ogre really infuriated Randidly

That piece of shit deserved to die

The second area was to work on Leveling up his minions He had the almost completely forgotten Plantomancy but Randidly also now had Call Grove Defenders and Lava Golems Both of these produced powerful if unintelligent minions If Randidly took the time to Level them up their damage and autonomy might increase

Lava Golems might set too much on fire but Randidly didn’t’ think it would be a problem to add another place to his swiftly expanding cave beneath the forest Even as he considered his training options his Plant Dominance acted to push dirt to the side creating an infrastructure that would last and suit his purposes

The final area of emphasis could be a Domain His actions had unlocked the Domains for humanity and although other people had made attempts Randidly had no doubt in his mind that he could create a truly exemplary domain although based on what he understood this would be the task of the three that took the longest time For quite a while as he slowly understood his domain he would see no benefits

Still Randidly sat back sighing

Chapter 515

Hank’s mouth was pressed into a thin line as he watched Ezekiel get humiliated by the strange teen before the cheering and hooting groups of miners This teen simply was too fast too graceful and his body seemed to twist and shift into a very real monster during battle in all areas Ezekiel couldn’t keep up

His unconscious body slammed to the ground without much suspense What was perhaps the most impressive was that the whole while the teen named Vandal Leviathan never seemed close to inflicting a deadly blow It was playing for him This level of combat was simply play

When Ezekiel fell they turned to the rest of his group Her expression stone Affina walked forward and lifted Ezekiel carrying the man out of the small arena that the group had created It showed the signs of obvious wear with scuffs around the stone edges of the raised space from constant hands on them

Who next The burly man who had introduced himself as Paolo said to Hank with a wide smile

Hank’s grin was just as wide I reckon’ it’s my turn friend

The crowd hollered and stomped their feet enjoying the testosterone Even the snooty Vandal seemed to get into it very quickly forgetting about his little spat with Ezekiel and simply focusing on the fight at hand

Hank knew people for all that he spent his time in the wilderness when he could But perhaps even because of that Paolo made sense to him When they both ascended into the arena Paolo raised his hands to the cheers of the audience playing on their energy He even seemed to draw on it growing heavier and more imposing the more the people cheered

This was a man that cared about the audience who took the time to create a show Hank believed that even if Paolo was truly a more powerful individual the fact that he played so heavily on the crowd would make him predictable and give Hank an edge that he could take advantage of

There was no announcement of the start of the battle Hank just felt it in his heart at the moment the shift in the arena occurred The energy spiked upwards and the very air seemed to vibrate in sympathy for the explosive violence that was about to occur there

Instantly Hank rolled back and drew the repeater leveling it at Paolo The man rushed forward moving in an easy loping gait towards Hank It would have been almost relaxing if Hank didn’t quickly realize that the speed this man was moving was near the edge of what his eyes were able to follow

Activating Hawk Eye Hank Dodge Rolled backward firing off several shots from the repeater This seemed to catch Paolo by surprise and his eyes narrowed as he took in the weapon and the oncoming projectiles Then Paolo executed several short diagonal steps that let him weave barely between the bullets It barely even slowed him too which was aggravating

Paolo’s smile was growing Hank cursed quietly Then he flicked his right hand forward and a Smoke Bomb hit the ground

Instantly the cheering became quiet as if somewhat put the whole crowd on mute Hank’s pupils dilated That wasn’t a natural change But he had no time to examine it further because his instincts were screaming that the other man was in the smoke Hank abruptly realized that he was being stalked like game

A small noise alerted him and Hank raised his pistol and shot several meters to the right There was an answering laugh and Paolo rushed forward from the spot that Hank had fired

How did you know Paolo asked arriving in front of Hank hands raised to grapple

Hank didn’t have time to explain his duelist sense A noise like that was a mistake and this man he was now facing did not strike him as the type that would make a mistake of that caliber at least without being highly pressured

This time Hank Dodge Rolled even faster moving just out of Paolo’s outstretched hands Seeing that his attack wasn’t going to land the grab changed instantly into a punch and Paolo’s fist smashed into the ground cracking A lot of the smoke screen was displaced by the fist blow revealing the outside world In addition the attack forced Hank to take a half step to recover

Hank’s ears seemed to be broken because the sound of the people outside cheering was fluctuating as though coming through a choppy television receiver One minute it was muted static the next it sounded like thousands of people were beating war drums and marching Either way it forced Hank to force himself to let noise go relying increasingly more on his Duelist Instinct

This instinct was the one that warned him of Paolo’s presence and the one that supposedly would give him an edge in any duel But it had been a long long time since he participated in an actual duel It was a slight thing especially as Hank could feel the presence of Paolo buffeting him backward pushing him mentally

It was strange Hank reflected Time seemed to slow to a crawl as Paolo pounced towards him like a hunting cat

What he was feeling was something like a Skill but it was a general one Paolo felt and thought more powerfully than Hank did He had a vivid image in his mind of how things would turn out and that surety acted as a force that drove the future towards that conclusion It was impressive in a way that Hank had almost forgotten about

When he was a child there was a day where Hank had come home from grade school and found his father sitting on their 2 meter wooden fence looking out at the Appalachian mountains that formed their backyard The fence was originally erected because Hank’s father had seen a mountain lion sniffing after their chickens but Hank’s father always seemed to resent the fence

That day that expression of discontentment was especially strong His gaze was locked on the horizon even as Hank saw his father then scampered off to the shed to bring a ladder After climbing up to join his father the two of them sat in silence for quite some time

Eventually Hank’s father said You know no matter how I think about it we need this fence But it makes me wonder A hundred years ago my grandfather would have simply scowled and laid up waiting for that mountain lion then he would have had it in a stew within the week He was a man of the old ways And hell his grandpappy would have drawn a pistol and put a bullet through the mountain lion’s head from 100 paces away That was just the kind of men they were The kind of men we all used to be

The silence returned but this time it was short lived

Hank kick the ladder out and balance up here with me His father said simply After a brief hesitation Hank did it The fence was made of three layers of wood a softwood between two hardwoods This meant that there was a platform at the top of the fence about as thick as an adults pinky finger While sitting it wasn’t impossible to balance but it was uncomfortable

Stand up

Slowly Hank did as he was bidden Beyond the fence the ground fell away into a steep slope into a thin meandering valley Beyond that Appalachia rose wild and stoic A fall from this wouldn’t kill him but he would then have to worry about slipping on the loose shale and sliding down to further injury in the shallow creek a hundred meters below

See the original pioneers were queer folk Hank’s father was saying They grew convinced of something that this land was a great place where they could find their future and none could dissuade them Many left successful businesses loving family landed fortunes to find something magical in this land Perhaps half of them found it The other have found unmarked beds to lay their heads down for eternal slumber

Half might even be generous Without assistance almost any small injury would lead to you being insufficient in your next brush with danger Animals topography food and water native Americans and even your fellow pioneers all would kill you for what you had You couldn’t have the slightest defect in preparation or care Everything except perfection would leave you a relic of the past

We no longer live in that world Due to that our population has grown wildly But also due to that we as people Hank’s father sighed we do not measure up Hank stand straight Walk towards me Eyes up

A thin breeze caressed Hank as he slowly stepped forward doing his best to balance It was simply brushstrokes on his cheeks sighs on his ankles but it set his legs to trembling And underneath him Hank could feel the fence quivering slightly along with him

His father’s eyes were brutal and direct The more you fear something the more likely you will make it happen yourself These pioneers they didn’t know fear What they knew was how their future would turn out with a surety that could defy causality If you do not reach that at least reach the point where fear doesn’t make you piss like a babe

Hank shivered and that small movement set him off balance There was only the lightness of air those sighs and brushes turning to soft hands trying to help him keep his balance The fickle assistance made it all the more pathetic when he still couldn’t regain his balance and Hank fell In those moments he pictured many things falling down and sliding to the creek the roar of cascading stones the brutal cold of the water perhaps even his father’s hand reaching out to grab him

But of course there was no hand

When Hank hit the ground the wind was knocked out of him He looked to his right and there lay the ladder he had kicked out from under him He had landed on the inside of the fence and was lucky he hadn’t landed right on it

Set up the ladder and get back up here His father had said his voice empty You are doing it again

Chapter 516

For years Hank had wondered what his father was talking about but fighting against Paolo it snapped into place And as it did so several other mysteries shifted forming a clear picture that Hank could easily read

He had wondered how these people had survived so well even prospered when all they had were bladed weapons and leather armors Because while the people from Zone 1 used high tech equipment to focus their growth and protect their mentalities the people here had been forced to fight the wildness of the System with their eyes facing forward There was no buffer to protect them Those that couldn’t adapt died

These were the women and men who believed they could live here with all their heart They embraced this lifestyle without hesitation They became people who lived and breathed with the System Within the past year and a half they had sharpened themselves until they had mental images with such strength that they could strike at their opponents like a weapon

Strangely Hank’s smile snaked open in a wide curve like a smuggler’s river In the past he had believed his father’s stories superficially but never truly accepted them he didn’t believe it was possible But pushed here this powerful man bearing down on him something clicked into place

Congratulations Your images have grown to such strength that you begin to condense your own Skill Warning if there is insufficient ambient energy in the air the energy will be taken from your body This may result in injury or death Do you wish to proceed

Congratulations your Soul Skill Humanity’s Last Cowboy is evolving Warning if there is insufficient ambient energy in the air the energy will be taken from your body This may result in injury or death Do you wish to proceed

Hank blinked and the notifications were gone Paolo raised his hands Hank drew his revolver his father’s revolver Without taking time to aim he fired off the draw and followed it up with several slugs from the repeater empowered with Trick Shot

The speed of the revolver bullets caught Paolo by surprise and they nicked him on his shoulders and arms The revolver shot arrived at his chest Now all noises had faded back and there was only the pounding of Hank’s heart It filled the very sky with its force a shuddering heaving beat

Crushing Blow Paolo bellowed smashing his hand forward to meet the bullet There was a huge impact and the bullet was actually knocked to the side It ripped a long gash up Paolo’s arm but otherwise he seemed fine Hank stepped forward to finish the job

His first two jabs definitely caught Paolo by surprise and the man took them both in the chin After that second hit however his stance shifted and he was ready for the third Sharp Left from Hank The Hard Right still sent him sprawling backward despite his preparations

Roaring with laughter Paolo stepped back forward but Hank’s left hand had drawn his pistol with all the swiftness of lighting spraying bullets at his midsection To Hank’s surprise Paolo didn’t react at all aside from a small grunt as the bullet hit him Apparently he had decided that the best idea was to just push through the bullets

Yea Hank had fought those types before So he reached out and touched the small marbles of Mana that he put in every bullet

Mana Detonation

This time Paolo’s grunt was much louder but Hank was shocked at how little of an effect it had Some blood sprayed out of the wounds but there were none of the usual explosions of gore that resulted from this attack Generally only a monster could endure through multiple Mana Detonations without being reduced to ground beef How high was his fucking Endurance

Paolo if anything was speeding up as he rushed towards Hank It forced him to Dodge Roll to the side once and then backward in order to open up some space But even then Paolo was already there rushing forward like a bull

Paolo head slipped under the Hard Right grinning

That won’t work twice Good punch though mate I really underestimated ya But this is

Hank faded a half step backward from Paolo opening up just enough space to draw both pistols The air was humming and thumping with his heartbeat The cheers of the crowd were rising upwards towards the crescendo and Hank knew he couldn’t let it get there Firing twice Hank put a bullet directly up in the air and another towards his heart

The part of Hank that was hesitant to go as hard as he could have long ago stepped to the side to make way for the brutal vicious survivalist His head was throbbing but after the two shots he shot out the remaining four bullets in the repeater and reloaded it Without thinking about it he emptied another clip At that moment Hank knew that he had to

Congratulations You have created the Skill Hope for the Future Lvl 1

Congratulations You have created the Skill Bulletstorm ® Lvl 1

Congratulations You have created the Skill Western Justice (Un) Lvl 1

Information flooded Hank’s mind but it was too late for that Paolo had arrived

With impossible grace he shimmied to the side sliding his body through the spaces between the bullets Hank’s eyes sparkled

Bulletstorm

The Mana within the bullets detonated simultaneously shards of Mana charged shrapnel flying in every direction Paolo cursed At that moment Hank simply lowered his shoulders and leaped forward hitting Paolo in his bloody chest A few steps back and

The Lawman’s Guillotine the bullet he had shot up earlier descended

It crashed into Paolo’s shoulder inflicting the first real damage that Hank had managed likely destroying the joint and rendering his right arm useless Even so Paolo’s elbow whipped upwards striking Hank across the bridge of the nose He felt the crack and borrowed the force to open up a meter or so of space between them

Well shit Paolo said shaking his head His grin was still wide This has actually been a lot of fun hey man are you alright

Hank didn’t feel alright He swayed took another step backward and then collapsed Paolo rushed to his side as well as Kayle and Affina Kayle swore under his breath

Smart guy picked up on Intents almost instantly He probably created one during the battle This is Aether Sickness Bad the worst I’ve ever seen

The figures blurred together in Hank’s mind His head began to throb painfully He felt the blood in his body turning to sludge refusing to continue flowing forward Snatches of conversation made their ponderous way to his consciousness even as he felt himself sinking

the others

said not to contact him

athan He can

Hank Can you hear

There was darkness and coolness Some part of Hank refused to accept it but it was like a child crying out against the injustice of the sun leaving every day He was not an existence could change this outcome

Time pooled and swirled like a mischievous stream and Hank was carried slowly away But then all at once he felt a grip on him pulling him out of the darkness

His eyes flickered and then opened Above him a familiar face was sitting frowning down at him Easy this is the first time I’ve worked in such depth with a Soul Skill Your Class needed a bit of a tune of too your images were getting too strong for it which was why there was such bad feedback

Hank blinked slowly It was the child from the thorny house

You shouldn’t be here it’s dangerous Hank managed to spit out He wasn’t sure where they were but they were near the borderlands for sure Even with protection getting here

The kid Nathan laughed Oh it’s quite safe I have several protectors But you need to rest the surgery was a success you’ll recover in a jiffy

As Nathan was standing to walk away some of the words he had been saying finally got through to Hank The only reaction he could think of was to frown but Nathan noticed as he was turning away Again he only laughed

Relax I might not have much experience but I’m basically the second best at this in the world He said proudly puffing out his chest Hopefully I can become the best someday because I am a Soul Architect

Chapter 517

Ultimately Randidly believed the best decision was to reform his old As the Sun Stills Skill The physical power was something that he was currently lacking and would do a lot to increase his chances against the monsters that he expected to be coming towards him

Acri had raised the power of his weapons by a whole level giving him an increased amount of damage However that felt insufficient The Kata of the Ashen Spear was his first Skill Set and the one that had earned him the admiration of people in Shal’s world It also helped him overcome his first Judgement It could be said that this Skillset was critical to his success

It was largely set aside in his current battle tactics because he had found himself in the position of being an all rounder that excelled at controlling the opponent His spells and spearwork were very fine tuned and it allowed him to have an almost impenetrable defense while continuing to inflict blows on the opponent

Therefore the Spear Advances Ash Trails was less used as it represented committing totally But Randidly was starting to see the limitations of his control strategy Even if that continued to be his dominant battle style having a few aces in the hole never hurt

So Randidly began the rather gruesome process of healing the Skill It wasn’t an easy thing because it had continued to swell and grow during the past year or so however long it had been since it had broken Honestly Randidly was starting to have some difficulty keeping track of the time due to the Dungeons

It was also largely exhausting because it still resonated painfully whenever he touched it with his sense It was a lot like performing surgery on yourself Lucretia could help but she still had to rely on his limbs to do it so it was like he was doing it himself The pain caused him to sweat and almost lose track of time

After about four hours which was a large chunk of the time that Ghost wouldn’t be observing this area of forest Randidly leaned back with a sigh This wouldn’t work The process was too time consuming and it also left him with little knowledge of how to proceed When it came down to it

It seemed like total annihilation would be the best bet Randidly was a little unsure of how it would affect him but he knew there were likely some unintended consequences to destroying his Skill But the remnants of the broken Skill were getting in the way The best bet would to clear out the scrap and forge it anew

So the rest of the night was effectively setting a small Aether fire in his own head This was even more painful so much so that by the end of the process he had two more Skill Levels in Pain Resistance It was also a much more minutely controlled operation because if the intense burning Aether fire spread it would eat through his useful SKill causing damage that Randidly didn’t’ truly understand

At the moment it was really like he was a child playing with fire But he trusted his will and he trusted Lucretia and it went off without any significant hitches

The empty space in his soul space felt different It was as though it knew that there would be a new Skill there soon But as he was exhausted from the clearing up Randidly decided to put off the first refining steps for the Skill until later

There was still another hour until Ghost’s drones flew overhead so Randidly spread his Perception once more across the forest His work developing an area underneath the forest was going well Originally he had planned it to be a workshop so he could do more experiments on metals without other people observing him But very quickly Randidly realized it would be a good base for himself to live and perhaps some others if his group from Zone 32 wanted to come and stay with him

It would also serve as a nice staging point for more hunting expeditions into the borderlands Not that Randidly needed any more bones a single ingot only took about 1/10 a monster bone And Randidly had collected over a thousand skeletons in the past six months But Randidly didn’t want to lose his edge in combat

The Creature could strike at any time and he would be ready

Plus he wanted to let Acri and Sulfur grow which was important in and of itself

Therefore Randidly had started expanding the area underground to be able to house a dozen or so people just in case It was nice practice using Plant Dominance and it was oddly soothing to do

Satisfied with the progress there Randidly turned his attention to the larger forest Immediately he noticed two things First there appeared to be more people staying in the farming compound in the middle of the forest Almost double the amount that had been there previously Which was innocuous but Randidly made a note of it

Second there was a small little shrine built at the spot the little girl had been lost and he had helped her It was just a branch stuck in the ground with small flowers laid around it but it was clearly an offering of some sort This made Randidly chuckle It seemed paganism was alive and well in Zone 1

Still he appreciated the gesture of thanks Perhaps they thought it was a benevolent Raid Boss or something Although Randidly had never heard of such a thing happening based on his interaction with the Bone Wurm that provided the body for Neveah it was possible So Randidly reached out with Plant Dominance and touched those flowers that had been laid there

A pulse of life ran through them Although they had already been picked new roots grew out of them and stuck themselves into the ground The flowers straightened straining upwards for the few glimpses of sunshine that would come through the forest canopy

Randidly frowned it didn’t look there would be any the tree cover was very complete His small bed of flowers raised its faces high undaunted

He didn’t want to cause too much of a stir but

moving a few trees to let some sunlight down onto the path wouldn’t be a big deal right Ghost wouldn’t notice such a thing Besides his use of Plant Dominance would be a waste otherwise

So Randidly reached out again grasping a few of the surrounding trees Grimacing Randidly forced them to draw their roots out of the ground and move a meter or two away from the flower bed A break in the canopy opened up and starlight rained down on the flowers

After using the roots to sweep the ground and clean up any disturbed earth Randidly smiled Then he turned back and returned to the forge

Randidly hadn’t realized it prior to talking to Gregory and Sonya but metal was truly a fascinating substance It was so rigid and yet so malleable It formed an internal structure with itself and it could be blended with other varieties of metal to form other things Hell monster bones blended well with it It was the medium by which weapons were made

It was like a fire was lit in his belly It was delightful to play and create with metal It made him wonder whether this was something new or had it been inside of him his entire life just waiting for the opportunity It made him regret choosing to take coding over metal shop in high school

In addition Randidly found that the more he worked with metal the more he wanted to push the bounds of the quality of his steel But he knew the idea right now was to remain relatively inconspicuous Instead of quality Randidly increased the quantity but not in the speed sense He focused on producing more ingots from a smaller amount of materials To do that he had to Extract more fully and Refine more exactingly

It was time consuming which was a headache but it also got him Skill Levels which was reassuring He poured over the raw ore doing his best to get every bit of iron out of it Then it went into the blast furnace so he could mix in the bones The deftness with which he used Gravity Affinity also increased at a pleasing rate

Which was good but it also clearly displayed the limitations of Gravity Affinity it simply wasn’t a very powerful Skill Randidly had done an experiment once and an Inspired Gravity Affinity was only as powerful as his regular punch Getting force above that simply wasn’t possible He would need to find a way to evolve the Skill as he had done with Root Manipulation in order for it to be effective in a fight

When Randidly turned in this day’s work he was almost one third of the way towards obtaining preliminary citizenship Foreman Davey was as pleased as a pickle that Randidly continued to refine his steel making process and threw an extra 50 in the deal as a reward and an agreement for continued business

This Randidly agreed to with a nod and a smile

It was strange they didn’t actually know each other but Randidly felt some rapport with Foreman Davey There was something reassuring about having a strictly professional relationship with another person that eased Randidly’s worries about social interactions

Feeling relatively pleased with the day’s haul Randidly began to wander back towards the edge of town where he had set up a small shack to throw people off his under construction place in the forest But before he could return to his home he saw a scene that made him from It was a conversation between two women he recognized although he didn’t know the one’s name And with them was a man that Randidly very much wanted to forget

The man toyed with the edge of his military uniform Look I just wanted to apologize

Her bright orange hair swishing back and forth the young woman shook her head Her street clothes were gone and instead she wore a brown robe like she was a monk of some sort These two strangely dressed individuals were a stark contrast to the normal population of the area And between them stood Tatiana

I think you’d better leave Tatiana said coolly and then she looked over the man’s shoulder and made eye contact with Randidly

Chapter 518

Tatiana had been doing her best to ask soft questions to this young woman Adrea when this pompous ass had sidled up Although she hadn’t seen the girl in a while she knew of her it was the girl who had raised a stink about her brother’s disappearance in one of the Eastern cities a few weeks ago

To see her now wearing a habit of one of Father Foster’s followers made Tatiana extremely frosty Truly that fucking cult would use any weakness to worm their way into the lives of innocent people Initially Tatiana hadn’t seen them for what they were and thoughtlessly attended a few of their services

Even remembering it now her eyes flashed dangerously That Father Foster

But this girl had stubbornly refused to follow any of the soft outs that Tatiana offered her Instead she steadfastly defended the organization and continued to try and spread a pamphlet for a church that would be opening up between the factory village and the city proper But all steelworkers and their families were encouraged to attend

Tatiana was considering her next move when the man showed up

Please give us some space The man said simply his eyes sliding up and down Tatiana’s body like an ooze We have some history

I have nothing to say to you Adrea said bluntly crossing her arms Even though she was now a member of the religious organization Tatiana could tell that it hadn’t been long because she was still alive with life and fire Tatiana knew from experience that they had ways of getting feisty women to walk around with dead eyes

Likely she was chosen due to her knowledge of the area and not because she had gone through enough of their training seminars

Tatiana turned back to the man her eyes narrowed into slits Her grin was vicious like a shark waiting for a wounded creature to stick its toe into the water The man seemed to realize the implied threat because he took a loud audible gulp

I I suppose you may remain The man said his voice shrill Look I just wanted to apologize

I think you’d better leave Tatiana said simply lowering the overt threat in her features Men generally act defensively when threatened If they feel in control they are much more likely to accept a slight But as she spoke she sensed movement over the man’s shoulder and looked sharply up If he had brought friends

Tatiana blinked It was that man Baloo the steelworker with plasma proof hands She instantly saw the recognition in his eyes as well and then his gaze flicked to the other two His face split into a frown Instantly Tatiana’s guard was back up

Did he know this man

Seeing that Tatiana was distracted the man in the military uniform said quickly It was my fault and I misled you earlier But I’ve seen the error of my ways If you again give me 100 this time I will actually

You want MORE money Adrea screeched taking a step forward with fists clenched

The man raised his hands shaking his head slowly Look there really is a process I already spent the previous money you gave me but this time

Baloo at one point during the talking took several steps forward and reached out to grab the military man’s shoulder when a sharp crack cut the sky A bolt of plasma flew out of a nearby window towards the back of the military man’s head

Tatiana’s eyes widened and she watched as Baloo’s head snapped around to lock on the plasma bolt with such speed that it left her gasping In fact the only reason that she had been able to pinpoint the source of the noise so quickly was he looked at the projectile immediately His hand landed on the military man’s back and pulled him a half step backward

The man flailed but moved backward unable to resist Baloo The plasma bolt whizzed by his head and buried itself in the dirt

You never fail to surprise me A short man with golden hair stepped out of the nearby building holding a plasma rifle The rest of the street went very still Another figure stepped out covered in a thick cloak that Tatiana recognized as marking the figure as one of Father Foster’s enforcers